apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The answer is really quite simple. Squash blossoms come in two genders: male and female. Only female squash blossoms mature into a squash. The male is just there to, well, fertilize them. As in, ahem, other parts of nature, the male blossoms rather outweigh and outnumber the female flowers. The females usually grow close to the center of the squash plant, squatting low on stubby stalks that, when fertilized, quickly balloon into miniature squash.

Here are a couple images of a female squash blossom:

The male, on the other hand, is showy and numerous. He grows on long stalks that wind throughout the plant, too; a male blossom will always be on the end of a much longer stalk than the female.

That's all there is to it. If you already have a few baby squashes swelling on your vines, you are quite free to pick the male blossoms, stuff them, and fry them up. Just watch out for bees and other little insects; they love to nestle inside those wide open flowers!

Have you been eating squash blossoms this summer?

Related: Five Ways to Eat Squash Blossoms

(Images: Faith Durand)