Farmers branch out.
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Young pongamia trees grow in Florida. (AP/Marta Lavandier) -
These pongamia bean pods are ready to pick. (AP/Marta Lavandier) -
A worker puts a pongamia tree into a larger pot. (AP/Marta Lavandier) -
A bag of pongamia bean pods slowly dries out. (AP/Marta Lavandier) -
Ponova Oil and other products are made from pongamia beans. (AP/Jeff Chiu)
What would you do if all your fruit trees got sick? Some farmers look for a stronger tree to grow.
They found one! They use it to make graham crackers and more.
Pray: Thank God for tough trees that grow well in any weather.
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Sick citrus trees like orange and grapefruit had Florida’s farmers stumped. Many try something new. They plant pongamia trees. People often use this old tree from India for shade. The trees make brown beans. Those beans are bitter. Even hogs will not eat them. The good news is the tree does not need fertilizer or bug spray. It thrives in rain or drought. People remove the bitter taste. The beans make oil and flour. Care for a pongamia graham cracker?
“Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:17)
