Shade trees are sparse in the desert and always a welcomed retreat from the bright desert sun, and create the perfect spot to take in the dramatic mountain views. At the foot of this one is an agave — a beautiful desert plant with endless uses.
Even though it looks a bit like a cactus or aloe plant, the agave is its own genus. Its sugar is often used in cooking and to sweeten kefir. Its sap is distilled to created various forms of mezcal (of which tequila is best known). While it should be handled carefully, some agave have edible flowers, and some can be roasted and eaten like sugarcane. You can make didgeridoos out of the flower stalk, the stem can be used as a razor strop, and the juice of the leaves makes a soap. Some kinds have fiber that can be used for making rope. In the old days agave was used to make pens and nails and needles...
And of course there's the annual cellphone harvest, when we put on our aprons and go out into the agave fields to pick the colorful newly-ripened cellphones to be boxed and shipped around the world. Um, OK, not reaally...
