The Edible Daylily

   The daylily, Hemerocallis fulva, seems to only be appreciated for its beauty these days, but it also has another use.  Nearly all parts of the daylily are edible.  The most sustainable harvest are the flowers and flower buds, which can be chopped up and added to soups or stir-fries, or eaten as a garden snack.  The young shoots can be used much the same way you would eat celery or asparagus, raw or cooked.  If you want a more starchy option you can dig up the tubers; you can bake, boil, or eat them raw.  It is important to keep a few things in mind with this plant.  Some cultivated forms can cause gastrointestinal distress, as can too much of any part of the raw plant, so it's better to stick with the wild form cooked.  Secondly, this plant is toxic to pets, although I have had no problems with this myself.

  This plant is quite nutritious, being a decent source of protein, fat, and carbs.  It contains quite a bit of carotene, vitamin C, Calcium, and Potassium.  And when the flowers are dried they can be stored and added to soups later on.  If you want to use the fresh flowers you must pick daily, as the flowers only bloom for a day.  You can also pick the petals of a spent flower and dry them.

  These are not without medicinal uses.  The roots have been found to have some anti-tumor compounds.  The Flowers and leaves have a mild laxative effect, promoting good bowel health.  They are also considered to be anodyne (relieves pain), antiemetic (prevents vomiting), antispasmodic (relaxes muscle spasms and cramps), febrifuge (reduced fevers) and sedative (promotes calm or induces sleep). In Traditional Chinese Medicine this herb is also used to purify the blood.

The Sunflowers

While Sunflowers can now be found all over the world they are originally from North and South America.  Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower is the most popular and well known of the sunflowers.  Artists Anthony van Dyck and Vincent van Gogh used features sunflowers in their paintings.  While these flowers are grown as a specimen of beauty they were originally cultivated for their food and value.

The most famous food use of sunflowers are their seeds.  They have a caloric profile of about 74% fat, 12% protein, and 14% carbohydrates.  They are also high in vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, and manganese.  Sunflower seeds also contain antioxidants chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and caffeic acid, which help to lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels and are anti inflammatory. The flower petals and stems can also be eaten raw or cooked.

Wild Helianthus annuus

Maximilian Sunflower

Another popular sunflower, Helianthus tuberosus, known as Jerusalem artichoke (which is a misnomer) or Sunchoke has edible tubers.  These tubers are great raw, on their own or added to a salad.  They are crunchy and somewhat sweet. When cooked they have a texture and flavor somewhat like potatoes.   Because of it's high inulin content is can cause flatulence.  Inulin is not broken down by the human body, but by bacteria in our intestines.  It seems some Native Americans appreciated this as a regular food, while others only ate it in times of famine.

Sunchokes can grow to be very tall, up to ten feet tall.  Unlike their annual cousin these plants can live for many years.  They can be propagated by seed or by dividing the roots.

And lastly, Helianthus maximiliani, or Maximilian Sunflower.  This sunflower is also a perennial.  While the tubers can also be eaten they are produced at a much lower yield than the sunchoke.  Instead, you can eat the young shoots, raw or cooked in stir fry or soup.

Because of the prickly tough nature of the Maximilian sunflower they make a great barrier.  These too can grow tall once established.  It makes a great habitat and food source for seed eating birds.

Feijoa Flowers

As I was watering the garden this morning I noticed the first flower on one of my Feijoa plants. I knew that the petals are edible but have never tried them before. The flavor was very sweet with some aromatic undertones that left my tongue semi-numb, much like an orange peel does. It was a pleasant experience. I look forward to getting fruit off of plant.
 

Dianthus

 When most people think about plant based food flowers rarely come to mind.  The most common edible flowers are broccoli, cauliflower, and perhaps artichoke and daylily.  Many different flowers are edible and have a variety of flavors and textures, from sweet and soft to pungent and crunchy.  Some can be the centerpiece vegetable and others to add flavor or color to a salad.  Dianthus flowers are the latter.  They have a sweet taste with a delicate constitution.  If you are growing these and you don't use pesticides or herbicides I recommend you give it a try!