Edible Daylilies

Not only are they beautiful but the whole daylily is edible, from it's tuberous roots to stem, buds and lovely flowers that only lasts a day.

In Missouri, the orange flowers brought to North America by the first colonists are know as "ditch lilies" because they've naturalized along Missouri's road sides. I happen to love these flowers; they've helped stabilize soil on my hillside and added long-lasting beauty to my garden, and my dishes.

To use, remove the stamen; wash, then dry on paper towels or clean dish towels.

Add a daylily flower to a salad, either whole or in pieces. Make sure you're picking flowers from an area that hasn't been treated with pesticides. Although these are common daylilies, all daylilies are edible.

Charlotte

Holiday Scrambled Eggs

I first made this recipe one holiday when we had more hungry visitors than I had eggs.

Using 4 eggs, this will make 6 servings.

1 cut up medium size yellow onion

1 cut up green pepper

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

You can also add fresh mushrooms to taste. Add "squish" of extra virgin olive oil to saucepan. Cook onions over medium heat until you have edges scorched but not burned. The high heat will add flavor to the onions so you don't have to add salt. Add cut-up green peppers and stir until soft. If you have mushrooms, add them now until they turn brown. Mix milk into 4 broken-open eggs. You can beat them now or after you add mixture to saucepan. Cook until eggs are done. Salt to taste.

Papaya, Please!

Do you walk by papayas because you don't know how to fix them?

Papayas are South America's version of a cantelope. I grew up with papayas and with a little trick, you will have a delicious fruit dish for breakfast, or any meal.

Cut, peel and core papayas. Keep dish towels handy because they can be juicy. Toss in 1/2-1 cup of lime juice and allow to marinate overnight in refrigerator. Serve.

If you have any left-over, toss to cover with lime juice again and store in refrigerator. I added my last leaf of homegrown spinach to this serving.

Charlotte

How to Keep Track of Garlic

Not that garlic is all that hard to track but, in my garden, where I sometimes mix vegetables with flowers, it's good to have a system.

I was given 7 different kinds of garlic to plant this year. To keep track of what and where I planted them, I sunk old plastic flower pots and planted the garlic in them.

I also made stakes from popsicle sticks to keep track of varieties but Cousin George the raccoon had other plans for those sticks.

I'm only sure now of where the elephant garlic is blooming. With the help of pots, I can at least find the other garlics.

Humm, looks like a mole hole next to that pot...

Charlotte

Radish Roses

One of the simplest, and ooh-ed over garnishes I have made are radish roses.

With a little practice, you will quickly be able to cut a radish in half with a circle of triangles that form the flower petals.

You can change the look of the flowers by changing what you plop in the center - here I have a little mayo to balance the radish taste. Favorite salad dressings, dried raisins and mayo/mustard are all other good choices.

Charlotte

How to Quickly Dress Up A Muffin!

When I was helping to raise 8 stepchildren and their related siblings, my cupcake pans came to the rescue. When I was stuck, I would go to my cupcake pans baking everything from meatloaf to muffins. One morning, when one of the kids told me they needed something sweet for a school function, all I had was a blueberry muffin mix. After getting the mix in the pans, I tossed brown sugar on top. I had seen similar streusel toppings but there was no internet "in those days" and I only had 15 minutes to get these baked and out the door. Once baked, the sugar gave the muffins a little brown finish and automatic icing.

Whew!

Sweet Nutty Treat

Sometimes you want something sweet to end your meal  and these nutty treats are easy, and fun, to make.

Using mini-vanilla wafers, add a dab of melted chocolate to the bottom. Attach a Hershey kiss.

Once dry, use a toothpick to dab a tiny stem on the top.

Takes 5 minutes from start to finish and adds charm to any dish as a sweet, desert garnish.

Acorns, any one?

Charlotte

How to Refresh Asparagus

Fresh asparagus is delicious as long as the spears don't get tough.

To make sure I am serving the freshest part of the spears, I pop off the bottom of the stem with my hands. By applying gentle pressure, the less fresh part will easily break off.

Wash in cold water; pat dry with a clean dish towel. Then prepare in your favorite recipe. With the hard ends broken off, the asparagus will taste fresh-picked.

Charlotte

How to Refresh Asparagus

Fresh asparagus is delicious as long as the spears don't get tough. Keep asparagus fresh by breaking off the ends. Don't use a knife or kitchen scissors. Hold the spear in one hand and gently bend the non-spear end until it breaks. The break will happen naturally and leave asparagus spears as tender as when they were picked.

Winter Squash, Peppers and Onions

This is an easy side dish to use up winter squash and green peppers.

Start by cutting onions - as few or as many as you like - I use two medium ones - and sauté until brown around the edges in a couple of squirts of extra virgin olive oil. When translucent, add cut-up winter squash and green peppers, washed and patted dry with clean dish towels:

1/2 cup of either water, chicken broth or wine, and cover.

Cook on low for about 20 minutes. Add 1 tsp garlic powder or regular salt.

You can serve either hot or cold.

I prefer this dish cold but it's also wonderful warm right out of the pan.

Makes about 4 servings.

You can serve this with almost any protein or main dish.

Charlotte

Yummy Violets!

Looking for something pretty to spice up your dishes, or a quick dash of vitamins? It could be right out your door!

Wild violets add lovely color to any dish and are high in Vitamin C. They would also make any dish special as a gift from your kitchen.

To pick wild violets for garnish, make sure you're picking wild violets,

or any flowers, from an area that hasn't been treated with chemicals. Pull

gently on the flower stem to remove from the plant without taking out

roots. Wash. Pat dry.

I like to pile several wild violet stems together, keeping flowers on the

same side. My nephew prefers to literally toss his wild violets all over

his plate, giving his dish that extra artsy touch!

Charlotte

How to Harvest Lettuce

If you're lucky enough to grow your own lettuce in easy to access pots, harvest by gently pinching the plants at the base. Don't use knives or scissors, they will leave a slight metal taste. Water leftover roots carefully with diluted plant food. By leaving roots, you will ensure a second and possibly third crop of homegrown lettuce!