Using Wild Redbud

Native Americans ate redbud flowers raw or cooked as well as the young pods and seeds raw or cooked. The flowers can be pickled. They have a slightly sour taste and are high in Vitamin C . They’re  a pleasant addition to salads and can also be used as a condiment.

The unopened buds can be pickled or used as a caper substitute. The seed is  about 25% protein, 8% fat and 3% ash. More so, a 2006 study show the flowers and the seeds to be very high in antioxidants as well as linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid.

The seeds also have oleic and palmitic acids. Think of it as The First Forager’s Health Food Store. Young leaves are edible raw or cooked.
http://www.eattheweeds.com/eastern-re...

Eating Redbud Flowers:

In a study published in Economic Botany, redbud flowers were found to have a significantly higher vitamin C content than most common domesticated fruits and vegetables, including oranges (Zennie, Thomas M. and Ogzewalla, C. Dwayne. “Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin A Content of Edible Wild Plants of Ohio and Kentucky.” Economic Botany 3 Jan.-Mar. 1977: 76-79. Print.).  It is this very concentration of ascorbic acid that gives the fresh buds a not unpleasant sour bite. It is subtle and took me a couple of buds to identify, but the initial fresh “sweet-pea” flavor does give way to an understated acidic brightness.

There is something I can no better describe than “wild,” or wholly untamed, about foraged foods...
https://thegrownetwork.com/in-praise-...

Redbud Flowers - How To Find, Harvest, and Eat Redbud Flowers:
https://steemit.com/food/@haphazard-h...

Ginger Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 tablespoons redbud infused vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Cornerstone Honey
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoon redbud flowers (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Add by the tablespoon to the salad mix and toss each time. Add only enough to dampen the leaves. You do not want it to be “soggy”.
2. Note: the redbud leaves can be added to cider, rice, or white vinegar to create a pink vinegar with a nutritional bonus!
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Happy Formula Tea (or tincture)

4 parts mimosa bark (key herb)
2 parts scullcap (key herb)
1 part holy basil (supporting herb)
1 part hawthorn leaves and flowers or crushed berries (balancing herb)
1 part rose petals or redbuds (balancing herb)

Mix the herbs together and store in sealed containers.  Steep 1 heaping teaspoon in boiled water for 10 minutes, then re heat and strain.  1-3 cups per day as needed.