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The hammermill grinds away at the Oracle State Park. It is set to return Oct. 13.
Anyone who loves adding the sweet, natural flavor of mesquite flour to pancakes, cookies, breads or granola should get out their gathering bags now and start picking the yellowish-tan pods off trees as they ripen.
After drying them thoroughly, you’ll be ready to have them ground into mesquite meal (flour) when the Desert Harvesters hammermill comes to Oracle State Park Center for Environmental Education for a desert harvest event on Saturday, October 13. The hammermill and crew came to OSP three years ago, grinding visitors’ pods for four solid hours.
Oracle State Park will be open to the public again on Saturday, September 1, and on every Saturday in September, October, and November 2012. School environmental education programs are being scheduled by reservation on weekdays during those months. The park was also open for thirteen Saturdays this spring after being closed for more than two years as a result of state budget cuts.
“We are excited to welcome back the Desert Harvesters’ hammermill, thanks to financial support from our very active Friends of Oracle State Park group,” said Jennifer Rinio, Environmental Education Park Ranger. “And we hope to plan a diverse line-up of programs and events for the fall season.”
A full selection of information on mesquite pod harvesting and gluten-free cooking with mesquite flour is available at the website of non-profit Desert Harvesters in Tucson. Go to www.desertharvesters.org. Click on “Mesquite Harvesting & Processing” and on “Mesquite” where there are quick links to harvesting basics text and an excellent video.
Additional events for the desert harvest event at Oracle State Park are still being planned. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; milling will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Schools and youth groups can find out more about scheding environmental education programs by calling the park office at 1-520-896-2425 and leaving a message.
Learn more about the park at www.azstateparks.com. Visit the Friends of Oracle State Park website for event and activities updates: www.friendsOSP.org.
Harvesting mesquite pods is easy
Pick dry, ripe (not green) pods directly off the tree. They should pull off easily. Do not harvest from the ground. Since trees vary in flavor, taste a pod to judge its sweetness before continuing to harvest from that tree. Collect a minimum of three to five gallons of clean pods. Do not collect any with dark mold spots.
Wash in fresh water and spread pods out to dry in the sun, on a cloth, on a metal roof, or hood of your car for 2 to 3 days. Or, dry in oven at 200-degrees for 20-40 minutes on cookie trays.
Once brittle-dry (they should snap in two when bent), store in a dry place until grinding day. Or place pods in airtight containers and freeze.
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