Harvesting Squash Blossoms and Their Uses

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A great way to save money on your grocery bill is to make the most out of your garden every summer. While you may already be eating lettuce, peppers, beans, and other veggies from your garden you might be missing other tasty and easy to harvest produce. Squash blossoms are an excellent example of a flavorful, edible blossom that makes a great addition to many dishes and appetizers.


If you're growing squash (summer or winter), you'll notice they produce quite the flower display almost daily. While there aren't many female blossoms, there are plenty of males around. This is to ensure the females get pollinated, but there are still more than are actually needed. This makes squash blossoms the perfect candidate to use elsewhere to make the most out of your garden.

 Squash flowers are edible and have great flavor, not to mention they make any dish more colorful. The flavor is light and won't overwhelm any dish. While you may want to use them as garnishes (nothing like prettying up a dish), they can also be included in the dish to add some flavor. 

 Squash blossoms won't impact your diet either, besides adding in a few vitamins! 


What else can you use squash blossoms for:
Salads
Soups
Stir-Fry
Stuffed Squash Blossoms-Fried, Baked, Deep Fried
Sauteed Squash Blossoms 
Fried Squash Blossoms (maybe stuffed with cheese?)
Pizza topping
How to Harvest Squash Blossoms:

 Locate male blossoms. The female blossom produce a whole squash, so we will want to leave those to mature and harvest the less useful male blossoms. 

 Using a scissors, knife, or fingernails, cut the stem about an inch below the squash blossom. For best flavor, pick midday when blossoms are fully opened or just beginning to open. 
Soak/rinse in cold water after harvesting to remove unwanted protein (a.k.a. bugs)

 Cook or refrigerate immediately. Squash blossom are very perishable and should be stored no longer than a day. To retain freshness longer, pinch off stamen of male blossoms. 

 Want to eat squash blossoms, but don't have space to grow squash?

  • Try vertical gardening.
  • Buy them online, at specialty grocery stores, or at farmer's markets
    • Look for the freshest looking blooms with closed buds
    • Buy organic, pesticides/herbicides can congregate in the petals and leafy portions of plants. Washing won't necessarily rid you of the chemicals. 
    • Blossoms won't last long, eat within a day or two of purchasing.

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