Consider the Mesquite...lots of uses, from beans to wood!!

[VenomJockey]

http://www.askaprepper.com/get-an-unlimited-supply-of-beans-growing-this-tree/

Excerpt: Mesquite pods and beans are some of the oldest known foods of prehistoric North American people.

Native Americans used the entire tree, crafting sewing needles from the thorns, bows and arrows from the wood, baskets from the bark, black dye from the sap, healing tea from the pods, and food from the beans.

That herbal tea was said to remedy colds, diarrhea, dysentery, the flu, measles, pink-eye, stomach-ache, sore throats, and various wounds.

Pioneers later used the wood to build wagon wheels, furniture, fence posts, wooden walkways, and campfires. The beans were referred to as “manna from heaven” and men would often roast or boil them to eat. During the Civil War, soldiers used roasted and ground mesquite beans as a coffee substitute.

 

[GrannyG]

Mesquite jelly from the beans

 

[Meerkat]

That looks alike like Memosa trees. Only these have sweet smelling pretty little pink flowers on them and the humming birds absolutely love them.

 

[Terri9630]

We used to use mesquite for fire wood. We had 43 HUGE trees (80-100ft tall, 4 ft thick) in our pasture in S Tx until a tornado hit us. Snapped some like toothpicks and just shredded others and topped the oak we had in the back yard. We lost half of them but we had lots of firewood.

 

[Patchouli]

The Mesquite is one of the reasons I don't want to leave Texas. The smell of it burning, in the air, makes me feel like I am home and can never leave. They say there are primal things within the memories of our cells that have been passed down from our ancestors and early time, that strike something within us...that is what does it to me. I feel like I have always known that smell. Deja vu.
but i'm serious

 

[hiwall]

I have made my own mesquite flour but it is very difficult to bake with it. It IS gluten-free.
The mesquite pods are about 30% sugar and I would think they could easily be used to make moonshine
The mesquite flour is full of sugar and your hands get sticky right away when working with it for baking.
When hiking I would often chew on the pods for the sweet taste. Even in a drought the trees produce an abundance of pods.

 

[Patchouli]

When its 100 degrees and you're walking in the woods, you can darn near smell the sap boiling, mesquite....ahhhhhh. It smells so good.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

The Mesquite is one of the reasons I don't want to leave Texas. The smell of it burning, in the air, makes me feel like I am home and can never leave. They say there are primal things within the memories of our cells that have been passed down from our ancestors and early time, that strike something within us...that is what does it to me. I feel like I have always known that smell. Deja vu.
but i'm serious

I love the smell of mesquite wood so much that I have bought a bag of chips--not just for the smoker--but for burning it just for the sake of smelling it!

A few times I have repurposed my bottle of mesquite liquid smoke, and dropped a few capfuls of the precious liquid into simmering water, lol.

I adore the smell of certain woodsmoke: mesquite, oak, apple, hickory, pecan...

Back home, pecan wood did for me what mesquite does for you! Love, love, love it!

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many varieties of mesquite that cover a wide growing range:

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/growing-zone-mesquite-77312.html

 

[Patchouli]

I love the smell of mesquite wood so much that I have bought a bag of chips--not just for the smoker--but for burning it just for the sake of smelling it!

A few times I have repurposed my bottle of mesquite liquid smoke, and dropped a few capfuls of the precious liquid into simmering water, lol.

I adore the smell of certain woodsmoke: mesquite, oak, apple, hickory, pecan...

Back home, pecan wood did for me what mesquite does for you! Love, love, love it!

Those are great ideas. So is going for a walk in the woods when it's 95 freaking degrees, just to smell the sap boiling in the trees.
I can't imagine grinding a tree for flour. What parts have you used for the flour, @hiwall ?

 

[hiwall]

I can't imagine grinding a tree for flour. What parts have you used for the flour, @hiwall ?

The mesquite pods are about the same size and shape as regular string beans that you grow in the garden. They contain beans just like regular string beans. They start out green and as they ripen they change color to light tan and then dry out while still on the tree. These pods with the beans inside can be picked and the whole thing ground into flour. The resulting flour can be used like any flour but this flour has the sugar already in it. It has so much sugar that that could just use as a sprinkled topping. It has a pleasing (to me) taste and while it does stick to your fingers it can be licked off
Even a small mesquite bush might have hundreds of these pods on it. Each mesquite is an excellent producer of these seed pods. While easy to gather you do have to be aware of the thorns on the branches.
Like any flour the base material has to be completely dried before being ground into flour.
The problems I encountered using this flour was that I never got it to rise (though I admit I am still learning to cook). Also while using 100% mesquite flour I found it almost impossible to get the center to bake thoroughly without burning the outsides. Most often this flour is mixed with other flour for baking with the mesquite flour contributing sweetness and taste to the normal flour.

 

[Patchouli]

I know, those thorns are hard to get around! I will be on the lookout for seed pods. At our one property we had mesquite trees. Maybe at the park I'll be able to find some...