These 7 trees have pink blossoms in the spring. Yes, I eat the flowers or leaves of some. Which ones? If you know the answer, you could win a prize! The contest rules are at the end of my photos. I hope you play along!
Magnolia
This Saucer Magnolia tree (Magnolia × soulangeana) grows down the street from my house. With our cool, rainy weather in the spring, magnolia trees usually look like a bedraggled mess. But last spring, this tree got to shine -- for a few days. Then we had heavy rain and all these flowers ended up in a soggy mess under the naked tree. But for those few days -- moments in the overall lifetime of this tree - oh, the magnificence! How do the magnolia blossoms fare in your area in the spring?
This is the photo I am entering in the PhotoChallenge. Details: SONY RX-10, f4, 1/320 sec, ISO 125, 12mm
I know this is more like a snapshot than a photographic beauty. But with a magnolia, the flowering season is so precarious that photographing it is more like fast-paced photojournalism. I can't wait for the right light or walk in this person's yard to get a better view. No, I had to lean over a tall hedge just to get this shot.
Flowering Dogwood
This is my neighbor's dogwood tree. It's an ornamental variety, not our native Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nutalli). The tree has health issues, but last spring was good for flowering. Do you know how to identify a dogwood tree? (Answer underneath the image).
Flowering Cherry
This flowering cherry is in another neighbor's yard. It's strictly an ornamental variety that doesn't ever have cherries to eat. I would rather have a cherry tree that produces a tasty crop of fruit! But I do have to admit that these delicate flowers are pretty - and a lot fancier than a standard cherry blossom! How do you feel about fruit trees that just flower, without putting on fruit, like flowering cherries, almonds, pears, or plums?
Pink-flowering Hawthorn
Most Hawthorn trees have single white flowers, instead of the ornamental pink double flowers of this tree. Yep, it's just down the street in the yard of yet another neighbor! But these pink-flowering trees in my neighborhood don't all bloom at the same time. In the Pacific Northwest, the white-flowering Single-seeded Hawthorn tree (Crataegus monogyna) is an invasive species.
Curl-Free Peach
West of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, most varieties of Peaches do poorly because our cool, wet spring weather fosters blossom rot that destroys every flower before it can set fruit. I have found 2 varieties that work well, without any spraying, west of the Cascade Mtns. in our cool, wet spring weather in the Pacific Northwest -- Curlfree and Charlotte. I've never seen either one on any Cooperative Extension variety recommendations. Curl-Free produces gorgeous, perfect, sweet and juicy peaches - and wonderfully pink flowers. Highly recommended! Do you grow any peaches? What kind?
Braeburn Apple
One benefit of growing our own fruit is being able to eat varieties that aren't available in grocery stores because they are too fragile for shipping. But in this case, even though I could buy Braeburn apples, they are so delicious and they store so well, that I like growing this popular variety myself. And they turn out to be easy to grow, too, without many problems. I really like their deep pink buds and their light pink blossoms. Do you grow any apples? What kind?
Redbud
This is an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) that I planted in my yard. Oregon does have a native Western Redbud (C. occidentalis) out in the lower elevation woods. Other kinds of Redbuds grow in Asia, the Mediterrenean, and Mexico. They are all in the Legume family, so their pink flowers are like little peas, and their seed pods look like a dark snow pea pod, I think. Do you have any Redbud trees around you?
A Quick Contest - Two Ways to Win
Here's a quick contest. Not all of these trees are good to eat -- no! Of course, I eat the peaches and apples from the two fruit trees! But I also eat the leaves from two of these trees, mostly in my salads. And two of these trees have flowers that I put in my salads, too. Just list what you think the answers are. After 5pm PST (UTC -8) on Wednesday, I'll choose a random winner from all the correct answers. The prize is 10 STEEM. Good luck!
Contest Results: Nobody even guessed at what leaves or flowers I eat from these trees. Oh well. Here are the answers.
What leaves do I eat? The leaves from the Hawthorne and Redbud leaves. Hawthorne leaves are good as long as they are tender. Redbud leaves get more and more tannic as they get older, so I focus on the tender new leaves.
What flowers do I eat? I eat apple blossoms and the flowers of the Redbud tree. For the apple, I just eat the flower petals. For the redbud, I strip the flowers off the tree. They are great just to eat straight. I use a lot of them! One tree has lots of flowers!
What Do You Think?
Which pink-flowering tree is your favorite? Do you have any of these kinds of trees near you? Do you know other pink-flowering trees? Are you eating any tree leaves or flowers this spring? I would like to know!
I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.
I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!
** Haphazard Homestead **
*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***
