At this time of the year you will see farmers in Mallorca beating long dark locust beans off their trees with long sticks. Now is the time for the annual algarroba harvest.

The seed of the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua), also known as St. John’s Bread, is the ancient weight used by goldsmiths for the carat. The carob seed is always of the same weight.

Carob pods were the most important source of sugar before sugarcane and sugar beets became widely available. Nowadays, the seeds are processed for use in cosmetics, curing tobacco, making paper, and as a substitute for chocolate. The fruit also serves as animal feed.

The photo was taken near the village of Ca’s Concos des Cavaller, in the municipality of Felanitx, Mallorca. The date: August 23rd, 2007. The time was 16:29:00.