Bite Of Minnesota: Edible Garden, Squash Blossoms

If you're a gardener, chances are you've grown zucchini at some point in your gardening career. Likely you've also made a loaf or two of zucchini bread along the way to deal with the over-abundance. Perhaps you've even noticed those bright orange flowers at the end of the zucchini plant without much of a passing thought as they were plucked off and discarded. Next time, save those squash blossoms because they are totally edible.

I started hearing about squash blossoms a few years ago and saw them being sold on very rare occasion at the farmers market. Since I didn't want to wait and take my chances on the weekend market, I put out a tweet letting my foodie friends know I was on the hunt for squash blossoms. Luckily, a fellow food blogger, Matt from Thyme in Our Kitchen, offered a bag full of blossoms if I could meet him in a nearby parking lot later that evening. Don't worry, a lot of food exchanges happen in parking lots!

Since squash blossoms are so delicate, they don't last very long so I did some quick research (tip: check out restaurant menus for ideas) before moving into the kitchen. I decided on a savory appetizer, stuffing the blossoms with herb cream cheese, twisting the tops shut, and dipping in egg white and flour before frying for 30 seconds. Word of warning: use a mesh splatter guard as the cheese tends to ooze out and cause oil splatters.

This was my first and only attempt so far at using squash blossoms and I really enjoyed them. Next time I'll skip the cheese and dust with some powdered sugar after frying for a sweet version or use as a garnish on a cake to brighten things up.

What do you do with your squash blossoms?