Seasonal edible flowers sell briskly at Zhuanxin Wet Market in Kunming

As spring deepens in late March, seasonal edible flowers are coming into peak season at Zhuanxin Wet Market in Kunming. Spring delicacies such as Chinese toon shoots (Xiang Chun) , common broom, birchleaf pear flower and dendrobium flowers have hit the market in abundance, drawing large numbers of shoppers eager to sample the flavors of the season.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Chinese toon shoots show off their purplish-red tips, common broom hold up tight little yellow buds, and grass buds look pale and tender. There are also dendrobium flowers, mansang flowers, and birch-leaved pear flower. Arranged in neat bunches and piled into baskets, these seasonal delicacies seem to send the same silent message: buy them now, or spring will be gone before you know it.

As someone born and raised in Kunming, I’ve always felt that the taste of spring hidden in the market carries a special sense of ritual—and a deep affection rooted in memory.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Step into Zhuanxin Wet Market in the morning light.

The sound of lively vendors calling out, the fresh scent of fruits and vegetables, and the easy greetings between sellers and shoppers all come together as a seasonal feast unfolds.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Chinese toon shoots: spring’s star ingredient

Before you even reach the stall, its strong aroma hits you. The dark red shoots still glisten with morning dew. Nearby, a regular customer bargains with the vendor: “Come on, give me a better price—I buy from you all the time.” Without even looking up, the vendor replies, “That’s already the lowest. In two days, you won’t get it at this price even if you want to.”

At 200 yuan per kilogram, it is undeniably expensive. But people in Kunming hardly hesitate to pay for it. Back home, it gets chopped up and mixed with farm-fresh eggs, then poured into a hot wok. The moment it sizzles, the whole room fills with the smell of spring. Worth every cent.

Photo by You Yuechuan

common broom: taking spring home with you

Right beside the Chinese toon shoots are common broom. Their pale yellow buds, still attached to their green sepals, lie in loose heaps, with the wild, just-picked look of something brought straight down from the hills.

At 80 yuan per kilogram, the vendor casually grabs a handful to show you. “The dew is still on them—just look how fresh they are.”

Everyone has their own favorite way to cook them. Some simmer them in pork rib soup. Others keep it simple by blanching them briefly and tossing them with sugar, vinegar, and oil. However they are prepared, every bite tastes like spring itself.

Acacia pennata: an unappealing name, but a surprisingly good taste

The most amusing thing in the whole market has to be this—Acacia pennata. The name does it no favors. At 5 yuan a bunch, it sits there in tight green curls, looking harmless enough. But if the name scares you off, you’ll miss one of spring’s most distinctive flavors.

Stir-fried with eggs, it gives off that oddly irresistible pungent aroma that fans swear is absolutely addictive.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Birch pear flower: spring folded into a cake

Birch pear flowers are picked while they are still in bud. Squatting down for a closer look, I can see the buds clustered tightly together—small, neat, and pleasing to the eye. The vendor tells me they need to be blanched twice to remove the bitterness, then soaked in cold water for a day, or they won’t taste right.

There are many ways to eat them. They can be stir-fried with Chinese chives, cooked with cured pork, or made into Birch-leaved pear flower cakes, which are soft and chewy with a delicate floral fragrance.

Kapok flowers: spring in blazing red

At the next stall, a pile of brilliant scarlet catches the eye immediately—it’s kapok flowers.

Their petals are thick and orange-red, like little trumpets. At 12 yuan per kilogram, they are best taken home for soup, where they’re traditionally believed to help dispel dampness. People who know how to prepare them separate the petals from the stamens, and the blanched petals can also be stir-fried with sliced meat.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Madou flowers: a hidden surprise in the corner

In one corner of the stall sits a scattering of tiny, pale purple blossoms, like a cluster of little butterflies at rest.

“What’s this?” I ask. The vendor looks up and says, “Madou flowers, 25 yuan a kilogram. Take them home and fry them with eggs, or make soup—they’re delicately sweet.” As she speaks, she lifts a handful to my nose. “Smell that—doesn’t it have a beany aroma?”

She explains that madou flowers grow wild and have to be gathered in early spring. While I’m still deciding whether to buy some, a man beside me has already weighed out a big bag. “This one’s really good,” he says. “My kid loves madou flowers scrambled with eggs—even more fragrant than mountain ebony flowers.”

Photo by You Yuechuan

Dendrobium flowers: miss them now, and you wait a whole year

Dendrobium flowers are delicate-looking, pale yellow with touches of purple, each one resembling a tiny orchid. They are not cheap, selling for 100 yuan per kilogram. In the market, you can find both fresh and dried ones. Fresh dendrobium flowers can be used in soup, stir-fried with eggs, or steeped as tea. They are traditionally valued for their cooling properties and for being gentle on the stomach.

Spring is the peak season for dendrobium flowers. Once the season passes, only the dried ones are available, so this is the best time to buy them fresh.

Common cattail: Yunnan’s tender seasonal delicacy

This is probably the freshest-looking delicacy in the market. Pale, tender, and wrapped in a thin pinkish-purple outer layer, it looks like a young girl who has just woken up and hasn’t yet had time to get dressed up.

At 40 yuan per kilogram, it isn’t exactly cheap, but people still can’t help stopping for a second look. People from Jianshui in Honghe know best how good it is: slice it thinly, sprinkle it into the broth for Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, and the hot soup releases a wonderfully fresh fragrance.

Photo by You Yuechuan

And it’s not just flowers—there’s plenty more to eat.

After passing the flower stalls, you hear the fruit vendor’s voice ringing out the loudest: “Twenty a basket, twenty a basket—just take one if you want one!”

The strawberries are glossy and bright red, instantly tempting. Beside them are cherry tomatoes in all kinds of colors, selling for 30 yuan per kilogram. A few young women are sorting through them, saying they want enough colors to make a rainbow.

Blueberries are piled up like little hills. A child beside the stall stands on tiptoe, staring at them longingly and tugging at his mother’s sleeve. She laughs and says, “Okay, we’ll buy some. I’ll mix them with yogurt for you when we get home.”

Photo by You Yuechuan

Farther on, seven or eight people are lined up at a stall selling Dai-style pounded chicken feet, while the wooden mortar in the vendor’s hands thumps away without pause. Roast duck and braised goose gleam with oil as the vendor chops them up with swift, practiced strokes, opening the door to one rich flavor after another. Crispy fried pork bits and oil-preserved termitomyces albuminosus mushrooms shine under the lights—perfect for noodles or as a snack with drinks. Then there are sweet milky rice wine, colorful glutinous rice, and rice cakes. These small, inexpensive pleasures are the sort of treats people buy and eat on the go, sweetness still on their lips as they walk away.

Photo by You Yuechuan

Before long, the midday sun begins to slip through the gaps in the roof and fall across the people moving through the market. Some carry wild greens, some carry fruit, and some are happily eating bowls of rice noodles with tofu pudding. But in spring, everyone seems to share the same thought: get home quickly and turn those flowers in your hands into a meal. This is the taste of the season.

Click here to view the Chinese report

(Editors: Rachel, Doe)