MAGNOLIA

Kombucha pickled magnolia petals

At the end of the cold winter, we celebrate the arrival of spring with one of the first flowering trees to bloom. Magnolias begin to bloom in March and continue doing so throughout the year.  According to Thomas Elpel, there are 7 genera and about 220 species of trees and shrubs in the Magnolia family. They are native to North and South America, the Himalayas, and East Asia. They have beautiful, big, fragrant, white, yellow, pink, or purple flowers and can be deciduous or evergreen. Some are valued as ornamentals and others as source of timber. In Chinese Buddhist gardens, the magnolia is a tree of life symbol. With its branches reaching high into the sky, and its strong roots deep into the earth, it is the tree connecting heaven, earth, and the underworld.

“The claw of the magnolia, drunk on its own scents, asks nothing of life.” – Sylvia Plath

Magnolias are believed to be the earliest known flowering plants, with fossilized specimens dating back as far as 95 million years to the Cretaceous Era. If this is true, these glorious prehistoric flowering plants inhabited this earth together with dinosaurs. Isn’t that bewildering and mind-blowing? Magnolias existed before bees, so they rely on ancient insects for pollination - we know them today as beetles. Instead of nectar, the flowers produce large quantities of pollen that the beetles use for food. The earliest record of magnolias is found in Aztec history with illustrations depicting today's very rare Magnolia dealbata. Some magnolia trees can be 80-120 years old, whilst the oldest tree in Italy is apparently 320 years old.

Some of these prehistoric beauties are edible and there is no known toxicity to magnolia. Still, be moderate and forage responsibly. Kim Walker and ethnobotanist Harriet Gendall made a great chart with best-tasting magnolia petals, the flavors varying from floral, cardamon, cucumber, citrus, chili, and gingery. Check out their list of edible magnolia species. Some common edible magnolia species include:

• Magnolia grandiflora 

• Magnolia kobus 

• Magnolia mexicana 

• Magnolia soulangeana 

• Magnolia liliflora

Besides the magnolia petals, the fruit of magnolia is also edible. Magnolia grandiflora’s fruit is commonly used for medicinal purposes, but it can also be eaten raw or pickled. The fruit is described as very sweet and almost sour in taste. I will come back to this post after I try out some recipes with magnolia fruits later this year. A wonderful list and presentation of various magnolia fruits can be found here.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine magnolia bark is often harvested by being peeled or cut away from the tree. The bark then undergoes a process of drying and boiling before it’s infused into a tincture for consumption. Magnolia bark is used to treat the "stagnation of qi" as well as for depression and anxiety. The bark of Magnolia officinalis Rehder & E. Wilson, known in the Chinese Medicine Materia Medica as “Hou Pu” has been traditionally used in Chinese and Japanese herbal formulas to resolve complaints of the gastrointestinal region as they are used for “warming the middle”, “transforming phlegm” and “helping to direct rebellious Lung Qi downwards”. There are over 250 compounds in the bark, flowers, leaves, and fruits, however, honokiol and magnolol have been studied the most. Apparently, they have been found to be way more potent than Vitamin E, and have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antibiotic effects. Both compounds exhibit cortisol-balancing, and neurotropic effects while promoting brain cell growth and regeneration. Honokiol was found stronger than Valium for reducing stress without the side effects, while activating the GABA pathways, making it a great sleeping aid.

Magnolia blooms and petals can be used in a variety of ways. The simplest is to include them fresh on top of salads, soups, and sauteed vegetables. They pair wonderfully with bitters, radicchio, goat cheese, ricotta, red onion, pickled radishes, cardamom, strawberries, and oranges. Chopped fresh petals can be added to cake batter, muffins, or hot chocolate. They work great in savory dishes too: use them in omelets, in a dumpling mix, or in spring rolls. Use fresh magnolia petals for decorating a spring beetroot focaccia together with thyme, rosemary, and wild garlic flowers.

The most elegant way to use these beautiful petals is to make stuffed magnolia blossoms (in the same way you would make stuffed zucchini blossoms). They are really easy and quick to make, require just a few ingredients, and are true eye-catching finger food. What you need are young magnolia petals and a filling. I used a mix of wild garlic pesto, ricotta cheese, and Parmigiano, salt, and pepper. Simple ricotta cheese with mozzarella, lemons zest, and fresh basil makes a wonderful light and delicious filling too. You can serve them fresh or dip them in egg batter and fry them in a pan.

In order to preserve these spring beauties while the flowers are in abundance, they can be infused in a simple syrup or candied (with egg white or aquafaba and coated with sugar) for decorating cakes, desserts, ice cream, or homemade chocolate. The candied petals work particularly great with dark chocolate.

Petals can also be dried and used in a tea blend or as a spice. They lose their gorgeous color but are packed with gingery flavor and at closer inspection become a universe of stunning earthy tones ranging from deep purple to golden brown. Truly mesmerizing.

Magnolia petals are great added to kimchi, or included in different ferments, especially pickled radishes, daikon, red onion, and mushrooms. I love to pickle magnolia blossoms and buds in light white wine or rice vinegar, adding sugar, a bit of salt, and pickle spices. Cardamom, dried hibiscus, rosehip, and dried rose petals pair very nicely with them too. This year I pickled magnolia petals with my homemade kombucha and the pickle tastes wonderful!

KOMBUCHA PICKLED MAGNOLIA

Ingredients:

• 20 magnolia flowers and buds

• 1 small dried chili

• 1 small piece of fresh ginger

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 150 ml apple cider vinegar

• 150 ml kombucha

Preparation:

Gently clean magnolia petals and dry them completely. Remove stems and any brown or bruised petals. Sterilise one large or two smaller jars and pack the petals tightly into the jar(s). Mix all the other ingredients except kombucha. Bring vinegar, chili, ginger, cinnamon stick, rosemary, salt, sugar, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns to a boil so salt and sugar dissolve completely, mix thoroughly, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let the vinegar solution cool to room temperature. Add kombucha to the brine, mix, and pour over magnolia petals. As the petals will shrink, I usually add some more to fill the jar completely. Place the cinnamon stick on top to keep all the petals submerged in the brine. Allow to cool. You can use them immediately, but they will taste better after fermenting for 1-2 weeks in the kombucha-vinegar brine. Keep them in the fridge after opening. Once the petals have been eaten, keep the delicious pink kombucha vinegar to use on salads or in cooking.

Check out this gorgeous video with more ideas on how to use magnolia petals.

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SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5365644/

https://www.handmadeapothecary.co.uk/blog/2019/3/16/magnolia-a-foraged-spice-cupboard?rq=magnolias

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5365644/#:~:text=The%20bark%20of%20Magnolia%20officinalis,disorders%2C%20headache%2C%20and%20more.

https://www.hoytarboretum.org/ask-an-expert-magnolias/#:~:text=It%20is%20thought%20that%20most,320%20years%20old%20in%20Italy.

https://visit.caerhays.co.uk/the-estate/the-gardens/history-of-magnolias/#:~:text=Magnolias%20are%20however%20one%20of,and%20the%20Southern%20United%20States.

https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/magnolia-tree/

https://gardens.si.edu/learn/blog/the-botany-of-magnolias/#:~:text=While%20the%20tepals%20are%20closed,find%20another%20flower%20to%20pollinate.

https://www.britannica.com/plant/magnolia-plant

https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/list-of-edible-magnolia-flowers

https://theurbannanna.com/2021/08/17/pickled-magnolias/

https://www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk/wild-food-magnolia-petals/