Food for thought

Whist holidaying in Crete I noticed a tree with pods hanging down which looked like green beans growing from it and wondered if the pods were edible.
Further research on the internet identified it as a the carob tree which is native to the area and very common to the Mediterranean. The pods are described as sweet and 50% sugar. They are also rich in mineral, vitamins and protein.

The article also said an alternative name  is St. Johns bread as it is believed that this is what John the Baptist, an avid preacher and the person who announced the coming of Christ, ate.

John the Baptist is recorded in the gospels as living in the wilderness and eating wild honey and locusts. The carob seeds would have been a far more reliable source of nutrition than searching for locusts and probably tastier to eat.
Interestingly, the parable of the prodigal son surviving on the pods given to the pigs is likely to be another reference to the use of the carob which was plentiful, free and easily available. Luke 15