A sweetly scented late-summer treat and a spicy warming autumn veggie dish
Scattered around the house are terracotta pots of pelargoniums whose leaves smell like turkish delight. The flowers vary from tiny pink stars to deep, inky petals the colour of Ribena. But what they all have in common are their scented leaves. Rub any of them and you will find yourself in a haze of rose, lemon or orange; or, perhaps less deliciously, camphor. These leaves, picked and layered with white caster, make a gently flavoured sugar for baking, or simply for tossing with autumn fruit.
The leaves need to be dry and fully open, preferably still warm from the sun. You sprinkle a thick layer of fine white caster sugar in the bottom of a jar, place a couple of leaves on top then another layer of sugar. Carry on layering sugar and leaves until the jar is full, then seal and set it somewhere warm for a day or two. (I up-end the jar now and again to ensure all the sugar is infused with the oil from the leaves.) When you open the lid, the floral, powdery smell will be reminiscent of the old lokum shops of Istanbul.
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