Photos by Sandra Michaud
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Mesquite cornbread is one of the offerings at the potluck
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Mesquite pancakes are another
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Asher Gelbart instructs the group as they process the pods prior to milling
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Stephanie Demme, a member of the permaculture group and Antonia Young and Asher Gelbart, members of the Mesquitos
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Tyler Lanham examines a pod for evidence of mold. The pod will be discarded.
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Kollibri Sonnenblume, Devon Olivier and baby Maze examine their mesquite pods
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Kollibri Sonnenblume and Eric Lynch
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Eric Lynch and Gabriel Feldman start milling
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Gabriel Feldman pours the pods into the hopper
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
More pods are poured in. It’s noisy, thus the ear protection
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Eric cleans out the chaff. It will be used to make syrup
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Gabriel removes the covering funnel from the bucket where the flour ends up.
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Five gallons of pods yield approximately one gallon of flour.
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Kollibri holds the funnel and gallon ziplock as Gabriel pours
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Preparing for the next milling
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Waiting for the next pods
Mesquite Milling Workshop 111619
Emily Pollom and little Adelaide Matigan greet people as they arrive.
A local foraging group, The Mesquitos, held a mesquite milling workshop Saturday, NOv. 16, 2019, where people could bring their harvested mesquite pods to be milled into flour. Dr. Richard Felger gave a short talk about the tree and its fruits and afterward, attendees learned how to choose, dry and process their pods. A Wild and Local Foods Potluck Brunch with dishes featuring mesquite flour and other locally produced and foraged ingredients.
Asher Gelbart and Antonia Young explained to the group how to pick and sort the mesquite pods. They stressed the importance of picking them from the tree, not from the ground, of making sure they are completely dried before storing and processing, and checking for mold before using them. The pods should be stored inside in a cool place.
All parts of the mesquite pod can be used. The seeds and pods are milled into flour, and the chaff, the coating around the actual seed itself, is separated during the milling process, can be boiled down into a syrup, which can be used for many things.
If you would like to learn more about foraging and wild foods go to https://www.desertharvesters.org.