I love taking photos of flowers! While we were in Nevada this spring and summer I had the pleasure of photographing the banana yucca in all of it's flowering stages. They have beautiful flowers whose petals are similar to that of a tiger lily. The yucca is actually in the Lily Family.
In August we went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. There were banana yucca there as well, but they all had fruits on them. The fruits were large and we picked some to take home. I cut one open and it was chock full of black seeds. The inside of the flesh was slippery and when I went to rinse my hands they lathered up as though I had soaped them. I wasn't quite sure what to do with this odd fruit! A few days later we came across a wonderful book of wild and edible plants that told about Native Americans baking the yucca fruits.
The RECIPE
Yucca fruit- peeled, seeded and sliced
Olive Oil- to coat
Herbs (fresh thyme, rosemary, or oregano)
Salt and pepper- to taste
3-4 TBS Water (white wine would be nice also)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the Yucca fruit with the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Place in 9x9 pan (or other roasting pan), add the water and cover. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
Check after 15 minutes to make sure the fruits are not getting dry- you may have to add a bit more liquid. Keep the pan covered while baking so the yucca is steamed. If the liquid is fully absorbed by before the time is up, they may get dry and then chewy- not good. Be sure there is enough liquid so they can steam.
Serve them as a side dish. We made avocado tostadas with spanish rice and served the yucca on the side of the rice. It is a bit like summer squash, but a slightly grainier texture.
It's so much fun eating wild picked foods. They are everywhere! You just have to know what to look for.
Go Explore!
Lisa
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