Earth Blessings!!
Day Lily, Tiger Lily, Ditch Lily, whatever name you give to these gorgeous flowers know that they are incredibly beneficial!
Medicinal Uses:
Medicinally these lilies have a very long historical past. Originally hailing from Asia, these beauties have a vast history in healing in Eastern medicines.
Day Lillies have been known as the antedote to arsenic poisoning.
The mature leaves have hallucinogenic properties, take with caution as they can be poisonous if taken in high amounts. Though the young shoots in late spring at about 8 in high can be cooked or sautéed and resemble asparagus.
In traditional Chinese medicine Day Lillies were used as pain killers, anti cancer treatments, a blood purifier, as well as the use of the roots in reducing the size of tumors.
The flowers and leaves, being the shining star of this plant have numerous medicinal properties as well, they are anodyne, which is a fancy word for pain reliever. Also a antiemetic, prevents vomiting, an muscle relaxer, reduces fevers and acts as a sedative. It was the perfect herb for injuries and post surgical care.
In rare cases, there have been allergic reactions. Please make sure you are not allergic before consuming and continuing with any recipes.
Personally, I don't use Day Lillies in the medicine cabinet. I use them for astetic pleasure as well as a good treat in the early summer. Chock full of beta carotene, Calcium Potassium and Vitamin C, these plump little flowers make a great addition to any dish!
Day Lily Recipes:
The easiest recipe for the DayLily is just tossing the flower pedals in a salad or veggie dish. Just pick and eat, the flower pedals can be eaten raw or cooked.
While the pedals are somewhat of an acquired taste, the pods are where the real flavor is at. Pluck a few of these off, throw in a hot pan of butter and garlic and you have delicious sideto your dinner.
If your feeling adventurous here are some more indepth recipes from some of my favorite blogs.
Pickling Day Lillies:
From the recipes of The Backyard Forager
Pickling Day Lilies:/2 cups fresh daylily buds
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried, wild ginger stolons (Asarum canadense) (or 1 tsp. fresh, tropical ginger)
1/2 tsp. spice bush berries (Lindera benzoin) (or 1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns and 1/4 tsp. whole allspice)
1/2 tsp. dried pequin chiles (or the dried hot chile pepper of your choice)
1 large Pennsylvania bay leaf (Myrica pennsylvanica) (or 1/2 bay leaf (Laurus nobilis))
What You’ll Do:
In a saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients except the daylily buds over high heat. Bring the brine to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
While the brine is simmering, pack your canning jars tight with buds, then pour the hot brine over the buds. Cover them with two-part lids until just finger tight, then let them cool on the counter top. Once the jars are at room temperature, put them in the refrigerator.
You could also can these pickles in a boiling water bath, but I think this softens the texture too much and makes them (you should pardon the expression) limp. The flavor is still good, but you’ll get a better texture if you make this as a refrigerator pickle. In which case, they’ll keep in the fridge for 4 – 6 weeks.
These pickles are tangy, but not intensely vinegary. They’re a little hot, and a lot delicious, the perfect complement to a rich cheese, or prosciutto. And they’re pretty darn good as a cocktail garnish, too!
DayLily Fritters
From the recipe book of The Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
What you'll need:
2/3 cup cornmeal 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg) 1 large egg 1 tablespoon sourdough starter, room temperature (optional) ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk 3–4 tablespoons frying oil 16 small to medium daylily buds
What to do:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, starter (if using), and ½ cup buttermilk and pour into the dry ingredients. Gently stir. Depending on the grind and age of your cornmeal, the batter should be thick enough for coating but not pourable. Add an additional tablespoon of buttermilk if necessary.
Place the oil into a heavy skillet (cast iron works best), and heat over medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Test to see if it’s ready by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. If it bubbles right away, it's ready. If not, wait, or your fritters will absorb too much of the oil and become soggy.
Turn the heat down to medium low and dip the daylily buds into the batter. Quickly transfer to the hot skillet and fry for 3-4 minutes, flipping to ensure even cooking. When the batter is golden brown on all sides, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Serve warm, garnished with sea salt flakes, edible flowers, and a wedge of lemon.
Stuffed DayLily Blossoms
From the kitchen of Chestnut Herbs.
What you'll need:
Fresh picked open flowers with the inner reproductive parts removed.
Garlic
Olive oil
Lambs Quarters
Nettles
Lady's Thumb
Tofu
Goat Cheese
What to do:
Sautee two cloves of garlic and one half of an onion in olive oil and add wild greens in season. Lambs quarters (Chenopodium album), Nettles (Urtica dioica) and Lady’s Thumb (Polygonum persicaria or Persicaria spp.) are all yummy choices. Crumble in one block of tofu or goat cheese and take off heat when greens are tender and still green. Make sure to cook the greens thoroughly if you have added nettles to remove the potential of their sting.
Stuff the flowers and garnish with a spiderwort blossom (Tradescantia spp.) or any other edible flower growing near you. Serve warm or chilled and share the free-for-the-picking bounty of this glorious Earth!
Let me know what you made and how good it was!!
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