Schedule has to be my middle name. It sounds boring, I know, but it’s true that I like to organize my days quite meticulously as it makes my life easier. My daily routine is loaded with endless “to do” lists and reminders. It can be quite stressful but when you have many different things to do every day, it can also be life-saving!

Thus, I had prepared my list for the day and had already organized our dinner menu. I had even bought all the necessary ingredients! All my plans were overturned when I walked by our vegetable garden and suddenly came across those stunning flowers in front of me! To be honest, I didn’t expect them so early and thought they needed an extra ten days but apparently they decided to show up earlier, all fresh and delicate.. That’s a chance I can’t miss! No way!

Zucchini blossoms are among the most popular summer delicacies. The definition of seasonal food! It’s a beautiful, tender and fragile flower with an impressive orange-yellow colour! Farmers separate them into males and females. Male zucchini flowers are big and fleshy and, unlike females, they don’t mature into a squash. Female zucchini blossoms are attached to the tip of the zucchini, they’re smaller and more delicate. Most people prefer male zucchini blossoms but I have to say I love them both.

Zucchini blossoms are particularly popular across the Mediterranean but they’re more commonly used in southern cuisines, especially in islands. The list of recipes is endless; fried zucchini blossoms, steamed, stuffed, oven-baked, dolma.. They are distinctively fragile and delicate and don’t last long, that’s why they need to be cooked almost directly after harvesting. They shrivel up within a short period of time so it’s not easy to find them in farmers’ markets and grocery stores. In order to keep them alive a little longer, you can soak them into a bowl filled with cold water until you cook them. When zucchini flowers wither, their leaves become sticky and it’s even harder to clean them up, remove the stamen and fill them up.

One of my all-time favourite recipes with this unique flower is stuffed zucchini blossoms. I think I’ve tasted the most delicious ones at “Katrin” in Mykonos. Just incredible! Having the opportunity to lay my hands on super fresh zucchini blossoms every year, I’ve tried a number of different recipes throughout the years but always come back to this one. Stuffed zucchini blossoms with goat cheese (manouri), basil and spearmint! The type of cheese may vary depending on what’s in our refrigerator, anthotyro, mizithra, malathouni (all three of them are Greek creamy, whey cheeses).. But I think that manouri cheese makes this dish even more special!

While opening my zucchini blossoms to remove the stamen, I found many little ants on their inside. We prefer to avoid spraying our zucchinis so ants seem to be having a feast. Clean them up extra cautiously as I’m not quite sure if ant protein is good for us!

Today, I picked the first batch of super fresh zucchini blossoms from our veggie garden along with some tender baby zucchinis. I won’t let this chance go to waste! But before I start cooking, I’ll spend some time playing with my camera and the golden light of sunset. My flowers are naturally photogenic! I don’t have many of them so I’ll use a small casserole dish and fill the extra space with fresh baby zucchinis. An ideal dish for a light and healthy dinner!