Nature Munchies

First posted on 04-15-2011

While reading my newsletter from the Ozark Natural Science Center this week, I discovered something I never realized. Those redbud blooms that I wait for as early signs that spring has arrived are actually edible. Naturally, I headed out to my front yard for a sample.

Rather than nibble directly from the tree, I snapped off a few blooms and brought them inside for a taste. My neighbors may already find my culinary selections odd as I often brush several inches of snow from my grill in winter and fire it up for that outdoors flavor. No sense in worrying the neighbors any further.

The blooms are pretty good. The flavor is neither intense nor overpowering and the flowers leave a slight nutty flavor resting on the tongue. ONSC recommends them in pancakes or tossed into a salad. I’m not sure if cooking enhances the flavor, but the added coloring is sure to draw some interest. Same with a salad. Those delicate, bright purplish blooms will certainly contrast with boring salad greens for a bold—and very tasty—presentation.

Right about now, dogwoods are also blooming along Ozarks hillsides and roads, making a spectacular sight with redbuds still flowering. The blooming seems to coincide with white bass are runs and the emergence of morel mushrooms.

Like dogwoods, redbuds are an understory tree in nature, living beneath the shade of taller trees. Planted in yards or growing in open country, redbuds can grow as tall as 50 feet, but they usually only achieve about 20 feet in the forest.

The Great Plains Nature Center website has a nice page about redbuds including information about the flowers, identification, as well as how pollen is spread. The site recommends adding redbud blossoms to fritters or mixing them into a pickle relish for some added zest.

But go easy on consuming the blooms. That site also suggests that redbud seed pods are edible, and pods are produced from fertilized blooms. Cook up redbud pods in butter when they are still tender and green, pretty much the way you’d cook up a batch of peas. Definitely something I’ll be adding to my menu in a few weeks. Just be sure to get them before they turn brown.

Discovering edible finds in nature is a real treat. Just be careful you know what’s edible and what’s poisonous to consume. Make sure you can positively identify trees, blooms, mushrooms, berries and greens before choosing to eat them.

The Great Plains Nature Center site is one stop worth making on your Internet wanders. Located in Kansas, the center has lots of information about trees that grow in the Ozarks and plenty to say about which ones offer up good food. Check out the Ozark Natural Science Center site, too. You’ll be amazed at the programs they have for school children and families. Check out their newsletters by going to News => Newsletters on their site. Or, stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.