Parry's Agave / Mescal (Agave parryi)

Family: Asparagaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Compact geometrical desert rosette of powdery blue-gray leaves with vicious black marginal teeth and massive flowering stalk.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Roots/Tubers, Flowers, Sap/Syrup

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Slow pit-baked agave heart resembles candied sweet potato, rich blackstrap molasses, pineapple, and smoky caramel. — Heart (cabeza) pit-baked for 48-72 hours in massive stone earth ovens until deeply caramelized; Sweet fibrous pulp chewed for instant energy or dried into sweet cakes; Sap gathered as aguamiel and fermented into traditional pulque or boiled into agave nectar

Habitat & North American Range

Arid rocky mountain slopes, chaparral, and desert grasslands at 4,000–8,000 ft. (Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)