Pickled Magnolia flowers are, quite simply, exquisite. The texture and taste is nothing more than Love Food. Every person that has tasted this recipe (and that’s quite a few), remark how amazing the Magnolia flowers are.
Although the end result looks like pickled oysters in malt vinegar, the flavour will convert you as soon as it hits your taste buds.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh young magnolia flowers that have been separated.
- 1 1/2 cups rice vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation
Wash and dry the Magnolia flowers with paper towels and put them in a sterilised jar along with the salt.
Mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot mixture of vinegar and sugar over the Magnolia flowers, allow to cool, then screw a cap on the jar.
Eat the Pickled Magnolia Flowers either when cold or as an accompaniment with salads.
Makes about 1 cup
Share & Bookmark This Story!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I see the petals every were growing from a tree.
Is this right ? or is Magnolia a flowering plant ?
If you can’t 100% ID the plant, then don’t eat it. I’d say a mature Magnolia is a tree, others might call it a shrub. Either way, trees, shrubs are all plants… just bigger ones
Can you use this recipe for both the tulip magnolia (deciduous) and the evergreen magnolia? The photo shows the tulip flowers – the evergreen flower’s shape is more rosette like… ??? =)
I hardly think you are still waiting for an answer Nadiya but in case anyone else is curious (as I was) I think the answer is yes. I assume the magnolia you mean is grandiflora – which has evergreen leaves that look more like laurel. The Plants for a Future Database says the petals can be pickled.
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Magnolia+grandiflora
How important is the rice vinegar? We’re moving soon (so I’d rather not buy a new bottle) and would love to save some of our magnolias for later! I have apple cider, red wine, and plain white. Also, can this be processed in a hot water bath (for canning) and saved for many months?
Lindsay: You don’t have to use rice vinegar although it does make a difference to the taste. I’d most probably replace it with cider vinegar. This is a delicate recipe and I don’t think the magnolia petals would survive such a harsh treatment as canning.
I made two batches of these (rice wine and apple cider) and was very excited to try them. I was shocked and confused at how disgusting they were! The sweet tang of vinegar smelled delicious and started out beautifully in the mouth, but the petals themselves were so bitter and awful that I spit them out with a tart face. I kept trying the edges of the petals, the stems, the next day (in case they mellowed), and they were just inedible. I threw it all out. They were fresh, beautiful, aromatic flowers from my NC magnolia tree. Maybe the mature tree gives the petals a more bitter taste.
Lindsay – Your post has prompted me to write an article I have been meaning to write, namely, how plant taste varies from region to region and country to country. What can I say, you’re in NC, which I assume is the USA? I’m in the UK and they are divine. Did you nibble the flowers raw before pickling them, to make sure they had flavour. I have found different species vary quite considerably. I eat from mature trees, although for the actual recipe experiment I used quite a young tree. Anyway, thanks for your feedback, it all helps the journey down the greenpath.