Forum:

plants

Eating Honey Locusts?

Erik van Lennep

pollinator

Posts: 96

Location: Orba, Alicante, SPAIN

I like...

posted 4 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I've been looking at the gleditsia (aka, honey locust) in front of my house as it passes from winter bare through spring green laciness, to bumper crops of new baby pods, and now of course, ripening for autumn.
I keep wondering if those pods might have been edible at the 'baby pea' stage. I know the ripe pods that put the 'honey' in 'honey locust' are (at least in a limited amount). I know the leaves make good forage for livestock.
I've seen a range of packaged tree shoots from other leguminous species, complete with young seed pods, in Asian markets.

But haven't come up with any references of cooking and eating young gleditisia pods. I note even ash trees (fraxinus spp) have a tradition for pickling their young seeds.

So I figured I'd ask you guys here. Has anyone come across mentions of young honey locust pods being edible for humans?

"I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am.I know that I am not a category.I am not a thing—a noun.I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process—an integral function of the universe."
Buckminster Fuller

T Blankinship

pollinator

Posts: 610

Location: South East Kansas

204

I like...

posted 4 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I remember reading a few years ago about making Honey Locusts beer. I found this .pdf https://ui.uncc.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/locust_beer_recipes.pdf . I also read that the pulp could be eaten. I have never tried Honey Locusts. The big thorns are the main reason I do not mess with Honey Locusts.

You should never forget that every creature has its purpose in the cycle of nature and can also be very important to humans. Sepp Holzer's Permaculture

Harry Soloman

pollinator

Posts: 136

Location: Pennsylvania, Dauphin County

posted 4 years ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I found this.

Make Honely Locust powder, Same as Carab

Living free starts with understanding ones own emotions and emotion affects and controls us.

Dan Boone

gardener

Posts: 3545

Location: Central Oklahoma (zone 7a)

1259

I like...

posted 4 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I've done quite a lot of research on this given how many of the trees are on this property, but I've never seen a reference to humans eating the young pods. All focus is on feeding the ripe pods to livestock or making human use of the sweet-ish pulp in the ripe pods.

I always like to mention at this point that I have a deathly (well, I haven't pushed it that far, but my throat starts to swell at a small taste) allergy to honey locust pulp. And I do not have any other known food allergies whatsoever. So I feel like people should be really careful of their first taste, and I am not sure I'd be comfortable marketing any honey locust food products to strangers. But who knows? My allergy might be extremely rare.

Pecan Media: food forestry and forest garden ebooks
Now available: The Native Persimmon (centennial edition)

Erik van Lennep

pollinator

Posts: 96

Location: Orba, Alicante, SPAIN

I like...

posted 4 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Erik van Lennep wrote:

So I figured I'd ask you guys here. Has anyone come across mentions of young honey locust pods being edible for humans?

The most intriguing reference so far is on 'feedipedia', which is mostly about animal feed, but does reference other uses for people as well:
"The pods are edible and can be used as a vegetable. The pod pulp is fermented to produce alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage (Ecocrop, 2012). Roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute (Orwa et al., 2009). "
Note the "use as a vegetable". That's what got me wondering.
Here's the full honey locust page: https://www.feedipedia.org/node/295

Ryan M Miller

pollinator

Posts: 430

Location: Dayton, Ohio

129

I like...

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Harry Soloman wrote:I found this.

Make Honely Locust powder, Same as Carab

I attempted to use a modified form of the procedure in your link to make honey locust powder. I created a video recently where I document the process.

https://www.bitchute.com/video/ddxfpXyOycvR/

Mandrake...takes on and holds the influence
of the devil more than other herbs because of its similarity
to a human. Whence, also, a person’s desires, whether good
or evil, are stirred up through it...
-Hildegard of Bingen, Physica

Erik van Lennep

pollinator

Posts: 96

Location: Orba, Alicante, SPAIN

I like...

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Ryan M Miller wrote:

Harry Soloman wrote:I found this.

Make Honely Locust powder, Same as Carab

I attempted to use a modified form of the procedure in your link to make honey locust powder. I created a video recently where I document the process.

https://www.bitchute.com/video/ddxfpXyOycvR/

Wow, well done! Thanks for making and sharing that.
How would you describe the taste?

I'm THIS CLOSE to ruling the world! Right after reading this tiny ad:

A rocket mass heater is the most sustainable way to heat a conventional home

http://woodheat.net