Redbud pancakes

Spring is afoot here in Austin, Texas. As usual, the past couple weeks of SXSW coaxed the bluebonnets to begin their bloom, showing off the hill country’s purple finest.

Texas redbud trees (Cercis canadensis var. texensis) are native to this area and are adding their two cents to the whole spring business with their clusters of pink blossoms. Read more on Texas native redbuds from the Wildflower center here. The blooms are edible and high in Vitamin C. Eat them raw or cooked, or pickled (my next project!); this post from Eat the Weeds has a lot of great info on eating redbuds. Eastern redbuds are found in the US and Canada generally east of the Rockies, and may be used in the same capacity.

Use your preferred pancake recipe or use my gluten-free version and sub redbud blooms for the blueberries. The flowers baked into the batter don’t taste like much beyond pancake after they’re cooked, but a final garnish will help you get in touch with the muted tart flavor of the blossom.