Today after school Emily and I drove to the park where she had discovered a gigantic locust tree. What a bonanza - there were seed pods everywhere! The goats are set for the winter, no question, and there are still hundreds of pods hanging from the tree - we may go back next week and fill our bags again. Concerned about possible toxicity (as my car and garage now have a distinct and very strong vinegary smell), I looked up locust pods in our old World Book encyclopedia. With my daughters laughing at me (why don't you just google it, mom?), I learned two interesting facts. First, the waxy locust seeds inside the pods are not digestible but are excreted in their unchanged form. Yes, we had noticed that...Second, the apparently-sweet pulp of locust pods is sometimes ground into cattle feed, so I assume it is not a toxic substance.
Snacktime, goats!!
Thank you for the laughs!!
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