Blossom Crêpes
Eating flowers is out of this world! Especially Tree Flowers.
The big thing for me this year with Wildcrafting has been the flowers. Every year in the spring, I go GONZO for Nettles, picking enough to have enough dried Nettle to powder all winter long. It’s a huge project that involves me getting out into the woods many times during the spring. I Love it! I Love that this is a part of my life. An important part that completes me in such a potent way. This year, finally, I’m going to make it part of my economy by setting up a table at the farmer’s market for the summer and plan to sell Wild foods to the masses.
Maybe that’s what’s motivating the connection with flowers. I’m feeling the need to fill up a table with as much as I can and I’m still learning all about what’s what in the wild myself. Specifically, Maple Flowers.
That Maple blossoms are edible and SO abundant makes them an Ideal candidate for my purposes. Whatever it is, I know that they’re calling me loudly right now. I’m in awe of how many seeds a Maple tree seeks to make. I think it’s generally true of trees that they make mondo seed.
Which means Mondo flowers!
The flavour of Maple blossoms changes through the season. When they first appear, they’re tight and green and bright and bitter. As they unfurl from the bud, they develop a distinct sweetness that takes the bitter and shuffles it into the background and then as they age, the sweetness becomes vague as the bitter comes back… more of an aged bitter. The blossoms are definitely past their prime now.
What came to mind with my first harvest was to make fritters. They were so nice. The way the cup-like flowers are shaped, they bring the batter in really well and the whole floret gets all dumplinged up. I’m excited about next year to try dumplings instead of the fritters with fresh Blossoms. As I said, they’re a little old now. The next thing I tried was the winner for me. Inspired by making Dandelion Blossom Crêpes earlier in the season, I threw some fresh Maple flowers into the mix. YUMMM! The next time they were dried and thrown in, the next time it was different blossoms, the next time…… We’ve been eating a lot of crêpes and by extension a lot of wild foods, and a lot of flowers… I think it just may be a key to enlightenment. And I’m not the only one.
To whit, here is a recipe that I use to get me there.
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk mix(soy milk, cow’s milk, coconut etc…)
3 tablespoons oil (your favorite cooking oil)
a handful or so of dried or fresh blossoms. Make sure you know they are edible (hint: most of them are)
1/2 teaspoon butter or non-stick cooking spray
Mix together all of the ingredients except the butter (I mix dry, mix wet and then add wet to dry) Then I put it in the blender. The batter should be quite a liquid. Not thick like pancake batter. You can use water to thin it up. Use the butter to season your pan. I have a cast-iron crêpe pan but any hot pan will work. Pour the batter and then spread it out thinly over the hot surface. A minute later, flip it and let cook for another minute and then take it off and put it in a warm oven to hold and cover with a clean dish towel. Can be topped with whatever your imagination can come up with.
ENJOY!!! Very dense and filling and enlighening! Go out and get some Flower Power today.
