working from home distractions #384
Are tulip tree flower buds edible?
(Went out to check the mail; picked up some branches that had fallen in today's strong wind; found one with a pretty unopened flower bud...)
With a few of the petals pulled open:

I didn't find any indication that they are edible, but supposedly they have a sweet nectar that is edible. So I nibbled on one petal, and one of the stamens inside. It has a slightly bitter spicy peppery taste, sort of like allspice.
This video talks about the nectar, but I've never noticed nectar dripping from my tree. Nor did I find any nectar in the couple of blossoms I checked today, although it was raining earlier. Most of the open blossoms look sort of decayed/unpleasant inside, or with bugs on them, so I wouldn't want to taste them. Even a recently opened clean-looking one had tiny bugs inside when I looked closer.
Video title: Edible Plants:Tulip Tree
Posted by: Blanche Cybele Derby
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FyCUNBzxLI
Date posted: Dec 15, 2011
The person speaking in that video has a voice and accent very like my step-mom's (who is also from Massachusetts).
My grandmother who was also from Massachusetts had a different accent, maybe because she lived in California for a long time.
(Went out to check the mail; picked up some branches that had fallen in today's strong wind; found one with a pretty unopened flower bud...)
With a few of the petals pulled open:

I didn't find any indication that they are edible, but supposedly they have a sweet nectar that is edible. So I nibbled on one petal, and one of the stamens inside. It has a slightly bitter spicy peppery taste, sort of like allspice.
This video talks about the nectar, but I've never noticed nectar dripping from my tree. Nor did I find any nectar in the couple of blossoms I checked today, although it was raining earlier. Most of the open blossoms look sort of decayed/unpleasant inside, or with bugs on them, so I wouldn't want to taste them. Even a recently opened clean-looking one had tiny bugs inside when I looked closer.
Video title: Edible Plants:Tulip Tree
Posted by: Blanche Cybele Derby
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FyCUNBzxLI
Date posted: Dec 15, 2011
The person speaking in that video has a voice and accent very like my step-mom's (who is also from Massachusetts).
My grandmother who was also from Massachusetts had a different accent, maybe because she lived in California for a long time.