It is said that the blooming of locust flowers is the first heartbeat of summer.

April has ended, and the large locust tree in the courtyard flaunts its purity and brightness with great vigor. Whenever this time comes, a phrase always pops into my mind:May locust flowers fragrance。

In May, the locust grove ripples with jade-like blossoms, their rich fragrance intoxicating thousands of homes. When the breeze blows, the air is filled with a sweet scent of locust flowers. These smiling locust blossoms, pure and dust-free, adorned many a deep dream from childhood.

Sophora japonica (Chinese scholar tree)

During the Zhou Dynasty, planting locust trees was in fashion, and the locust was likened to a pillar of the state. In the Tang Dynasty, locust trees were abundantly planted in Chang'an city and along its roadsides: "On the twelve streets of green locust, wheels and hooves scatter and race." Along the great roads leading from Chang'an to various parts of Qinchuan, the locust trees planted were called "official locusts." Official roads paired with official locusts - a fitting match.

Sophora japonica is mainly used for medicinal purposes. Its bark, branches and leaves, flower buds, flowers, and seeds can all be used as medicine, but it cannot be eaten. What can be eaten is the black locust.

Black locust

Also known asRobinia pseudoacacia, it blooms in April-May, with a flowering period generally of about 10-15 days. The black locust tree is commonly cultivated throughout China, mainly in the north, with the Loess Plateau and the North China Plain having the most. It is said that the honey produced from black locust flowers is very sweet, and honey yield is also high, so what we eat is actually all black locust flowers.

Whenever the black locust blooms, we see many friends sharing food photos of locust flower rice, locust flower buns, and locust flower pancakes, making the editor drool so much it's about to drip~~

The most delicious locust flowers are those in theabout to open but not yet openstate.

Remove the stems and leaves, wash the locust flowers several times, preferably soak them in salt water for 20 minutes, then fish them out and drain.

The simplest ways to prepare them are stir-fried locust flowers, scrambled eggs with locust flowers, cold-tossed locust flowers, or steamed locust flowers, which preserve the original flavor of the blossoms. On close tasting, you'll find a sweet, delicate fragrance between tongue and palate.

Scrambled eggs with locust flowers

Black locust millet porridge

Black locust has a delicate, sweet fragrance and is rich in vitamins and various minerals. It also has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and moistening the lungs. However, although black locust is delicious, be aware that it has slight toxicity, especially the leaves and fruit. For the elderly, children, and those with weak and cold spleen and stomach, eating too much is hard to digest and may even cause diarrhea, so it is best to control the amount consumed. People with allergic constitutions should also eat locust flowers with caution.