When I held my first Tu B’Shevat Seder in the desert years ago, a friend brought meal made from the pods of local mesquite trees — a fitting addition for a holiday that celebrates the new year of the trees.

In the 1500s, Jewish mystics living in the town of Safed (Tsfat) above the Sea of Galilee developed a Seder modeled after the Passover Seder. Tree fruits and nuts are eaten that are emblematic of three of the four worlds in kabbalistic tradition.

At the level of assiyah or action, the world around us, fruits or nuts with soft insides and tough outer shells or skins such as pomegranates and pecans are eaten, to remind us that God protects us.

When focusing on yetzirah or formation, the world of feelings, fruits with inedible pits such as dates, olives and cherries are eaten, to remind us that when our inner energy is strong, we don’t need to be hard on the outside; or, if we need protection, it is only at the heart.

At the level of beriyah, or creation, the world of the mind, fruits that are soft throughout and entirely edible such as figs and grapes are eaten. At this level representing ideas, hopes, dreams and patterns, we are co-creators with God and can let go of all barriers.

Atzilut, the world of pure spirit, is so ethereal that it cannot be represented by fruit.

Where do mesquite pods fit in here? When the pods are still moist around the time of the monsoon rains, the seeds are also soft and the whole pods can be eaten; this is a time to explore hopes and dreams, to feel free.

As the pods dry out, they reach their peak of sweetness, and many of us wait until that point to feast on them. The pods are chewy then, and the seeds are hard. When I eat them I bite off a bit of pod, chew on it, and spit out the seeds; the many small seeds can be seen as a reminder of the richness of life.

The sweetness of the pods reminds me of carob pods I bought in the shuk in Jerusalem and chewed as I walked through the city. Carob and mesquite are both members of the pea or legume botanical family. Carob is placed in the category of beriyah, fruits that are entirely edible, since its watermelon-like seeds can be eaten.

Before the use of modern tools, the whole mesquite pod was not eaten, says Kevin Dahl, executive director of Native Seeds/SEARCH. The hard seeds were discarded when producing the meal on stone and wood grinders. Modern hammermills do grind seeds, so some are included in the meal.

Mesquite meal is a good protein source, and because it is full of water-soluble fibers, the sugars are released slowly, making it a good food for diabetics, says Dahl. The traditional use for many flours is to mix them with water to make a hot or cold drink, or a porridge, he says.

Mesquite meal may be used in place of one quarter to one half of the flour in recipes for baked goods. Because mesquite meal is sweet, the amount of sweetener may also be reduced.

Desert Harvesters, a volunteer-run grassroots organization in Tucson, owns a hammermill that is used to grind mesquite pods. They hold milling events in the fall, in Tucson locations such as the Tucson Botanical Garden, Dunbar/ Spring Organic Community Garden, Tucson Meet Yourself, and in southern Arizona in Cascabel and Bisbee.

People may bring their own clean, dry pods for milling for a modest fee. They may also mill carob pods as long as they bring at least 10 gallons of mesquite pods to flush the mill.

Don’t have any pods to grind? Their website also includes an order form that can be used to purchase mesquite saplings from Trees for Tucson.

Desert Harvesters only sells mesquite meal at its events. The San Xavier Cooperative sells mesquite meal ground from trees on tribal lands. 

So where does mesquite meal fit in the Tu B’Shevat Seder? Perhaps, since the edible qualities of mesquite pods change as the season progresses, it doesn’t fit into one of the existing categories, says Rabbi Helen Cohn of Congregation Chaverim, and should be considered a product in transition.

One interpretation of the different types of tree products, notes Cohn, is to compare them to different types of people. The fruits with the hard outside layer represent people who are difficult to get to know initially. Fruits with an inedible pit represent people whom you meet quickly, but don’t ever get to know completely. The fruits that are entirely edible represent people with whom you can form friendships quickly that are also long lasting. Mesquite meal, which does not fit neatly into an existing category, can be a reminder that people can change, says Cohn.

RESOURCES:

Desert Harvesters: http://www.desertharvesters. greenbicycle.net — Includes recipes.

Native Seeds/SEARCH: 526 N. Fourth Ave., 622-5561, www.nativeseeds.org — Sells mesquite cookie, pancake and scone mixes and provides recipe sheets when you buy mesquite meal. Buys from local suppliers when available and is currently filling in with meal from Peru.

San Xavier Cooperative: (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.), 8100 S Oidak Wog (From I-10, take I-19 south. Take the San Xavier Rd. exit, #92. Turn right on San Xavier Rd. Turn right on Oidak Wog. Store is in tan mobile home.), 295-3774 — Provides recipe sheets when you buy mesquite meal.

Recipes that use mesquite meal but no flour or corn meal have been developed at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia. See Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, Gabriel Cousens and the Tree of Life Café Chefs (Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, 2003).

Deborah Mayaan is a freelance writer and energy work practitioner based in Tucson. She will lead an abbreviated Tu B’Shevat Seder at a full moon celebration on Feb. 2 at Terrasante Community west of Tucson. For more information, email dmayaan@mindspring.com.