I almost missed Mark Moody. I had been enjoying myself at a gallery opening hosted at the local After Hours Creative Gallery, featuring the work of local artist friends Gennaro Garcia and Joe Ray. As I stood to leave, I noticed a cowboy on the other side of the beverage table, with a pint of strawberries and a pint of grapes, that he was rolling in something for people to taste.
I strolled over to see what he was doing. Turns out, he was letting people sample mesquite flour he produces from his property in Bouse, Arizona (a town so small even this near-Arizona native had to Mapquest it to find it!).
It didn't take much to get Mark talking about his passion. At his feet was a Native American metate, or grinding stone, that he was using to demonstrate how mesquite beans were traditionally processed into flour. He told me, he found the metate on his property, beneath a mesquite tree, where it was likely used long ago to reap nutrition from the desert.
Mesquite flour has been around for eons, but has only recently caught the attention of consumers. The trees abound in the Sonoran desert. My parents recently brought me some flour they had milled from their own backyard harvest in Tucson. It's a labor-intensive process, which makes it a challenging product to bring to market.
Nutritionally, mesquite flour is high in protein and soluble fibers, which helps to make it low-glycemic. It is also gluten-free. As far as other nutrients, it's a decent source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. Its taste is described as nutty, sweet, hints of molasses, caramel, cinnamon…I'll leave it up to you to try. I can tell you I loved the bread I made with it! It does require a bit of adjusting when baking, as I learned with my first loaf of bread. But I've pasted a few tested recipes below to get you started.
New Mexico State University has an interesting summary of some of the compounds in mesquite with potential health benefits. These include from antidepressant to anti-inflammatory to liver protection. I would NOT quit taking any prescribed medications based on this information, but it's interesting to note that nature provides us with many gentle options to medications when we diversify our diets.
Mark shared with me that he had been approached by a major purveyor of unique grains, to provide them mesquite flour to enhance their offerings, but, concerned he wouldn't be able to meet the demand, he turned the offer down. He does want to bring his product to market, but without compromising the business principles that have earned him a fine reputation in Arizona.
In order to honor Mark's commitment to quality, we'll offer his mesquite flours to you when supplies are available. That means if you really want it…no dilly-dallying!
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Recipes I found at http://www.desertusa.com/ (and adapted slightly to fit with our inCYST recommendations)
MESQUITE CORNBREAD
from Native Peoples Magazine
3/4 C. each of cornmeal and flour
3/8 C. mesquite meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each baking soda and salt
1 C. yogurt
1 egg
3 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. canola oil
MESQUITE ZUCCHINI BREAD
from Martha Darancou Aguirre of Rancho la Inmaculada
1 c mesquite meal (Sonoran)
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c sugar (experiment to see how little you can get away with!)
1 c Finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 c chopped nuts
3 eggs
1 c canola oil
Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix sugar, zucchini, oil, egg and lemon peel. Mix well. Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool thoroughly before wrapping.
Combine dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. Combine the wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spread into greased 8 inch by 8 inch pan. Bake 20 — 25 minutes at 350 degrees. For a unique Southwestern kick, add 1 tablespoon chipotle (dried, smoked jalapeno) flakes and 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels.
And this? Just a little shout out for Joe and Gennaro, who are 100% for me meeting Mark in the first place. It's a collaboration between the two. I've linked to their respective websites above if their creativity catches your eye.