Pickled magnolia

I’ve tried this a few times and the petals taste really nice pickled - almost exactly like pickled ginger except a little less spicy and little more floral. Perfect with a creamy blue cheese. The only slightly disappointing thing is they go from looking beautifully pink and plump and succulent to thin, limp and brown after they’ve been in the pickling juice for a while. Not sure there’s any way to get round this - maybe I’m expecting too much! They’re just so pretty fresh off the tree.

I’ve also tried heating the petals in sugar syrup and then drying them in a dehydrator (or low oven). They turn into lovely little crispy sweets but again, lose their prettiness. However this does leave you with a delicious magnolia-infused syrup which is very good as a simple cordial with sparkling water, and would be even better in a gin cocktail.

Freshly picked magnolia flowers - get them while they’re still quite closed

The pickling mixture: I made one jar which held about 15 just-coming-out flowers. Heat a jar’s-worth of apple cider, white wine or rice vinegar with a couple of tablespoons of white sugar and a generous amount of salt. To taste really - the quantities are pretty adaptable. Then pack the petals into your (sterilised) jar and pour in the cooled mixture. Keep the jar in the fridge and taste after a week or two.