"Now it is peak wreath-making season, it pays to keep your eyes peeled for anything that might be useful to embellish your creation.
I spotted a number of these maroon pods lying across the path in a small park in North London recently one evening and vowed to return the next morning to glean a stash for upcoming workshops.
As I was gathering them, I noticed a large number of pods had landed in the children's sand pit on the other side of the fence where a worker was sweeping them up along with the ubiquitous sycamore leaves, so I went round.
He asked what I was collecting them for and told me that as children he and his friends had eaten them for the sweet taste, but he only knew the name of the tree in Arabic. As soon as he said the name - it sounded like 'haroub' - I recognized it as carob.
After some research on the internet at home, I allowed myself a tiny taste of the greenish jelly inside. It reminded me of the juice in passion fruit. It's amazing what you can find out if you meet the right person!" - Kevin (Growing Greenwich)
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