In May I wrote about Peanuts
In June I wrote about Bug-Resistant Summer Squash Substitutes
This month, I’m writing about edible flowers, starting with squash blossom beignets.
Which Squash Varieties to Grow for Blossoms
Any summer squash, zucchini or winter squash blossoms can be used for beignets, which are a kind of fritter. Usually the male flowers are used, as harvesting female flowers would eliminate their chance of producing squash. Squash blossoms only live for a day, so you can’t have both blossom and fruit from the same flower.
If you are pulling up or tilling under a row of squash because you have too many, there is no reason not to cook the female flowers as well as the males. Female flowers have tiny squash developing immediately behind the flower. Male flowers have longer thin stems. In the first photo of Gentry yellow squash below, the flower is a male. The immature squash have thicker stems. The second photo shows a female flower with a tiny squash developing behind it. the flower is still fresh, showing you the developing squash will be quite obvious, even at a very young stage.
Photo Pam Dawling
If you want to grow plants mainly for the blossoms, choose a vining zucchini, as these produce the most and the biggest flowers. Costata Romanesca is a good large bush one that also produces tasty zucchini.
Butter Blossom was a zucchini developed specifically for blossoms, but seems no longer available. The web directs me to Butterbush, which is a compact bush butternut, slow developing and not sounding promising.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds has a short video on this topic:
Harvesting Squash Flowers
One trick is to be ready to harvest blossoms early in the season when the plants produce an initial flush of male flowers. Don’t kill your golden goose, though, by removing all the male flowers and leaving no chance of pollination. You can leave some male flowers on the plants once there are female flowers, and/or use a paintbrush to transfer pollen from male flowers to the stigmas of female flowers as soon as they open in the morning. Don’t dally, as once the female flowers close, you’ve missed your chance.
Harvest the blossoms early in the morning, while they are still crisp. You can use either closed or open flowers for beignets. The advantage of open flowers is their size compared to unopened flowers. Their disadvantage is that they might contain insects, so be sure to check and shake our any you find.
Snip through the stems with pruners and gently settle the flowers in a very clean tote. Some cooks remove the stems and sepals before dipping in batter, but you can use the stem as a handle and remove it later. Or let the diners deal with it. Don’t wash the flowers, as this can make the batter soggy. Simply discard any grubby flowers.
Cooking Beignets
I’m no cook, but basically you make a batter, as simple or fancy as you like, using two cups of plain flour for around 15 open flowers. Batters with and without eggs work equally well, I am told. The batter should be a little thinner than pancake batter.
Heat an inch or more of oil in a pan, dip the blossoms in the batter until well-coated, then fry in hot oil for a few minutes, turning as needed. Drain, salt, and serve hot. Cooked beignets can be frozen for reheating later, although to me that sounds a poor choice compared to eating them immediately!
Some recipes suggest you use either a tempura type batter, or chili relleno style fluffy batter. Some recipes stuff the flowers before frying with soft cheese, garlic, herbs, Parmesan.
These are a fun, delicate treat, not a belly-filling farmer dinner, and we all need some fun in our lives!
Tiny squash can also be used for beignets, and squash vine tips can be cooked the same way or stir-fried without batter.
Other Edible Flowers
There are plenty of other edible flowers, mostly used in salads or as garnishes, without cooking them. Johnny’s has a good selection and also a 4-page printable guide. Both links are full of inspiring photos. They recommend nasturtiums, calendula, bachelor’s buttons for salads; marigolds, dianthus and violets for garnishes; mint, basil and borage flowers to flavor summer drinks; beebalm, anise hyssop and marigolds to add zip to desserts. Arugula, fava bean, pea, mustard and strawberry flowers also feature in their Edible Flowers Guide, along with more herb flowers, snapdragons, stocks, sunflowers (I just learned the whole sunflower plant is edible, which conjures up quite an image!).
Photo Pam Dawling
Garden Betty, whose writing I am quite a fan of, has a huge and beautiful post on edible flowers, including many not yet mentioned here: alyssum, amaranths, begonia, catmint, celosias, chamomile, clovers, cosmos, dahlias, dandelions, daylilies, dianthus, echinacea, evening primrose, fuchsia, phlox, gardenia, gladiolus, hibiscus, hollyhock, honeysuckle, hostas, impatiens, jasmine, lilac, nigella, okra, orchids, petunias, plumeria, primroses, roses, stocks, tulips, yarrow, and zinnias.
Photo Pam Dawling
I recommend this site and its clear photos, for anyone venturing into new flower-eating territory. Garden Betty (Linda Ly) describes the flavor profile of each plant. Her list is compiled from all the flowers she’s personally tasted over the years.
She cautions about harvesting and eating flowers you don’t know, or that might be contaminated with pesticides. Start with small quantities if you are uncertain of the ID, especially if you tend towards allergies and sensitivities. She gives the Latin botanical names, so you can be sure of any you are growing from seed.
This site also gives links to books, such as her The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook, her How to Eat the Parts of Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat and 28 Edible Weeds and Invasive Plants That Are Actually Delicious, for sale as a digital downloads.
A Few More Good Resources
University of Minnesota Extension Edible Flowers