How About Some Squash Blossoms?

[mso489]

Our farm collective is offering squash blossoms, so my wife ordered a few small boxes, stuffed them with feta cheese, rolled them in flower, and deep fried them to a turn, and we ate them with dipping salsa, with lager to drink. Light, not oily at all, and delectable.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I eat pumpkin blossoms right off of the vine.

 

[sumusfumus]

I've seen Daylily flowers used as a substitute for those tissue-paper thin squash blossoms.

Mom R.I.P. - would take some of the freshly picked squash blossoms, dip them in egg-wash, dust them in flour and fry them up three or four at a time, like a small pattie, in some light veg. oil. Since these delicate blossoms are seasonal, it was my all-time favorite, summer lunch. Eaten warm, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper...the best!

Mom was always in the kitchen back in those long gone, 1950s days. Squash blossoms were sold in all Italian markets, and were dirt cheap. But all the new "gourmets" on TV made squash blossoms popular -and so now, they cost big money. They did the same thing with popularizing skirt steaks, which were considered junk meat, years ago. Now, it cost more than filet mignon. But char-broiled, I'd take a skirt steak over any rubbery-bloody filet mignon or the always-shoe-leathery, London Broil.

 

[bullet08]

They are awesome! Usually stuff it with seasoned ground beef and pan fry it. Or do it like Mexicans and put it in flour tortillas with seasonings and melting cheese.

 

[danimalia]

I had them while in Florence, Italy. They were fried and delicious! And I guess the "loroco" in pupusas con queso y loroco is also a flower blossom of some sort, and I've had those a number of times.

I've seen Daylily flowers used as a substitute for those tissue-paper thin squash blossoms.

Mom R.I.P. - would take some of the freshly picked squash blossoms, dip them in egg-wash, dust them in flour and fry them up three or four at a time, like a small pattie, in some light veg. oil. Since these delicate blossoms are seasonal, it was my all-time favorite, summer lunch. Eaten warm, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper...the best!

Mom was always in the kitchen back in those long gone, 1950s days. Squash blossoms were sold in all Italian markets, and were dirt cheap. But all the new "gourmets" on TV made squash blossoms popular -and so now, they cost big money. They did the same thing with popularizing skirt steaks, which were considered junk meat, years ago. Now, it cost more than filet mignon. But char-broiled, I'd take a skirt steak over any rubbery-bloody filet mignon or the always-shoe-leathery, London Broil.

Yeah, dang food hipsters ruin everything. My grandma calls them "yuppies" and has a whole list of things they've ruined by virtue of their "discovery" and subsequent increase in price

 

[mso489]

Yes, yes. I forgot the egg wash, she did that too. My original post had the funny typo about rolling them in flower. Uh, flour that is. Pumpkin blossoms off the vine sound good.

 

[kcghost]

Unfortunately my Neanderthal taste buds never developed to the point of eating flowers.

 

[Mr.Mike]

My squashes have over 50 blossoms between them. I knew you could eat them, but wouldn't pulling them off prevent pollination and thus no fruit?

 

[Jaylotw]

I’ve got about 650 squash plants on the farm right now…the squash is more valuable to us than the blossoms at the moment (and, oh my, does my back hurt from picking squash today!) but here and there I pick some and eat em right off the plant. They’re so very good. We’ll sell them if the plants start to die off but the blossoms are still ok. They go bad quickly so it’s a specialty item for us. If a local farm has them for sale, snap them up!

And, also, thank you @mso489 for supporting local farms! We work really hard to provide quality food, and I think the difference is immediate between fresh, local foods and grocery store stuff.

 

[Jaylotw]

My squashes have over 50 blossoms between them. I knew you could eat them, but wouldn't pulling them off prevent pollination and thus no fruit?

Yes, which is why we don’t often sell them on our farm. The plants have a male and female flower, with the female blossom making the fruit when pollinated. The squash is actually a swollen ovary. Both are edible.

We’ll harvest blossoms if the plants are dying off (which sometimes happens sooner than we’d like) or if we’re removing them to plant another crop, otherwise the squash, which we sell by the pound, is much for valuable. A home gardener can designate a couple plants to harvest blossoms from, though you’d want to leave at least one male blossom if you’d like some squash later on. And don’t forget, the more you harvest summer squash, the more they’ll produce.

 

[mso489]

Oops, this got on the wrong thread. Pardon the mistake please.

I'm not a surfer, but was intrigued to learn about surfing in December on Lake Erie. I went to the beach often on Lake Michigan during the summer but never suspected surfing was a possibility on the Great Lakes.

 

[captainsousie]

I've never tried them but what you describe sounds pretty good mso489.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Yes, which is why we don’t often sell them on our farm. The plants have a male and female flower, with the female blossom making the fruit when pollinated. The squash is actually a swollen ovary. Both are edible.

We’ll harvest blossoms if the plants are dying off (which sometimes happens sooner than we’d like) or if we’re removing them to plant another crop, otherwise the squash, which we sell by the pound, is much for valuable. A home gardener can designate a couple plants to harvest blossoms from, though you’d want to leave at least one male blossom if you’d like some squash later on. And don’t forget, the more you harvest summer squash, the more they’ll produce.

Thank you for that info, Glad to be in the know!