I don't have as much time for it, but I do enjoy foraging for wild foods. It can be a challenge in the desert southwest, but it is also surprisingly bountiful. One crop that never disappoints is the pods or beans of the mesquite tree, which make a delicious, nutritious, mildly sweet, gluten-free flour. It can be added to baking recipes for its flavor, but also stands up as a main ingredient. Even the "waste" of the milling process can be used. This time, I'm turning it into a coffee-like beverage. (shoutout to @JunkyardFox for the inspo on that one)
RESOURCES
"Eat Mesquite and More: A Cookbook for Sonoran Desert Foods and Living" - https://amzn.to/3WWtLCt
You can pre-order the new edition directly from Desert Harvesters here: https://desertharvesters.org/
Savor the Southwest Blog - https://savorthesouthwest.blog/
Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture (BASA) - https://www.basamesquite.org/
A Quick Guide on How to Safely Harvest Mesquite
Boyce Thompson Arboreteum
https://issuu.com/btarboretum/docs/newsletter_3rd_quarter_web/s/11060751
Ethnobotany of Mesquite Trees (NPS)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ethnobotany-of-mesquite-trees.htm
Documented uses of Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa from the Native American Ethnobotany database
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/3154/
Mesquite chocolate chip cookies by David Lebovitz
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/a-chocolate-chi/