NPS/Patrick Myers

After a snowy winter and wet spring, yuccas are plentiful now in mid-summer. They are not only beautiful in bloom, but traditionally also very beneficial, healing, and edible:

- The flowers are very nutritious, and taste like a spicy lettuce.

- For wounds requiring surgery far from a hospital, a leaf is picked, and the fibers below the sharp needle at the end of the leaf threshed out until they are thread-like. Yuccas are naturally antibiotic, so when used in combination with pine sap or juniper berries, a wound is sewn closed and protected with naturally antibiotic plant extracts.

- Leaves are also woven into baskets and sandals.

- The thick roots contain a naturally soapy body wash/shampoo. Many shampoo brands today still use yucca root extract.