Eating daylilies?

[rebecca100]

I have a yard full of them, the regular wild looking ones, the triple ones, and stella d'oro. I was reading in an electric coop. mag. today and it had an article about eating daylilies. Apparently all parts are edible! I researched it but am still having a hard time believing that my pretty flowers can be part of a meal! What kinds have you guys tried? I looked it up but didn't find anything really useful.

 

[FarmerDenise]

We used to pick the flower off and suck the sweet nectar off.
My understanding is that it is frequently used in oriental cooking. I thought I had a recipe, but cannot find it. I have always wanted to try and cook them also. I think Euell Gibbons mentioned them in is book too.

 

[kcsunshine]

Just Google eating daylilies. Lots of ideas. The flowers as well as the tubers are edible. (I've never tried them though.)

 

[rebecca100]

I googled it earlier, but I really want to talk to someone who has actually ate them so I can make sure without a doubt I have the right kind. I would just feel so much better. Otherwise I think they will just stay pretty flowers.

 

[patandchickens]

As long as you are sure they are daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) and not true lilies (Lilium sp.), and it sounds like you are, there ARE no "wrong" varieties.

The "dried lily buds" used in chinese cooking -- you sometimes see them in hot and sour soup, or moo shu pork, from yer better grade of chinese restaurants -- are dried daylily buds. My couple tiny experiments in that regard were not real impressive, but I also did not knock myself out researching or trying different methods

Also apparently the blooming flowers can be stuffed and fried like squash, and the tuberous roots can be eaten, although I've never tried either of those.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[freemotion]

You can batter them and fry them like squash blossoms. In Wild Fermentation it says you can ferment the unopened buds in brine and they taste like the finest olives! I wish now that I hadn't dug all mine up and given them away!

 

[Wifezilla]

I missed that....and I have a lot of daylilies!

Woohoo!

 

[ORChick]

Years ago I bought some dried daylily buds for hot sour soup - I don't remember being terribly impressed. They are more for texture than taste, I think. However, it might also have just been that recipe; I've never made it again. I think I still have those lily buds in the pantry. (Now that I have daylilies in the garden I should really dry some fresh ones, do a bit more research, and find another hot sour soup recipe )