| Being beautiful is not the only advantage to the day | | | | provides the needed thinning that will insure maximum |
| lily. Bright, orange flowers make it a festive | | | | growth. |
| ornamental, but underneath each plant is a crop of | | | | Once you have gathered all the day lily tubers that |
| small and highly edible tubers. In fact, believe it or not | | | | you want, the next step is to head to the kitchen. |
| the whole plant is edible. They are a great addition to | | | | To clean the tubers put them into a colander and run |
| any organic garden or landscape. | | | | water through them. Then scrub them with a scrub |
| You will find day lily tubers about 2 to 4 inches below | | | | brush to free of any clinging soil. Pat them dry, cut |
| the soil surface. The tubers are white, with a light | | | | off the ends and remove small roots. |
| brown skin, and crisp. They have the consistency of | | | | Day Lily tubers can be eaten with or without the skin |
| a raw potato but have a center core much like a | | | | but peeling seems to improve the flavor if you don't |
| carrot. | | | | like an earthy taste. So peel and wash again and they |
| These tubers can be dug up any time of the year. | | | | are ready to use. |
| The best way to harvest them is to loosen the soil | | | | Chilled and slivered, they make a great addition to a |
| around each plant and then dig up the roots with | | | | green salad. Boiled in salted water for 15 to 20 |
| your hands. In this way you can find more tubers. | | | | minutes they make a great cooked vegetable. |
| Follow each root down until you come to a tuber. | | | | The bloom of the day lily can be washed and dipped |
| Then break off the root just above the tuber. Each | | | | in your favorite batter recipe and fried. Yum! |
| plant will yield up to ten tubers. | | | | I hope that you will look at day lilies as a food source |
| Don't worry about digging up the plants. Since day | | | | as well as a beautiful plant from now on and give |
| lilies grow in clumps the removal of a few plants | | | | them a try! |