Day Lily: An Ornamental Edible

Don't think that just because daylilies can take care of themselves they can be taken for granted. Before it flowers, daylily's long, sword-like leaves can look like those of irises (not good to eat!). And to the casual ear of a novice forager, the information that something with "lily" in its name is edible might lead to unfortunate experimentation with non-edible tigerlilies. Introduce yourself politely, trying just a little daylily in your recipes at first (some people's tummies object to large helpings of wild foods they aren't yet accustomed to). If you decide that you like each other, have a heaping side dish of steamed daylily tubers with a little butter, crumble the dried petals into your soups or snip them fresh into your salads for a bright bit of color and a delicate oniony taste. And when you get around to that Saturday afternoon barbecue in June, casually offer your friends some gourmet pickled daylily buds while they are admiring the flowers and the gardener.

Identification Key

Common Day Lily, Hemerocallis fulva

Perennial garden plant often found along roadsides as a wild escapee. Fibrous root system with small, potato-like tubers 1 - 2 inches long. Blade-like leaves up to 1-5 feet long, growing in a basal rosette, arching so the tips point toward the earth. Flower stalks upright, tall. Narrow, tubular buds in clusters of 3-5 at tips of stalks. Flowers with six petals arranged in a funnel-shaped ring, various shades of orange and yellow. Some specially bred varieties have two rings of six petals each. Blooms May-July, each individual flower opening for one day only. Fully grown leaves and flower stalks are not edible.

Steamed Daylily Tubers

Collect only firm, whole tubers. Replant the roots. Scrub clean and cut off any stringy roots still attached to the tubers. Don't bother to peel. Steam whole until tender when pierced with a fork. Toss with butter, salt and pepper.

Daylily Shoot Stir-Fry

Pick daylily shoots when they first come up in the Spring and are only a few inches high (Be sure of your ID! The best way to positively identify the shoots is to make note of where they are growing when the plant is blooming in the Summer, and then come back the following year). Boil briefly, 2-3 minutes and drain. Place in skillet or wok with other thinly sliced veggies, garlic, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, vegetable oil and a dash of toasted sesame oil. Cook

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