Each day brings new and old joys. Some of these joys pass unnoticed since a lot of them arrive without fanfares and trumpets, yet, speak in very tiny soft whispers which are hard to hear, but somehow make you feel good when you do. The only way we do not overlook these simple unexpected joys is when we live in the moment when we pay attention to our senses - what we see, what we hear, smell and touch...
These summer days, when I leave home and pass by a row of tall orange blooming daylilies, a light murmur, like the noise of silky cloth, makes me turn my head for a moment and hear the whisper "We are daylilies and our name means "Hemera" – day and "Kalos"- beautiful. Your day is going to be beautiful as is ours!" Then, I pass by the neighbor's house and a soft sound coming from the daylily patch at the front makes me turn my head again and hear another whisper "Pick us up as we will last for only one day and tomorrow other ones will bloom on our stem... Pick us up and we can add a salad, and biscuits, and quiche to your kitchen table ...."
I have to admit, I have always neglected these cheerful flowers. I haven't had a good enough reason for that, perhaps, I don't like orange and yellow colors so much. However, since I read the beautiful Miche Bacher's book  "Cooking with Flowers" and became inspired to eat previously ignored plants, I've started to pay close attention to the abundance of nature's gifts. The more I see, the more inspired I get. The summer gardens and fields are full of edible flowers, from elderflowers and dianthus to roses, hibiscus, and daylilies...
Daylilies are beautiful, easy to harvest flowers and have several different tasty edible parts. The unopened flower buds can be fried, steamed, or boiled. The crisp and sweet flowers that taste even better than lettuce are perfect for salads. If you are trying them for the first time, start with a nibble since some people may have an allergic reaction. Also, do not confuse daylilies with true lilies, or Lilium, which are not edible. 
I am not really much of a forager (I dislike labels),  but this sunny summer morning, I picked a bunch of warm, sun-kissed, new daylily blossoms, washed them gently, plucked the petals of some and couldn't resist making a salad with them. The rest of the flowers I put in a vase and they created a wonderful arrangement in the living room.
This sunny morning, I chose to listen to the day's tiny whispers and find joy in what surrounds me.

Can you hear what is whispering to you these midsummer days?  






Daylily Petal Salad 
adapted from Cooking with Flowers 
Ingredients:

3 cups arugula
1 cup peas (fresh or sweet peas in a can)
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
petals of 4 daylilies (washed and dried)
1/3 cup aged Gouda, shaved
extra-virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
black pepper


Directions:

Place arugula in a serving bowl. Add avocado, peas, daylilies petals, and Gouda over top. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice. Gently toss. Top with salt and pepper.








Thank you!
Enjoy the bounty that summer brings!




Sharing with Our Sunday Best