Denver Magazine / July 2010 / Squash Blossoms

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Squash Blossoms

Zucchini, crookneck, pattypan, and other summer squash are such prolific producers that gardeners happily unload them as hostess presents, thank-you gifts, and just about any other giveaway they can think of. But serious cooks keep the blossoms to themselves. The female blossom, which carries a swollen stem behind the flower, produces the vegetables we all know. The male blossom, however, can be used as an edible flower. Katie Belle Rosing, owner of Heritage Belle Farms, a new, 40-acre farm in El Paso County, harvests her blossoms for the Colorado Farm and Art Market in Colorado Springs, a growers-only cooperative that attracts a food-savvy clientele with a curiosity for unusual items such as blossoms ($3 for a bag of six; heritagebellefarms.com). In Littleton, Opus Chef Michael Long buys squash blossoms from two longtime customers who garden in the neighborhood. These edible yellow flowers will show up on Long’s tasting menu this summer — stuffed with mozzarella, then fried in a Parmesan-tempura batter, and served with a warm tomato puree and balsamic glaze ($69 for six-course tasting menu; opusdine.com).