prettygoodword | mesquite

mesquite (me-SKEET, MES-keet) - n., any of a dozen species (genera Neltuma and Strombocarpa, both formerly part of Prosopis) of spiny deciduous New World trees and shrubs with bipinnate leaves and beanlike pods and often forming dense thickets; the wood of these trees, charcoal made from this wood; land dominated by mesquite trees.

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The pods of most mesquites are edible once dried, and those of the velvet mesquite pictured above are still ground and baked into a staple bread by traditional Tohono O'odham on the reservation west of town. We have two intentional mesquites in our yard, and several volunteers. Most species are arid-adapted, and outside the Americas are considered a noxious invasive weed (see: volunteers easily). They are hardwoods that grow very slowly (see: arid), which makes for a dense wood that burns slow and hot that as a bonus has a nicely flavored smoke -- making it great for grilling. Mesquite honey is readily available locally, and I prefer it over any other honey source, even clover. The name dates to the 1830s, taken from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from the Nahuatl name mizquitl.

---L.