Neighborhood Honey Locust Trees?

Years ago I was surprised when my Israeli neighbor showed me some long brown pods: These are from the locust tree. When the New Testament says that John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey, the writer didn't mean that he ate the insects. It simply meant that he was a vegetarian. He ate food that grew naturally in the area.

Her interpretation of "locusts and wild honey" intrigued me. Did he make these pods into a paste as his main diet? I guess we can never be sure: As unappetizing as it sounds to me, the locust insect is a Kosher food, too!


















More recently, I was equally surprised to see that honey locust trees grow in our part of Canada. Someone brought locust pods to our botanical drawing class - pods she had found nearby on the ground.














I plan to draw a few - but should I also try cooking them? Are they the same species that grow in the Middle East? (I know so little about trees!)