Wild Mesquite

Mesquite has been a valuable source of food, fuel and shelter for desert-dwelling people throughout the Americas for thousands of years. Mesquite pods were a nourishing source of protein that were collected and stored in granaries before being ground into flour to make breads and cakes or stirred into water to make a sweetened drink. The trees also play an important ecological role in the arid and semi-arid lands where they grow. The millions of flowers each tree produces feeds a vast diversity of animals and tiny nodules on each tree's roots, deposit nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plants, into the soil. In the desert, nitrogen is even more scarce than water and as a result, scientists have found that twice as many plants are grow under the canopy of a mesquite tree than out in the open.

There are many difference species of mesquite that are found all throughout arid and semi-arid regions in the Americas. We sourced our mesquite powder from Santiago del Estero in Argentina. Known as algarrobos in Argentina, mesquite is highly valued and provides many benefits for the local people. The nodules on the roots (they are legumes) help improve soil quality, the wood from the tree is used to make high-quality furniture, and the sweet pods are a food source for humans and livestock. In addition, the trees provide shade for humans and animals, which is essential in Santiago del Estero, which is infamous for his hot summers: temperatures can reach 110° F or higher!