Redbud
Cercis canadensis · Edible flower
Top 10 pairings
Redbud is the bright magenta-pink edible blossom of the redbud tree (Cercis, chiefly the eastern redbud Cercis canadensis), a small legume-family tree of North America and Eurasia. The tiny pea-shaped flowers swarm bare spring branches before the leaves appear, and carry a crisp, tart-sweet, faintly bean-like snap that brightens salads, garnishes desserts and pickles into a tangy condiment.
Picking a good onedrag
Just opened, hot magentaBrowned, limp, shedding
Fully open, palerEveryday bestStill the raw job: salads, a plate garnish, or unopened buds cured in salted vinegar as a caper. Flowers only, and use them the day you pick.
Where it's fromA food garden's own tree, grown unsprayed
Colour of the blossomPink still, fully open and a shade paler
What else came with themA heart-shaped leaf or two to lift out
The snapStill springy, a few at the edge going soft