Have you ever seen mesquite trees while driving through the hill country or maybe even in your backyard? They might look like ordinary trees but in actuality they produce mesquite pods that have an excellent source of protein! Our community in Suchil, mill the mesquite pods into a flour to make baked goods and even beer. They are currently facing challenges in the drying and storage process. External weather, long drying time (6-8 hours) and pests are the primary challenges the local business faces. Our goal is to help increase the drying capacity while decreasing the drying time and protect it from external weather and pests. With the help of our NGO contact, Richard Hanson, we were able to get in contact with a local mesquite producer here in Austin, Texas.
This past weekend we were able to visit Barton Springs Mill with our technical advisor David to learn more about the mesquite milling process. Sandeep, the owner of Barton Springs Mill, explained and demonstrated each step of converting the pod into a flour.
The Mesquite harvesting season typically occurs from June to late September here in Texas or March to July in Oaxaca (some geographic areas have two harvesting Seasons). It all depends on the weather of summer/rainy season. Due to the large amount of rain this past summer in Texas, a large amount of the mesquite produce was ruined from the development of mold or lack of sunlight. Sandeep was able to harvest 250 lbs of mesquite pods for his business this year.
After the collected his harvest, it was brought to his milling facility and the process continues as follows:
Step 1. Freeze the Pods after Harvesting
The mesquite pods are stored in freezer after they are harvested in order to kill of any insects or pests that have found there way into the pod. They are generally stored in the freezer for 9 days to a couple of weeks.
Step 2. Dried/Roasted in the oven
The pods are then brought to the oven to be dried or roasted. At Barton Springs Mill, Sandeep roasts his pods to 300F or 1 to 2 hours to obtain a rich flavor. In Suchil, they dry the pods at 160F for 6-8 hours to keep a protein content for the flour. The pods are not only dried/roasted for the flavor but it is also easier to mill than with raw pods which tend to gum up in the mill.
Step 3. Pods are milled!
The pods are then placed in the mill and the flour is collected in a container or bag. The excess parts of the pods can be used for cattle feed or even extracts for cocktails.
Step 4. Flour is sifted and stored
The flour then undergoes a sifting process for refining. Afterwards, the flour is stored in vacuumed sealed bags where CO2 is introduced to also kill of any remaining bugs. The bags are designed to keep out oxygen. The bags must also be lined with either a thicker plastic or canvas bag so that the mesquite pods do not poke through and create a hole for pests to come in.
Step 5. Package the Flour
After removing any remaining bugs during the storing and sifting the process the flour is ready for packaging!
By observing the milling process first hand, our team was able to gain a better understanding of the entire process. We hope to use the information we cultivated and incorporate it into the design of our project with our community. We are thankful to have met with Sandeep and for his willingness to share his work! Our next steps include finalizing our research in our drying and storing designs and focus on fundraising for this project!
Our goal for the next month is to obtain $15,000 to help prototype and implement our project! We will continue to keep you updated and thank you for your support and donations. Thanks for reading! Click on the DONATE button below!
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