How to harvest and process mesquite pods
Home & Garden • Horticulture
Sunny Savage tells you that you might recognize the mesquite name for your favorite barbecue products, but this little tree isn't just for barbecue! It’s a leguminous plant, fixing much-needed nitrogen into desert soils, and providing delicious pods. It’s similar to the carob in that it’s really the sweet flesh surrounding the seeds that you’re after. That said, you can grind the whole pods with seeds and all for a delicious and healthy flour. Pictured above are 3 native mesquites to the Sonoran desert; on the left are the pods of honey mesquite (Prosopsis glandulosa), in the center screwbean mesquite (Prosopsis pubescens), and on the right are the velvet mesquite pods (Prosopsis velutina). This video highlights Brad Lancaster's work as qa master mesquite harvester. He educates the public on how to harvest and process mesquite pods.
