Document text
Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 9, 2006 Zucchini blossoms, a traditional element of Italian cuisine, add a bloom of color and flavor to your summer menus. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Zucchini — in blossom Gardeners know zucchini can be abundant — but so are the possibilities for how to use it By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Grow zucchini, and methods for cooking them are sure to multiply as exponentially as the summer squash themselves. But after plying a parade of zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, zucchini cake, zucchini relish, barbecued zucchini, sauted zucchini, stuffed zucchini and zucchini as pizza topping, any cook's repertoire is in danger of being exhausted. Returning to the squash's source — its blossom, that is — adds a bloom of color and flavor to any summer menu. A traditional element of Italian cuisine, zucchini blossoms can be eaten fresh in salads, fried as an appetizer, filled with cheese and baked or incorporated into various sauces, pastas and risottos. "My grandmother always made them," said Mary Ellen DeLuca, manager of the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market. Advertisement "There was never any waste in the garden." Picking immature zucchini with the blossoms still attached carries the added bonus of curbing a too-prolific crop. Female flowers — identified by a swollen node sprouting off the vine — bear the fruit, said Marsha Waite, master gardener and plant clinic coordinator at the Oregon State University Extension Service in Central Point. Male flowers sit atop a slim stem and serve only to pollinate the plant, Waite said. Because male blossoms wither away about a day after opening, cooks should feel free to harvest them, Waite said. There typically are more male blossoms than females on a zucchini plant, she added. To ensure adequate pollination, use a paintbrush to transfer pollen from male to female blossoms before picking the males, she said. The female blossoms, however, with their start of fruit have more value as food, particularly if they're to be eaten breaded and fried. The blossoms from all varieties of summer and winter squash also are edible, OSU master gardeners said. If cooking, pick and use only the freshest squash blossoms, said Elaine Sweet, an OSU master gardener-in-training. During several culinary courses in Italy, Sweet picked up a few tricks for transforming zucchini blossoms into delicious dishes, including cooking them quickly. Otherwise, they disintegrate. A testament to the popularity of zucchini blossoms abroad, packages can be found in just about any Italian grocery store, Sweet said. The flowers may not be as readily available to non-gardeners here as in Europe. But if neighbors already are bringing over bushels of overgrown zucchini, chances are they won't mind parting with a few blossoms. For zucchini recipes, see Page 2C Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s Advertisement