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As luck would have it, the date tree trimmers were just here, and the rats and pigeons have not arrived yet.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/9565428580_1b2959dd2e_b.jpg

I should have brought...

I've been meaning to update this, as I finally managed to grab some of those palm berries.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8200338433_5c0e9493d4_b.jpg

They are from a fan palm - Washingtonia...

Sorry I missed your post earlier, YCC. Here are some pics I found on the web.

This is a velvet mesquite, with unripe pods:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3562/5829881802_5e59f40a25.jpg

When...

Good luck! Here it is high season. They are turning brown and starting to drop off the trees.

I was excited to find that our new house has mesquite trees. :)
...

Since the olives are fermented, I did not can them. I just closed the lids.

The old method is to keep the good bacteria in place, and under control - using salt, acid, oil, sugar. The new method...

I don't think botanically it is a plum. They just call it that because the fruit kind of looks like one. According to Wiki, the carissas are part of the dogbane (Apocynaceae) family.

I have yet to...

New find! Natal plums:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5857085583_5a283db844_b.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa

Not sure which variety it is. I think Macrocarpa. They are not...

I think I only did 3 this time. I went with the fermentation method. Instructions on that are in the Fermentation thread, in the cooking folder.

I don't think they are toxic, untreated, they just...

Put the olives in their final brine last night:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5613389026_8edc36a3a2_b.jpg

I like the yucca petals in an omelet or sauteed with some greens and shrooms:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1199/4733250192_590d5be685_b.jpg

I think the flavor depends on the variety of yucca...

Springtime brings new targets:

Cholla buds

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5577790780_a7a488a138_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5577205357_d61ddff79c_b.jpg

Creosote bush...

I did not know that! Very cool.

Do they stain, like walnut husks do? I know folks who use walnut husks to make yarn and hair dyes.

If I thought I could get away with pulling the husks off the...

Pecans are ready!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1245/5120961899_2a91de85a1_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/5121565370_93e86106f6_b.jpg

I grabbed some grape leaves for my pickles...

I brine them. Just salt and patience needed.

I slit them all, and put them in a jar of brine -- I'd have to look up the exact ratio. Let them sit, and periodically change the brine. It leaches out...

Hehe yeah, two separate items. Here are the olive trees I harvested from:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/4996886688_2888748db4_b.jpg

Olives are ready!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4996886710_538ffbfa64_b.jpg

And soon, Washingtonia Palm berries:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4996886746_4e73f4b54e_b.jpg

The...

I stopped by the park about 3x last week, and filled a cat litter bucket of mesquite beans each time. I'm gonna try and fill a few more before the monsoons hit (the winds knock them all off the...

Looks like the mesquite beans are just about ready! I found these guys at the library:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/4733250198_28efca311a_z.jpg

Gonna look for some more near work in...

Thanks for the props! http://forum.ih8mud.com/images/smilies/cheers.gif



True, I can afford to be picky now, and I do like to eat *well* not just to survive. Things are good right now, and I'm...

Funny thing about mesquite and other desert edibles. I'm currently reading "Coming Home to Eat" by Gary Paul Nabhan. It's about food politics, and also the author's quest to eat within a 200 mile...

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you about that part!

Mesquite beans have a naturally sweet and somewhat spicy flavor - a bit like cinnamon. So it's usually used in sweet dishes.

This is the recipe I...

A while back, I added olives, pomegranates, and jojoba nuts.

The figs are actually on somewhat questionable land. So I've been reluctant to add them. At least two of the four nearby trees are...

I just searched that database that Rick posted:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?p=226997

And found that the immature pods can be eaten raw, or cooked like green beans.

You harvest them when they start to dry out. Then store them until completely dry. Then they are ready to be milled, pod and all, into a high-protein, gluten-free flour.

The seeds are incredibly...

Haha! These are all legally and publicly accessible plants.

There would be a lot more, if I could wander into a yard or two.