Plum and Cherry blossoms are once again gracing the streets of Victoria. A very welcome sight of spring after the hard winter we’ve all had. Part of the Prunus family with other stone fruits like peaches and nectarines they have delicate sweet edible flowers. Both cherry and plum blossoms have cultural significance in East Asia (where acupuncture originates) though neither of them are listed in the TCM herbal canon. Instead they are enjoyed in cooking, salted for teas and adored by the masses at flower viewing parties in the park.
Plum happens to be my preferred blossom of the two for its strong aromatic almond-like scent and taste. They are lovely infused into vinegar, cordials or liqueurs, fermented into honey or mead, pulsed into sugar for baking & icing or for topping cakes and decorating cookies. All beautiful ways of preserving these first fleeting moments of spring.
plum blossom - round petal, dark leaves
cherry blossom - notched petal, flower clusters