Driving through the Mojave Desert this morning we were struck by the vast waterless expanses. However; after the unusually wet spring the Yucca Breviflora ( Joshua Tree) were teaming with thick juicy seed pods. After quickly checking I found:The 2- to 4-inch-long fruit grows in clusters and is edible. According to “The Oxford Companion to Food,” mature pods can be roasted and have a sweet, candy-like flavor.
Of course I envisioned the juice of these delectable morsels dripping down my chin, sustaining me through the hot, dry miles of the Mojave Desert. We pulled over for a quick break and I picked a succulent fruit from a the many low hanging branches.
Something about its appearance did not speak of candy like succulence. With admitted hesitance I put my teeth ever so shallowly into the fruit. Puckering instantly, I yanked it from my mouth as the bitter alkaline juice caused a tickle reminiscent of a burn in the back of my mouth. A liter of water later I still feel the tickle. Please do not eat the fruit of this tree.
Woman Walking Home 