Hello everyone, we hope you are well! Things are busy here at Pathfinder Produce, and we can’t wait to see you at our next weekly market in Edmeston on Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m. With our competitive prices and fresh selections, there are sure to be items you’ll enjoy sharing with your family!
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on food deserts: These are areas that have few stores or other sources for providing families with fresh fruits and vegetables. In rural America, if you have to drive more than 10 miles to buy an apple, you live in a food desert, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture. Limited access to produce, either through distance or reduced availability to public transportation, can have some serious impacts on community health. That’s why it’s so important to have a resource like Pathfinder Produce available.
Switching from “food deserts” to “desert foods,” my colleague Martha Spiegel changes gears to explore her food favorites from the American Southwest.
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Desert Foods
As I write this, I am excitedly anticipating my annual trip to Tucson, Arizona. I love the desert. Some people think of it as nothing but sand and cactus, but there is so much more! I particularly love the food I get to eat when I’m there. Of course I will avail myself of the abundance of amazing Mexican food; I am especially hoping for some homemade tamales. There’s also a favorite treat of mine: fry bread, which they sell in open air stands on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation. I’ve tried making it myself, but it’s never the same.
When my parents first moved to Tucson, they missed New Jersey tomatoes. Tomatoes don’t grow well in the desert climate, so they are either shipped in from elsewhere or grown in hothouses, so they tend to have thick skins, are often picked before fully ripened, and aren’t as tasty. However, mom and dad love being able to grow citrus right in their back yard. Dad goes out into the back yard and picks a fresh grapefruit for his breakfast, and neighbors have shared their lemon harvest—the biggest lemons I have ever seen.
Looking into what else grows in that region, and I learned that in 2015, Arizona ranked second in the nation for quantity of cantaloupe, second for lettuce, second for spinach, and eighth for cabbage. They also produce dates and pecans, which are a major export.
Many plants which are native to the desert are edible, or produce edible fruit. For example, the mesquite and palo verde trees have edible seed pods, and saguaros and prickly pear have oval fruits, and the pads of the prickly pear can be eaten too. Just watch out for the thorns when harvesting and prepping them!
So off I go, to soak up the sunshine, take in the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, and eat of its bounty. I can’t wait!
Martha (and Lori)
