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Marigold MicroFlowers™
Inventory, 200 ct : 1.00
This item was last sold on : 12/09/23
Description/Taste
Micro Marigold™ is comprised of small flowers, measuring 2 to 3 centimeters in diameter, and consisting of five heart-shaped outer petals surrounding smaller inner florets. The flowers bloom in varying hues of yellow, orange, and mahogany, with some varieties having two-toned petals with a darker color near the center, exploding outward in a sunburst shape. A small, green stem, measuring approximately 2 centimeters in length, connects at the base of each flower. Micro Marigold™ has a pungent, sharp, and musky aroma that can be considered unpleasant and a robust citrusy flavor with a peppery and bitter finish.
Seasons/Availability
Micro Marigold™ is a mixture of small, edible flowers that are a part of a trademarked line of specialty MicroFlowers™ grown by Fresh Origins Farm in San Diego, California. Micro Marigold™ is one of Fresh Origin Farm’s most popular innovations and was designed to complement their extensive line of microgreens. The miniature flowers are generally smaller than a quarter and offer various flavors, vivacious colors, shapes, and textures to elevate culinary and mixology experiences. Marigold is a generalized term for over 50 varieties of flowering shrubs in the Tagetes family native to Mexico and Central America. The plants were sacred to ancient cultures like the Mayans and Aztecs and are still an important part of the Mexican holiday, Dia de Los Muertos. The two most common varieties of the flowers are the French marigold, Tagetes patula, and the African marigold, Tagetes erecta. French marigolds are more compact, with few petal layers and a flatter appearance. African marigolds are much larger with a full-rounded pom-pom shape. Micro Marigold™ can be used to elevate the color, texture, dimension, and flavor of many different culinary and drink applications.
Current Facts
Micro Marigold™ is a mixture of small, edible flowers that are a part of a trademarked line of specialty MicroFlowers™ grown by Fresh Origins Farm in San Diego, California. Micro Marigold™ is one of Fresh Origin Farm’s most popular innovations and was designed to complement their extensive line of microgreens. The miniature flowers are generally smaller than a quarter and offer various flavors, vivacious colors, shapes, and textures to elevate culinary and mixology experiences. Marigold is a generalized term for over 50 varieties of flowering shrubs in the Tagetes family native to Mexico and Central America. The plants were sacred to ancient cultures like the Mayans and Aztecs and are still an important part of the Mexican holiday, Dia de Los Muertos. The two most common varieties of the flowers are the French marigold, Tagetes patula, and the African marigold, Tagetes erecta. French marigolds are more compact, with few petal layers and a flatter appearance. African marigolds are much larger with a full-rounded pom-pom shape. Micro Marigold™ can be used to elevate the color, texture, dimension, and flavor of many different culinary and drink applications.
Nutritional Value
Micro Marigold™ flowers contain lutein, a type of carotenoid that is important for maintaining eye health, and glycoproteins and nucleoproteins, two compounds that support skin healing. Marigold flowers are rich in carotene, iodine, and manganese, a trace mineral that promotes cell regeneration and hormone production. The flowers contain antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to be effective at treating sore throat and mouth sores, especially when added to tea and gargled.
Applications
Micro Marigold™ is best suited as an edible accent, added at the end of preparation to maintain the flower’s delicate shape and texture. The entire floret is edible and can be used whole, or the petals can be separated and spread throughout the dish. Vinegar can affect the color of the florets, so take care when using vinegar-based dressings. Micro Marigold™ can be sprinkled over salads, floated over soups and curries, placed into fruit bowls, or used as a garnish for sushi and sashimi. The flowers can also be used to decorate seafood dishes such as calamari, ceviche, and shrimp cocktail or strategically placed on pasta, seafood, sandwiches, appetizers, and other main plates for added aesthetic. In addition to using the flowers in their natural form, the blooms can be frozen into ice cubes to add color and flavor to a beverage, mixed into butter sweetened with honey to create vibrant compound butter, or pressed into cookies and soft cheeses for an elevated appearance. Micro Marigold™ can also be used to accent desserts such as cakes, scones, sorbets, crème brulee, cookies, puddings, and tarts, or they can be used as a garnish in craft cocktails. Micro Marigold™ pairs well with chocolate, fruits such as coconut, strawberries, lemons, passionfruit, mango, and cherries, herbs including lavender, parsley, and mint; cheeses such as goat, brie, and blue; leafy greens, and springtime vegetables including asparagus, peas, green garlic, and fava beans. Whole MicroFlowers™ should be used immediately for the best quality and will keep 2 to 4 days when stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
After their arrival from the new world, Marigolds quickly wove themselves into the folklore of Europe. In Irish and Scottish cultures, the flowers were associated with St. Luke’s Day and flower divination. St. Luke is the patron saint of many different things, including physicians, sculptures, brewers, butchers, and bachelors. The saint’s association with bachelors led many women to believe that he could divine for them their future husbands. The tradition goes that on the eve of St. Luke’s Day, a maiden was to anoint her lips, breasts, and stomach with a powder of dried marigold flowers, marjoram, thyme, and wormwood simmered in honey and vinegar and repeat the rhyme, “Saint. Luke, Saint. Luke, be kind to me, In dreams let me my true love see.” If Saint Luke blessed the maiden, she would see the face of the man she was meant to marry. This ritual came with a warning, however. If the man in the vision was smiling, he would be a loving partner, but if he were rude, frowning, or uncivil, the girl would rue the day she said “I do”. Marigolds were also added to pillows to encourage prophetic dreams, and water made from the blossoms was rubbed on the eyelids to induce psychic visions of the land of the fae.
Geography/History
Marigolds are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala and were used extensively by ancient cultures in these regions, like the Aztecs, who attributed religious and medicinal properties to the blooms. The Aztecs shared the flowers with Spanish colonists, who brought the seeds back to Europe and planted them throughout monastery gardens. The Spanish spread the flowers along trade routes into Africa, Asia, and throughout Europe. When English explorers traveled to Tunis, they saw Marigolds growing there, assumed they were native and gave them the name African marigolds. The flowers made their way back to the Americas with settlers of the United States shortly after the revolutionary world. Today, Marigolds have naturalized across many temperate and sub-tropical climates worldwide, including throughout North and South America, Northern Africa, Asia, and Europe. Micro Marigold™ was developed at Fresh Origins Farm in San Diego, California, the leading American producer of naturally grown microgreens and edible flowers since the mid-1990s. Fresh Origins grows over 60 varieties of edible flowers and uses the mild and sunny Southern California climate year-round to produce flavorful, attractive, safe, and quality blooms. Fresh Origins also has the highest level third-party audited food safety program and is a certified member of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, which follows science-based food safety practices to promote transparency and honesty in production. Micro Marigold™ can be found through select distribution partners of Fresh Origins across the United States and Canada.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Inn at Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-381-8289 |
| Humphrey's | San Diego CA | 619-224-3577 |
| Bahia Resort Hotel | San Diego CA | 858-488-0551 |
| Hotel Indigo | San Diego CA | 619-295-3172 |
| Boujiemana | San Diego CA | 925-980-9316 |
| La Costa Resort & Spa Main Kitchen | Carlsbad CA | 760-930-7063 |
| Saiko Sushi-North Park | San Diego CA | 619-886-6656 |
| Miho | San Diego CA | 619-365-5655 |
| Groundswell Brewing | Chula Vista CA | |
| Botanica (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-310-6320 |
| Hilton Garden Inn - Homewood Suites San Diego | San Diego CA | 619-696-6300 |
| Chef Jenn | Solana Beach CA | 858-212-9054 |
| UCSD Revelle Catering | La Jolla CA | (858) 822-1208 |
| Born & Raised | San Diego CA | 619-944-1631 |
| Rancho Valencia | Del Mar CA | 858-756-1123 |
| InterContinental Vistal Kitchen | San Diego CA | 619-501-9400 |
| Ron Oliver | San Diego | 619-295-3172 |
| Revolution Roasters | Oceanside CA | 760-330-6827 |
| Toast Catering | San Diego CA | 858-208-9422 |
| Mission Bay Yacht Club | San Diego CA | 858-488-0501 |
| Gossip Grill (Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-260-8023 |
| Snake Oil Cocktail Company LLC | San Diego CA | 619-754-4041 |
| Cloak and Petal Bar | San Diego CA | 619-501-5505 |
