Inhibits oxidative stress. 2 very different plants with very similarly spelled names. Yuccas are drought tolerant, succulent plants, and while they're native to the desert, you can grow Yucca baccata in many climates. It might cause stomach upset in some people. Hi! Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. The fried method was the fastest, but tasted the worse and then boiling the root for about two hours with regular water changes had a small effect. Stalks can be eaten raw, boiled, sautéed, pickled or used in salads. According to the United Nations , Yuca ,”( Manihot esculenta ) is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and maize. Its ornamental, edible flowers are white and bell-shap… When isn’t a yucca a yucca? Yes the research is correct. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Try one — ONE — petal, not only blossom, one petal and wait 20 minutes. You simply have to try them carefully. Friends and followers have asked for information on edible plants, so I'll be sharing more about these for you. A cold infusion of the root has been used to expedite the delivery of a child or the placenta. Your comment indicates that there is no way that you read the post. Meanwhile heat the oil to medium heat, Sweat the onions and garlic then stir in everything except the flowers. The plant you were eating in Brazil is Manihot esculinta commonly called cassava and it is not a member of the genus Yucca . You can cut the stalk easily when it’s green… but you need a saw if it drys. Yucca plants have several built … You see something that catches your eyes but have no clue what it is. They appears to have “sugar spots,” so I assume they’re ripe. Native Americans used yucca as a soap as it had a lathering effect. Yucca plants (Yucca spp.) Use the yucca stalk for the drill.  The roots and leaves can be rubbed in water to get a natural soap (that’s what makes the yucca bitter.) A belly ache, maybe more. One thing for sure is that it takes a lot of preparation. My dogs dig up my yucca roots and chews on them. I was totally stunned by how good it turned out! Sorry, um… the sun was in my eyes! It is hardy to zone (UK) 4. All rights reserved. Yucca is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth short-term. When the root is pulverized and added to water it creates a foam. It looks like the one you picture on your page. In alternative medicine, yucca is thought to stimulate circulation, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain. Was curious because in caribbean amoung taino and kalinago kukra, rama, mayagnas and miskitu there arevtwo cassavas one is regular other is bitter also used for food but with skin rwmoved to make tapioca flour tortillas If you eat yucca root you will get sick as a dog. Planting: Locate the banana yucca, in full sun, in well draining soil. ( Log Out /  yucca or cassava (manihot esculenta) cannot be eaten raw but can be processed with little cooking if done properly. tapioca is a more … It grows straight up, about 6′ tall and has cream colored flowers on it. You said they may eat them young and tender. Totally different genus. Copyright 2007-2018 – This web page is the property of Green Deane, LLC. The yucca is an incredibly useful plant. Yucca is LIKELY SAFE when consumed in the amounts normally found in foods. The plants usually have tough, evergreen leaves that are shaped like swords and grow on tall, fibrous stalks. Hank, Thanx . According to the book World Spice Plants by Seidemann, the leaves are used as a flavoring in the Ivory Coast & Upper Volta, being mixed with various spices. I would bet that ours is much smaller and has a higher concentration of saponins. My horses tend to be very picky about what they eat and these would look lovely in the pasture bordering the road. Before you can pick any yucca flowers to eat, you have to be able to locate them. Sweet cassava is only one sold commersially in usa. Yucca is used in manybrecipes calling for potato or in baked goods. Although high in calories and carbohydrates, yucca root also boasts a good amount of important nutrients, such as vitamin C, manganese and potassium. Yuca is a nick-name for the plant you are eating. That’s the point of the article. Sorry for the long post (and um… really late. Great under tension and some abrasion. 13 Things You’ll Wish You had when Your Smart Phone is Useless. I have read of tribal people in the southwest USA who baked part of the yucca in ground ovens for long periods of time and then ate it. I can’t help but wonder how many people saw that sign in the grocery store and thought, “Hey, I have yucca plants growing around my house. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers … So, what parts of the yucca are edible? Should I wait until they dont have access to them? Keep these plants away from areas where people normally walk to avoid injuries. Yucca Root is NOT Edible. Humans if eating above raw can get tummy ache as it is bitter. Yuca, also commonly known as Cassava, is a plant with edible, starchy tubers/roots that tapioca and cassava flour are made from. They LOVE the flowers (and why not? Yucca, two C’s, officially is native to the hot, dry parts of North and Central America and the West Indies.  However Y. filamentosa (fill-luh-men-TOE-suh) can be found as far west as Texas, north to Canada and east to Massachusetts. The flower is edible raw or can be dried, crushed and used as a flavoring. To combat the impact of discarded plastic bags on the environment, an Indonesian company called Avani has created a single-use bag you'd swear was plastic—but which is in fact made of Cassava (Yucca), an edible root. Yucca plants are masters of water conservation. If so these flowers should be cooked, I recommend boiling. It is also a vegetable. They are far better roasted until tender. You should all understand that the Yucca that people mentioned eating in Brazil is the same type eaten all over Latin America. The bitter cassava variety is not sold in usa because it has to processed to leech out poisen juice aka arenic to produce baked goods. And, according to Morton, 1981, via plantsforuse.com, “in Africa, sometimes grown and cooked as greens.” This website also states that “in Nigeria the leaves sometimes to flavor soup.”. are considered evergreen perennial shrubs and grow well outside in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness 5 through 10. One plant will produce good looking and edible flowers, possibly every year. Yuca is another name for cassava which is a potato-like root that is cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world. Cassava roots are prepared and eaten like potatoes. Can this plant still be used in ways similar to a yucca? Cut into sections, boil 30 minutes in plenty of water, peel. It would also serve as a deterrent to leaning over fences. The young fruits raw or cooked, but they are very bitter raw, read another throat/stomach ache. What’s the difference? Deane, have you encountered the Hyptis pectinata (Comb Bushmint)? The fruit, flowers, and stem from this plant are each edible, both raw or cooked. Occasionally I find a Y. filamentosa blossom I  can eat raw but only one. Anyway, thanks for some real world reporting on this rather than just repeating some questionable info from a source who was just repeating it from another source, etc. Many people drink Yucca Root tea to purify the blood and cleanse the colon. While yucca have edible parts, they are not the same as that of the yuca root, the starchy potato-like fibrous fruit used in South American dishes that's also known as cassava. I have to say that the blossoms are onion-like in texture but don’t taste like an onion. Some people apply Yucca Root to their hair as a gentle shampoo. Believe me, I’m from Brazil and we all eat it lol but we call it mandioca. I don’t know if it was the extra storage time or the cooking method, but either way, it turned out really nice. Alright, update – I went ahead and fried and boiled the local yucca roots to see if I could extract the saponins out the way you try to do with the tannins of acorns. This acre will eventually be fenced off for an orchard and all edibles. So much for “dry”.  Other yucca, who do like it arid can be found across the desert southwest of the United States from Texas to California and parts south. Many yucca come with a needle built in at the end of the leaf, and others like the filamentosa above, shed threads. The conclusion is that you should stick with using the Yucca root as soap lol. I would think not. Bear in mind, the roots (as with most desert plants) go halfway to China. The stem can be eaten like asparagus. Kind of on the sweet/spicy side and a strange taste. Just saw your video on eating the Florida yucca. It was peeled and boiled – that was it. ’bout a teaspoon of the ground up root 2-3 times a day (especially in the morning, ’cause mornings are the worst!). The flower stalks can be boiled and ate when first shooting up. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Hand. Such a page would come in handy. The plant provides nutritional support to the structural system (bones, joints, muscles).The saponins in Yucca are a precursor of natural cortisone normally produced by the adrenal glands. According to plants.jstor.org the leaves are used in Africa in sauces, and as a condiment, spice, and flavoring. I’ve eaten freshly cooked “yucca” root that looks just like the ones in the picture. I was rather disappointed to find in my references that it is not actually a yucca at all and is actually closer to an aloe while it still resembles a yucca. Several weeks ago, I found a banana yucca with huge 8-10″ long fruits on it, so I grabbed one. I accidentally stumbled on this article and I don’t think it was well researched at all. Aside from being sharp and dangerous, could these harm horses? The root of yucca (yucca louisans) contains a high concentration of saponin. Unless and until I get totally mad at her and him for digging my garden s up. A few months ago, I agreed to take care of a friend's yucca plant for a while. Yuca (spelled with one C) is a nick-name for cassava. All parts of the plant are useful, and many parts are edible. Oops!). This is not true, yuca root (cassava) and its derivatives (like tapioca); are very tasty and healthy food option. Yucca root contains high levels of saponins, which indeed are poisonous to fish. People in South America eat Yucca roots on a daily basis and depending on how you cook them, it can be delicious. Here is: Yucca Root (Yucca filamentosa), YuCCa Root, a Native American remedy, treats inflammation, joint pain associated with osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The cordage from the leaves is the strongest of any natural fiber I have come across. Not poisonous to humans the flowers are edible as the seed pods after boiling the spikes green things are used as soap. The have a chemical that burns so most livestock avoid it. Garfuna natorious for this dish. Change ), Common sense preparedness for sensible people, Five Guns for the Homestead – Part 1 – Rifles and Shotguns, Food Storage, Food Preparation and Recipes, Home Power, Heat, Light, and Communications. The yucca (YUK-ka) in the wild has several edible parts ABOVE ground. It is similar to potatoes in how it is used, flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Yuca (cassava) and yucca (yucca louisans) are not the same plant. Cant beat a plant that offers sooo much: Edible, medicinal, fire drill, cordage, soap, and a sewing needle! Yucca, the edible portion, is a root, a tuber. Leaved can be split woven for making sandals. Passing all those cactus spines… 🙂 Niio! Yucca is also used as a blood cleanser; today, often in the form of Yucca Root Tea. 🙂, Argh… I’m a dork and only just saw the “bushmint” part. The roots of the yucca plant are not edible. They are edible if you clean them properly. The Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico and is pollenated by a plant-specific moth…the nocturnal Yucca moth…, Sauteed Yucca Flowers with chipotle (or a chili of your choice. Cassava originated in Brazil and Paraguay, but now many other nations are learning how to … It tastes like a very sweet squash. One is a desert plant in the agave family and one is the root crop cassava. It is sometimes called yuca spelled with one C. This causes some confusion because people say oh they eat yucca all the time. Very light, but strong enough for that. Saponin is an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, lathering agent. Rocky slopes are good locations. Herbalists contend that these properties can aid in the treatment of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraine, diabetes, eczema, arthritis, stomach problems, skin infections, and liver and gallbladder disorder… Hope this helps! and I thank you for taking the time to explain all this! Please see the response to comment above. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Though different yucca produce different colored blooms, the flower skin tends to be thick and almost leathery. The banana yucca is getting ready to bloom. I know this is an article about yucca, but you mention cassava having one edible part under ground. Flowers, roots, stalks and hearts are all edible. But they don’t. The saponins enter into the bloodstream of the fish through their gills, stupefying them. Calling for tapioca. Jatropha digitif… I was mixed-up but now I understand 🙂. Please read the post and the comments. I've not met a yucca blossom I could eat raw. Javalina pigs will eat them, but prefer cholla. Young short flower stalks long before they blossom are also edible. What you are eating in Brazil is not a member of the genius yucca. They are sweet on first taste but leave a bitter residue. Identify yucca plants. I also came across a bit of info that stated you can grind the root into a pulp and use it as a fish stunner. Edible as is or mix with other food. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) Clover is in the pea family, and it has a bit of a … Can’t swear to it, Andy, but that sounds like Yuca (with one “c”), not Yucca (“cc”). 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).