How to Identify, Harvest & Cook Squash Blossoms | Easy Recipes

What Are Squash Blossoms?

You may have noticed those vibrant yellow flowers hanging to the edges of the pumpkin or zucchini vines, perhaps in your backyard, or at a local farmers market, or looking out of the chef’s food basket. They are the squash blossoms, delicate edible flowers that grow made from that squash plant. They are known by many names like pumpkin blossoms, zucchini flowers or courgette blossoms when you’re being European. They’re a bit short in the season, but that’s one of the reasons why they’re so popular.
Squash blossoms don’t only serve as a display. They’re the key ingredient in old-fashioned Mexican food, and add some color to Italian cuisines and occasionally if you’re lucky, they’ll be in a fancy salad, or on top of a three-cheese-stuffed squash blossom in the local bistro. If you’ve not had the pleasure of tasting one already, you’re missing out.

The Basics: Entities and Varieties

Let’s be nerdy for some time. The squash blossoms are a result of two varieties of squash: summer (think of yellow squash, zucchini) as well as winter squash (pumpkins or butternut). The blossoms themselves could be female or male. Male squash blossoms grow on a short stem, and does not produce fruits. Its female counterpart can be located closer to the base and has a tiny squash emerging just behind it.
The majority of recipes require male blossoms because they are easy to pick without risking your squash harvest. However, both are edible and in all honesty, they are delicious.

Picking and Storing Squash Blossoms

How do you find these? The truth is that Fresh squash blossoms are quite rare in grocery stores. They’ll wilt quickly. They’ll wilt really fast. If you don’t have your own squash, or know an enthusiastic local farmer The best place to start is to visit the farmers market, especially from in the middle to the end of the summer. You can also inquire in Italian or Mexican supermarkets, as both of these cuisines love these blooms.
How to choose squash blossoms: Pick them up at the beginning of your morning when the blooms are spread and petals bouncy (nobody would like a flower that falls off the vine). Cut the flowers with scissors and then snip the center of the blossom. Avoid flowers that appear limp, bruised or are beginning to fade. If you want to be sure that you’re not depriving yourself of a zucchini in the future choose only male flowers with a tall, slim stem.
How do you preserve squash blossoms:
This is where the difficulty lies. Squash blossoms are extremely delicate. If you don’t intend to use them immediately, place them on a piece of paper and store them in a container that is covered. Do not squish them. Seriously. Don’t leave it longer than two days or so, they’ll change to mush.
Tips: When you have to store them in a fresh state to serve at a dinner event, wrap the stems with a moist paper towel, then store all of them inside a bag inside the refrigerator.

What Are Squash Blossoms?

The flowers arrived to take home. What now? Check for bugs. (It happens.) Carefully open the petals and examine the inside. It’s also important to remove the stamen (from male flowers) or the pistil (from female flowers) inside. They’re edible, however they may be bitter.
The blossoms can be rinsed gently under cool water. Then, pat dry using paper towels. If you’re planning on stuffing squash blossoms, make sure not to tear the petals when cleaning. It’s also a good moment to look for remaining debris or, um you know, stowaway insects.

Squash Blossom Recipes

If you’ve not prepared a dish with the squash blossoms before, you’re sure to get excited. There are many ways to enjoy them, each with their own unique flavor.
A quick search of “squash blossom recipes” gives you everything from stir-fries that are simple to elaborate gourmet dishes. Here are some of the best:

• Stuffed Squash Blossoms A gold-standard. The majority of them are filled with ricotta or herbs, or some cheese or even parmesan. The whole thing is battered, then fried until crisp and golden. Heaven.
• Squash Blossom Quesadillas: Super common in Mexico. The blossoms are layered with the cheese in a tortilla then cooked until it’s all deliciously gooey.
• Fried Squash Blossoms: Sometimes there is no filling or filling, just the blossoms dipped into a thin batter before being baked. Crispy, salty, and perfect served with an ice cold glass.
• Squash Blossom Soup: Particularly used in Mexican cooking, sopa de flor de calabaza is a rich smooth, silky and often packed with fresh corn.
• Frittatas and Salads In case you don’t want to cook them cut the blossoms and include them in eggs frittatas or mix them in a salad to get the subtle sweetness.

Five Ways to Eat Squash Blossoms

• Stuffed and Fried
• Raw in Salads
• Quesadillas
• Stir-fried Garlic along with Olive Oil
• Baked into a Frittata or Pizza

See? You don’t need to be an expert chef to accomplish these dishes.

Where to Buy Squash Blossoms

If you’re in the market for begin at your local market for farmers. Find vendors who will tell you when their squash flowers are in bloom. They may also be available in specialty shops, particularly those catering for Italian and Latin American shoppers. If that doesn’t work try growing your own squash! Even if you have an enormous pot and a bit of sunlight, zucchini is incredibly easy to cultivate, and you’ll be picking your own flowers in no time.

Ingredients You Will Need

Let’s discuss the about the basics. Most stuffed squash blossom recipes call for:

• New squash blooms (male or female)
• Ricotta cheese or other soft cheeses (mozzarella, goat cheese)
• Herbs (basil parsley, chives, basil — anything fresh)
• Eggs (for the batter)
• Flour
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil (for fritters)

Some recipes go for fancy by adding citrus zest and anchovies or even prosciutto into the filling. Some recipes are more traditional and easy.

How to Stuff Squash Blossoms

The most important thing is to do it gently. Make use of small spoons (or pipette bag if you wish to be exact) to mix in your cheese filling. Do not overstuff the flowers; they will close just to the filling. Make sure to gently twist the tops in order to close. If you’re grilling them, a thin coat of batter or flour can help the food stick to each other and crisp beautifully.

What Are Squash Blossoms?

Mix together mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan, along with a few chopped herbs. Add some salt as well as black pepper. Make sure to fill each flower and close the petals. Dip the blossoms in an even batter (flour and water, plus some salt) and fry to they are golden. Then, drain on paper towels and enjoy immediately, preferably with a the juice of a lemon.

What Are Squash Blossoms?

Sometimes, simplicity is the ideal. Dip the clean flowers in a light tempura batter, then fry them quickly within hot fat. Add flaky sea salt. Serving as a snack, or simply eat them all sitting in front of the cooking stove (no guilt).

How to Pick Squash Blossoms

Just a quick refresher:
Be sure to look for male blooms (long and thin stems with no squashy part in the middle). Pick in the early morning when the flowers are in bloom and easy to recognize. Cut with scissors or lightly using your fingers to prevent harming the vine. Be careful not to overdo it and leave some for bees. They love squash flowers as well.

How to Store Squash Blossoms

We’ve made it clear before, but it’s worth repeating keep squash blossoms stored gently as a one-layer in the refrigerator. Utilize them as quickly as possible. The earlier you use them, the more delicious. If they turn brown it’s still possible to make a meal with them however they’ll be less appealing to stuff your salads or for making stuffing.

Did You Know?

• Squash blossoms aren’t high in calories, but are they are high in vitamins C and A and even a bit of iron and calcium.
• Squash blossom quesadillas (quesadillas de flor de calabaza) are a street food staple in Mexico.
• The chefs may stuff the squash blossoms with meat or seafood and cheese, not just cheese.
  You can enjoy both male and female blossoms however, picking only male blossoms will result in more squash later on into the year.

Are you in love with This Fried Squash Blooms that come with Ricotta?

If you haven’t had the chance to try these yet What are you waiting to do? There’s a reason why fried squash blossoms with ricotta pop all over foodies’ Instagram every summer. They’re crisp, delicate and much more enjoyable than the regular cheese sticks that are fried.

Watch How To Make This Recipe

Sometimes, words don’t suffice. If you’re not familiar with squash blossoms, there are number of videos on the internet that show exactly how to clean things and fry these gorgeous beauty. Being able to watch someone slowly filling a bloom with cheese can be a bit calming. Additionally, it’s much easy to master by watching.

Looking for More Delicious Recipes?

After you’ve had a go at the basics, try branching out. Try soup made of squash blossoms or add them to pasta or fill the squash with goat cheese or roast garlic. The options are endless.

Final Thoughts: Why Squash Blossoms Are Worth It

Are squash blossoms worth a hunt? Absolutely. There’s something incredibly satisfying when cooking with a seasonally-driven, elusive ingredient. It’s true that they can be tricky to store and transport. You might be a bit irritated at the checkout line when you’re purchasing a lot. It’s all part the excitement.
The next time you come across a bright yellow basket of edible flowers in the market, or find a zucchini in your yard, pick these flowers. Make a fresh recipe. Make it a shared experience with a loved one. There’s a reason that squash stuffed blossoms are a popular choice for chefs or home cooks as well as all those who love food that tastes like summer.