Fritters made from squash and pumpkin blossoms are delicious. Stuffed blossoms are also delightful.

Blossoms are usually unavailable for serving in restaurants. However, blossoms are available to the home gardener. These flowers are delicate and must be used soon after they are har- vested. They taste best when gathered in the mornings and prepared immediately.

Since squash and pumpkins produce male and female flowers, it is possible to harvest the male flowers without affecting the number of fruits produced. The flower stalk and sepals should be removed since they are stiff and fibrous.

The following recipe is good for stuffing blossoms.

Stir fry 1/4 pound of ground beef and then add 1 diced onion, 1 diced sweet pepper, and 2 diced tomatoes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon oregano, basil, or ones favorite herb. Cook this mixture until
almost all the liquid evaporates. Remove the pan from the heat source. Then add 1/4 pound grated cheese.

After this mixture has cooled, put a heaping tablespoonful of this stuffing into each blossom. The petals can be folded over the stuffing and fastened with a toothpick. The next step is to dip the stuffed blossom into fritter batter. Now it is time to fry it in oil until it is light brown in color. The stuffed blossoms should be eaten while they are hot.

Blossoms can be fried in margarine or oil without being stuffed stuffed. Flowers should be dipped in a pancake or crepe type of batter prior to frying. A favorite batter is made by mixing the following: 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup self rising flour, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil. The meal can be given a Mexican character by serving the stuffed blossom with red kidney beans and green salad. Recipes for using squash blossoms can be found in many cookbooks.