Dry the Crystallized Flowers and Leaves

Large multi-petaled flowers such as roses can take up to 4 days to dry, while mint leaves can dry in just a few hours. Most flowers with softer petals, such as violets, keep their shape best when suspended upside down until partially dry and set. This works well for rose geranium leaves, too. Use a clamp-type clip to grasp the stem and hang it by the loops of the clamp. When it is partially dry, transfer the flower to a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray to dry completely. For roses, what works best is to cover the top of a bowl tightly with a piece of aluminum foil, preferably nonstick heavy duty, and punch small holes in the foil to hold the flowers upright. When the petals are dry enough to hold their shape on their own, transfer the flowers to lightly greased racks to dry completely. Cut off all but about 2 inches of stem, which can be used to insert into the cake. Most crystallized flowers will keep indefinitely in an airtight container in low humidity, away from direct sunlight.