Summer produce gives you a special glimpse into the circle of life—one month you have a bounty of scapes or chard, and the next, they’re all gone. Right now there are bundles of golden squash blossoms perking up at the farmers market, and I must insist you make the most of them. Stuffing squash blossoms with soft herby cheeses is a popular way to enjoy them, but a word of warning: They can be a pain to open up. Here’s how I do it to avoid destroying them.
Blossoms straight off the stem in a home garden are probably going to have quite a bit of vigor in their petals, but if you buy squash blossoms from the farmers market like I do, they can get a little clingy at the ends. The petals are extremely thin to begin with, and the way the blossom closes up, the petals sort of wind themselves together. That, along with the tiny hairs that exist on the plant, make the blossom a natural pocket with secure walls.
Opening the walls of these delicate flower pockets can be a frustrating process. The petals don’t want to be peeled open so the flower can end up ripping apart and sticking to your fingers.
Luckily, the blossoms do respond to a strong gust of wind—but you don't need to go outside to take advantage of that. Just hold the squash blossom by the stem end and point it at your face, about three or four inches away from your mouth, take a deep breath, and blow straight into the blossom. It’ll open right up.
This is hard to photograph, but I tried my best. You can compare the pictures of the closed blossoms and the blurry action shot of it with a helpful gust.
The blossoms I recently got weren’t looking so hot. The ends were getting kind of gooey, so they were even more difficult to deal with than usual. If this happens, use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to release those stuck spots first, and then blow into it.
Another trick: I always make my stuffing first and pack it into a piping bag for squash blossoms. Then I’ll hold the blossom in my left hand, open it, and be ready with the piping back in my right hand to squeeze in the filling. Try an herb-packed ricotta cheese and parmesan mixture for the stuffing, or your leftovers from last night. You can fry them or even sautée them in butter and drape them over your eggs or hamburgers.
