Yucca, Yucca

My old Yucca plant is blooming. I was going to try a recipe using the blooms but mine are covered with stink bugs.

Mountain folks called the old Yucca plants “ghost of the night” as often they were planted by loved ones headstones in graveyards. They were hardy and even made it through very cold winters. When they bloomed at night they had a moonlit glow. When the graveyard lilies are viewed blooming in the dark, the lower dark-green foliage blends invisibly into the night, leaving only the tall stalks of luminescent white flowers visible. It’s an eerie ghostly site. The yucca blooms can be eaten. Here’s an easy recipe—Just chop up some onions, tomatoes, and maybe a little jalapeno. Saute the veggies and some flower petals in a little oil or butter for a few minutes and then add the eggs. That’s it! You’ve got yourself a nice, yummy breakfast.

Astrid spied this Prickly Pear blooming by her house. The yellow blooms are really pretty. After the flower dies a red, egg-shaped fruit will appear. The fruits are edible and can be eaten raw after removing the skin. Jelly can be made from the fruit too. In Mexico and Central America the cactus has been a dietary staple for 1000’s of years.  The pad is also eaten. It’s called nopal. The pad is treated as a vegetable and the pear, a fruit. The cactus fruit tastes similar to a melon, I read. No, I haven’t tried it.