Mesquite

Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

Here in Central Texas most wild edible harvests have been early this year due to drought and a warm winter so now is a good time to begin your mesquite bean collection. If you can get them just before they fall from the tree, you might be able to avoid the pods that are damaged by insects. Of course, the pods with a bit of insect holes (that are usually made by an exiting bruchid beetle) are fine. For the best rundown on how to harvest and process the beans, check out the Desert Harvesters website - it's the best information around! I love that they purchased a community hammermill to process the mesquite beans. And for a simple step-by-step way to process them at home, check out my mesquite post from a couple of years ago.