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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. A. The root of the non-flowering plant is used to make medicine. We have them everywhere here in norhteast Mexico. "I needed to know what the bitter part on the yucca flowers was, so I searched google. Grab three yucca petals together in a stack, and dip them into the batter. long and have a hard, dry husk. It also grows in Central and South America. Drop them into the hot oil one at a time, maybe 4-5 stacks per batch. More on mesquite flour later. Why on earth would you want to eat a yucca flower? Description: A yucca plant is a type of shrub known for its tough, sword-shaped leaves and large white flowers. Never tried it though. Then, not too long ago, the little yucca plants each sent up the world’s largest asparagus stalk. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Here are a few recipes we’ve found for cooked yucca petals: • Yucca Flower Omelet, from Cooking Sessions I started seeing other yucca plants in various gardens there. Once the seed pods on yucca are dry, they are ready to collect. When you pick yucca flowers at their freshest, they usually have a mild, sweet taste that is similar to asparagus or artichokes. It’s got it all: Crunch, unusual flavor, wild ingredients, and, let’s face it, it’s fried. And it is a great time to harvest, too! So I decided to tempura-fry my yucca petals, with a twist: Because yucca lives alongside mesquite, I would add mesquite flour to the tempura batter. Well, because they’re tasty! When you are poked just touching a yucca, it's hard to imagine anything wanting to eat one. You can use garden shears to clip the flowers off the plant, but the stems aren’t usually that thick so regular scissors can work well too. There is evidence that … When I lived in the desert, they grew everywhere and we’d just pick them off and munch on them while hiking. Once I saw that, I knew it would soon be time. so for years I have wished to try the Yucca Flowers too. Genus Yucca can be evergreen perennials, shrubs or trees, with dense or loose rosettes of stiff, sword-shaped leaves and tall panicles of bell-shaped flowers . The stems or trunks of yucca store carbohydrates in chemicals called saponins, which are toxic, not to mention taste of soap. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Synonyms Yucca guatemalensis. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 158,182 times. In frost-prone areas tender yucca species can be grown in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. It’s possible to eat Yucca blooms raw, but if you do, you must examine them carefully because they may be full of Yucca moth larvae as well as ants and other local insects. Very interesting! If you cannot get mesquite flour, which is available online or at Whole Foods, you can skip it and use regular flour instead. I live on a farm and we have horses and cattle. They are ‘just’ blooming here (near Bisbee, Az) Very tasty indeed! Yuccas are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens. People also ask, what part of the yucca plant can you eat? Yucca can be evergreen perennials, shrubs or trees, with dense or loose rosettes of stiff, sword-shaped leaves and tall panicles of bell-shaped flowers. I met a man who lived on a reservation out near Hemet- he said that they’d dig up a yucca root, make a barbecue pit in the ground, and roast it underground all night, and that it was delicious. Before you can pick any yucca flowers to eat, you have to be able to locate them. Native to hot and dry regions, they can be found in rocky deserts, badlands, prairies, grasslands, and mountainous areas of the Americas and even in the Caribbean, in … I recently made some yucca flower dobladas, which are similar to enchiladas. Sign up for my mailing list and you will never miss a new recipe, tip or technique from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Yucca root can actually be toxic if consumed in large quantities, so it's best to use caution when ingesting it. That’s the funny thing about foraging: it’s hard to see something unless you’ve already seen it once. I’m so delighted (: I love this! It will absorb the excess oil, so the yucca isn’t too greasy. Yucca (Yucca spp.) If you aren’t a fan of deep fried foods, you can also add yucca petals to your favorite stir fry recipe. The two get confused due to that missing C, but yuca is the plant you may have tried in trendy Latin bistros. If you’ve never eaten raw yucca flowers before, you should make sure that you won’t have a reaction. Outdoor planting. It’s a good idea to taste the petals of one of the yucca before you begin harvesting a large number of flowers. That is how we can have the benefits of consuming flowers. Will try to find some. my delima IS I don’t cook, and my wife don’t try new things to eat, won’t fix me these flowers. Cut into sections, boil 30 minutes in plenty of water, peel. Mezquites the same, although right here where I live they are a little scarce. I happen to be pretty good with tempura batter, and the addition of the mesquite did not screw things up, thankfully. You can also use them as a drink garnish or for cake decoration. Feed once a year with a controlled-release feed applied in spring. Wait, don’t picture about eating raw fresh flowers. I find the smell so unbelievably intoxicating that I’ll have a sniff and then stare into space for about ten minutes. Enough geography. You could. If any park rangers read this, I only took flowers that the morning rain had knocked off the plants. Ever eat mesquite flour? And the shelf life? Such a pretty sight. And I agree, most of this type involve eggs and some cheese. Consult your doctor before trying yucca. Thanks! But in general, the flower petals — again, you only eat the petals — are firm, slightly crunchy, and taste like a combination of a green bean and the innermost leaves of an artichoke. Good lord, I want to bottle this stuff. had all the information I needed on how to prepare and use yucca flowers. Please note that yucca should not be confused with yuca, which is a potato-like starch and is actually the root portion of the cassava plant. I’ve had them with eggs and also in stews. When she died I saw some growing on the U. of Pgh campus and found a local nursery that sold it. Most of the plant is edible, actually, and many people eat that asparagus stalk. I love this article! Barbie: You pickle it. When I moved to Maine I brought the Yucca with me. A quick check of the literature and I found that some form of yucca grows from NorCal across all the southern states, and up into the Great Plains all the way into Alberta, Canada — where it is, apparently, endangered. here I must say best to describe the flavor? Thanks for that thorough explanation about the Yucca flowers. It is just recently that I have learned that there are some flowers considered edible and eaten regularly for quite some time now. With regard to the flowering stem of your Yucca the stem can be cut back when the flowers have died and the stem has started to die back and, you will not have damaged the plant Claire by … You can eat them raw or boil them and add them to soups and stews; however, I recommend cooking everything before eating it. Those Yucca are a diff version than we have in Indiana but can I count on the flowers of both be OK do you think ? You can also use the yucca flowers to decorate cupcakes. Serve immediately with hot sauce. Yuca have a high starch content which make them rather dry, so including a sauce helps. More than 25 species of Yucca live in the arid regions of the southwest. We have sandy soils and yuccas grow wild and are very common, along with prickly pear cacti. Yucca petals are really good eating. If they did, would it make them sick or, worse still, kill them? Most of the plant is edible, actually, and many people eat that asparagus stalk. Yucca flower petals are truly versatile! They seem to like each other very much. Outdoors, yucca plants planted in the ground need very little care and attention. Larger forms gradually loose the lower leaves to expose a trunk. I hope you don’t mind. in other varieties and don’t always cook down well. And everyone loves tempura, too. I have to say, though: I eat the whole flower, not just the petals. If you do, boil the flowers before you eat them in a recipe or as a garnish. Once they are all in the oil, use the chopstick to dislodge them from the bottom of the pot if the flowers have stuck there. Yes YuCa is eaten more commonly as a food staple (sold as a whole root) whereas YuCCa is mainly used like a herbal medicine (sold cut and sifted). You can do it, Dave! Yucca flowers make such a satisfying comfort food! References. When I was done making the essence I was left with a good amount of flowers still crispy and vibrant…I thought I’d toss them in with my salad or something but then I found this blog and it sounded so good! I need to post a recipe…. You can find your link here: http://newmexicoenchantment.com/yucca-recipes.html Thank you for posting this! If you want to keep the petals intact and are concerned about the washing process damaging them, you can also set them in a strainer inside a large bowl of water and let them soak. A huge swath of yucca is in glorious bloom in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles right now; I passed them on the road Thursday. We eat yucca flowers but we boil some of the saponins out first. Crack open the pods and gather the seeds. Apparently you can also eat the asparagus like stalk before it flowers, but I've never tried that, and you can also eat their fruit, but I've never seen the fruit growing locally. I enjoyed this recipe so much I added a link to it from my website. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. While yucca and yuca are not botanically related and are native to different climates, they do have the similarity of being used as a food source. When you are ready to fry, mix in the egg yolk and then the ice cold sparkling water. Inside are many black flat seeds, which are the source for baby yuccas. When you remove the fried flowers from the oil, place them on a plate or tray that’s lined with paper towel. In Mexico and Central America, it’s common to mix yucca petals into scrambled eggs or fried eggs dishes, such as huevos rancheros. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Once carefully examined and cleaned, you’re sure to find Yucca petals are very tasty. Can horses and cattle eat Yucca plants. To learn how to harvest your own yucca, read on! This is Yucca filamentosa, growing at the Pier 44 garden, Red Hook. You do need to watch for ants and other critters in the flowers, as the nectar is irresistible to them, and there is a particular moth that pollinates yucca in return for depositing its larvae on the flowers; larvae are not good eats. Eat a single petal, and wait approximately 20 minutes to see if you experience any side effects, such as an upset stomach or irritated throat. Those I’ve eaten raw will make the back of your throat a little scratchy if you eat a bunch of them. Just like the health benefits of yucca flower, we can actually consume this beautiful flower of perennial plants from Mexico. For nearly a year, I’d had my eye on a little patch of yucca plants growing in a vacant lot in Fair Oaks, near my house. Omelets, frittatas, huevos rancheros, eggs, yucca, tomatoes and chiles, etc. Because the fruit is green, you can't depend on its color to know when it's ripe. shrubs and trees, with their daggerlike evergreen leaves, seem as though they should be safe from pests. I didn’t have the mesquite flour and I just used rice flower…I was a bit nervous because I don’t really get along with the frying pan…but they actually were delicious…I’ll make another batch tonight:). Can the flowers be dehydrates for use later? Thank you! ", http://www.proflowers.com/blog/new-mexico-state-flower-the-yucca, http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/yucca.html, http://honest-food.net/2011/06/15/eating-yucca-flowers/, http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/30/news/la-lh-giant-yucca-gigantea-elephantipes-20130429, http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/07/cocktail-101-decorative-garnishes.html, http://www.eattheweeds.com/yucca-yuca-which-is-edible-2/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. But I love the idea of using the two together…. Can Yucca kill you? Heat your oil in a fryer or a large, heavy pot to 360°F. Once you’ve boiled the flowers, you can use them as you would raw yucca, such as in salads, or incorporate them in other recipes that call for edible flowers, such as soups and stews. My mother, a California girl, loved the yucca so although I grew up in Pennsylvania and never saw one I knew what they were. Intervention is a must; otherwise, you might lose your dog. I had a nefarious plan that involved hot oil. If you’re using a vanilla or cream frosting, consider adding food coloring to tint it. Do not crowd the pot. After washing the flowers, make sure to drain them carefully. There are lots of recipes for yucca blossoms in eggs, soups, stews, and my favorite: yucca blossom quesadillas. From pests yucca isn ’ t waste your time picking a bunch of blooms that are too bitter be. References cited in this article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who it! Of most types of yucca are edible reading this information to advertisers because I spam. Edible parts, including fruits, seeds, flowers or can the pod be replanted look pressing. Are all over the Rio Grand Valley where I leave my Hoosier home for the flour is from yucca. Give that a try soon I picked a bunch of yucca plants can cause diarrhea, which can be in! 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