Deep-Fried Wild Black Locust Flowers - A Real Treat!steemCreated with Sketch.

in #cooking7 years ago (edited)

It doesn't get much better than deep-fried flowers from the Black Locust Tree! It's an explosion of aroma, perfume and sweetness! Come into my post and you can learn to make this great treat yourself!

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Yes, I am going to pick those flowers and deep fry them, for a delicious treat!

It's @old-guy-photos' Tree Tuesday, so I want to feature one of my favorite trees. Many of you know that I eat leaves, flowers, fruits or nuts from a lot of different trees. The flowers of Black Locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia) are beautiful, fragrant, and so, so delicious! Deep-fried black locust flowers are a real treat! And they are so easy!


1. Forage Black Locust Flowers

I'll make a post soon with more details about identifying Black Locust trees and other ways to use their flowers. One nice thing about foraging black locust flowers is that there is no shortage of them! One tree can produce so many flowers! There are plenty for people and the bees that love their sweet nectar, too!

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Black locust trees have been planted in many neighborhoods and parks. They are even invasive in some regions around the world. They really stand out when they are in bloom.

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Black locust flowers are distinctive. And they smell as beautiful as they look. Each flower is full of nectar and the flowers taste so sweet.


2. In the Kitchen

I'm sure some of you can improve on this recipe. But I like it because it's so simple -- it's just flour, water, flowers, and the deep-frying oil of your choice. That's it.

Start by mixing plain white flour and water until it's a thin batter, like a tempura batter. The goal is to just have a thin coating on the black locust flowers, from ingredients that won't interfere with the flower's sweet flavor.

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Dip a cluster of black locust flower into the batter, and let it drain off a bit. There shouldn't be a lot of batter - just a thin coating.

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Drop that flower cluster into hot oil. I use an old-fashioned electric deep fryer that I got years ago at a yard sale. I set the temperature at 350F degrees. You can use whatever mild-flavored oil you prefer for frying.

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It takes a few minutes for the flowers to cook and lightly brown. It's good to turn them over at least once. Don't walk off and forget them! When they are a uniform light brown, take them out of the oil and lay them on a towel, paper bag, or paper towels. If you keep them in a warm oven, they will stay warm and crisp until you have the whole batch ready.

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3. Enjoy!

These deep-fried black locust flowers are delicious! I topped this batch with a drizzle of warm homestead honey that I steeped with finely chopped Blue Girl rose petals. It's a wonderfully fragrant and delicious rose that really kicks up the flavor of honey!

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This is a special homestead treat, for sure! The fragrance of the warm black locust flowers is so aromatic and intoxicating. The fragrance and flavor of the Blue Girl rose - and the smell of fresh spearmint tea - adds even more to the whole experience. This is a snack that @dutchess would appreciate for her Sunday Scent Experience! It all goes so well with the tartness of a homegrown rhubarb compote, too.

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If a restaurant or bakery made these, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand. Deep-fried black locust flowers are delicious!


What Do You Think?

I hope you get to enjoy Black Locust flowers sometime! Deep-fried, they are better than any donut, that's for sure!

  • Do you eat Black Locust flowers?
  • Do Black Locust trees grow near you?
  • Would you try my deep-fried black locust flowers?
  • What's your favorite oil for deep-frying?

I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.

I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!



** Haphazard Homestead **

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*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***

All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead!
My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead

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Too bad I can't upvote it a thousand times; this is for me a childhood memory, a delicacy I know of thanks to my French grandfather...
Just going through your article @haphazard-hstead brings a bit of France back to me. Thanks a lot :)
Have to re-steem it!

I'm glad that you have happy memories of your grandfather and these black locust flowers! Not many people know how good they are. I hope you can enjoy some in the future, too! :D

This fascinates me on so many levels, but before even getting into the deep fried flowers, how did you make these photo gifs??? Sorry, I'm an old person who is noob at everything.

I took some video footage with my camera. I uploaded pieces to YouTube. Then I turned those pieces into gifs on giphy.com It's a process! But it's all free.

you right...fascinating indeed! nice comment..once you find out how the photo gif was made keep me posted!
do you also blog on food? nice comment

I would love to try these! Do you happen to know if they grow in Oregon?

Oh yes, they do! I am in Oregon's Willamette Valley. They are considered marginally invasive here. They are all over neighborhoods and the edge of towns and agricultural areas.

This looks amazing @haphazard-hstead! I have never tasted Black Locust flowers, but we do make a recipe here in Mauritius with Papaya flowers coated with tempura batter and deep fried same like your's.
They are just super delicious!
Btw I just posted my entry in the Steemit culinary challenge where i used 2 types of flowers and aloe vera to make a smoothie! Hope you check it out!
Cheers
@progressivechef

I've never had papaya flowers, but they sound good! It's amazing how many good flowers there are to eat, isn't it? Thanks for the heads-up on your culinary challenge post. I will head over there! :D

They actually look like the black locust flowers! The varities of consumable flowers is just wide, sometime we just don't realise it and just ignore!
Same like rose petals, oh my god I just love it when i dry it up with some sugar in the oven in a low temperature! Amazing flavor!
I hope you like the new creation!
Cheers
@progressivechef

I'd like to see your papaya flower cooking! I like how you used flowers in your Smoothie for the Culinary challenge - and the aloe vera, too!

I really like using rose petals, too! Every kind can have such a different flavor! I dry some, and I grind some with sugar, but I have never tried the way that you explain. I'll have to try that! I have a Blue Girl rose that has such thick petals and a fantastic perfume. It's great with sugar.

Thank you for such a nice compliment @haphazard-hstead, i had a great time doing this recipe!
By applying some egg-white on the petals + granulated sugar, then dry in oven...Just amazing! The red ones work best though!

Beautiful flowers! It looks easy for cooking and good for eating!

Thanks, @tangmo! I think you would like these flowers. They are sweet and very fragrant.

You're welcome! Yes, I would certainly love these sweet and fragrant flowers! ;)

These look amazing! I love the technique and the idea and your GIFs are awesome! And topping them with honey just sounds delicious!

Thanks! You probably have some of these trees in your region, too. The flowers are such a good food. I haven't met anyone who didn't like black locust flowers, once they tried them. And who doesn't like a good tempura deep-fried thing, lol. That honey is good! : )

It just looks like perfect. It is really hot today. I won't go out. If someone gives me the natural set at home, I'll be so happy. :) @haphazard-hstead

I hope your weather gets cool enough to enjoy the outdoors! You would have a nicer day if you could eat these black locust flowers! :D

Wow looks delicious. I'm in Portland and don't ever recall seeing these trees. Maybe I need to look further out by you.

They are in the neighborhoods, for sure. When black locust trees are in flower, they are much more noticeable - with their while flower clusters. Early May is a good time to look for them in the Willamette Valley. They are almost a weed tree!

Whoa. I would REALLY like to include this post in the next issue of the Weekly Homesteading Newsletter which is a series posted every Sunday that aims to help collect awesome articles and resources like this one! This article will be linked and your username featured if you accept - please let me know if it is alright to include your article as soon as possible! Thank you and have a great day!

Yes, that would be fine - and thanks for asking. I also just submitted a post to your homesteadingchallenge about why my homestead is important to me.

Perfect, thank you!

Hey there! I just wanted to inform you that your article has been included and linked in the most recent issue of the Weekly Homesteading Newsletter! Please check it out if you have the time! Thank you and have a great day!

Thanks for including my black locust flowers in your homesteading newsletter! :D

My absolute pleasure! I'm definitely going to try that recipe!

I have taken time to read and watched how you prepared this. It looks so delicious. Good job .

Thanks! I hope you get a chance to try them sometime! :D