Photo and tips courtesy of the kitchn
I don’t know about you, but when the weather turns warm I could spend a whole weekend wandering around farmers’ markets! These gorgeous photos were snapped at the one in Hollywood, where the juicy sunshine and rich soil yield some seriously gorgeous flowers and produce. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell exactly what’s meant for the vase and what’s meant for the dining plate! These flowers do double duty because they’re both easy on the eyes and delicious in a springtime salad. They each have unique flavors that perk up any dish – our favorites we can’t live without are arugula and broccoli rabe!
• Arugula – Use the peppery-sweet flowers in salads, sandwiches, soups, and eggs and check out the arugula blossoms spotlight for more ideas and recipes.
• Rapini or broccoli rabe – Here’s a great recipe for sautéed Sesame Broccoli Rabe, though if you have stalks like these that are practically all-flower, try using the blossoms in a salad. They add a delicately bitter, spicy bite.
• Chamomile – Chamomile isn’t just good for making tea. With their subtle apple flavor, the flowers can be used to decorate cupcakes, pretty up a fruit salad, or flavor ice cream. This New York Times recipe for Chamomile Ice Milk sounds heavenly.
• Gai lan or Chinese broccoli – Different varieties of gai lan may have white or yellow flowers, but their bluish-green leaves help distinguish them from other, similar Asian greens. Gai lan is mildly bitter and good steamed, blanched, or stir-fried. We especially like this recipe for Chinese Broccoli with Five-Spice Sauce and roasted peanuts.
• Choy sum or yu choy – Choy sum has white or green stalks and yellow flowers. When buying, look for tender leaves and stalks. This slightly bitter, fast-cooking vegetable may be steamed, blanched, stir fried, or added to soups. Here’s a simple, fresh recipe from Steamy Kitchen for Garlic Yu Choy.
Chamomile on cupcakes? Now that is a new one! Maybe I’ll give that a try the next birthday that rolls around.