Feminine Noble Magnolia Flowers
- stardustwillowtree
- Apr 15, 2024
- 3 min read
"Like the magnolia tree, she bends with the wind, gracefully weathering life's storms, and in her beauty, she blooms with resilience."
- Unknown
Spring, with its bountiful harvests for foragers, holds a special allure. As ornamental cherry blossoms fade, magnolia flowers emerge, adorning the artistically gnarled bare branches and announcing the arrival of warmer weather. These blossoms, in shades of pale yellow, white, pink, or light purple, each as large as your hand, delicately gracing roads, parks, and front yards. Their size and beauty are impossible to ignore.
Despite their deciduous nature (shedding foliage at the end of the growing season) in Canada, magnolia trees generously offer their blossoms without harm. Because of its lovely fragrance, magnolias can attract many wildlife, in particular deers. So if you want to have some nature visitors, planting magnolia trees is a welcoming idea.
Interestingly, the magnolia tree has a rich history, with fossils dating back 36 to 58 million years ago, surviving the Ice Age in Asia and the Americas. Beyond their culinary appeal, magnolia bark and flowers are renowned in Chinese medicine for their medicinal properties, including reducing anxiety and stress, maintaining liver health, and relieving menstrual cramps. Modern research has also highlighted their benefits in improving respiratory health, detoxifying the body, stimulating appetite, and potentially aiding cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
In gardens and floral displays, magnolia flowers reign as sovereigns of beauty, captivating hearts with their grace. Symbolically, they are often regarded as emblems of nobility, dignity, purity, beauty, and resilience. It is no wonder Magnolias are often used in floral arrangements such as wedding bouquets to represent the purity and dignity of the bride. In addition, they are popular in Southern-style weddings because the flower is often identified with the South.
In addition, did you know the Disney princess, Hua Mulan (木蘭), translates to Magnolia flower? But I digress, so better get back to how I eat this edible flower…
For foragers, the pickled magnolia blooms (pickled ginger), and magnolia syrup for teas and alcoholic drinks are culinary delights. The flavour of magnolia petals, described as floral and gingery, adds a unique twist to dishes. You can also add them to your salad.
Delving into my personal experience, my front yard boasts a magnificent white and pastel pink magnolia tree. I recently harvested four blossoms to pickle in a jar. Raw, magnolia petals have a subtle flavor, but when pickled, they transform into a delicacy. The pickling process yields a lovely rose-tinted liquid with a flavor reminiscent of pickled ginger, imparting floral notes that infuse the petals and the pickling liquid alike.
Here is a recipe of my experiment with pickled magnolia petals.
Ingredients:
4-6 magnolia flowers
500ml rice vinegar
100g granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions:
Collect 4-6 magnolia flowers that are just starting to bloom. The less the flower is opened, the fewer potential insects you will have to deal with.
2. Gently pluck the petals to avoid bruising them. You can also pickle the young
leaves. Do not eat the middle part of the blossom as it's astringent.
3. Wash off and completely dry the petals.
4. After you’ve sterilized your jar/s, add the petals to a quart jar or two pint glass
jars, packing lightly.
5. Heat vinegar with sugar and salt to a simmer, stirring as needed.
6. Pour the hot brine over the petals.
7. Using a sterilized utensil, gently push the petals under the brine to ensure
they are covered. The petals will float to the top. The brine will start off as
light brown. Do not be alarmed; allow time to pass before it transform into a
beautiful red jello color.
8. Cover with a lid, allow the pickle to come to room temperature before
refrigerating.
The pickled blossoms are ready in 24 hours and can be kept for up to one year.
You can eat the pickled petals in spring rolls, ramen soup, salad, you name it!
Enjoy :)
Resources
Care of the Ann Magnolia tree. (2022, September 6). Garden Guides.
Larson, F., & Larson, F. (2023, September 22). Pickled magnolia petals make a tangy spring foraging snack. Wide Open Country. https://www.wideopencountry.com/pickled-
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