One of the world’s most spectacular edimentals was in flower at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland where I was doing an edimentals walk and talk at the weekend! Related to other great edimentals like Agave and Yucca, the Mexican Lily or Patleamole is sadly not likely to be hardy in my part of the world (Yucca filamentosa is hardy though!). Beschorneria is a small genus consisting of seven species that range from the southern US, Mexico and Central America. Mexican lily’s habitat is rocky massifs and cliffs in canyons and ravines from 2600 to 3,400 masl in pine-oak and fir (Abies religiosa) forest (Ref. 1). In the same reference, it is noted that “….the flowers are edible, after being boiled and fried.”
Please let me know if you have go :)
Cházaro-Basáñez, M.J. and Ramirez, J.V. 2015 Introducing the Succulent Flora of Mexico: Beschorneria yuccoides (Agavaceae). Cactus and Succulent Journal 87(6): 271-272
One of the world’s most spectacular edimentals was in flower at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland at the weekend! Related to other great edimentals like Agave and Yucca, the Mexican Lily or Patleamole is sadly not likely to be hardy in my part of the world (Yucca filamentosa is hardy though!). Beschorneria is a small genus consisting of seven species that range from the southern US, Mexico and Central America. Mexican lily’s habitat is rocky massifs and cliffs in canyons and ravines from 2600 to 3,400 masl in pine-oak and fir (Abies religiosa) forest (Ref. 1). In the same reference, it is noted that “….the flowers are edible, after being boiled and fried.”
Potted on seedlings of Taraxacum atrata….I thought this was a new (for me) white flowered dandelion, but it turns out this is a synonym of T. pamiricum which I’ve flowered before (picture from 2009 below)
Fast Slow Food: From garden to table in 20 minutes or less…
As related in my book and my talks over the years, some of the best food is in this category and one common way of using wild and garden veggies in the Mediterranean countries is simply to gather a selection of greens, boil and fry in olive oil with garlic and chili, mix with scrambled eggs. Two of the wild foraged species mentioned at the beginning of the Mediterranean chapter are
a) Clematis vitalba (Old man’s beard / Tyskklematis)….must be boiled to detoxify as it’s related to buttercups (smørblomst)
b) Anchusa azurea (large blue alkanet): quote from the book “Anchusa azurea is a perfect perennial edimental with superb azure-blue flowers in summer. Young leaves and flowering shoots of this species and others in the same family have been gathered from the wild in most Mediterranean countries. In Cyprus, for example, they were boiled alone, boiled with beans or fried. Like its annual cousin borage, Borago officinalis, the flowers are an attractive addition to salads or just freeze them in ice-cubes.”
Clematis vitalba (left) and Anchusa azurea
First boiled, then fried with garlic and chili in olive oil
20 minutes after harvest
…and the gourmet version with pink flowered dandelion and Allium humile from China
…and the gourmet version with pink flowered dandelion and Allium humile from China
Begonia flowers are edible and taste sour. The leaf stalks of some species have also been eaten.
This Begonia was given to me by Grennessminde nursery just outside of Copenhagen. They don’t know what species it is, but it’s a real beauty and stays in flower for a long time…a great indoors Edimental!
