[OKC] Fw: It's Mesquite Pod-Harvesting Time!

[Bob Waldrop]

Well obviously no one here is going to take off to Arizona for this mesquite 
harvesting event, but mesquite is fairly widespread in Oklahoma and the 
flour made from its pods is supposedly highly nutritional and tasty.  It 
would require a hammermill to process, however.  Anyway, the forwarded email 
below has links to info on gathering and using mesquite.  Also, I don't 
think anyone has ever actually sold prickly pear leaves through the coop, 
but there might be a market for them; I believe in Latino stores they are 
referred to as nopales, but I don't know how they remove the pricklies.

Bob Waldrop, Okc

-----Original Message----- 
From: Desert Harvesters
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 6:16 PM
To: Desert Harvesters Subscriber
Subject: It's Mesquite Pod-Harvesting Time!

(Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions, is located 
at the end of this message.)
__

Hey Harvesters,

Now is the perfect time to harvest mesquite pods, before the monsoon storms!
[And palo verde and desert ironwood seeds, too....]

There is much less chance of there being mold on the mesquite pods if you 
pick them before the rains.

There are plenty of ripe pods on trees now — especially from ones irrigated 
with passively harvested rainwater, runoff, and other waters.

Taste a pod from a tree before you pick. If it tastes good, keep picking. If 
it does not taste good, go to another tree.

Every tree is different, and our native velvet mesquites are usually the 
best.


For more info on harvesting, storing, and processing mesquite, visit
http://www.desertharvesters.org/native-plant-food-guides-the-desert-can-feed-you/mesquite/.


For desert ironwood info, visit
http://www.desertharvesters.org/native-plant-food-guides-the-desert-can-feed-you/desert-ironwood/.


For palo verde info, visit
http://www.desertharvesters.org/native-plant-food-guides-the-desert-can-feed-you/palo-verde/.


Also, get ready for our annual mesquite fiesta – Sunday, November 20, this 
year – details at
http://www.desertharvesters.org/2011/04/22/9th-annual-desert-harvesters-mesquite-milling-fiesta-mesquite-pancake-breakfast/


And for great mesquite and prickly pear recipes get our cookbook – Eat 
Mesquite! – available from
http://www.desertharvesters.org/mesquite-in-the-kitchen/eat-mesquite-cookbook/


And make sure you are ready to harvest the summer rains and more by checking 
out the books and other great resources at 
http://www.HarvestingRainwater..com/.

Happy Harvesting!
-Brad

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