Recently though, shopping at a nutrition store, I saw Aloe vera juice for sale. Drinking aloe vera? Hmmmm - seemed to have lots of healthful benefits, according to the various containers (there were several brands).

Thinking to myself - I have got Aloe vera growing in my yard. Can I juice that somehow? How hard can it be?

So I skipped buying the Aloe vera juice, and came home to research the topic. Turns out there are over 400 plants in the Aloe genus. Aloe vera is the “official” true one for use (“vera” means “true”). Sometimes you’ll find it called Aloe barbadensis, or as the variety Aloe vera “barbadensis”. Some of the other aloes can also be used and harvested (Aloe ferox for example). 

Aloe vera has a long use in history. Even the Pharaohs used it. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to treat wounds.

It’s easy to grow Aloe vera. It’s rather drought tolerant, and thrives on lots of sunlight. In the fall and winter it might flower, sending up tall stalks (3 or 4 feet sometimes) with handsome orange and red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It sprouts little “pups” (side shoots) that are easy to cut off and plant separately. If you have a friend growing Aloe vera, just ask if you can harvest a couple of the pups to bring home to your garden. 

Aloe vera leaves have a serrated edge with small teeth, and a sharp point at the end. They aren’t too dangerous though, and I don’t bother to wear gloves when harvesting the leaves. Why harvest the leaves? There is a gel in the leaves of the Aloe vera that is the plant’s magic. It is good for both external and internal use with a long list of amazing health benefits. Externally, it is said to heal a variety of skin ailments besides the aforementioned sunburn remedy. It is widely used in skin lotions and salves. 

For general internal consumption, Aloe vera gel has little flavor of it’s own (some report it can be a little bitter, but that’s not been my experience). It can be added to a fruit smoothie (my usual use for it), or a tea can be made of it. However you use it, it’s recommended you consume the gel within 20 minutes of picking it, or its health-giving enzymes start breaking down.

How to harvest Aloe vera gel:

1.)  Cut an outside leaf off from the plant getting as close to the stem as you can.

2.)  Rinse the leaf off until it is clean.

3.)  Set the leaf on a cutting board, with the rounded side (outside edge) up. With a sharp knife, slide it just under the green rind (skin) and peel it back. Be sure to also remove the yellow layer just under the green rind. Discard.

4.)  Cut the rind off the side edges.

5.)  “Filet” the gel away from the inside edge by sliding your sharp knife between the gel and the remaining rind. (If this is hard for you to do, you can just scrape it away with a spoon.)

6.)  Now you have a thick, slick, sticky slab of clear Aloe vera gel.

7.)  Place the gel in a blender with your favorite fruit smoothie ingredients (at a bare minimum, orange juice will do nicely). Blend until smooth, and enjoy.