- 1). Learn well how to identify a St. John's bread tree (Ceratonia siliqua) in the wild. The tree goes by several names, including the carob tree. St. John's bread trees grow to be over 30 feet tall, with grayish bark and green, alternating leaves. By far the most characteristic feature of a St. John's bread tree, however, is its seed pods. Up to 2 feet long, green and skinny, the pods are often curled. The seed pods hang from the bottom of branches, near the trunk.
- 2). Locate a St. John's bread tree. The tree grows across Mediterranean Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Look in humid areas.
- 3). Pick the St. John's bread tree's seed pods. These are the "bread" that, according to legend, John the Baptist subsisted on in the wilderness. Get as many as you can from one tree.
- 4). Eat the younger, more tender pods raw.
- 5). Boil half of what's left, then eat as you would any green vegetable.
- 6). Break open the remaining pods and crush the seeds with a rock or another hard, blunt object. Then throw them into a pot of boiling water to make porridge.
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