The poppy

In Switzerland , the cultivation of poppies in private gardens is permitted. The milky sap of the poppy contains morphine, a soporific and addictive opium alkaloid. This ingredient has been bred out of our edible poppy and you can enjoy it with confidence.

The plant
The stem of the poppy plant grows up to one meter high. The large flowers have a two-petaled calyx that falls off when they open. They also have four white to purple petals that stand on slender, hairy stems. It flowers between May and August. The fruit capsules are spherical and contain numerous seeds.
Opium poppy likes sunny locations and sandy, well-drained soils. If you leave the plants standing, they will self-seed for the next season.

Poppy seed cake (1 26 cm cake tin)
Line a cake tin with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Stir 125g softened butter until peaks form. Add 175g sugar, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar, 1 pinch of salt, 25g poppy seeds and 3 eggs . Stir everything until the mixture is light in color. Sift in 150g flour and 1 tsp baking powder and stir everything into a dough.
Peel 800g apples, cut them in half and remove the core. Cut the halves into thin slices. Mix them carefully into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin. Make sure that the batter reaches the corners. Bake the cake for 55 - 60 minutes.

Poppy seed buns (for 12 portions)
Dissolve 50g yeast and 2 tbsp sugar in 5dl lukewarm water . Add 200g flour and mix everything together. Cover the pre-dough with cling film and leave to rise for 35 minutes. Stir it every 10 minutes. Add 40g soft butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp salt and another 600g flour and mix to form a dough. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and knead everything into a smooth dough. Cover the dough again with cling film and leave it to rise for an hour.
Put 270g of ground poppy seeds in a pan and cover just with milk. Bring everything to the boil. Simmer the seeds for 15 minutes and drain the milk.
Separate an egg. Mix the poppy seeds, 4 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp honey, 75g raisins, 50g soft butter and the egg white to form a uniform mixture.
Grease a baking tray.
Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll out each piece into a 25cm wide rectangle. Spread the filling over the three pieces of dough. Leave a 2 cm wide edge free. Roll up the rectangles tightly. Cut the rolls into 3 - 4 cm wide slices. Place them on the baking tray and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Mix the egg yolk with 1 tbsp of water and brush the snails with it.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.