Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

zucchini flowers

Bucatini Pasta with Squash Blossoms & Summer Zucchini

By

Adapted from the recipe by Jenny at Hellomydumpling.com

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • Bucatini for 2
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 zucchinis*, sliced on a diagonal
  • 2 cloves garlic*, minced
  • 1/4 cup pecorino* + more for garnish
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 5 squash blossoms*, stems & pistils removed, petals left whole
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt generously, and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain and reserve about 3/4 cup of the pasta water.

In a large sautée pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add the pasta water and pasta, and cook stirring constantly until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes more. Add the cheese and lemon juice, salt (if needed), and pepper. Serve in two shallow bowls topped with the squash blossoms and more cheese.

Farm fresh zucchini flowers add beauty and versatility to many dishes

By

By Himanee Gupta

 

We know the jokes about zucchini: If you leave your car doors unlocked, you might come back and find your back seat filled with them.

But the flowers from zucchini and other squash plants are a different story. Brilliantly yellow, they are just as tasty and versatile as the fruits they produce.

At Leaning Birch Farm, Dan, Rose, and Nic Fera have made squash flowers a seasonal staple.

“Last year, people kept asking us about the blossoms,” says Rose. “We only had a few, and they sold so fast.”

Over the winter, Dan did some research and found a zucchini variety known for producing more male than female flowers. Flowers produce fruits but only if they are female and have been pollinated by their male counterparts. Once the pollination is done, male flowers are best picked off so the plants can focus on producing fruits.

“We ordered the seeds, and planted a row,” Rose says. “They produce flowers like crazy.”

Photo provided by Leaning Birch Farm

Now clamshell boxes filled with them sit stacked at the Leaning Birch stall, along with some boxes of female flowers with baby zucchini attached. The boxes sell fast.

Rose picks zucchini flowers early each morning. The blossoms from this variety, she says, are bigger and firmer, making them much easier to cook. 

“The easiest way is to dip them in a light batter and fry them,” says Rose.

Another way, says her son Nic, is to create simple ricotta cheese filling with herbs and a tempura-like batter of flour, cornstarch, and cold water. Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and deep fry. 

I tried it. The outcome was delicious – and my kitchen a mess.

“Experiment,” urges Rose. “Use your imagination.”

Photo provided by Leaning Birch Farm

I mixed fresh oregano and minced garlic into the ricotta and filled the flowers. I lightly coated a baking dish with olive oil and rolled the flowers in it. They roasted in a 350F oven for about 12 minutes while I snacked on some chard I had roasted in the same dish beforehand. I arranged the blossoms over the chard and sliced up a fresh tomato. I had a meal full of color and one baking dish to clean.

Rose suggests tearing up the flowers and tossing them into salads, topping pizzas, creating a soup, scrambling them with eggs or adding them to pancake batter. 

The flowers are likely to remain plentiful at the Saratoga Farmers Market for a couple more weeks.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.