Recipe From My Garden: Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Let's talk squash. I'm a big fan.
Zucchini, Yellow, Acorn, Summer, Winter, Spaghetti, all of them are so versatile and a staple in my previous life as a vegetarian. I love them all equally.

My garden is filled with different kinds of squash. My favorite part of that is the blossoms. For a few short days on each plant, the blossoms are at their peak for eating. You can find them at farmers markets and from specialty vendors but they are highly perishable and have an extremely short season.
A year ago, I was discussing my love of squash blossoms with my father but refused to pick them from our garden when I thought it meant no squash would grow. I recently learned that there are male and female blossoms. The males are great for eating although you can eat both male and female. The females are the ones that turn into the squash. It's fairly easy to tell the difference once you are looking at the plant. The males are on a long stem. The females are towards the center of the plant near the ground and usually have started to grow fruit by the time you would want to harvest the blossoms. Today I picked eight male blossoms with the intention of stuffing them and frying them. This was one of my better ideas, with a little help, of course.

Miss Mandy's Tennessee Stuffed Squash Blossoms:

8 perfect open male squash blossoms

For the filling:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
Zest of one small lemon
1 T chopped fresh sage
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
S&P TT
Dash of garlic powder

For the coating:
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
S&P TT
1-2 eggs beaten
Canola oil for frying

Preparation:
Pinch off the stamen from the blossoms and remove them. This should be fairly easy if your blossoms are fresh.
Rinse the blossoms in cold running water and set with the petals down on a paper towel to dry. Pat any excess water off the blossoms using an additional paper towel.
Mix together the filling ingredients until combined.
Gently spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the cavity of the blossoms. Secure the bottom of larger blossoms with a toothpick if necessary so the filling does not ooze out during frying.
Roll the filled blossoms in the beaten egg wash and then in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Fry in small batches until golden brown 2-3 min.
Remove from heat and allow to drain on a paper towel.
Enjoy warm! *if you make them in advance you can reheat them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until crisped and warmed through.

There is a long backstory for me on squash blossoms. My father told me stories of my great grandparents making them....but today's story started with a conversation down by my garden with a man named John and my favorite Uncle Bob. John noticed my pumpkin blossoms and asked if I ever picked and fried them. Bob was looking at us funny as we chatted about it. He had never heard of such a thing. John had never actually had the stuffed version. He also described them quite well when he said it is similar to a mushroom. Bob was now completely confused that we were looking at a flower and talking about eating it like a fried mushroom. So, after the guys left my house I picked a bunch of zucchini blossoms and fried them. I packed up some fresh raspberries, zucchini, and a whole bunch of lettuce and headed to Uncle Bob's. When they found out I had brought the squash blossoms, they invited over the neighbors to try them. We opened a bottle of my Daddy's Peach Wine and they all had their first squash blossom experience. What a treat! I love when an early morning conversation turns into an evening of food and fun in good company.

Grow your own food and you'll bring others to the table.
XO