Photo: Gillian Ferguson(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)
You’re probably familiar with nose-to-tail dining – it’s when a chef or a home cook makes sure that every part of an animal goes to culinary use.
But what about stem-to-tip?
We usually only eat a small fraction of what an herb plant produces. Smart farmers, gardeners, and shoppers know that flowers and greens can be delicious too. Here’s a guide to cooking with the edible extras available now at Southern California farmers markets.
Onion Flowers
Deep-fried “onion blossoms,” a classic Southern dish, is really made of onions cut to look like flowers. (Here’s a funny video that will show you how to prepare them.)
But if you want to cook with real onion flowers, try this recipe for Thai onion flower stir-fry with pork (Pad dok hom).
Radish Flowers and Greens
Last June, Willi Galloway, author of Grow Cook Eat, told Evan that radish plants offer a wide variety of culinary options. Try radish flowers as a garnish for salads, and replace cooked spinach with radish greens. They have a velcro-like texture when raw, but don’t be alarmed – it will go away with cooking.
You can also use those leaves in Galloway’s Tartines with Gruyère and Radish Greens.