Spotlight on Zucchini Flowers
Flowers, beautiful to look at and also to smell, but can you eat them? In this post, we shine a spotlight on zucchini flowers, a popular edible flower.
What’s a zucchini flower?
So bright they almost look orange, zucchini flowers are a farmers market shopper’s dream! Also known as courgette blossoms, they are succulent and tender. Commonly found in Italian, Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine, zucchini flowers are typically found when zucchini plants are flowering.
Healthy Snapshot
- Zucchini flowers provide a plentiful supply of vitamins including A, C, E and K along with minerals such as zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, and calcium.
- The flowers contain amounts of potassium that helps reduce blood pressure. The magnesium found in the flowers, also helps keep blood pressure at a normal rate and the heart at a steady rhythm beat.
Selection & Storage
- Since Zucchini flowers are highly perishable, when you buy them, try to purchase them early in the day, as they tend to wilt very quickly.
- Rinse them under cold water and tease them open with your finger just to make sure,
- There are two kinds of flowers – male or female. Male flowers are usually softer, slightly more delicate (making them easier to cook) and grow much like a flower. You can tell them from the females, because they’ll have no zucchinis attached. Female flowers bear the fruit – the zucchini. They’re often come along with a tiny, plump zucchini and have the floral ovary inside (aka pistils). While the female flowers can take a little more time to prep than the male flowers, some people find that female flowers are more succulent and fruitier than the male flowers.
- They are best enjoyed as soon as possible but if you want to store them in a fridge put them in a plastic bag lined with some paper towel to absorb any moisture. Store in the warmest part of the fridge, closer to the door on the shelf furthest from the freezer. Enjoy within a day or two for best results.
Recipes