Many species, particularly the non-native and ubiquitous Chilean Mesquite (Prosopis chilensis) and its hybrids, do not produce particularly edible pods; some producing very few or none whatsoever.
Mesquite trees produce sweet seed pods which can be milled into flour. The seed pods should be harvested, when they are ripe, between the months of June and September (in the U. S.).
The native mesquite tree varieties have long been valued as an ethnobotanical gem by ancient peoples who used every part of the tree.
Mesquite beans can normally be harvested between June and September. You can tell if the pod is ripe. It should snap when you break it and vary in color from light brown to red or purple. Only harvest the pods that are dry.
The seed pods should be harvested, when they are ripe, between the months of June and September (in the U.S.). It is recommended to harvest pods when they are dry and brittle, and to collect them directly from the tree branches in lieu of the ground to avoid contamination with fungi and bacteria.
Seed pods are somewhat flat and bean-like and can reach 6-10 inches (15 -25 cm.) long. There are over 40 species of mesquite tree in existence. The color of a ripe pod varies by tree variety and can range from yellow-beige to reddish-purple.
It can be substituted in part for flour in a wide variety of baked goods including breads, waffles, pancakes, muffins, cookies, cakes and much more. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of mesquite flour to your smoothies, coffee, or tea to inject a flavor boost.
You can also create a mesquite syrup that can be used to sweeten anything from pancakes to ice cream or used as a glaze on chicken/pork and much more! Simply add pods and water to a crock pot, set it on low for 12 hours, strain, then reduce by boiling until a thin syrup is created.
The yellow pods of mesquite are the main prize of this desert shrub or tree. They are harvested when ripe, which is typically sometime in the summer. There are a number of ways in which the pods have been used for food over the centuries.
One of the close relatives of the mesquite is the screwbean (Prosopis pubescens). When not in flower or fruit, mesquite and screwbean are very hard to discern. But when in fruit, the screwbean is just as the name implies: a bean that looks like you twisted it.
Once when I visited Campbell, he served me a drink and asked me to guess what I was drinking. I took a slow sip of the very sweet warm drink, and made four (wrong) guesses as he laughed.
Mesquite is a member of the Legume Family (Fabaceae), which is a big family world-wide. This family has about 730 genera and 19,400 species. In California, this large group is represented by 50 genera. One genus in this group is Prosopis.
In the general areas where the mesquite grows, you will also find a native tree called the palo verde. Palo verde is also in the pea family, and the seeds from the pods are edible and were long-used by the desert Indians.
Mesquite beans can normally be harvested between June and September. You can tell if the pod is ripe. It should snap when you break it and vary in color from light brown to red or purple. Only harvest the pods that are dry.
Store the dry pods in a clean covered container. You can then grind your pods into a powder as needed, using a blender or hand grinder. If you have a fine strainer run the flour through it to get the fibers out. The flour is now ready to use.
Mesquite beans are naturally full of protein and fiber and when ground into flour, they make a nice, hearty pancake, tortilla, breads, and even goodies like cookies. It’s a gluten-free flour but doesn’t have the same lengthy shelf-life as all-purpose flour.
Mesquite bean flour can be used in breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes, and even cookies. Mesquite powder is also high in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc, and is rich in the amino acid lysine. It is ill-advised to eat the beans raw, the bean contains small amounts of an anti-nutrition protein, a trypsin inhibitor ...
The ancient timing of mesquite harvests was always conducted prior to the arrival of the summer monsoon thunderstorms, which usually begin sometime in July. In June the pods drop and are usually plenty dry for milling, but ensuring the dryness of the pods is only one concern.
Since then I have come to find out that in the dry heat of June is usually the very BEST time to harvest them. Before I tell you what I did with them I want to make it clear that timing your harvest is important. The ancient timing of mesquite harvests was always conducted prior to the arrival of the summer monsoon thunderstorms, which usually begin sometime in July. In June the pods drop and are usually plenty dry for milling, but ensuring the dryness of the pods is only one concern. While it is much easier to mill very dry mesquite pods because green ones tend to gum up your equipment there are also other things to consider.
The wood of course, for cooking and construction, the thorns for needlework, the bark for fiber, the sap as an adhesive, emulsifier, and cosmetic, the leaves for mulch, the pods for a high protein flour, and the flowers provide excellent bee forage for some of the most prized honey on earth. Shallow-rooted and heat-sensitive crops may be planted below the canopy, benefitting from filtered light, leaf compost, and abundant nutrients. The lightweight and airy canopy allows heat to dissipate at night and the stomata on the leaves open up allowing evapotranspiration to continue through the night, thereby cooling the ambient environment. The ancient peoples of the Southwestern desert understood and appreciated the mesquite tree for all that it provided them for their survival and so it earned the title “Tree of Life”.
The pods of the honey mesquite are usually straight or slightly curved, plump, and often show off purple markings making them especially attractive. They express sweet honey-lemon overtones in flavor and result in a very pleasant flour.
These bosques occurred anywhere where there was moisture found in the soil (and expanded their region as agricultural ditches, flooding, and cattle ranching spread the ideal range of the trees. The mesquite forests formed an extensive network of fibrous roots that resisted erosion, nourished the soil, and protected each other from toppling in winds. As groundwater was depleted by continual pumping and surface water was continually diverted from rivers the riparian areas that once extended as much as three miles from the Gila, Salt, and Verde rivers began to dry up and vanish, and so did many of the original bosques with their twisted black trunks, shady umbrella of branches, and abundant wildlife.
Mesquite is well known as a superfood with great nutrition, some of which are fiber, protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Many recipes have you cook the mesquite flour, however, we have recently learned that mesquite is easier to digest raw than cooked (and the flavor is milder).
You can also use it as you would cornmeal, it has a similar (though softer) texture, but as is the case with many types of non-grain flours, mesquite flour benefits from the gluten in wheat flour to help it stick together. Keep in mind that mesquite is already super sweet and does not need much-added sugar in recipes.