As some of the first blossoms we see this time of year, look out for Magnolia flowers among all the bare branches you see this spring.
Because of our clayey soils in Milton Keynes, you’ll typically find Magnolia trees growing in pots or standing proud in rich (slightly acidic) soils of people’s gardens.
So if you’re lucky enough to have a tree, aside from enjoying the beautiful spectacle that marks things warming up for spring, you might like to try some of the edible flowers too.
Magnolia flowers are edible!
It’s magnolia petals that you can eat, specifically when they are young buds just starting to open out to get them at their best. As with most edible wild foods, as they get older, the flavour becomes more bitter.
According to a Guardian article about it, the “different species have different flavours but it the the bog-standard purple and pink tinted saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana) that is most commonly used in cookery”.
The petals are said to have a potent spiced ginger and sometimes clovey flavour, and are best used as you would with pickled ginger, or otherwise battered and fried as tempura bites, or chopped up and added to a salad in place of a gingery dressing.
A simple recipe
All you need for this little ginger hit is a large pickling jar and the following ingredients:
- 10 – 12 young magnolia flowers or large flower buds
- 250ml rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- A pinch of salt
See the full article or watch the video below for more details.
