How to make a poppy flower doll

Dutch: Klaproos  -  French: Coquelicot  -  German: Klatschmohn

Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) are special. Their vibrant color that lifts up the whole area to a new level, their vulnerability that reminds us of butterflies, their edible petals, and their hidden talent: they make great flower dolls. No special tools needed!

Here's how you make a poppy flower doll:

First, pick a poppy with a tall stem.

Bend down the petals and tie with a fine string. Traditionally, you pull out one single hair of your own scalp to do this. And yes, I did it the traditional way :)

Break off a piece of the stem and place it though the dress to make arms.

And then another piece of the stem makes a second leg. There you have her, don't you love her dress?

I love how they all look like different individuals. They don't last for long, as poppies never do once they are picked, but they make a great decoration on cakes.

And as mentioned above, the petals are edible as well. Great in (fruit) salads, or even muesli.
And once they are done flowering, they form the poppy seed that is used on bread. In Turkey they grind the seed to make a paste (pretty much like tahin, made from sesame seed), that is used as a bread spread or as a base for pasty, often mixed with honey. And take it from me, that is really good!