Maple Blossoms: Cooking With This Wild Spring Edible + Recipes
Big leaf maple trees fill the forests and yards here in the Pacific Northwest. A sure sign of spring is when they drop down their frilly blossoms, coloring the forest canopies a vivid light green. While I’ve long admired maple trees, I’ve never sampled their blossoms until now! And I’ve been missing out!
Identification:
Maple blossoms only grow in springtime so you’ll have to act quickly if you want to catch them. Here’s a great website that can help you identify big leaf maple trees in your own backyard.
Maple trees are famous for their five-point leaf that’s featured on the Canadian flag, but in spring, before the leaves show up, they are a bit harder to identify. However, their unique light yellow blossoms are quite noticeable, ranging from 2-9” long.
If you’re uncertain about any foraged foods, be sure to consult an expert before eating anything!
Recipes:
Maple Blossom Fritters
These fritters have a similar flavor to vegetable tempura. They’re sweet and salty, and incredibly delicious. They don’t keep well though, so eat them while they’re hot!
- 10-15 freshly picked and washed maple blossoms
- 1 c. All-purpose flour
- ½ c. Soy milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 T. White Sugar
- ½ c. Olive oil (or frying oil of choice)
- Pinch of salt
- Maple Syrup
- Add oil to frying pan and heat over medium-high.
- Mix together flour, milk, and sugar to roughly the consistency of pancake batter
- Dip each maple blossom bunch into the batter, coating evenly. Gently drop into the hot oil.
- Allow the bottom of the fritters to turn golden brown then flip and repeat on the other side.
- Remove crispy fritters from oil and place them on paper towels to absorb extra oil and cool.
- Sprinkle salt on top, serve with a side of maple syrup, and enjoy!
Pickled Maple Blossoms
These taste like pickled broccoli florets. Yummiest when served on a fresh spring salad or eaten plain as a quick snack.
- 2 c. Water
- 1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 T. Sugar
- 1 t. Salt
- 2-4 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 t. Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 T. Peppercorns
- Jar full of freshly picked and washed maple blossoms
- Combine all ingredients except blossoms into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil for roughly 5-10 minutes
- Pour hot pickle juice into a jar filled with maple blossoms.
- Let cool and enjoy immediately, or store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Hey! I'm Callie.
I'm a mountain-obsessed skier, hiker, and mountain biker based out of Bellingham, Wa. I am the founder of Wild Grit, teaching online courses and creating videos to guide you towards a more adventurous life.
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