Spiced Pickled Day-Lily Buds

Directions

Rinse and drain unopened day lily buds; clip off any stem remnants.

Put buds in a saucepan; add water barely to cover.

Bring quickly to a boil, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Drain.

(At this point, the buds can also be served as a simple vegetable dish after adding salt, pepper, spices, etc.

Another thing I do with them is to stuff them with ricotta cheese and serve them that way).

Pack hot buds into 8 sterile half-pint canning jars.

Combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil 3 minutes.

Pour pickling solution over buds, distributing spices equally.

Seal at once.

Let these stand for a few weeks before using, to further develop the spicy flavor.

Note: Don’t harvest day lilies within 50 feet of roadways due to automobile emissions.