Yucca Flower Comfort Food: From a foraging friend's family
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Yucca flowers make such a satisfying comfort food! And it's easy to make, too. I learned this recipe from a foraging friend who makes this traditional dish for his family in El Salvador.
--------
I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm going straight to the flower stalk! The flower stalk of a Yucca. I'm going to use these blossoms to make a great comfort food.
There are a lot of different kinds of yuccas. I'm not talking about the Yucca roots that you may see in a grocery store. That's a different plants that is completely unrelated to these yuccas. I'm talking about true yuccas, plants in the Yucca genus. Some grow in the wild and some are common ornamental landscape plants, too.
This yucca in my neighborhood is a weak-leaf yucca, Yucca flaccida. I grew up with wild soapweed yucca in the sandhills of Kansas - that's Yucca glauca. It looks like this one, but with really stiff leaves with a super-sharp point at the end. It's a lot easier to pick the flowers off these short yuccas!
The yucca in my own yard is the Mound-lily yucca, Yucca gloriosa. It can grow 4 or 5 feet tall. So I just cut off the whole flower stalk with some loppers. I take the whole stalk back to the kitchen and then sort through the flowers.
On this yucca, the buds are sweet like peas. The flower petals are pretty good, too, straight up. And even the little unfertilized fruits in the center are good, too.
I will caution you that some kinds of yucca have better-tasting flowers and buds and fruits than other kinds. Some kinds of yucca will have bitter-tasting saponins in them. But the saponins can be removed by soaking or blanching in water. So it's worth learning the details of your own local yuccas.
A foraging friend of mine lives in El Salvador, where the flowers of the Giant Yucca, Yucca gigantea, are a traditional food. The Giant Yucca flowers are so meaningful that they are the national flower of El Salvador - the izote.
What I'm cooking in this video is based on a traditional comfort food for my El Salvadoran friend, galberto, and his family and his children. I learned this recipe from him.
I start by taking off the flower petals and blanching them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. I saute and onion, add the blanched flowers, and keep sauteeing that for a few more minutes. Galberto would add a hot chili about now, but I don't do that, lol. I just add a tomato - this a frozen homegrown tomato that I cut up. I let that cook down a bit and then add an egg and keep stirring it around until it sets up.
What is a comfort food? to me, it's simple homestyle cooking that gives us a feeling of well-being. It's usually associated with happy memories of childhood. It reminds us of home and family, and can help us ease distress that we may be dealing with.
Well, this is ready to eat - with avocado topped with Wild Sumac spice and served with wild pin cherries. Is it good? Let's get a live taste review!
I eat this meal every year, when my yucca flowers bloom. Here in June of 2018, it reminds me of my foraging friend and how important family is. I hope you can find some yucca flowers around you, to give this recipe a try. Maybe it will become a comfort food for you and your family, too.
If you have other ways that you like to eat yucca flowers, let us all know in the comments below!
----------------------------------
Plants mentioned:
Weak-leaf yucca - Yucca flaccida
Soapweed yucca - Yucca glauca
Mound-lily yucca - Yucca gloriosa
Giant yucca - Yucca gigantea
Wild Sumac - Rhus glabra
Wild Pin Cherry - Prunus avium
--------------
My playlist on foraging for wild foods: • Foraging Wild Edibles:...
My playlist on homestead cooking: • Cooking: On the Homest...
My channel: Haphazard Homestead: / haphazardhomestead
Music: "Carpe Diem", "Garden Music", "Laid Back Guitars" and
"Marty Gots a Plan" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
------------------------
My mailing address:
Haphazard Homestead
PO Box 40721
Eugene, OR 97404
--------------
this is easily the most pleasant community on youtube, thank you for such great videos
How nice for you to say that, Guan Yin! I've really enjoyed getting to know people here and share our love of plants -- in the wild or in the garden. I'm glad you're here, too! :D
pp
Totally agreed.
Yes I'm from Elsalvador we eat. That is delicious
Love to watch your videos
Hi, I’m from El Salvador too!!! My family enjoy this flower for generations!!!
Here in Virginia I’m not sure if the one we have in the backyard is yucca Fláccida or Gloriosa!! But it’s delicious!! My mom cook it and reminds me my childhood back in my homeland El Salvador
Thank you for this video! I've just found your channel and I'm learning a lot! I have chapparal yuccas here in the mountains of New Mexico, and they've gone to seed already. I will try the flower petals next spring though. Thanks again!
You're welcome! I"m glad you found your way to my channel and hope you enjoy my future videos, too. Those chapparal yuccas (Hesperoyucca whipplei) have such a big flower stalk! Even though botanists have reclassified them as not true yuccas, there's no functional difference from true yuccas, when it comes to eating them. I"ll have more videos about yuccas -- one plant can make enough flowers to enjoy them in a lot of ways! Enjoy your beautiful New Mexico mountains!
This is wonderful. I have 4 yuccas growing in my backyard! Have you ever done a video on Stella Dora daylily recipes, or prickly pear cactus recipes? I have many of them too.
I'm glad you have some yuccas so handy. You must get a lot of flowers! I'll be posting more videos about using their flowers. There's so much to do with them! I'll be interested to hear how you like your yucca flowers, if you try them.
Other folks have asked about daylilies, too. I'll put them on my video project list, for sure! And the prickly pear fruits and pads, too. I don't like to say too much, in the comments, about plants I haven't made videos about yet - because there could be confusion about whether we are talking about the same plant. You've given me an idea for how to address this, though -- so stay tuned! :D
Yum, you can also eat the stalk, just roast it like corn
Thanks for adding that! I've never been able to sacrifice the future flowers for a young stalk. I figure the only way out of that dilemma is to grow about 40 yucca plants. Then it will be fun to eat 'giant asparagus', lol. I'm looking forward to that corn taste already! I would be earlier than any sweet corn around here! ;D
I just picked one off to examine 😁
But I couldn't take the whole stalk off, they look too pretty! I'm going to dig some more up from my daughter, she wants them gone, I will plant a few more now!!!
They are pretty flowers, lol. I have a dream -- to grow a whole row of yuccas, just so I can harvest the young flower stalks and cook them like asparagus spears! That would short-change a lot of pretty flowers. But it would be so much fun! It's nice that you have a source of yucca starts from your daughter. Happy yucca growing!
I love how educational your video is. I'm from the north of Mexico. Tamaulipas, to be precise. I watched this video while eating chochas. That's how we call the Yucca flower. We usually cook them with garlic, tomato, jalapeño pepper and onions (I don't like onions so I don't use them) we call that dish "chochas a la mexicana."
Thank you for sharing some chocha love. They're very traditional here in the state.
Saludos desde México
Hello! I missed the yucca flowers last year, and have waited ever since to try this recipe. Yuccas are in bloom now in New Mexico, so I tried this recipe tonight. I added green chile, of course. SO YUMMY!! Thanks again for sharing this!
I'm from El Salvador and Yes ma'am we eat this all the time. It is truly amazing to see other cultures trying to make dishes like this. Great job!
I pluck off the flowers and eat them raw, they are really good!
Thanks for adding your experience and taste testimonial, Rose Rosenberg. Enjoy your yucca flowers! :D
10/10 thanks for the info
Amazing! Thank you for this video.
I just found out today that they’re edible.
I put them in my morning daal/oats.
They remind me a bit of arugula.
So tasty!
♥️
Yucca blossoms season here in Portugal ( mid September )
Time to make some yucca flower recipes !
I've picked the flowers off yucca plants while hiking past them and eaten them whole. They kinda taste like fleshy lettuce to me.
Hello... woukd like more videos. Please
Thanks for your encouragement. I've got a lot lined up for the rest of this year.
Glad to see this video. I grew up eating this as a kid. The inside is bitter but we liked it. I saw a lot of Yaccas when I was in Montana, and wonder if they were eatable. Now I know. Enjoy this video. Thanks.
Hello mam how yucca get flowers please teach me how to make flowers
Some great info. I did not know Yucca had flowers are that they were even edible!!! As you know, they are not as common in my area of Kansas. That dish looked great..I think I would have added the hot pepper as well! Thanks for sharing this info on the yucca with us!
Haha -- I would have bet you'd choose the hot pepper in there, too, Lee! I can appreciate that wild yuccas aren't so common in your area. You might find some on really dry sites. But folks do plant them around their yards, so you might see some around. I wonder if you ever see them when you are finding old homesteads. They are no fun to crash into from a bicycle or on a sled, I'll tell you that from experience, lol. Those sharp leaves go through winter clothes plenty easy. Life's easier there in eastern Kansas, compared to the western part of the state, lol. ; )
You make me wish I would have brought one of my yucca plants here. It looks yummy. But, I wold need no onion or egg. LOL. I love your videos. :)
Hi E! Nice to see you here! There are plenty of ways to enjoy yucca flowers without eggs or onions. I'll show more soon. You can probably find a yucca somewhere -- you are the Sneak-E Gardener, after all! ; ) My goal is to have about 40 of them, so I can harvest their springtime spears like giant asparagus, lol.
Ypu are the best very vpice thanks for the recipe
I stopped by to see how you are doing. Just wanted to say hi and say I appreciate your support on Steemit. Oh yeah it's the Old Guy btw lol.
Hey, Paul -- good to see you! I've been so lacking and slacking in the social side of things this summer. I'll head over to Steemit again sooner or later. Just need to get a couple projects wrapped up. You are one of the nice parts of Steemit! : )
Love all your informative videos! :)
Thanks, Peaches!
How interesting. I had no idea you could eat the flowers! Thanks, I'll have to try it the next time I see one in bloom! -Lea
They have so many flowers, too. So there's plenty to enjoy looking at - and plenty to eat. I hope you get to try some! :D
Aww I want to eat that in a tortilla!!! thanks for sharing.
God sure has given us free delicious foods!
Wow, cooked some yesterday for the first time after watching your video. They are good! Thank you!!!
Congratulations on trying your yucca flowers, chiefamylee! I'm glad you enjoyed them. It's exciting that you will get to enjoy them for the rest of your life, now that you know them. They have a lot of offer us as real food! :D
I'm so glad you made this video. I love gaining useful knowledge and anything that can help me gather my food from this God given land, is the best of all! I have 2 types of yucca, the one you spoke of, short but very hard needle like spikes on the ends of there leaves (I guess you would call them leaves) that once you accidentally bump gives a lasting memory so as not to do it again! Lol. Then I have one that is basically the same, except the trunk part grows much taller before the leaves start. But it always falls over some how and starts a new plant and does the same all over again. It has turned into 4 different plants, in the same area over the last 6 yrs. I'm glad I have never went through with wanting to get rid of it, cause I can get plenty of flowers from it. I just hope it isn't a bad tasting one, even so I can still work with it, I'm sure! Look forward to more videos on yuccas and others! God bless!
There really is so much food out there, just waiting for us. That's neat that you have 2 kinds of yuccas -- and that your 2nd kind has expanded over time! As a kid, I've crashed into short, super sharp yuccas -- on my bike in the summer and with a sled in the winter. So I can appreciate your spiky yucca! If you ever try the flowers of either one, I'll look forward to hearing how they tasted!
I liked the video before I even saw the video!
haha -- I hope it lived up to your excitement, Red Yumi! Thanks for your appreciation!
Haphazard Homestead your videos always live up to the expectations. Thank you!
I sent you pics of another plant that i would love to know what it is besides it just being a 'weed' in my yard. I hope you can help me with. On facebook thanks!
I'm glad we got it figured out. The flowers will make it definite. I'll make a video about them some day. They are worth getting to know -- and with such pretty flowers.
You have a beautiful spirit ✨
Yucca is so pretty thanks for the recipe!
There are so many different kinds of yucca plants, but I agree with you -- they are all so pretty. I hope you can enjoy eating your yucca flowers sometime, too! :D
I clicked on this video because I wanted to see if you ate it the same way we do !!! HEE Hee ! Yes !!! I am from El Salvador too and that is exactly the way we eat it !
Yummy! Thanks, Song
Does it highly scented..?
Very interesting! Are all Yucca flowers edible? Mine has very stiff leaves with sharp tips that will stab you. Thanks.
Yes, M. Rose, they are all OK to eat. But some kinds will be more bitter than others or even make your throat itch. For the kind that I have, I blanch them or soak them in cold water overnight. That is enough processing for any of the yucca flowers. I have a video on deep frying yucca flowers that shows how to soak the flowers before cooking them. But there are plenty of kinds where you don't have to do that - the flowers are good as is.
Nice video. I've been wanting to try the flowers for two years now and kept missing em, because thei only bloom for such a short time... until today. I got a nice bunch of em I plan to try in the morning.
We miss you!
Hope you’re doing well!
Thanks for your kind thoughts! I working to be back with videos by this weekend.
I'm from New Mexico and never knew you could eat them. thank you for all the videos!
Bob Hansler is in the SW. You might want to check his channel for ~local foraging ideas.
Great vid as usual. Loved it :D
Thanks DaVince-E! I hope you can find some yuccas in your area. They are a neat plant with a lot of uses.
you're amazing! i remember always "harvesting" yucca playing Oregon Trail on a CD. would love to do this in real life one day!
Thank you for another great video.
Glad you enjoyed it, Lark! I wonder if it's too wet in your area for yucca plants. Do you see many of them around in your neck of the woods there in Wisconsin?
This is amazing, i'll have to try this out in the local mountains. Thank you!
Thanks good info
I like the pods
Yum
Yum yum! ; )
I have yucca that grow 10 feet or more. I have pics to show. Do u have a facebook page? I didnt no you could eat the flowers!
That's a tall yucca! That will be tough to get the flower stalk, lol. That must be an impressive plant! So cool! Yes, I have a Facebook page, although I don't do much of anything there. I think you could put a picture there -- it's HaphazardHomestead (one word) over there. If you need a link, let me know. I've never given anyone the link, lol.
Haphazard Homestead i sent a pic of it to ur Facebook page. I tried the flowers for the first time! They have a mild soft flavor.
I looked at your photo and that is one happy Yucca! So tall and with so many flower stalks! Welcome to the world of eating yucca flowers. I'm glad yours have a mild flavor, so you don't always need to blanch them or soak them. They will blend into whatever you are cooking, rather than be the dominant flavor.
Now you will have yucca flowers to enjoy year after year, just from that one patch! I'll have a video on some other ways to use yucca flowers, too. And maybe you will find some great ways to use them, too. :D
Yummy
Are their poisonous lookalikes of the yucca?
There's no telling how confused some folks can be about plants. But there really isn't anything else that has that base of spiky leaves, the candelabra flower stalks, and the white bell-like flowers hanging down. With that caution that some species taste better than others, depending on their saponin levels that may call for more processing (like soaking or blanching), yuccas are pretty easy to get to know. I'll be sure to say more in upcoming yucca videos!
hello from Europe
Hello! Do you see many yucca plants in your area? I don't think they are native there, but they are used in landscaping a lot.
W0W!gorgeous flowers 😍
Yucca flowers really are worth eating! They are pretty and real food, too!
@@HaphazardHomestead I've seen those plants before but never knew that they are edible. Now I know👍 Thanks to you.
Never seen yucca plant with blooming white flowers. I’ve seen similar looking plants n a tall yucca looking plants a lot in people’s gardens n homes but no long stalk of flowers...
Thanku
Most of the year, they don't have any flowers. And they bloom only once a year, for a few weeks. I hope you can find some in bloom this summer.