Cooking With Flowers - Squash Blossoms

If you happen to live in a place where you can go to the market and purchase squash blossoms, then you are pretty lucky. The rest of us, however, will likely need to grow our own.

Squash plants have two kinds of blossoms on each plant: male and female. The male blossoms have only a long stem. There are usually a lot more male squash blossoms on a squash plant. Since they cannot grow a squash, you may as well harvest them and eat them. Remember to leave a few on each plant, though, to pollinate the female buds.

Female flowers have what looks like a miniature squash at the base of the flower. These are the flowers that will grow into squashes. You can use these as well, but it will reduce the number of squashes available for the rest of your summer cooking.

Most people use the blossoms of summer squash. These would be from varieties such as zucchini, yellow crookneck, and patty pan. They taste very like zucchini. Both male and female blossoms taste the same.

The blossoms of winter squash such as acorn, hubbard, and turban can be bitter, so taste test some before you serve a batch at a dinner party for your husband's boss.

Some people find that pumpkin blossoms are also very tasty.

Squashes can be grown in the garden or in containers.

In the garden, they can be planted in rows or hills. Follow the spacing instructions on the seed packet when planting in rows. When planting squash in hills, plant 5 seeds per hill and thin to the best 2-3 seedlings. Plant squash in large containers as you would for hills, and plant singly in smaller containers.

Squash plants need full sun and very fertile, well drained soil. This is why they are often planted in hills. Summer squash mature in 45-50 days.

Squash pests include cucumber beetles, bacterial wilt, squash bugs, and vine borers. These can be remedied with various natural and chemical sprays. The problem is that these sprays can be washed off the fruits, but cannot be washed from the squash blossoms.

One alternative would be to plant some squashes to be used just for their blooms. Since pollinating the flowers would not be an issue, you can use row covers to keep off pests, or grow them inside a greenhouse.

Squash blossoms open in the morning, and are usually wilted in a few hours. This is why they don't show up in markets very often. They have a very narrow window of usefulness. The best way to get good squash blossoms is to pick them the evening before they are to open. Watch them and you'll be able to figure out when they are almost ready. Wrap the squash blossoms in moist paper towels and store in the refrigerator. Cook them the next day or day after, or they will likely be too wilted to use.

Always check your squash blossoms for bees and bugs before preparing. Soak carefully in cold water to clean. Remove the inner sepals and stamen before using. Most people leave an inch or so of the stem on male flowers, and leave the baby squash intact in female flowers.

Squash blossoms can be eaten raw or cooked. They are high in potassium, vitamins B and K, and beta carotene.

Coarsely chop fresh squash blossoms and add to salads, or use as a garnish for soups or other dishes.

Chopped squash blossoms can also be sautéed in a little butter and added to a variety of dishes from soups to quesadillas. They can also be brushed with butter or oil and grilled, and served as a vegetable dish.

Squash blossoms, being large, are ideal for stuffing. Remove the inner sepals and stamen and fill with your favorite stuffing. Using a pastry bag can make the stuffing process easier, especially if you are preparing a large number of squash blossoms at once.

Squash blossoms are also used frequently in Italian cooking. They are typically stuffed with a soft cheese preparation, battered, and fried. In Italian cooking, find preparations using mozzarella, ricotta, or chevre cheeses.

Women's Sweet Sunshine Apron

Flirty Aprons products are ideal for every woman who wants to look and feel beautiful while going about her day. Women will love wearing this 100% cotton, soft, yet durable apron while still being able to express themselves in a fun and flirty way.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup beer

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Dip vegetables in batter and deep fry in oil.

When frying stuffed squash blossoms, use a pan instead of a deep fryer, and turn gently with tongs.

Pretty incredible stuff here. You purchase a one-time membership for just $19.97, and you can download any or all of their cookbooks forever. They come in PDF format, so they are both Mac and PC compatible. Here are some of the titles available:

Time For Pie (894 pie recipes)
Fantastic Fudge! (238 fudge recipes)
The Ultimate Cake Book (1000 cake recipes)
Insider's Recipes (418 copycat recipes)
The Complete Beef Cookbook (185 beef recipes)
Pasta Perfetta (264 pasta recipes)
The Sweet Shop (88 candy recipes)
Ice Cream Delights (184 ice cream recipes)
Joy of Canning (270 canning recipes)
Ultimate Cheesecakes (308 cheesecake recipes)
The Hog Wild Cookbook (211 pork recipes)
Is It Soup Yet? (198 soup recipes)
Delicious Beginnings (77 appetizer recipes)
Low-Carb Recipe Secrets (132 low carb recipes)
The Grill Master (212 grilling recipes)
Holiday Magic (250 holiday recipes)
The Cookin' Cajun (51 cajun recipes)
The Essential Seafood Cookbook (207 recipes)
Casserole Crazy (402 casserole recipes)
A Taste Of China (106 chinese recipes)
Cast Iron Cooking (320 recipes)
The Greek Kitchen (87 Greek recipes)
The Salad Master (149 salad recipes)
Camping Cookouts (52 camping recipes)
Good Eats! (84 various recipes)
Jewish Home Cuisine (112 Jewish recipes)
The Best Of Amish Cooking (65 Amish recipes)
Soul Food Recipes (241 soul food recipes)
God Bless Texas (105 Tex-Mex recipes)
Eva's Kitchen Confidence (266 pages)
Old Fashioned Family Recipes (96 various recipes)
Bartending Made Easy (44 pages)
Gifts In A Jar (102 gift recipes)
For The Love Of Zucchini (226 zucchini recipes)
The Oktoberfest Cookbook (48 German recipes)
Popcorn 'N More (54 popcorn recipes)
The Versatile Egg Cookbook (103 egg recipes)
Cooking With Burt Wolf (126 various recipes)
Healthy Gourmet Recipes (105 healthy recipes)
Generations of Recipes (180 pages)
The Goulish Gourmet (48 Halloween recipes)
Now We're Cooking! (126 pages)
The Very Best of Emeril (675 various recipes)
EconoMeals (108 budget recipes)
A Taste Of Italy (106 Italian recipes)
A Taste Of Mexico (116 Mexican recipes)
The Santessen Cookbook (80 various recipes)
A Taste Of Vitality (110 vegan recipes)
Slow Cookin' Secrets (180 crock pot recipes)
The Bread Baker Bible (341 bread recipes)

And at only $19.97, what's not to love?

Yes! I've gotta have these cookbooks now!

Hey Squidooers! - Add hundreds of thousands of images to your lens - Free!

Join the AllPosters.com Affiliates Program and get access to hundred of thousands of images for your site. AllPosters.com has images from popular movies, music groups, sports teams, fine art, and much more. Adding these images to your lens will enhance your content.

Furthermore, you get paid for improving your lens with poster/print images! All of the images you use will link to AllPosters.com where your lens visitors can make purchases. When they buy something, AllPosters.com pays you 25% - 30% of the sale. If the visitor decides to purchase within 10 days of their last visit from your lens, you'll still earn commission on the sale! It's easy to sign-up, build links, and track your sales. Most of the images on this lens are from AllPosters. Click on a picture to purchase it.

Sign up today!