Stuffed zucchini blossom

If you're growing an edible garden this year or frequent farmer's markets, tap into something a little more exotic & keep an eye out for Zucchini blossoms. They're edible delights with a mild aromatic charm. 

If you're growing your own zucchini, be sure to harvest your male blossoms. They open just one time in the early morning so that bees can help to pollinate your female blooms for fruiting. If you're like me and don't have many bees in your area, you may have to self-pollinate early in the morning when they're still open, which is the perfect time to harvest! 

So after I'm done self-pollinating any open female blossoms I snip off the males and store them on a paper towl covered plate in my fridge, away from any vents, this keeps them from getting too cold before I'm ready to eat them. 

There are several ways to eat them. Frequently they're thrown in quesadillas with cheese or in soups. These little flowers pack an interestingly delicious fragrant flavor. Once you've had them for the first time, you'll be craving them every harvest season.

I personally LOVE anything fried. I know, some people think ANY fried food is cheating as almost any fried food is delicious, but the juxtaposition of the thinly crisp outside with the tender gooey filling inside is phenomenal! Zucchini blossoms are delicate so the fried exterior is surprisingly light.

Now, I don't do measurements when I'm making these, but I'll guess that for each blossom I use about 1/2 TBSP of filling. My go to is cheese PLUS herbs. For a bit of a kick, try grated pepper jack. Maybe for something more subtle try a grated provolone or to keep it traditional try Oaxaca. So measure your cheese at about 1/2 TBSP per blossom and generously add some of your fresh herbs to them.

Before you stuff, make sure you gently rinse your blossoms. Don't dry them though, the water will help when we bread them for frying. Side note: when I clip the blossoms I leave part of the stem intact, this helps me handle them while stuffing so I'm not damaging the blossom.

Now, this time around I used cream cheese. If you use shredded cheese, simply hold your blossom upright, spoon it in just below where the petals begin to separate, gather your petals up around your stuffing and gently twist the ends closed.

Once you've got them all stuffed, trim the stems and sepal.

Now bread them lightly in flour and fry in hot oil for a few minutes on both sides until lightly golden and crisp.

Remove them from the oil and place on paper towels, sprinkling with a pinch of salt immediately. Eat as is or serve with a dipping sauce. My husband loves them with marinara.