Squash Blossoms

[CanopyCo]

Squash Blossoms

I have some zucchini squash that is blooming and I have been harvesting the male blossoms off of it.

In the process, I got some of the long stem as well as the blossom. Is the stem ok to eat?

Can I also harvest the female blossoms once a zucchini is growing to about 3 inches long, leaving the little squash to continue growing?

If the stem is ok to eat, is the rest of the plant ok to eat as well?

So many questions, and so little time to hunt the answers.

;-)

[Pat Kiewicz]

I suspect it would be bitter.

You'd have to wait until you are sure the little squash was pollinated, and by then the flower would be rather wilted and unappetizing. You could take the whole thing, baby squash and all, if you were willing to sacrifice the potential for larger zucchini (6 - 8 inches being perfect, for many recipes).

I don't think you would want to eat anything other than the blossoms and fruit. Again, I suspect it would likely be bitter. The leaves and roots of the plant contain cucurbitacins, which would make it bitter. These compounds are what cause cucumber beetles to zero in on cucurbits, like squash and cucumbers. (Various purified cucurbitacins are also the subject of research as possible anti-cancer drugs.)