The Blue Lotus is the ultimate flower of romance, according to Tyagarah farmer Liz Lualdi.
Sacred to the Ancient Egyptians, Liz says Blue Lotus, or Blue Water Lily, is considered a symbol of life and fertility. The flower is even said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
“The Egyptians used to have festivals with the Blue Lotus, it was known as a euphoric flower and it was all about Spring and love and celebrating life, ” she said.
With their attractive blue petals and golden yellow centre, the Blue Lotus are the centrepiece of Liz’s stall at the Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market, where she also sells other exotic flowers,such as gingers, Birds of Paradise, Heliconias, bromeliad flowers and orchids.
Liz harvests the lotuses the afternoon before the market, paddlle boarding across an 8ha lake at Tyagarah with a pair of scissor and a bucket. She’s found that the lilies, which open in the morning and close at night, are best harvested just before they close in the afternoon. That way, they open fresh when she arrives at the Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market the following day.
The Lotus has a distinctive scent – something like lilac and violet, sweet and fruity and almost like a lolly – which has been used in perfumery since ancient times. What’s more, the entire plant is edible – the petals can be added to salads and the petals and head can be added to hot water to make a bright yellow tea, which tastes lovely sweetened with a little honey. The stems can also be sliced and eaten raw or added to stir fries.
Liz also has another use for the lotus – she adds it to her home made, unrefined shea butter-based moisturiser, known as Purus, a product she developed when she was unable to find a moisturiser that didn’t irritate her dry sensitive, psoriasis and eczema-prone skin.
She says it has healed and cleared her skin, and has helped many others that have discovered it at the markets.
“ I’ve had an incredible response with he moisturiser. I have really dedicated customers who have been using it for two or three years now and have had excellent results,” Liz said.
• Find Liz Lualdi at the market every Friday.
