Blue Pea flower

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Days, weeks and years roll by, some beautiful sunny days, neither cold nor hot, some bitterly cold or burning hot and a few even with fearful storms and hurricanes. That is the story of life too. Some of the posts are on heavy matters while others are light and joyful. A few recent posts have been heavy and it is time to return to lighter matters. I found the subject of today’s note in a lovely blue creeping flowering plant in my garden and snapped some pictures of it to go with the note. It is called blue butterfly pea or just blue peas. Its botanical name is Clitoria Ternatea. The flower, originally a native of tropical Asia now grows all around the world

The flowers of the plant are edible and have health giving properties. They have found use in ancient Indian and Chinese medicine. According to Wikipedia it is ascribed various qualities including memory enhancing, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing, and sedative properties. Following are a few nice recipes for drinks and rice made with it, all a heavenly blue color from light to dark depending on the number of flowers you use. One can use either fresh flowers or stored dried ones. Apparently they are available in many online stores including Amazon.

Boil around four to five flowers in a cup full of water and a small stick of cinnamon for a few minutes and your lovely blue cup of tea is ready. Just add a bit of honey to sweeten and serve in transparent small glasses or wine glasses. If you add lime the color will change to pink.

You can cool the blue sweetened water and use it for blue cocktails with gin. With vodka it makes a pleasant punch for a party. Just freeze some of the blue water as ice cubes to add to the punch bowl.

Added to a pot of rice before cooking you get blue rice, a Thai dish. The flowers add their subtle flavor, color and health giving properties to the rice. You shall sleep well after a meal of it.

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