This simple, hearty bowl brings together green lentils, wild-gathered daylily flowers and buds, and a handful of mustard greens from the garden. It’s the kind of meal that whispers: there’s nourishment right outside your door, if you know how to look. Mildly sweet petals melt into the broth while the unopened buds hold a tender bite, all grounded by lentils and stock.
Ingredients
2 cups green lentils
(Tip: Thrive Market’s house-brand pouch is exactly 14 oz—just about 2 cups and cooks in 20 minutes)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 to 1½ cups fresh daylily flowers and buds, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mustard greens, stems removed and chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional: thyme, garlic, or bay leaf to simmer in the stock
Instructions
- Rinse lentils, then add them to a pot with the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently.
- Simmer time depends on the lentils:
– Some varieties cook in 20 minutes (like Thrive’s).
– Others may take 30–40 minutes to become fully tender.
– Either way, plan to add the daylily flowers with about 10 minutes to go. - While lentils cook, prep your daylilies:
– Rinse well.
– Remove stamens and pistils from open blooms if slimy or aged.
– Trim any tough flower bases.
– Chop petals and unopened buds into 1-inch pieces. - With 10 minutes remaining, stir in the daylily flowers and buds.
- With 5 minutes remaining, add the mustard greens.
- Simmer until lentils are tender, flowers softened, and greens just wilted.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve warm.
Stock Note (Optional but Worth It)
A good stock makes a difference. Mine included carrot, onion, celery, a little cabbage, fennel, about ¾ cup of dryad’s saddle mushroom, and one ice cube of garlic frozen in water. I used the leaves from lambsquarters, stripping them from the tougher, more bitter stems by holding the stem in one hand and pulling downward with the other. Don’t worry if a few tender stems sneak in—they’re fine.
Foraging Note: Daylily ID & Edibility
Only Hemerocallis species (like the common orange daylily, Hemerocallis fulva) are edible. Don’t confuse with true lilies (Lilium), which are toxic.
Daylily ID checklist:
– Flowers: Trumpet-shaped, usually orange, bloom for one day
– Leaves: Long, arching, grass-like; about 1–1.5 inches wide; grow in fans from the base
– Stems: Bare flower stalks rise above the leaves
– Growth: Dense clumps, often along roadsides or in old gardens
In the kitchen:
– Petals soften and blend into broth
– Unopened buds keep a tender bite, like snap peas or young okra
– Slight mucilage adds silkiness—not slime
Final Notes
This soup is adaptable—swap in kale, spinach, or wild greens for mustard, and scale down the daylily if you’re new to the flavor. It’s a bowl of slow noticing: one that honors the season, the land, and the hands that gathered.