Tree to Table: The Many Ways to Enjoy Magnolias – Gardenista

When magnolia buds begin to swell, their petals splitting their snug casings of protective winter velvet, spring begins to feel like a sure thing.  In cities across North America, Asian magnolias are the urban harbingers of spring’s relief, blooming when a touch of frost can still singe their flowers’ smooth edges. Farmers markets still carry the previous season’s produce (unless it’s greenhouse-grown), and seasonal eaters long for something fresh, and vibrantly delicious. Even local rhubarb is a month from harvest. But regard your magnolia tree—it is an unexpected source of flavor. Magnolia buds and petals are edible; they taste like a breath of cardamom-scented ginger, with a whisper of cloves, and, sometimes, camphor. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and preserved in sugar, vinegar, and hooch.

Here are some of the ways I use magnolia flowers in my kitchen, with tips, tricks, and a hearty springtime recipe.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

The spicy, complex flavor profile of magnolia buds and flowers makes them extraordinarily versatile and inspiring as an ingredient. They can be fresh or dried. Magnolias infuse warming winter toddies, summer syrups, and sweltering curries; magnolia buds can be pickled, or their aromatic petals caught in sugar and salt. (And yes, native North American magnolias, which bloom in summer, can be used the same way. Read our previous story about edible Magnolia grandiflora.)

When working with magnolia petals you’ll discover that they oxidize, their cut ends turning sepia quickly. If using them fresh as a garnish, cut them just before you need them, and when infusing or pickling, keep them submerged below the liquid to hold their color.