Squash Flowers or Squash Blossoms

Although these natural appurtenances precede every squash that comes into the world, they are usually difficult to find without a garden. Golden-yellow, fleeting, fragile, they are picked just before they open and must be used shortly thereafter, or they will wilt to the consistency of used Kleenex. Blossoms can be plucked from any squash, whether a summer or winter variety, but zucchini, which has particularly luxuriant blooms, is most often the source.

Despite the fact that American Indians have long cooked squash blossoms (and celebrated them in their art and rituals), most contemporary North Americans familiar with the flowers have learned about their charms in Mediterranean dishes.