Southwestern Recipes

Mesquite Bean Butter

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Ingredients

  • 3 quarts ripe mesquite beans
  • Water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 bottle liquid pectin
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Gather beans from mesquite trees when ripe. Beans that are yellow with reddish streaks are the sweetest and best for butter.
  2. Cut each bean into 2 or 3 pieces and cook in a vegetable steamer over boiling water until tender (about 30 minutes) or until bean pods pull apart easily.
  3. Put cooked pods in a blender, 1 cup at a time with 1/2 cup water and chop with quick pulses. Put through a coarse strainer. Discard fiber and seeds. Add water as needed to make 8 cups mesquite pulp. Place in a large kettle or saucepan over high heat, stir in sugar and lemon juice, and bring to a full, rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
  4. Remove from heat, stir in pectin and bring to a boil again. "Butter" is ready when a small amount dropped in a bowl of water forms a soft ball.
  5. Finally add cinnamon; stir.
  6. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal with paraffin.


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