Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Getting into the Fall Spirit! Send Flowers to Scotland, Belgium, and Italy!

September 22, 2016, marked the beginning of the 2016 Autumn season. Summer is officially over...although for all of us here at ProGiftNet.com in Miami, it might not seem that way. For us locals, the change of season has brought on a lot of rain, although we cannot say whether the change in season is to blame, or just our generally tropical/rainy climate. Since we do not experience a very significant change in the seasons locally, we love to explore places that do. We are enchanted by the changing of the leaves and love to see all the warm tones in nature, as the landscape is filled with tones of red, orange and yellow/gold. There are so many places to visit during this time of the year to catch a stunning glimpse of this beauty, that today we wanted to write about some of them. Our focus today will be on Europe; with special thanks to TripstoDiscover.com for the travel inspiration. We will discuss local destinations in our next blog, so make sure to come back for those.

First of our list of Fall destinations is Perthshire, Scotland. "Perthshire, often referred to as Big Trees Country, is one of the most glorious places in all of Europe for autumn colors in a country well-known for its breathtaking natural beauty. Here, lochs and rivers reflect the array of gold and copper of tree covered hillsides, making it ideal for exploring and impressive photo taking. You’ll find some of the most stunning spots near Loch Tummel, the Pass of Killiecrankie and Knock Hill."1 Need to send flowers or a gift to a friend or loved one in Scotland? Send flowers to Scotland with ProGiftNet.com. For a little inspiration, how about sending them our Enchanted Fall Bouquet? The Enchanted Fall Bouquet is perfect for the season. This beautiful arrangement brings together yellowish orange roses, which are beautifully contrasted against the burgundy tones of the lilies, poms and carnations. A truly enchanting visual experience!
Enchanted Fall Bouquet
Next on our Fall tour of Europe is the wondrous city of Bruges, Belgium. "The medieval city of Bruges becomes one of Europe’s most beautiful cities in the fall with crimson and golden vines covering historic buildings with rich autumn hues. The colors reflected in the canals create an especially romantic scene as well as picture-perfect photo ops. Be sure to experience some of the city’s open-air markets that are typically open through November."2 If you need to send flowers to Belgium, it has never been easier. Here at ProGiftNet.com we would be happy to help. Whether you need to send flowers to Bruges, or anywhere else in Belgium, we will work with you to send the perfect gift. We're sure your friends and loved ones would adore the Autumn Sun Bouquet, the perfect gift for the season. The Autumn Sun Bouquet, from ProGiftNet.com, is reminiscent of a walk in the woods on a beautiful and crisp fall day, walking in the sun while observing the beautiful colors on the trees as the leaves change colors. With stunning yellow lilies, bright orange gerberas, soft orange roses, and burgundy mini carnations, all set against lush green foliage. This exquisite arrangement is perfect for any occasion and is sure to be loved by all!
Autumn Sun Bouquet
For the last city on today's tour, we are going a little bit further south, to Piedmont, Italy. "Autumn, and particularly October, is peak season for food and wine in Italy. Truffles and mushrooms, chestnuts and chocolate all enjoy their own festivals during this time – and, it’s also vineyard harvest time. Piedmont is home to amazing fall scenery as well as a fantastic food and wine culture with the northwest region hemmed in by the Alps, so there are hundreds of roads and trails to explore the surrounding peaks set ablaze with color."3 Need to send flowers to Italy? How about sending a friend or loved one the Autumn Harvest Bouquet? The Autumn Harvest Bouquet brings together a striking combination of all the best colors that Fall has to offer. With stunning burgundy chrysanthemums set against the softer tones of the soft orange roses and yellow mini carnations, which also contain hints of orange, as well as lush green foliage. Here at ProGiftNet.com we think the arrangement is sure to delight all who receive it!
Autumn Harvest Bouquet
We hope you have enjoyed our mini Autumn tour of Europe. As we mentioned earlier, in our next blog we will be discussing some spots here in the United States to visit during this beautiful season, since we know there are so many beautiful spots to see the leaves change. Remember, whether you need to send flowers or gifts down the street, or halfway around the world, ProGiftNet.com is here to help you with all of your flower delivery and gifting needs. If you don't see exactly what you're looking for online, let us know, and we will work with you to create a custom-made arrangement to meet your needs.


To make the season that much more special, place your order through Sunday, October 2, 2016, and mention the code "FALL2016" in your comments to receive 15% off your order. Remember, the discount is on the purchase price of the items, and is not applicable to taxes or delivery fees. Place your order at ProGiftNet.com today!



1 http://www.tripstodiscover.com/20-of-europes-best-cities-for-fall-travel/
2 http://www.tripstodiscover.com/20-of-europes-best-cities-for-fall-travel/3/
3 http://www.tripstodiscover.com/20-of-europes-best-cities-for-fall-travel/7/



Thursday, September 1, 2016

Cooking with Edible Flowers! Brought to you by ProGiftNet.com

Here at ProGiftNet.com, we hope that everyone has had a smooth back to school season, as we all re-adjust back to our regular schedules. Now that things are more relaxed, we have been doing some research and spending some time looking at innovative ways to use flowers. A while ago we brought you the blog post on using flower in drinks, which we loved! So today, we are looking at ways to cook with flowers, which as you may or may not be aware, is something that has been done for centuries. We have been inspired by lots of images popping up in our Instagram feed lately showing salads sprinkled with petals, as well as by some Italian friends offering us violet candies, so we couldn't help but wonder what flowers can be used, and how exactly to use them. So here at ProGiftNet.com, we did some research.

To begin, we are going to be discussing one of the most popular flowers - roses. All roses are edible, although it is recommend that the white portions are removed when cooking, as they add a bitter flavor which is often unwanted. Growing conditions, as well as the soil, can also have an effect on the flavor of the rose petals. Also, the deeper the color of the rose, the stronger the flavor, which can be "reminiscent of strawberries and green apples. Sweet, with subtle undertones ranging from fruit to mint to spice."1 Rose petals  - both in their regular and miniature version - can be used in a wide variety of ways - from garnish on desserts and salads, frozen in ice cubes to put in drinks, to using them to make syrup, jam, and butter. For a little bit of inspiration, how about sending a loved one ProGiftNet.com's 18 Long-Stemmed Red Roses Bouquet, with is deep red petals. It is a beautiful bouquet of 18 long-stemmed roses artfully arranged in a glass vase with greens. If you are not interested in red, the bouquet is also available in yellow, pink, peach, and white.
18 Long-Stemmed Red Roses Bouquet
Next on our list is a common flower, which is often overlooked, but should not be - the carnation. Even Sex and the City's Charlotte called the carnation a 'filler flower' but it definitely should not be considered this. Carnations in food can be used in a variety of ways, and like with roses, the white base of the flower can be bitter, and an effort should be made the remove this part as much as possible as the rest of the flower can be unexpectedly sweet. The flowers can also be used to add to salads and sweets, and can also be put into desserts. Many of you may not know that "carnation petals are one of the secret ingredients that has been used to make Chartreuse, a French liqueur, since the 17th century."1 A beautiful arrangement that contains carnations is ProGiftNet.com's Touches of Purple Bouquet. The ProGiftNet.com® Touches of Purple Bouquet is a beautiful way to send your best wishes and affection. The Bouquet contains lavender carnations and traditional daisies, that are brought together with purple statice and matsumoto asters. Finally, these exquisite tones are accented with lush greens for a breathtaking look. Arranged beautifully within a glass vase, this bouquet has a simple majesty that conveys your every wonderful wish for your special recipient.
Touches of Purple Bouquet
Last on our list for today is the sunflower. We were most shocked about this news, as is was completely unexpected. The petals themselves, if used, should be blanched first, and then can be used in salads. Like the other flowers we described, the petals should be removed from the bitter base of the flower. The most surprising thing though is the sunflower in bud stage - which according to our research can be "steamed like artichokes" and "tastes similar to artichokes."1 We have not tried this yet, but would be very interested in hearing back from anyone who has! A beautiful arrangement containing sunflowers that is perfect for a friend or loved one is the Sunflower and Spray Roses Bouquet by ProGiftNet.com. This beautiful bouquet of sunflowers and spray roses sends your special recipient a bright gift conveying a contagious cheer and charm they are sure to love! Incredible sunflowers are the main focus of this flower bouquet accented with pink spray roses. This flower arrangement is a wonderful way to send your warmest wishes in honor of their birthday, to say congratulations or to extend your thanks and gratitude.
Sunflower and Spray Roses Bouquet
Here at ProGiftNet.com we hope you have enjoyed learning about how flowers can be used when cooking, and that you try some of these ideas out! We are akways looking to learn new things about flowers, and are more than happy to share it with you, our reader. Remember, whether you need to send a flower arrangement or gift to a loved one down the street, or halfway around the world, ProGiftNet.com is here to help. Place you order online today!



1 A special thank you to this site for providing the information in our research: https://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm