I am discovering that more flowers than I had previously thought can be enjoyed by almost all the senses – all that is but hearing. This season I have experimented with floral flavours, wild and cultivated, and in so doing have discovered that they add a whole range of tastes, colours and aromas to all sorts of dishes. It was only recently that I learned that one of my favourite plants, the yucca, has edible blooms. Not to be confused with yuca spelled with only on ‘c’ which is what tapioca is made of, the yucca is a perennial evergreen shrub of the asparagaceae family. It grows mostly in arid regions, which is no doubt why it is so happy in my parched garden. I have taken pains to grow some from seed, successfully so, only to find that it spreads quite well on its own. Still, you can’t have too much of this dramatic plant with its gorgeous spikes of white flowers.
So far, I have only tried the blossoms. They should be young and not fully opened, as they tend to get more fibrous with age. The flavour is delicate, a little like artichoke. They should be parboiled before using, and avoid all but the petals. There is conflicting advice on this, but I am sticking with the safe and sure. I first tried them in an omelette, but there are lots of recipes out there already. So to come up with something a little more original, I thought of making them into a savoury biscuit. I probably could have used more than the ten flowers I chose. The flavour is very delicate, and you can remove a lot of these blooms before the the plant looses any of its splendour.ย
Savoury Yucca Petal Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups flour, sifted plus extra for rolling
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp finely grated organic lemon peel
1/2 cup cold butter
petals of 10 yucca flowers
1 cup buttermilk, plus extra for brushing on top before baking
Method
Separate the petals and discard the centre part of the flower. Blanch the petals in boiling water for 20 seconds. Drain and chill.
Mix together the first five ingredients. Cut in the butter.
Add the petals and mix to combine. Stir in the buttermilk. Turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly until the dough holds together. Pat into a rectangle about 3/4 inches thick and cut with a sharp cookie cutter. Place on a parchment lined baking tin and brush with buttermilk. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden at 450 degrees F.

July 21, 2016 at 5:34 am
Wow! You’re amazing! I would never have ever considered eating the blooms of a yucca plant!
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July 21, 2016 at 11:55 am
Very interesting and delicious looking biscuits Hilda ๐
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July 21, 2016 at 2:54 pm
Just reading this now. We’re all eating/cooking flowers this week! ๐ These look wonderful. Now, to get my hands on a yucca plant….
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July 21, 2016 at 2:58 pm
It’s the new flower power. I see yucca all over the place around here – it seems to be gaining in popularity. Hope you find some, even if just to admire those lovely blossoms. I also like the way it develops a fine silvery thread that wraps itself around the plant after the blossoms fade.
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July 22, 2016 at 9:33 am
Sounds wonderful Hilda ๐ As always, your blog is so informative! And the Yucca plant with its flowers is so beautiful ๐
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July 24, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Seriously, Hilda? I had now idea that these flowers were edible! I see the flowers everywhere here, so I may just have to steal some and give this a try! How amazing! ๐
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