Daylilies are a great easy maintenance perennial– but did you know they are edible too?
Name an orange-flowered perennial.
Probably the first one that comes to mind is the daylily. The first time I grew daylilies was as a homeowner when I wanted to plant an orange and blue “Illini” garden. There aren’t a whole lot of orange-flowered perennials out there– so I purchased my first daylilies.
On a side note, if you know of some orange-flowered perennials, please let me know. I’m always on the lookout for new plants.
Daylilies are the definition of “easy maintenance plant”
A “no-name” daylily cultivar–pretty much the flower we all think of when we hear the name daylily.
About the only thing you need to do with them is deadhead the spent flowers. And that actually gets easier if you let it go a bit; if you wait until the flower stems are turning yellow or brown you can easily pull them right out.
Despite the familiar sight of them along roadsides each summer, daylilies are not native to North America. They are originally from Asia, specifically Japan, Korea, Siberia, China, and Eurasia. The Chinese used daylilies for food and medicine before they even had a written language. They ate the buds and flowers and used the crown and roots of the plant as a pain reliever and treatment of liver disorders.
If you’d like to try daylilies on the menu, they can be eaten fresh. Chop up some buds or flowers for a pop of color in your favorite salad. Or stuff a bloom with your favorite chicken or tuna salad.
But if eating a flower seems too odd for your family, consider this recipe for fried daylily buds. It does add credence to the idea that people will eat anything dipped in batter and deep fried, but I can tell you from cooking them myself that they are delicious! My son and I think they taste like asparagus with a hint of green beans.
Deep Fried Daylily Buds
The bud to the left of the blooming flower is about the size of daylily bud needed for this recipe. It is a day or two away from opening.
Ingredients
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour
• 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 12 ounces cold carbonated beverage (lemon-lime soda, beer or hard cider are all good choices)
• 3 pounds of fresh daylily buds*
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add cold carbonated beverage. Do not over-mix; it’s normal for the batter to be a bit lumpy.
2. Use a deep fryer or frying pan with oil at a temperature of about 350 °F to 375 °F. We use an old-school Fry Daddy which has a thermostat so I know I won’t overheat the oil and risk a fire. The oil is still extremely hot so be careful!
3. Dip each daylily bud into the batter while holding the stem end. Cover all but the little bit you are holding with the batter. Carefully place each battered bud into the hot oil to avoid splashing. Fry until golden brown—this took about one minute on each side when I made them. Place cooked daylilies on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
4. Eat warm. Sprinkle with salt, seasoned salt, or powdered sugar. They are also delicious dipped in ranch dressing. This recipe is also a great light batter for vegetables and fish.
*Be sure that you have identified your daylilies correctly. Other species of lilies can be toxic.
Daylilies are a great choice for easy maintenance landscape for many reasons besides frying them up as a side dish or appetizer! Their extensive root system makes them very drought tolerant. They can also grow in a wide range of soil types, even the clay laden excuse for soil that many of us contend with in Illinois. Relatively few diseases and insect pests attack daylilies. Not many plants fit all of these criteria.
If you haven’t planted daylilies before, give them a try. If you have daylilies already, there’s always room for a new one that catches your eye (that’s my inner plant addict talking!) For more information on daylilies, check out the American Hemerocallis Society.
Are you looking for more unique recipes using your garden harvest? Check out my post about homemade mozzarella to compliment your homegrown tomatoes!
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All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Jennifer Schultz Nelson.
What isn’t good dipped in ranch dressing?! My favorite orange flower is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).
As I’m learning from my preschooler, ranch dressing is second only to ketchup for dipping. Our butterfly weed is just staring to bloom. That’s a good one!
My daylilies have been demolished by all the rain and now they are lying on the ground. How can I get them to stand upright again?
Give them time. Some will be a lost cause, but some will recover.