It seems once again I let my alligator mouth override my hummingbird ass ! I should have been a tad more educated about Yucca ! A few conversations , a half dozen e-mails had me convinced of that , so after a bit of study here is pretty much all I know about Yucca .
There are over forty species of the Yucca plant from the Joshua tree to the aloe , they vary in size from a nice little houseplant to some the size of a small oak tree. They are found nearly in every part of the world primarily in arid climates , although they will survive in a colder climate they seldom reproduce enough to harvest for their various uses . Useful properties include , can be used as a soap , dandruff control some extracts are used as a healing agent for burns , cuts , rheumatoid arthritis , osteoporosis , blood purifier , poulticed root in a steam bath for sprains and pulled muscles , neuritis , gout , leaves crushed and boiled to make a tonic , as a general anti inflammatory . Other uses for the plant include , drying the stems and use for fire starter , walking sticks , buiding materials , leaves were dried and used for shingles , fibers from the dried stems used for lacings , sewing etc. Some tribes near water would decoct the root and spread it on the water to stun the fish and then scoop them up , roots are sold in most markets and can be prepared in much of the recipes you would use a potato . Seems like a handy little plant to have around ? Be advised harvesting these suckers is WORK ! I'll probably take a shot at it anyway , I've cooked Yucca a few times and it is good , after slicing and boiling the root , I just fried it like a potato chip or french fry . I include a few pictures of our local Yucca , some topped and drying and a couple we left to bloom , also here's Bob with a dried stick , looks the part of a westerner doesn't he ? He's going to be 79 this coming Saturday , think I'll bake him a Yucca Cake ! Not really , deep fried turkey is on the menu .As an afterthought ,saponin , the key extract is a naturally occurring steroid .
Another Wild sunset ! Stay tuned....
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