Spiced Pickled Day lily Buds

Yield: 8 halfpints. 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.) Anyway, back to the canning recipe! 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. Yield: 8 half-pints. 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.