I buy squash flowers at our local farmers market. In India we used to buy pumpkin flowers or buds, but in US they call them squash flowers. These days pumpkin flowers or buds are very rare to find even at the vegetable markets in India, and hence a delicacy. These flowers are very tasty and are very nutritious. We make fritters also called phodi in konkani out of these flowers. Fritters can be made with many vegetables like potato, brinjal, cauliflower, banana, okra etc. These flowers cannot be stored for a long time and wilt very fast, so they should be consumed in a day or two after being picked from the plant. You can also make the besan pakoda out of these flowers. Here is the pumpkin flower recipe.
Squash or pumpkin flowers 10-15
semolina for coating
5 pinches asafoetida (heeng) mixed in 1 tablespoon water.
red chili powder as per taste
salt as per taste
2 tablespoon oil
Method
Wash the flowers and remove the bracts or the small leaves near the stalk of the flower. Cut the flowers diagonally and apply chili powder, salt and asafoetida water to the flowers. Coat the masala gently with hand and do not crush the flowers. Keep them aside for 5 minutes.
Put 1 tablespoon oil on a tava and keep on medium heat. Coat each piece piece well with semolina and put on the tava. Cook covered till the it is soft and then flip on the other side. Fry uncovered this time. Add more oil if needed. Enjoy the fritters. 
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2
