Soft butter and kosher saltfor serving (it’s ok to use salted butter too)
Waterfor steaming, about 3 cups
Instructions
To steam the buds, put the water in a pot, then put in the steam insert, top with a lid, and turn the heat to high. When the pot comes to a boil, add the milkweed buds, distributing them so they’re in a uniform layer to promote even cooking.
Put the lid on the pot, then start a timer for 5 minutes, turning the heat down to medium-high.
After five minutes, remove the buds to a serving dish, drizzle with melted butter and a sprinkle of kosher salt and enjoy, starting with 2 oz of steamed buds per adult.
Alternately, put a bowl of steamed buds on the table and spread them with a knob of soft butter as you would rice or other steamed vegetables. Pass some nice salt or kosher salt and lemon wedges at the table.
Video
Notes
I love these with nothing more than salt, butter and lemon, but another really good thing to serve them with is chives and herbs. If you have some tarragon, chives, parsley, mint or basil, you can quickly toss the buds with butter, and the herbs, and serve them as a simple dish dish after steaming.