A new, general approach to the organic chemistry laboratory is introduced that is based on learning about organic chemistry techniques and research methods by exploring the natural products found in local native plants. As an example of this approach for the Sonoran desert region, the extraction of jojoba oil and its transesterification to biodiesel are presented. The oil of jojoba seeds contains a large quantity of wax esters that are smoothly converted to biodiesel using various methods. The biodiesel is isolated using preparative thin layer chromatography, and infrared and NMR spectroscopies are used to evaluate the product. Either traditional expository ("cookbook") or guided inquiry approaches may be used.