The Power of Plants

~ Jojoba, Goat Nut ~

Summer is harvest time for one of our prized desert plants, Jojoba or Goat Nut (Simmondsia chinensis). As well as being valued for its drought tolerance and fire resistance in southwest yards, this durable, attractive evergreen shrub produces seeds from which the popular “jojoba oil” is extracted for use worldwide in cosmetics and body-care products. Its seeds can also be eaten if roasted, or made into a beverage. We’ll share with you how to prepare these treats below.

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Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony. I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our workshops to find out how! We prepare these native plants for you to taste, drink, smell, touch, and experience).

I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see our section, Native Plant Nurseries, for southwest nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants into our yards that are native to our own region, we also help sustain native butterflies, native bees, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards. Growing plants that thrive in our climate also reduces our time and cost to maintain our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

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Jojoba (pronounced ho-HO-ba) ~ Summer brings ripe seeds to harvest for planting, roasting to munch on as a calorie-free treat, or grinding up after roasting to make a beverage that tastes like a hazelnut tea. Jojoba’s seeds are not actually filled with oil, but with a liquid wax ester that has amazing properties. It has a very long shelf-life, and will not turn rancid or oxidize easily as other vegetable oils do (which are true oils, not liquid waxes).

Jojoba replaces sperm whale oil ~ Jojoba “oil” replaced the use of sperm whale oil when the import of whale oils into the United States was outlawed in 1971. Jojoba oil performed as well as whale oils as a lubricant in fine machinery that does not break down at high temperatures. It also makes an excellent cosmetic ingredient, since it is reported to have a 97-percent chemical match with human sebum, or the oil our skin naturally produces. Jojoba seeds are pressed to extract their valuable liquid wax, which is sold as an “oil.”

Roasted jojoba seeds ~ Make a fun snack…that has no calories! You can munch on roasted jojoba seeds, and since they are filled with a liquid wax, they pass through your body without being digested or absorbed, so they don’t contribute any calories on their journey. Eat in small quantities, though, because the seeds can act like a laxative due to their high liquid-wax content. For more flavor, toss the roasted seeds in vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt…but then you will be adding calories!

A beverage from roasted, ground jojoba seeds is said to have been used as a coffee substitute in times past ~ To roast jojoba seeds either for munching or to make a coffee-like beverage, bake on a shallow baking tray in 250 degree F oven for one hour. Allow the seeds to cool for 15 minutes, then grind in a coffee grinder or food processor and steep the ground seeds as you would coffee.

Ground jojoba seeds for healing ~ Native Americans ground jojoba seeds into a buttery paste to apply as a poultice to treat sores and wounds and to condition their hair and skin. 

Jojoba thrives in hot, dry desert areas, and grows without irrigation after becoming established. Occasional deep watering will encourage it to grow faster and produce more abundant and larger fruit. Because it is fire-retardant and extremely drought-tolerant, it is a great landscape choice for your southwest yard. Jojoba is useful as an evergreen screen or informal hedge, although patience is needed for this slow-growing plant. Quail love to take cover inside its dense foliage. We encourage you to invite this valuable native plant into your own yard. Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Jojoba plant
2. Male jojoba flowers
3. Female flower maturing into seed
4. Ripe seeds being collected
5. Harvested mature seeds
6. Roasted seeds ground to make beverage

Jojoba plant parts traditionally used:

• Seeds – Mature seeds roasted and ground to steep in hot water for a beverage
• Seeds – Mature seeds pressed to collect a liquid wax called an oil for cosmetic and lubricant purposes
• Seeds – Mature seeds ground into a buttery paste to heal skin sores and wounds 

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony

Sugarbush (Rhus ovata) is a sumac relative that has been used for making a sweet-tart beverage, as well as being a valuable, drought-tolerant, evergreen landscape plant.

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Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony. I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our workshops to find out how! We prepare these native plants for you to taste, drink, smell, touch, and experience). I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see our section, Native Plant Nurseries, for southwest nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants into our yards that are native to our own region, we also help sustain native butterflies, native bees, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards. Growing plants that thrive in our climate also reduces our time and cost to maintain our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

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Summer’s approach has teased the “sugar” out of our Sugarbush fruits, which are ready for harvesting from June until August. The red “berries” of our native Sugarbush are oozing with an acidic, sugary sap that imparts a tart flavor to the fruits, technically called drupes (berry-like fruits with one seed enclosed in a hardened shell or “stone”). The sticky berries have a velvety pubescence, and become reddish when ripe.

Native Americans dried the berries to preserve them, soaked them in water, then heated them to make a sort of hot pink lemonade. The tart strings of white sap were used as an acidic flavoring or sweetener for other foods. The dried fruits were also ground into a flour for mush. This attractive evergreen shrub has lush foliage of leathery leaves that are folded along the midrib, making them look like deep green taco shells. Sugarbush is a favorite landscape plant for southwest gardens, tolerant of drought, heat, wind, and frost. See our Plant of the Month treatment of Sugarbush as a valuable landscape plant. Early to mid-summer is the time to harvest tart “berries.” We encourage you to invite this valuable native plant into your own yard for both drought-tolerant and edible landscaping, as well as valuable wildlife habitat. We have planted sugarbush along the perimeter of our property as a privacy screen, so we have plenty of berries to harvest for beverages. The berries are sticky, so you may want to occasionally wash your hands or wear latex or rubber gloves while harvesting. We love making “wild lemonade” by soaking the berries in hot water. Here is our recipe:

Sugarbush Lemonade ~ Pour 1 quart of boiling water over 2 cups of dried or fresh berries. Do not wash the berries before using, or you will wash the flavoring off the berries. Let steep for about 20 minutes (or use cool water and let stand for 24 hours). Strain through a fine sieve to remove berries. Sweeten to taste with honey, agave nectar, or stevia. Serve chilled for a refreshing drink in summer, or hot as a warming winter brew.

Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Sugarbush plant
2. Sugarbush flowers
3. Sugarbush ripe fruit with sugar strings
4. Sugarbush “sugar” collecting on leaf
5. Sugarbush “berries” steeping for tea
6. Sugarbush “lemonade”

• Fruits – Ripe “berries” (actually drupes) eaten raw, dried, or ground into mush.
• Flowers – The Cahuilla have been reported to boil the flower clusters and consume them.
• Leaves – Used by Cahuilla to treat colds and coughs by making a tea with the leaves.

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony.

Toyon, or Christmas Berry, produces clusters of bright red berries that persist all winter, providing perfect holiday decorations for mantels, wreaths, and centerpieces. Native Americans used the cooked or dried berries for food and beverages, and used the leaves for dyes and paints. Today Toyon berries are used to make fruit leathers, cider, cooking spice, and a cranberry-like sauce. Read on for how to prepare these abundant fruits to enjoy at your table.

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Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony.

I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our workshops to find out how! We prepare these native plants for you to taste, drink, smell, touch, and experience).

I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see our section, Native Plant Nurseries, for southwest nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants into our yards that are native to our own region, we also help sustain native butterflies, native bees, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards. Growing plants that thrive in our climate also reduces our time and cost to maintain our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

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Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) berries are ready for harvest from late fall into winter when they turn bright red. We have been picking clusters from our yard the past few weeks to use for holiday arrangements, and are sharing them with friends for their decorations. We still have plenty to share with the birds who also love the berries. After the holiday decor comes down, save the berries to dry and use as a cooking spice or to make toyon cider. Toyon is a member of the rose family, and like its cousin, the apple, its fruits are technically considered pomes, not berries. For our discussion here, however, we will call toyon fruits “berries.” They are either bland or bitter when fresh, but are transformed into sweeter fruits when either dried or cooked.

Some traditional uses for the berries include:

Toyon fruit leather

~ Fresh berries are simmered, then blended in a food processor, sweetened, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, then spread thin onto parchment and dehydrated. Here is the recipe from the “Living Wild Project” book. I make this and it is very tasty.

• Collect berries in winter
• 4 cups fresh Toyon berries
• ½ cup water
• Lemon juice
• Manzanita sugar, agave or honey
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

METHOD

• Rinse berries and remove stems.
• Place in a pot and cover with water.
• Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add desired sweetener, lemon juice and spices to taste.
• Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Blend through food processor or blender until smooth.
• Pour a thin layer about 1/8 ” thick onto a baking sheet.
• Let dry in the oven, food dehydrator, or sun, covered with cheesecloth.
• Cut into strips.

Toyon cider 

~ Cover dried berries with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes while crushing them; strain the berries out and sweetening the “cider” with honey or agave. Both the color and aroma of Toyon cider are very pleasant. Fresh berries can be used, but dried berries are much sweeter.

Toyon “wild berry” sauce

 ~ Fresh berries are simmered in apple juice, sweetened with honey, thickened with arrowroot, and spiced with orange zest. Here is another recipe from the “Living Wild” book: 

• Collect berries in winter
• 1 cup fresh Toyon berries (stems removed)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple juice
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tbsp arrowroot or organic cornstarch
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest

METHOD

• Mix berries, apple juice and honey in a pan and bring to a boil.
• Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir arrowroot or cornstarch into 2 tbsp apple juice.
• Pour into berries and stir constantly while bringing to a boil.
• Remove from heat and add orange zest.
• Allow to cool before serving.
• Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Toyon berry spice

 ~ Grind dried berries into a fine powder, then combine with other flours or use as a spice for a tangy, fruity taste.

Winter bouquet including Toyon berries, strawberry tree fruit, sugarbush, and California juniper.

Toyon is a perfect plant for landscaping as well as for decor and food. It is fire-retardant and extremely drought-tolerant, which makes it a smart choice for southwest yards. Toyon creates a beautiful evergreen windbreak, screen, or hedge when left as a multi-branched shrub, reaching heights of 8-12 feet tall. It can be trained, however, into a large tree-like specimen by trimming side branches and leaving just one to several main upright branches; older plants are capable of reaching heights 25-30 feet tall. Songbirds are attracted to this “giving” plant. We encourage you to invite this valuable and versatile native plant into your own yard.

Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Toyon shrub in fruit
2. Toyon flowers 
3. Toyon ripe berries ready to harvest
4. Toyon berries harvested
5. Toyon berries simmering in water
6. Toyon fruit leather drying

Toyon plant parts traditionally used:

• Fruits – Used dried or cooked to eat; dried to make a beverage
• Leaves – Soaked in potash overnight; alum added, then dried and ground for red paint

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony

Desert Almond is a relative of our commercial almond that is smaller than the store-bought almonds that you are familiar with, but they have the same familiar structure: a furry outer covering, a thinner inner shell, and an edible nut inside. What is surprising is the huge flavor burst from a miniature almond as small as a pea — you will taste a cherry-almond flavor reminiscent of marzipan.

♦♦♦

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony.

I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our workshops to find out how! We prepare these native plants for you to taste, drink, smell, touch, and experience).

I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see our section, Native Plant Nurseries, for southwest nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants into our yards that are native to our own region, we also help sustain native butterflies, native bees, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards. Growing plants that thrive in our climate also reduces our time and cost to maintain our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

♦♦♦

Desert Almond’s fruits started to develop in April, and they will be ready for harvest in June and July. You will know they are ready when they turn from green to tan-colored, and drop off easily from the branch when touched. Desert Almond is extremely drought-tolerant, which makes it a perfect choice for your desert-friendly yard landscaping. It grows quickly into a dense shrub 6-10 feet high and wide, and can be pruned into any shape you desire. Even though it loses its tiny leaves in winter, its dense branching still makes a good privacy screen or background plant. Antelope Ground Squirrels (the cute little ground squirrels that look like chipmunks) are attracted to this “giving” plant’s nuts and harvest them in large quantities, so you might need to be diligent about watching as the fruits ripen to get part of the bounty.

My favorite use of the “nuts” (actually drupes) is to add a small spoonful of shelled nuts over vanilla ice cream, and then drizzle amaretto liquor over the top for an incredible dessert. As with all plants in this genus, there is a small amount of cyanide in the seed, which is reported to stimulate respiration and improve digestion in small amounts, but which can be poisonous in large amounts if not cooked or leached first.

Late spring and early summer is the time to harvest these tasty native miniature almonds. We encourage you to invite this valuable native plant into your own yard for both drought-tolerant and edible landscaping. 

Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Desert Almond plant
2. Desert Almond flowers
3. Desert Almond unripe green fruit
4. Desert Almond ripe fruit on stem; outer fuzzy covering usually splits when seed is ripe
5. Desert Almond ripe seeds harvested
6. Desert Almond seeds, shells removed – ready to eat in small quantities; roast or leach with water to eat in large quantities

• Seeds – Ripe “nuts” (actually drupes) eaten raw or cooked. Cahuilla Native Americans pounded the almonds, considered a delicacy, into flour and leached the flour with water to remove traces of cyanic acid, which can be toxic in large amounts. Nuts can also be roasted to remove any cyanide. Small amounts can be safely eaten without any processing.
  
  
• Twigs – Used by Kawaiisu Native Americans from California’s Tehachapi Valley as the foreshaft of arrows inserted into the mainsheet of hollow carizzo grass mainshafts.
  
  
• Branches – Used by Kawaiisu Native Americans as a drill in bow-drill fire-making.

~ Bladderpod ~

Spring entices a burst of bright yellow flowers on our native Bladderpod, attracting hummingbirds, hawk moths, gardeners, and ethnobotanists. Besides being an attractive, fire-resistant, evergreen shrub, Bladderpod produces showy clusters of flowers and inflated seed pods that can be eaten if cooked. We’ll share with you how to prepare these treats below.

♦♦♦

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony.

I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our workshops to find out how! We prepare these native plants for you to taste, drink, smell, touch, and experience).

I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see our section, Native Plant Nurseries, for southwest nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants into our yards that are native to our own region, we also help sustain native butterflies, native bees, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards. Growing plants that thrive in our climate also reduces our time and cost to maintain our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

♦♦♦

Bladderpod ~ Spring and summer are good times to enjoy sautéed flowers and young seed pods of Bladderpod, Peritoma arborea. All parts should be cooked before eating to eliminate the potentially irritating compound glucocapparin (ill-smelling, but it repels insects and herbivores like rabbits from eating the plant). Not everyone is sensitive to this compound, but if you are eating quite a bit of the flowers, flower buds, or seed pods, it is prudent to cook them to render the compound harmless. The flowers and seed pods are simply delicious when sautéed in olive oil with a shake of salt and pepper. The young, green seed pods have a flavor when cooked like a very mild jalapeño pepper. Native American Indians today, relying on native traditions, say that they boil the flowers for several hours (discarding the water several times) before sautéing them to remove any bitterness. We have found them delicious after simply sautéing the fresh flowers — so experiment for yourself!

Bladderpod is in the caper family; you can make your own wild capers by harvesting the unopened flower buds and pickling them (they are longer and slimmer than the commercial, round capers that you are familiar with, but they have a fascinating flavor similar to the capers you are accustomed to eating). Put the unopened flower buds in a jar and cover them with water. Secure the lid and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Every day for three days, drain off the water in a colander or strainer, return the “future capers” to the jar, and cover them with fresh water.

Then soak the flower buds in a brine of equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, with 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of liquid, for at least one week (a month is best). Alternatively, you can soak the flower buds in equal parts seasoned vinegar and water for a delicious caper.

Bladderpod can be encouraged to flower continuously for many months with occasional deep watering. It is also fire-retardant and extremely drought-tolerant, which makes it a perfect choice for your yard. Hummingbirds, hawk moths (that hover like hummingbirds at dusk before the flowers), quail, and other birds are attracted to this “giving” plant. We encourage you to invite this valuable native plant into your own yard. Both you and your birds and pollinators can benefit from its presence (and “presents”).

Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Bladderpod shrub in bloom in bloom
2. Bladderpod flowers and inflated seed pods flowers and buds
3. Flowers washed and ready to sauté
4. Bladderpod flowers sautéed in olive oil
5. Washed young seed pods (seeds inside still soft)
6. Flower buds to pickle for wild capers

Bladderpod plant parts traditionally used:

• Seed pods – Young seed pods roasted or sautéed to eat
• Flowers – Young flowers parboiled, roasted, or sautéed to eat
• Flower buds – Unopened flower buds pickled to use as wild capers

~ Mojave Yucca ~

Part of my appreciation of our native desert plants comes from the indispensable gifts that these plants have provided for millennia to humans, wildlife, birds, insects, soils, and the whole ecosystem. Indigenous peoples have long valued and used native desert plants for food, medicine, healing, shelter, clothing, utensils, and ceremony.

I would like to share some of these uses that we can incorporate into our lives today, but this comes with a responsibility to reciprocate thoughtful care and stewardship for these tenacious but fragile desert dwellers. I always encourage respectful harvesting and mindful use of our native plants (join one of our classes to find out how!). I also strongly encourage the purchase and planting of native plants in our own yards, especially if we want to harvest their gifts regularly (see Native Plant Nurseries  for nurseries that sell California native plants). By incorporating plants native to our own region into our yards, we also help sustain native butterflies, birds, wildlife, and migration corridors for all of them, as well as reducing our dependence on added water, fertilizers, and pesticides in our yards (and growing plants that thrive in our climate reduces our time and cost in maintaining our yard). It is truly a win-win scenario.

Mojave Yucca ~ Spring is the season to try sautéed flowers and flower buds of Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera. The flowers and flower buds of Mojave Yucca were roasted or first parboiled then roasted and eaten by indigenous peoples, although the fruits were the most favored part of the plant for eating. I prefer the taste of the sautéed buds to the flowers, but both are enjoyable when sautéed lightly in olive oil, with a shake of salt and pepper. The older flowers become slightly bitter with age as they begin producing more saponins; cooking or boiling breaks down the soap-like saponins. If the flowers you find are at full maturity, check out higher elevations to find younger flowers or unopened flower buds. Native Americans parboiled older flowers before roasting them to remove the bitterness and saponins. A little later in the season, as the fruit pods start to ripen, we will post about how to harvest and prepare the pods either roasted or dried as a fruit leather or mashed into a sweet meal.

Clockwise photos from upper left:

1. Mojave Yucca in bloom
2. Washing harvested flowers and buds
3. Opened flower and unopened flower buds
4. Mojave Yucca flowers sautéed in olive oil
5. Washed yucca flower buds
6. Sautéed flower buds in olive oil

Mojave Yucca plant parts traditionally used:

• Leaf fibers – Bowstrings, netting, ropes, mats, brushes for body painting and pottery, coiled rope soles for sandals, starting material for baskets, saddle blankets, and strings for shell money
• Seed pods – Toy animals for children, with sticks added for legs; pods roasted when green to eat, or dried and pounded into a sweet meal
• Flowers – Young flowers roasted or sautéed, older flowers parboiled and then panfried, dried to preserve
• Flower buds – Unopened flower buds roasted or sautéed and eaten
• Roots – Mashed & mixed with water for soap
• Seeds – Necklaces