Gather Your Mesquite Pods for Desert Harvesters Milling & Wild Foods Fiesta

Life in the Pods (Flickr: Jason)

What
13th Annual Desert Harvesters Mesquite Milling & Wild Foods Fiesta
When
4-7pm, June 25
Where
Mercado San Agustin
Cost
$3/gallon

Bring your mesquite and carob pods to the 13th Annual Desert Harvesters Mesquite Milling & Wild Foods Fiesta at the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market on Thursday, June 25.

In partnership with the Community Food Bank, Desert Harvesters is offering mesquite and carob pod milling. The Fiesta is planned to take place before the summer rains to reap a high-quality harvest, as recommended by the Mesquite Harvest Working Group.

Guests can drop off their pods from 4 to 7pm. At $3 per gallon of whole pods, you’ll average $3 per pound of flour. Quite a deal, considering the flour usually sells for $14 to $20 per pound.

Mesquite flour is gluten-free, naturally sweet, and nutritious and can be added to recipes for cakes, cookies, pizza, bread, tortillas, granola, and dog biscuits – that’s just to start.

Many of the partners from the June 18 market return with their wild foods offerings including Barbara Rose of Bean Tree Farm with Bean Tree Processing, and Exo Roast Company with the new Exo Mesquite Cold Brew coffee drink, as well as Exo Chiltepin Cold Brew.

Get there early to explore the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market for San Xavier Farm Co-op, Desert Tortoise Botanicals, Aravaipa Heirlooms, Black Mountain Spring Kombucha, and other vendors.

Be sure to clean up your pods, as they must be dry and free of mold or fungus, stones, leaves, and other debris for milling. There is a minimum of $10, or just over three gallons of pods. After pod inspection and prepayment, leave your pods in sealed food-grade containers (preferably 5-gallon plastic buckets with lids) with your name and phone number written clearly on each container. Flour will be ready within a week to pick up.

In the unlikely event of heavy rain, the milling may be postponed to the following Thursday, July 2.

For more information, visit desertharvesters.org.