#carob — Public Fediverse posts

I mentioned that there were some Spanish businesses that made carob syrup and it seemed to me as if they felt it was "that's only down south".

I looked around, and eventually bought a bag of carob powder just to thank them for their time.

The difficult thing about traveling solo, especially as a disabled person, is that as much as I want and even need some things I can get in the EU, I cannot easily haul them back by myself.
#Carob #Algarrobo #Espana #Bilbao

I wrote Es Garrover de Mallorca a couple times to find out if they're distributed somewhere near me I can walk in and buy. They haven't replied. https://esgarroverdemallorca.com/

So I figured I'd look into health food stores in Bilbao as the most likely places to carry carob products. I wasn't sure which one to try. Luckily, I didn't have to choose since I ran into one on the way home.

They'd never heard of carob syrup, but they had two different brands of carob powder.

#Carob #Espana #Bilbao

Got off the bus early today to be able to take photos of the carob roundabout when it was sunny. This isn't the prettiest photo I took, but I post this because it's the angle from which you can most easily see the chlorosis (yellowing) in places.#Carob #Algarrobo #Spain #Espana #Bilbao https://ecoevo.social/@ml/116363698633168952

I hope more funding gets put into studying carob. It's as if familiarity breeds contempt. This species is so old in Europe that Linnaeus himself gave it the name Ceratonia siliqua. Yet it's not studied anywhere near as deeply as other economic species.

Carob is *tough*, but how is it responding to climate change? It's probably more resilient to it than chocolate or coffee are, but does the heat change the taste or content of the pods & seeds? Not enough study is being done.

#Carob #Climate

The trunk is hollow, as are several large branches. Look how something girdled this branch (girdle = chewed, cut, or tore off a semi-circle or entire circle of bark & phloem, which cuts off nutrition flow in the plant), yet the remaining bark seemed to grow right back over it.

Carob is tough, man. Carob wants to live.

#Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

Here you can see the young pods developing.

Carob flowers at about the same time the pods are ripe. Pods are on the tree ripening about one year, more or less.

The pods this tree gives, from what I could see on the ground, are not likely standout for eating traits, but the fact that this tree has survived this rainy environment makes it worth propagating for that trait. #Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

Made time today to walk up & down hills & stairs to get to this old carob tree growing in a roundabout near the Basilica Begoña. This has to be at least a couple hundred years old.

It's very rainy in Bilbao so it is not the ideal environment for Ceratonia siliqua, yet this one survives, albeit hollow and with many fungi on it. And it's either female or hermaphrodite because it is bearing young pods. #Bilbao #Spain #Espana #Carob #Algarrobo

This reminds me that it is potentially Easter bilby season.

https://mastodon.social/@ScienceScholar/116346213985904076

I'm not sure if Carobana still makes Easter bilbys because they seem to be revamping their website, but you could always try to contact them to find out. https://carobana.com.au/shop/ #Carob #Australia #Easter

CHIVA VUELVE A SER RECONOCIDA POR ATESORAR EL MEJOR ALGARROBO DE ESPAÑA

https://www.chiva.es/2025-04-04/chiva-vuelve-ser-reconocida-atesorar-mejor-algarrobo-espana #Carob #Algarrobo #Espana

Best souvenir from the EFI Mediterranean Network Forum was a small jar of carob syrup from Lebanon, given to me by the head of a network of 250 growers there looking for new markets.

Carob grows in Albania, but so far as I know they have no production nor do they import it from their neighbors. So this is truly "black gold" for me!

I wish they'd had a market at the conference so I could have bought more. #Carob

I should have scheduled more days of rest after this conference, but the high price of lodging, plus worrying that Easter holidays would throw a wrench in travel encouraged me to get moving faster.

I'm wondering where I can get ahold of Es Garrover de Mallorca products locally, without having to mail order...

https://esgarroverdemallorca.com/en/ #Carob #Spain

Last day of the conference and of the carob workshop. We were led out of the auditorium and to a theatrical space outside by a duo of Valencian musicians, one playing a double reed instrument made of carob wood.

The best thing about this conference/workshop is it was largely about carob, but the second best thing is that it was interdisciplinary in many ways.

#Carob #Valencia #Spain #STEAM

I gotta get in bed since tomorrow the conference venue changes again and I have an hour commute to get to it.

This is the prize-winning carob tree. The guide says it's at least 350 years old but could be as old as 500.

Carob is a tough as hell tree. Beautiful and underappreciated. #Carob #Horticulture #Spain #ThickTrunkThursday

I'm looking forward to taking part in the EFI Mediterranean Network Forum 2026 in Valencia, a space to connect, learn, and exchange knowledge and action across the Mediterranean region. I'm especially looking forward to the #Carob Workshop, which will get scientists, carob growers, carob processors & more together.

(I needed to "amend" my conference bio photo here...)

More about the event and you can register here:
https://efi.int/efimed-network-forum-2026

#EFIMNF26 #MediterraneanResilience #Forest

A carob farmer kindly let me know about this European Forest Institute event "Carob Days".

They have a student rate, but as I'm not currently enrolled I have to pay the full whack if I want to attend...

https://efi.int/efimed-network-forum-2026/carob-days #Horticulture #Agriculture #Carob #PlantScience #Science #Spain

Carob syrup is sometimes called "carob molasses" in products exported from the Middle East.

When things like Google Images came on the scene, people just started grabbing images without factchecking (or licensing or giving credit). Here's a YouTube video about molasses, which is a byproduct of cane sugar production, which shows carob pods.

It goes on to talk about the Boston Molasses Flood, so it's certain this was not meant to be about #Carob

#Botany

#Carob #ClimateCrisis #Environment

https://medium.com/the-new-climate/is-the-carob-tree-the-forgotten-climate-resilience-solution-0876a54442f8

#Carob #ClimateCrisis #Environment

https://medium.com/the-new-climate/is-the-carob-tree-the-forgotten-climate-resilience-solution-0876a54442f8

“Unlike #cocoa, #carob thrives in hot, arid climates with very low water requirements, and is able to survive through #droughts. After roasting, it releases a "unique aroma” that resembles cocoa – but its flavour doesn’t quite hit the spot.” www.euronews.com/green/2025/1...

Meet the scientists saving the...

#ClimateChange #carob

"A research team developed two flavor-enhancing techniques that transform carob pulp into a delicious, sustainable alternative to cocoa.

Rising temperatures and the spread of crop diseases are placing increasing pressure on the global supply of cocoa. In response to these challenges, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) began investigating ways to improve the flavor of carob, with the goal of positioning it as a more sustainable and attractive alternative to cocoa.

Carob pulp comes from Ceratonia siliqua (carob), a tough, climate-resilient plant that has drawn growing interest as a potential substitute for cocoa. When roasted, carob develops an aroma similar to cocoa, but its taste has not yet matched the richness consumers expect from chocolate. This flavor gap has been a key barrier to its broader use.

The research effort is led by Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan from the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) at the NUS Faculty of Science. His team has introduced two new methods designed to significantly improve the taste profile of carob pulp."

https://scitechdaily.com/this-little-known-plant-could-help-save-chocolate-from-climate-change/

Gluten-Free Carob Brownie (Vegan)
https://wholesome-wonders.com/gluten-free-vegan-carob-brownie/

#SolarPunkSunday #Vegan #Food #Carob #LocustBean #Recipes #DIYGifts #GlutenFree

Before I go all in on vegan chocolate recipes, let's not forget carob.
https://carobrecipes.com/special-diets/vegan/

#SolarPunkSunday #Vegan #Food #Carob #LocustBean #Recipes #DIYGifts

I had a feeling they were going to go for the carob diss.

But truly, Lemon Peppermint Carob Chip wouldn't be any better a flavor if it were Lemon Peppermint Chocolate Chip, though...

Häagen-Dasz old Carob flavor was marvelous. And if you let me at making a Ben & Jerry's carob flavor, I guarantee you I can make a good one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U2hbV0IsVk #Carob

My cycle geekery paid off today as I was reading BikingInLA and found out there's a big road project happening where I did the most intense bit of my carob street tree study. Since trees are often cut down when such projects happen, I went digging into city council agendas to find what's planned. A little light reading...

https://bikinginla.com/2025/11/26/la-board-of-public-works-rejects-lintons-hla-appeals-and-rad-power-rejects-cpscs-not-so-rad-ebike-battery-recall/

#BikeTooter #Urbanism #UrbanForest #Carob

How a Family Makes Traditional Carob Liqueur (Rogačica) | Authentic Croatian Rakija

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjGJkTLqpmI #Carob #Croatia #Food

Feb 2024 story.

Students on Croatian island producing carob syrup, jelly, cookies and other delights

https://www.croatiaweek.com/students-on-croatian-island-producing-carob-syrup-jelly-cookies-and-other-delights/ #Carob #Horticulture #Food

I didn't get to the carob festival circuit this year because I was tied up looking for a place to live. But this video features some of the booths at a carob festival in Cyprus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TB3e70XdB4 #Carob #Horticulture

Häagen-Dazs having a carob honey flavor was the yuppie side of the US "hippie health food" rise of carob in the '70s - early '80s. There were other products like this such as Gilbert Brockmeyer's carob milk and carob ice cream. You could buy these products in supermarkets, not just health food stores.

I wish I had graphics to post with this, but newspaper archives are all behind paywalls and enshittified websearch is making all the old newspaper ads for these hard to find.

#Carob #Food

I may get more scattershot with the #carob facts, not necessarily stringing all the related ones close to one another...

62. Häagen-Dazs used to make a carob honey flavored ice cream. (I wish they still did...it was delectable!) They were making it as late as the early '80s when I was slingin' ice cream in their busiest store location in the world.

https://people.com/archive/reuben-mattus-scooped-the-competition-with-his-pricey-and-nonsense-named-haagen-dazs-vol-16-no-7/

#Carob #Food #Botany

61. Agar that comes from seaweed is used in lab media for, among other things, plant tissue culture. At various times, agar has grown more scarce/expensive due to conditions (including climate change-induced rise in temperature in the marine environment). LBG might actually be helpful in some of this lab media, which would take some of the pressure off agar.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2005.03.003 #Carob #History #EconomicBotany #Botany #PlantScience #Horticulture

60. Currently and for some time now, there's been more money in producing carob seeds for locust bean gum (LBG) than in producing carob pulp for its own taste & sugars. Prior to the mid-20th c. another use of LBG (or as it was called then "Tragosol", a trade name) was as a sizing. Sizing something applied to bolts of fabric to keep them stiffer and freer of wrinkles before they're sewn into end-products.
#Carob #History #EconomicBotany #Botany #PlantScience #Horticulture

57. One of the newer festivals has a twist...many carob festivals feature carob food items, but the Festa de la Garrova Estrucada de Llucmajor is a youth-oriented event where kibbled carob is combined with water and water guns to make a fun mess of an event.

https://www.diariodemallorca.es/fotos/part-forana/2025/08/08/espiritu-garrova-estrucada-enciende-llucmajor-120471257.html#foto=1 #Carob #Botany #Spain #IslasBaleares

10. There are no named cultivars nor indeed carob trees remaining in USDA germplasm repositories today. (As badly as USDA funding and organization has been attacked in the last decade, this was the case even prior to that.)

This page of US National Plant Germplasm System database results shows that they used to hold these, but they are no longer available. #Botany #PlantScience #Science #Carob #USDA #USpol #GeneBanks

Ceratonia siliqua (carob) growing in the front yard of a small Davis apartment building. It provides year 'round evergreen shade. In places like Davis, you need shade the majority of the year now. #DavisCA #UrbanHeatIsland #Carob

The #postfire seedling recruitment of the #Carob tree (#Ceratonia siliqua) that I observed 1 month after #fire (left) is thriving 3 years later (right). It's not that common to see this regeneration.
Azuebar fire (2021), eastern #Spain

#IFAzuebar #SerraEspadà @ecology @plants @botany @wildfirescience @plantscience @nature @biodiversity @conservation

When doing my carob street tree study in various parts of LA, I was intrigued that these species (the segment shows 3, but only IDs 2. Amazona oratrix is the other.) have learned how to eat the unripe carob pods for the seeds.

None of these species, including carob, is native to LA, yet a relationship developed.

#Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #LosAngeles #Birds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBB37Yj5I2o

International Biological Flora: Ceratonia siliqua

https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14325

#Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #Ecology #Botany @plantscience

One of the stop's during Davis' Ride of Silence was close to a carob (Ceratonia siliqua) tree I know of. I noticed some dropped branches on the street nearby and picked them up.

Carob is cauliflorous & ramiflourous - its racemes of flowers bloom directly from its trunk and branches. @plantscience @gardening

#Botany #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

My potted carob has flowered every year I've been here (albeit very late in the year). I suspect because it blooms at a bad time, it has never set fruit.

This is the first year in 4 yrs of being here and in 10 years of owning the plant that it's set fruit! #FruitToot #CeratoniaSiliqua #carob

Ceratonia siliqua (#carob) is a Mediterranean native. CA has a Mediterranean climate in most of the state. So carob was a very popular choice in the days before large irrigation projects brought cheap water to folks in cities.

And remained a popular choice for those concerned about conserving water in our drought-prone state.

This is a home in #DavisCA that has two large mature carobs in its front yard. #CeratoniaSiliqua #Botany #Gardening @plants

Well, this is not good news.

Francia, Carolina, Josep Armengol, and Paloma Abad-Campos. “First Report of Phytophthora Niederhauserii Causing Root Rot of Carob Tree ( Ceratonia Siliqua L.) in Spain.” Plant disease (2024): n. pag. Web.

https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PDIS-12-23-2580-PDN

#Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

Krokou, Andriana et al. “Decoding Carob Flavor Aroma Using HS–SPME–GC–MS and Chemometrics.” European food research & technology 246.7 (2020): 1419–1428. Web.

I've often wondered which VOCs are in carob. This should be a big workout for my memory of organic chem... #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) landscape tree looking lush. #UrbanForest #carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

I somehow missed that Es Garrover de Mallorca started a podcast about #carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

It's in Catalan, but rough auto-translation is available in the closed caption settings. https://youtu.be/AwAUVaMp4xE?si=ne0vpVrz_wNtcc9f

Sounds like it's time for carob bilbys!

https://m.ai6yr.org/@ai6yr/112171027549668795 #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua

Harvard course content on EdX. Neat course, but whoever sourced the images for this trusted Google Images with the input "locust" or "carob" and instead turned up another Fabaceae species than what locust bean gum is made from.

I see this mistake all the time from the general public. However, any institution ought to be having a knowledgeable editor fact check.

It's a good example of why Linnaeus came up with Scientific binomials. @plantscience #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #Botany

Flickr search seems to be buggy. They're telling me - ME -that I don't have any carob photos! (The previous page said I had 8,572 photos tagged "carob". #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #Botany #Flickr

Oldest raceme on my carob (which is supposedly 'Santa Fe'). Not sure I'm going to get successful self-pollination. While Oct and Nov have so far been on the warm side, I'm still not seeing enough pollinators in this semi-industrial area I live in.

Fingers crossed I get some pods! I'd feel better if it had an earlier season, as some other carobs do. #Flowers #Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #Botany

Something I don't think made the final edit of the Ologies episode was discussing why carob now has a bad reputation vs. the early 20th century when it was a very popular street/landscape tree in California...

https://www.alieward.com/ologies/carobology

#Carob #CeratoniaSiliqua #UrbanForest