Marinated magnolias: the first flowers of spring are edible, with a powerful spicy touch

Magnolia blossoms are among the first flowers to open in the Australian spring. They bloom before there are leaves on the tree, standing out along the artistically gnarled bare branches.

Native to the northern hemisphere - specifically East Asia - magnolias prefer a temperate to -cool climate. In Australia, you'll most often find them thriving in front gardens in southern states. They can be grown in pots but prefer deep, rich, slightly acidic soil.

Although they are popular for heralding the arrival of warm weather, magnolia flowers are also edible. It's the petals you eat, and it's the youngest petals - when the flowers are still in bud or just opened - that are the most palatable. spacefinder-role="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-10khgmf">

As with most edible wild foods, the older they get, the more bitter their flavor. Different species have different flavors, but it's the bog standard purple and pink tinted saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana) that is most commonly used in cooking.

The petals have a deliciously powerful flavor of cloves and ginger, and can be eaten fresh, cooked, pickled, and even dried and used in tea. Rob Gould of the Cotswold Forager swears by a fresh magnolia petal wrapped around a chocolate brownie. We've also tried them eaten fresh as part of a salad - they pair beautifully with radicchio, goat cheese, red onion, fennel and orange. They can be infused into a simple syrup to use in cocktails and desserts, or even dried and powdered to use in place of dried ginger.

It's best Do some extra research on the variety of magnolia you'd like to try using before snacking on it. This site has a great overview of many of the more common species, but remember, as with all foraging, the rule is: if in doubt, leave it out.

We saw a beautiful tree in a front yard full of flowers, so we knocked on the door and asked if the owners were ok with us picking a few -ones. They didn't mind at all, so we collected enough buds and flowers to fill about four jars, then spent an evening putting them in a pickle solution.

Pickled magnolia petals have an incredibly potent spicy, ginger, and sometimes clove flavor.

They can be used in place of pure pickled ginger; dipped in tempura batter and fried, or chopped...