permaculture

[Farmer Greg <FarmerGreg@UrbanFarm.org>]

Hi all,

The height of mesquite (and carob for those that are adventurous) 
bean picking is upon us.  Woohoo.  I was out this morning running 
along the canal and the beans were thick in the trees and some just a 
few days away from being ready to harvest.   It is best to get your 
beans picked before the monsoons hit.  Additionally, the beans need 
to be picked from the trees when the beans are dry.  So it is a tight 
window to get them before they hit the ground.  The milling will come 
in November so we have some things to consider between now and then.

First of all, we've had several people inquire as to that we're 
talking about when we say mesquite milling.  Milling is a process by 
which the mesquite beans are pulverized into a protein rich powder 
very similar to flour.  We mill the entire bean - the brown husks 
where the flavor is and the hard seeds inside which have the 
protein.  Mesquite is very tasty and can be used for cookies, breads, 
as a seasoning and in drinks like protein powder.  It is really good 
stuff and once you are hooked you won't want to miss a year.

Start gathering your mesquite beans now.  Once collected there is a 
process by which you preserve the beans until the milling in November 
(see below).  I have been asked why we wait until November...simply 
put, there is too much moisture in the air until after October.  Too 
much humidity = gummed up hammermill.

Desert Harvesters down in Tucson a few years back received a grant 
for a hammer mill to grind the beans  into a flour for use in cooking 
(it is more the consistency of a meal).  This is where we are renting 
the mill from.  For more information regarding them see 
http://www.desertharvesters.org

This year the event is sponsored by The Phoenix Permaculture Guild, 
The Phoenix Slow Food Group, Ahwatukee Park Farmers Market and The 
Urban Farm and will be held at the farmers market on Sunday November 
5, 9am to 1pm.  We may host a pancake breakfast and sponsor other 
vendors, depending on the amount of effort our community wants to put 
into this event.  interested in taking on one aspect of the event? 
Let me know.

If you want to begin collecting the mesquite beans here are the specifics.

1.  Collect only dry beans.
2.  Collect only beans that are on the trees (spread a sheet on the 
ground and shake the branches.)
3.  Some caveats:
* Beans presented for milling MUST contain only beans.  Any beans 
presented that have stones, sticks or other debris CANNOT be milled. 
These other items damage the mill.
* Beans soaked, damp or damaged by water cannot be milled.  We will 
do a snap test to determine that they are dry enough.
* Make sure that no pesticides are sprayed in the area where the 
beans are collected.
4.  Once you collect the beans they need to be dried.  We suggest 
using your solar oven to lightly toast the them.  This dries them out 
and kills any of the bugs that like to inhabit the beans.

Solarizing/baking
To dry and to rid beans of bugs it is suggested that you heat the 
beans for a minimum of 2 hours at 160F.  This dries the beans and 
kills any pests that might be inhabiting them.

Other Solarizing options: spread on tarp on driveway (but beware of 
rain), use a regular oven and add batches of beans when you cook 
other things.

5.  Store the beans in airtight containers.  Once you have dried the 
beans get airtight bags or we suggest 5 gallon buckets with airtight 
lids and store them.

When you bring the beans for milling:

1.  All beans milled are for home use and cannot be sold.
2.  We will do a snap test.  The bean needs to snap in half with a 
crack rather than bend.   Any beans that bend cannot be milled as 
they can jam the mill and that slows everything down.
3.  We may limit people to three five gallon pails of beans, mainly 
if the turnout for the milling is so great we may have a hard time 
getting everyone through.  We will do this as a starting point to 
make sure that everyone gets a chance to mill.  Then toward the end 
of the day or in the case of gaps in the line we will allow others to 
mill their extra beans.  Typically carob beans are milled at the end 
of the day.
4.  You are encouraged to bring at least one 5 gallon pail as it will 
grind down to about 1 gallon of flour.
5.  To support this process (the cost of renting the mill is about 
$400) there will be a $5 charge per 5 gallon bucket of beans.

Milling Yield and other specifics

A 5 gallon bucket of beans = 1 gallon flour 1 = about 2 lbs.  In the 
store one pound of mesquite flour sells for $7 to $15.  There will be 
a charge of $5 per 5 gallons of beans for milling.  This goes to pay 
for the mill and mill operators plus hauling the mill from Tucson. 
Flour should be frozen to preserve until use.  Carob milling also 
will be possible at end of day.

Here are two interesting articles about the history and health 
benefits of mesquite that I recommend:
<javascript:ol('http://chetday.com/mesquiteflour.htm');>http://chetday.com/mesquiteflour.htm
http://www.spmesquite.com/articles/ancientfoods.html

--

The Urban Farm
Growing good food
Having fun gardening
Connecting with nature


Greg Peterson
http://www.urbanfarm.org
602/565-7045