Edible Baja Arizona - September/October 2015

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No. 14 Septem

ber/October 2015

The Food of Da de Los MuertosAncestral Eats Best Day Ever Not Slow Food

edibleBAJA ARIZONA

September/October 2015 Issue No. 14 $4.99

4 September/October 2015

edible Baja Arizona 5

6 COYOTE TALKING

8 ONLINEWhats happening at EdibleBajaArizona.com?

10 EDITORIALAn open letter to Governor Ducey.

12 VOICESWe asked students and faculty in Pima Community Colleges Culinary Arts program: What dish represents Baja Arizona to you?

20 GLEANINGSGood Day Caf; Grammys Garden; Zinmans Food Shop.

28 BAJA EATS

37 THE PLATE

39 KIDS MENU

45 EDIBLE HOMESTEADCompanion planting; worm composting; Italian 101.

64 FARM REPORT

70 IN THE BUSINESSAt Feast, chef and owner Doug Levy changes his menu monthly, keeping the food fresh and the kitchen creative.

76 LOCALCould you eat local foodand only local foodfor 30 days?

82 YOUTHTaylor Moores Best Day Ever project gets kids into the garden.

94 TABLEAfter 93 years serving their famous fresh green-corn tamales, Leruas is where the community comes to eat, celebrate, and connect.

106 ARTISANFrom Patagonia to St. David, southern Arizona cooks are bringing communities together for a plate of foodand a side of faith.

118 PROFILERanked No. 8 in the world for competitive eating, Tucsons Michelle Cardboard Shell Lesco is inhaling hot dogs and taking names.

160 ESSAYPhotography by Adela Licona; words by Alison Hawthorne Deming, Emma Perez, and Manuel Muoz.

166 BUZZDemand is heating up at Sentinel Peak Brewing Company.

172 BOOZE NEWSAll the news thats fit to drink.

182 INKBook reviews: Dont Say A Word, Mama; My Tatas Remedies; four kids books by Jorge Argueta.

186 LAST BITENotes on beginning an urban farm in the Santa Cruz River Valley.

Features Contents

146 DEATH BECOMES USDay of the Dead pays homage to the deceased in jubilant fashion, with bread of the dead, sugar skulls, and other favorite dishes.

126 WHAT THE ANCESTORS ATERecreating prehistoric food in Baja Arizona from hidden stories in ancient fragments.


COYOTE TALKING

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Douglas Biggers, editor and publisher

When two staff members of Edible Baja Arizona left in early July, it just so happened that a complete restructuring of our advertising sales department and the business side of the company was already in the works.

It was time to clear out the garden, add compost to the beds, and plant some new seeds. Its been exciting to work with Monica Pracko, our favorite consultant of all time, who has spent the last seven weeks assisting in restructuring the company while simultaneously being instrumental in helping us create this very issue (there is always a deadline, regardless of anything else going on). Monica spent nearly ten years at the Tucson Weekly, most recently as its advertising sales director, and has brought a wealth of expertise and guidance to our project. We hope she can maintain a connection with us as a coach and resource. Thank you, Monica!

And as part of the ongoing transition, we are pleased to introduce two new members of the Edible Baja Arizona team: Johnny Smith, our advertising sales consultant and Kate Kretschmann, our business coordinator. Johnny will be out in the field, working with existing and new advertising partners to help them create successful marketing programs. Kate will be in the office every day, providing top-notch service to our advertising partners, handling subscriptions, and taking care of myriad office tasks. We look forward to their contributions.

Johnny Smiths first job, nearly 30 years ago, was as a busboy at the well-loved Contis Italian restaurant on Tucsons Northwest side (ask him to tell you about their frequent guest, Uncle Joe Bonanno). Hes held many positions in Tucsons restaurant industry, including managing the legendary Caf Terra Cotta in its heyday and working most recently as a representative for Alliance Beverage. Trained as a sommelier and a certified Cicerone (an expert in beer), Johnnys love of the food and beverage industry runs deep. Raised by an Irish farmer from Georgia and a Mexican-born mother, Johnnys comfort foods run the gamut. Pigs feet and Oxtail are as favored as caviar and porterhouse. He shares his passion for Baja Arizona and its food and drink with his wife, Marcia.

Kate Kretschmann is a Michigan transplant with an editorial background in encyclopedia publishing and online advertising, having worked as an editor, writer, researcher, and project coordinator. After years of traveling both domestically and around the world, she stopped by Tucson in 2012 to help family members open a new restaurant, fell in love with the place, and has refused to leave ever since.

Read a Q&A with Kate and Johnny at EdibleBajaArizona.com.

In this issue that precedes the autumn equinox, we delve into death and ancient ancestors through the lens of food and tradition. Artist and writer Paul Mirocha, with the

help of his daughter Anna Mirocha, searches for the tastes and textures of the foods that would have been eaten by the Hohokam, the people who lived and farmed along the Santa Cruz River for thousands of years and who are regarded as ancestors by the Tohono Oodham. The archaeological record is full of clues, and

Paul created some fantastic artwork to accompany the quest for ancient menus items.

The Mexican is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love, wrote Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz in The Labyrinth of Solitude. And no tradition better exemplifies that sentiment than Dia de los Muertosthe Day of Deadcelebrated on November 1 and 2. Lourdes Medrano writes about the foods and dishes that have become an essential part of the tradition, including pan de muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls, tamales, rice, sweet pumpkin and mole. Its a celebration that connects us in a special way with loved ones who are no longer with us.

The prose and poetry of Alison Hawthorne Deming,

Manuel Muoz, and Emma Perez join Adela Liconas images of life in the Sonoran Desert. Autumn Giles talks with Mike Hultquist, Jr. and Sr., to reminisce about the history of Leruas famous green corn tamales. And Lisa ONeill introduces us to the kids of the Best Day Ever gardening project, who are taking their gardening skills to the market, proving you can have kale with a side of cute.

As always, theres much, much more to discover in this issue. Well see you around the table. Salud!


On the cover: Day of the Dead sugar skull designed by Bisbee baker and artisan, Juliette Beaumont.

Photo by Steven Meckler

Above: Barrel cactus fruit. Photo by Adela Licona

Editor and PublisherDouglas Biggers

Managing EditorMegan Kimble

Art DirectorSteve McMackin

Digital Content ManagerKate Selby

Senior Contributing EditorGary Paul Nabhan

DesignersLyric Peate, Sally Brooks, Bridget Shanahan

Copy EditorFord Burkhart

ProofreaderCharity Whiting

Consultant Monica Pracko

Advertising ConsultantsDhyana Wasson, Kenny Stewart

ContributorsAmy Belk, James Bourland, Alison Hawthorne Deming, Bryan Eichhorst, Autumn Giles, Renata Gonzalez, Laura Greenberg, Sara Jones, Molly Kincaid, Lourdes Medrano, Anna Mirocha,

Paul Mirocha, Manuel Muoz, Lisa ONeill, Emma Perez, Logan Phillips, Jock Soper, Haile Thomas, Shelby Thompson,

Debbie Weingarten

Photographers & ArtistsJackie Alpers, Casia and Eric Fletcher, Tim Fuller, Katya

Granger, Liora K, Isadora Lassance, Elijah LeComte, Adela C. Licona, Danny Martin, Steven Meckler, Paul Mirocha, Taylor

Noel, Bridget Shanahan, Jeff Smith, Shelby Thompson

DistributionRoyce Davenport, Mel Meijas,

Shiloh Thread-Waist Walkosak, Steve and Anne Bell Anderson

Wed love to hear from you.307 S. Convent Ave., Barrio Viejo

Tucson, Arizona 85701520.373.5196

[email protected] EdibleBajaArizona.com

Say hello on social mediafacebook.com/EdibleBajaArizonayoutube.com/EdibleBajaArizona

twitter.com/EdibleBajaAZflickr.com/ediblebajaarizonainstagram.com/ediblebajaaz

pinterest.com/edibleba

Volume 3, issue 2.Edible Baja Arizona (ISSN 2374-345X) is published six times annually by Coyote Talking, LLC. Subscriptions are available for $36 annually by phone or at EdibleBajaArizona.com. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without the express written permission of the publisher. Member of the Association of Edible Publishers (AEP).

facebook.com/EdibleBajaArizonayoutube.com/EdibleBajaArizonatwitter.com/EdibleBajaAZinstagram.com/ediblebajaazpinterest.com/edibleba

Thanks to our wonderful digital content manager, Kate Selby, we have been doing some new and interesting things at EdibleBajaArizona.com! Here are just a few of the highlights.

(Left) Sandwich from new downtown grocery Johnny Gibsons. (Right) Behind the scenes peek at the making of Issue 14.

Our Instagram account has been bursting with photos from places we visit, restaurants we enjoy, gardens we grow, and behind-the-scenes looks at how we make the magazine.

Bocaditos is a weekly newsletter that packs the flavor of Edible Baja Arizonas online offerings into tasty little bites. It offers:

A weekly upcoming local event roundup. The best of the eBA blog and social media. Great giveaways for subscribers, like free movie tickets to

the Loft, and gift certificates to delicious local restaurants. Exclusive original recipes, and more!

Go to EdibleBajaArizona.com/newsletter to sign up!

Join the ConversationEdible Baja Arizona is always serving up fresh content online! Visit EdibleBajaArizona.com.

Local gir l and Edible Baja Arizona digital content manager, Kate Selby, is going local in a big way: for 30 days, she will attempt to eat nothing but locally sourced food. Even her salt will come from the Baja Arizona region! Local Girl Goes Local officially kicks off on Sunday,

September 13, but Kates already posting resource guides and useful tips for eating local to the LGGL Tumblr. From now until October 10, tune in for daily vlogs (video logs), twice-weekly blog posts, weekly challenges, seasonal recipes made with local ingredients, and more. Follow along as Kate learns just what it takes to eat local in todays globalized food system: LocalGirlGoesLocal.tumblr.com


GOES LOCA

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LOCAL GIRL


THE RIALTO THEATRE

3 1 8 E C O N G R E S S S T 5 2 0 7 4 0 1 0 0 0 W W W . R I A L T O T H E A T R E . C O M

FEATUREDEVENTS

WED9/8 ONE MAN BREAKING BAD JUST WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THU9/10 LOS LONELY BOYS WITH MATT ANDERSENSUN9/13 NILS LOFGRENWED9/16 O.A.R. @ FOX THEATREFRI9/18 CITIZEN COPESAT9/19 STEEP CANYON RANGERSMON9/21 RATATATTHU9/24 BRANDI CARLILETUE9/29 KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD @ FOX THEATRESAT10/3 CALEXICO WITH GABY MORENOSUN10/4 TURNPIKE TROUBADOURSTUE10/6 THE MAVERICKSWED10/7 ATERCIOPELADOSTHU10/8 MAVIS STAPLES & JOAN OSBORNEFRI10/9 JULIETA VENEGAS

VISIT US ONLINE FOR A FULL SCHEDULE

Dear Governor Ducey,

W hen you signed the 2016 state budget into law this spring, many Arizonans were unlikely to understand how your decisions might harm their own future health. They did not fathom that your budget-cutting measures are a deferred maintenance scheme that fails to deal with costly public health issuesand fails to adequately support the 600,000 Arizonans who suffer from diabetes today, or the 1.2 million people plagued by obesity.

The hundreds of millions of dollars that you cut from hunger relief, Medicaid, nutrition education, and disease-prevention programs in the state will not save the taxpayers anything. These cuts will only exacerbate systemic problems and increase future costs, especially to tribal communities and Hispanic and African Americans who are particularly susceptible to these diseases in our state.

Let us explain how this is a food justice issue. The number of children living in persistent poverty in Arizona has increased 37 percent since 1990. And yet, not only did you cut $9 million out of relief programs that might help these children, you also limited the number of years that their parents could draw upon such programs. This gives many poverty-stricken families no other option than buying cheap foods with empty caloriesand often these foods have so little nutritional value that they only increase the frequency of obesity and diabetes. Its a vicious cycle.

You also made significant cuts to Medicaid that will limit access for our elderly citizens to such programs. You derailed the transportation services that formerly brought them into health clinics that offered guidance on eating well and preventing diseases. And while across the country most state budgets now include a line item for diabetes education and prevention, Arizonas budget does not.

In 2009, the legislature cut $59 million from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension budget, adversely affecting farmers, tribal herders, urban gardeners, and 4-H programs for kids. Now you have cut an additional $109 million from the budgets of the three state universities. Their programs have been responsible for much of the research and training in nutrition, disease prevention, and medical care in our state.

You also axed the budgets of our community colleges, which train many culinary professionals, dieticians, and nutrition counselors who promote healthy eating practices. Per student, Arizonas colleges have suffered a loss of funding greater than that of any other state, and our college graduation rates are now the lowest in the nation.

An Open Letterto Governor Ducey


These penny-wise and pound-foolish policies have contributed to a public health crisis with human and economic costs of epic proportions. By 2012, the medical treatment costs for the 470,000 Arizonans with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes had already reached $4.76 billion a year. That bill was higher than the $4 billion that Arizona farmers and ranchers received for growing all the food and fiber produced in our state the same year.

But since that study was done, the number of Arizonans given a diagnosis of diabetes has been increasing by 11 percent every two years. What does that mean for our future?

By 2017, the cost of treating all Arizonans with diabetes will approach $5.8 billion a year. Two-thirds of this bill for diabetes care will need to be covered by state and federal budgetswhich is to say, by taxpayers.

If diabetes goes unchecked, every year $3.6 billion of our taxes will go to care for Arizonans who suffer from this nutrition-related disease. It will be the ultimate price we pay for the states deferred-maintenance plan, making the money saved by the new state budget as ephemeral as an ice cream cone on a hot summers day.

Isnt it time to redirect Arizona agriculture so more of the healthy food our farmers produce becomes accessible to the poor, the elderly, and the youth of our state who need it the most? Isnt it also time to discuss whether our precious water would be better used to grow nutritious food crops for state residents whose health is at risk than to grow cotton and other commodities to be shipped overseas?

Governor Ducey, we invite you to tell our readers and our states taxpayers what your next budget will do to stem the tide of Arizonas rising public health crisis.

We encourage all readers who are eager for a response from the Governors office to call the Governors office at 520.628.6580 or comment on Twitter @dougducey.

The Edible Baja Arizona Editorial Staff

Illustration by Rand Carlson



VOICES

We asked students and faculty in Pima Community Colleges Culinary Arts program: What dish represents Baja Arizona to you?

Photography by Casia and Eric Fletcher

We cr e at ed our recipes and menu based on the local and indigenous crops growing in our Pima Community College organic garden that we feel reflect Baja Arizonas flavors and history. The items growing in the garden right now that directed us into preparing these recipes

are Tohono Oodham squash, tomatoes, cilantro, Iitoi onions, chiltepin, green chiles, jalapeos, amaranth, cabbage, and tepary beans from a previous harvest. Although we do not currently have a fig tree, we were able to source some locally grown figs from Mission Garden for our fig and almond tart.

Ingredients: 1 pound uncooked, dried

tepary beans pound bacon, diced 1 pounds canned diced or

fresh tomatoes 1 onions, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced pound diced green chiles 1 teaspoon chile powder teaspoon dried oregano teaspoon ground cumin Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:Sort beans, discarding any foreign material. Soak overnight. Place beans

in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak, covered, 1 hour. Drain. Add water and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.

Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Add bacon and the drippings to beans. Add tomatoes with juice to beans. Add onions, garlic, chiles, chile powder, dried oregano, and cumin. Simmer, partially cooked, 3 hours or until beans are very tender. After 3 hours, the beans should have a little liquid. If they become too dry, add more water. If beans have too much liquid, uncover and boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Season with salt to taste. Garnish with fresh oregano if desired. Cut lime into wedges; pass to the table to squeeze over each serving. Serves 6-8.

Arizona Tepary Ranch Beans



Roasted Tohono Oodham Squash, Amaranth, and

Iitoi Salsa Tacos

Ingredients:Squash: 1-2 Tohono Oodham squash,

each - inch cubed 24 Iitoi onions, sliced cup olive oil 1 tablespoons cumin

Salsa: 6 chiltepin, crushed 4 cups fresh tomatoes 16 Iitoi onions cup cilantro 2-3 cloves garlic cup olive oil Juice from 2 limes

Amaranth: 1 cup amaranth grain cup scallions, chopped 1 cup fresh cilantro cup lime juice cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, pressed

Tacos: 32 corn tortillas 1 pound Mexican goat

cheese, crumbled

Sides: Chopped cilantro, diced

tomatoes, lime wedges, sour cream or Greek yogurt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash into - -inch cubes. Thinly slice onions. Toss with olive oil and cumin. Roast until tender, 20-30 minutes, depending on size of cubed squash. While squash cooks, cook amaranth.Combine seeds with 2 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until grains are fluffy and water is absorbed. To make salsa, blend ingredients together. Prepare sides. Heat tortillas and layer each with amaranth, squash, and salsa. Top with cilantro, tomatoes, a squeeze of lime juice, and sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serves 16.

Dressing: cup lemon juice cup orange juice 2 tablespoon Dijon

mustard 2 tablespoon clover

honey cup freshly

chopped basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

cup canola oil

Slaw: 2 cups napa cabbage, finely shredded 1 large carrot, finely shredded - head green cabbage, finely shredded 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 green onion, minced 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeo or 1

teaspoon serrano chile, to taste 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice teaspoon cumin seeds or

teaspoon ground cumin Salt and pepper, to taste

Red Cabbage Slaw for Tacos:

Ingredients:Crust: 1 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1

tablespoon 1 lemon, zested teaspoon fine sea salt 10 tablespoons (1 sticks)

unsalted butter, chilled and cut into -inch pieces

3 tablespoons ice water

Filling: 3 ounces almond paste, at room

temperature, cut into -inch pieces 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room

temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoon honey 6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced, stems

removed; or 20 dried figs, reconstituted cup apricot jam

Mission Fig and Almond Tart

Directions:Prepare crust. Fill crust and fold like a galette. Top with jam. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Oatmeal-Mesquite Raisin Cookies cup room-temperature butter cup vegetable shortening 1 cups brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs

3 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup all purpose flour cup mesquite flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon salt 1 cup raisins

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine butter,

shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cream together. Beat with electric mixer until combined. Mix oats,

flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add raisins. Use a tablespoon to measure batter and place onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

Faculty: (From left) Darryl Wong, culinary faculty, Pima Community College Desert Vista

Campus; Elizabeth Mikesell, Center for Training and Development chef instructor, Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus; Barry Infuso, lead faculty, Pima

Community College Desert Vista Campus

Students: (From top left) Jamaal Henderson,

Casandra Suarez, Sammie Cota, Arnette Jones, Guadalupe

Thomas, Adan Salazar

Pima Community College Desert Vista campus offers two culinary

curriculums. Visit Pima.edu to learn more.


The Tucson Historic Warehouse Arts District is North of the railroad tracks, bounded by 4th Avenue on the east, Stone on the west, & 6th Street to the north.

Toole Ave.

6th St.6th

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Stone Ave. 4th

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Broadway

The district was created to be a center for incubation, production, and exhibition of the arts with artists at its heart. Through the renovation of historic buildings with in the district, self-sustaining affordable arts spaces can contribute to the economic and social growth of the city.

Toole Ave.

6th St.

6th Ave.

Stone Ave. 4th

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Broadway


T uck ed in to an unassuming strip mall just east of Craycroft on Speedway, at Good Day Caf, the staff wear tuxedo T-shirts and friendly smiles. Tim Lowery opened the caf in 2013 with the help of his daughter, Karen McKissick, both on a mission to create a restaurant where everything is homemade and priced right. Breakfast shouldnt cost you what you spend for dinner, Lowery says, noting that its one of the few places in town where customers can still buy a $1.99 breakfast meal any time of the day.

Lowerys passion for quality food is a driving force behind Good Day Cafs menu: Youre coming here for breakfast, you should get the best breakfast you can get, he says. The pancakes are made from his grandmothers recipe, as is the chicken-fried steak. Everything is made from scratch. Lowery grew up near 29th and Craycroft, and he says that he likes giving back to the community he grew up in. Its a pleasure to have a business right here in Tucson, especially here in my neighborhood, he says. His focus on community doesnt stop with serving good food; Lowery makes a point of buying all his ingredients through Merit Foods, a Tucson-based food distribution company, and keeps his soda fountain stocked through Kalil Bottling Company, another Tucson-based vendor.

Growing up in a military family, you learn how to cook, he says. I like doing weird combinations; it would be fun to blindfold everyone, sit them down, and let them eat something different instead of the same thing. He recently debuted one such weird item, an alternative to hashbrowns he calls tater balls. Customers choose their own mix-ins to be added to shredded potatoes, which are formed into balls and deep-fried. Lowery recommends dipping them in his homemade bourbon syrup, the recipe of which is a closely guarded secret. Just in time for the start of the NFL season, Lowery added 32 NFL-themed burgers to the lunch menu, inspired by the top-selling foods served at each teams stadium.

Yet ultimately, its not about the food. Lowery describes how some of his staff members came to Good Day Caf after facing their share of troubles. You see things go from [serving] food to changing peoples lives, Lowery says. Its fun to come together with people who thought life was almost gone, [who have] come back from that, and be friends. It may manifest as serving breakfast and lunch, but for Lowery, it comes down to the people. I have a passion for people, because people change. Just like new foods, everyone deserves a chance.

Good Day Caf. 5683 E. Speedway Blvd. 520.722.9621.

A Passion for PeopleEveryone gets another chance at Good Day Caf.

By Kate Selby | Photography by Taylor Noel

gleanings

Matching Tim Lowerys love of community is his interest in experimenting with flavor combinations.


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A t the gr ammys garden stand, Sue Wyckoff greets customers with a calm smile, unruffled by the bustle of the Sunday Heirloom Farmers Market at Rillito Park. Wycoff started Grammys as a fresh produce stand 12 years ago, with a couple greenhouses and a few tomatoes. Six years later, she opened a commercial kitchen with equipment she had been collecting over the years and added jams, jellies, and preserves to the list.

These days, Wyckoff focuses less on growing her own produce and more on making sure the produce and products she brings to market are the very freshest, highest quality they can be. She emphasizes the importance of sourcing GMO-free, organic produce, both for her canned products and in the fresh produce she brings to market from other growers: heirloom tomatoes and assorted vegetables from BestFresh Farms, and fruit from Briggs and Eggers Orchard, both in Willcox. She keeps her prices down by picking up produce directly from her suppliers. Shoppers at Grammys can trust that their produce is always fresh: Wyckoff goes out on Wednesdays to gather the produce she brings to market, ensuring as short a delay as possible between the farm and her customers kitchens.

Taking center stage at Grammys are Wyckoffs preserves, jams, and jellies. I use everything local I can, she says. In addition to growing some of her own produce and working with local farms, market farms, and backyard growers for the rest, she harvests prickly pear fruit and other wild produce, and sources citrus fruits from the excess harvested throughout Tucson by gleaning group

Iskashitaa, which helps Wyckoff access the amazing variety of citrus available in and around Tucson. She keeps her ingredients simple, striving to ensure that the products she brings to market are pure productscane sugar, fresh lemon juice, and GMO-free pectin, no fillers. And of course, fruit.

Wyckoff makes her jams using fresh, seasonal produce, or produce that was frozen while in season. When I run out of peaches in my freezer, I dont make peach preserves until next year. Fruit is seasonal, just like vegetables, she says. The other detail that helps Grammys stand out from store-bought brands? Wyckoff always makes both a sweet version and a hot habaero version of her products. Wyckoff says each product is a chance for her to be creative and explore flavors, such as her Cardamom Grapefruit Jam. A seasonal favorite for autumn is Grammys Ap-ple Pie Jam, made with fresh apples, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Wyckoffs own secret blend of seasonings.

Why does she love working the farmers markets? Wyckoff says she likes people, and is happy to talk with shoppers about her canning process. People want to learn; a lot of vendors resent when people say, Im going to make that, but I dont. I want people to be able to do it safely.

Find Grammys Thursday at the Sierra Vista Farmers Market, Friday at the Heirloom Farmers Market at Jesse Owens Park, Saturday at the Heirloom Farmers Market at Steam Pump Park, Sunday at the Heirloom Farmers Market at Rillito Park, and Sunday at Santa Fe Square Farmers Market.

Visit Facebook.com/Grammys.AZ.

In Grammys GardenSue Wycoff is jamming with fresh produce.


Sue Wyckoff runs the Grammys Garden stand with the help of her husband and extended family.


Erik shapiro had a problema seven-foot-tall problem. He had purchased the Beaudry Plaza property in Tucsons Dunbar/Spring neighborhood, intending to open up a vegetarian restaurant. Then he discovered a seven-foot smoker on the back patio. Initially, Shapiro thought he had stumbled onto a relic of Tucsons forgotten past: in 1953, the future site of Zinmans Food Shop was a smokehouse called Zinmans Skillet, in the then-predominantly African-American neighborhood of Dunbar/Spring. But after some sleuthing, Shapiro determined that despite the smokers well-worn appearance, it had only been installed about 15 years prior.

What the smoker lacked in historical significance, it made up for in unrealized potential. It was far, far larger than what he needed for the vegetables he planned to cook at the vegetarian Zinmans Food Shop. I thought at first we could use itI had heard of smoking vegetables, but this is really for putting half a pig in there and cooking it for 12 hours. He decided to find the smoker a new home, but it couldnt be just any restaurant. Shapiro wanted to ensure that the Dunbar/Spring community that once surrounded Zinmans Skillet would continue to have

access to the smoker for special events and other community functions. He jokes, I decided to give it instead of sell it so I could attach strings to it.

Ramiro Scavo, the owner of Pasco Kitchen & Lounge, didnt mind Shapiros requirement that he share the smoker. Scavo is preparing to open up a new barbecue restaurant on University Boulevard called Reds, and Shapiros smoker was exactly what he needed. The deal was struck: Shapiro could rest easy knowing that the neighborhood churches and community groups could continue to be able to use the smoker, and Scavo would put it to good use teasing the noses and tempting the appetites of every barbecue lover in Main Gate Square. Even better, the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood is only a few blocks away, making it easy for community members to stop by.

When asked why it was so important to preserve the smokers connection with its old neighborhood, Shapiro explains, Its a nice thing to do. He smiles. And its a really good story.

Look for Zinmans Food Shop in late fall 2015. Zinmans Food Shop on Facebook: bit.ly/ZinmansFoodShopFB

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After accidentally buying a seven-foot smoker along with the property for his new vegetarian restaurant, Erik Shapiro kept it in the community.

A Smokers ConnectionAn old meat smoker stays connected to its original community.



Some people eat to liveI live to eat. At least some of the time anyway. I dig food. Eating out. Eating in. Cooking it, studying it, obsessing, tweaking old recipes, and creating new ones. Im always reinventing the wheel, especially when I fail.

Few of us have been left un-touched by food culture. If were not talking about food, were in-dulging in it. Like music, certain meals live in our cellular memo-ry. Food is community. And if we dont eat, we die. Which obviously lends a certain urgency to the whole eat-ing thing. Add geography, culture, and ethnicity to the mix and our passion for food has biological beginnings.

Food is organic design, and our taste buds have gone global. Its not just the bigger cities that lay claim to tasty morsels of artisan grub. The Old Pueblo holds its own and keeps growing.

The first time I landed in Tucson I was in the prime of youth, with my family, and we opened a restaurant (which definitely chewed up some of that youth). I cooked, waitressed, and lost my temper. First we were blessed with a good review, then we were sent to food purgatory. So Ive been on both sides of the cash register.

Game of Plates is my favorite series not yet streaming. So stay tuned to each issue as I bring some of the latest dishes: From food palaces to courts, four-star razzle-dazzle to the local pizza joint to the food truck or push cart. How the food goes, so will I.

So if you have news, press releases, ideas, or info, please send them along to [email protected] or text me at 520.404.4234.

I seem to move from one craving to another. And this month Ive been gnawing on some serious Middle Eastern. My new go-to is Zaatar Mediterranean Restaurant, housed in a vintage 1960s drive-through. Owner Ari Badan, who is Kurdish, cooks up au-thentic Greek-Lebanese-Turkish the way he ate growing up. Lunchtime often finds a line, brought to you by word of mouth raves. I tend to reach for the falafel plate ($8), which is crunchy and well seasoned, and comes with a decent mound of smoked baba ganoush (they grill the eggplant daily) next to a fine rise of perfectly seasoned hummus. The Greek salad (red onion, olives, feta chunks, tomato, cucumber) sounds just the right notes of citrus. And Zaatar turns out some cosmic pita from scratch everyday: small and oval shaped, crusty brown loaves that have a lightness to them. Their cheese bread (think Greek pizza) is sprinkled with three

Syrian varieties that Ari christens sweet cheese. It bakes in about nine minutes, and watching it crisp, then bubble in my field of vi-

sion well, Ive found my happy place. They also offer meat and herb versions ($3.50 to $4.50).

Menu offerings include chicken, beef, lamb, roasted vegetables, rice, and salads. Check out their daily specials. Seating is limited. Great place for takeout or cater-ing. Zaatar. 2825 N. Country

Club Road. 520.323.4074. Visit Zaatar on Facebook for specials.

Venturing out of my comfort zone, I wander up to Oro Valley (this used to be land of the rural). And in a little strip mall, not far from golf courses and post-card Catalina mountain views, Harvest Restaurant made a convert of me. With its muted earth tones and cozy feel, once I sat down, I grazed for hours.

Braised short rib tacos from Harvest.

Bruschetta from Harvest Restaurant.


Local and seasonal is the song of Harvest. They source locallythe meat comes from Double Check Ranchand make their food from scratch. Every morning, when the cooking begins, they roast bones, veggies, spices, and herbs, then reduce it for hours, until it goes round the bend into a serious stock. The result is their popular Baked 7 Onion Soup ($6.90) so richly caramelized, it has flavor rings: a puddle of onions on the bottom, toasted croutons, and a curtain of melted Swiss. I found sounds coming out of me I didnt know were possible.

And the braised short rib tacos ($9) come with a gorgeous rendition of red onion, avocado, and aioli across a soft flour tortilla with a drizzle of queso cotija cheese. Owner Lisa Shapouri says her customers would riot if she moved the dish off her menu rotation. The soup of the day ($4.50-$6.50) was more like a stew, a rich lamb and fig invention, again with house-made stock that had all the texture of velvet sliding down.

No matter what I ate, like the spring mix with salted watermelon and feta crumbles, it made me swoon. And when Lisa mentioned their French fries were the best in town, and put those hand-cut, cumin-parsley babies in front of me, after two bites, I believed it (apologies to other contenders). Whatever their secret (and it is secret), may it continue into the afterlife.

Coming here is like going to the home of a great cook who knows its the small

touches that amplify the experience. They make their ketchup from the ground up, a gorgeous blood red that isnt too sweet or too tart. Their bruschetta shines with a house-made pistachio pesto armed with capers, tomato relish, and artichokes, topped with a thick slice of house-made mozzarella.

I finished off my graze with their excellent house churned ice creams. Perfect texture without being cloyingly sweet. Lisa makes all the desserts herself. And for all you gluten freeers, she bakes her own gluten-free bread

and buns. R e z a a n d L i s a Shapouri were set to

open their second Harvest location in September 2015 next to the Whole Foods on River and Craycroft. 10355 N. LaCaada Drive, Oro Valley. 520.731.1100.

Visit Harvestov.com. One summer, years back,

I wandered around New York City just visiting bakeries. I stalk

quality-baked goods the way I used to hunt for shoeswith obsessive focus.

Its harder to do in Tucson, as the local bakery scene has been largely absorbed by supermarkets. So when I spied Bread-smith just a few doors down from Har-vest, I felt the old familiar stirrings. The irresistible tango of flour, water, and yeast in the form of gorgeous bread loaves.

After years of shopping at their local Milwaukee Breadsmith, a European-style chain, owners Mike and Jan Kruziki, decided to bring the idea of the bakery along with them on their move to Oro Valley. There are 35 Breadsmith stores in 14 states and each one is independently o w n e d ; t h e Kruziki s own the only Arizo-na location, and bring a Midwest-ern warmth to the neighborhood.

Here youll find racks of freshly baked bread that send waves of aroma in all directions, from Country Buttercup to Marathon Multigrain, Brioche to Free-dom Bread, Traditional Rye or Garlic Cobblestone.

Theres crusty European style as well as American soft-crusted sandwich bread, along with sweeter specialty doughs. Everything is made from scratch daily, with no additives or preservatives, then baked in a six-ton stone hearth oven, steam-injected, imported from Europe. Their dough is never frozen.

I couldnt resist their coffee cake or Buttertop bread, which morphed into a stellar French toast in my kitchen, soaked

through like a pudding but hearty enough to stand up to a fork.

And the coffee cake has a fine crumb, perfect

with that cup of Joe, moist and rich

with spices. Bread leftover at the end of the day is donated to a local food bank. 10355 N. La

Caada Drive. 520.219.7985.

Visit Breadsmith.com for daily flavors.


What I consider a grocery stores main social function is to bring people in the neighborhood together, says Paul Cisek, one of the owners of the new Johnny Gibsons Downtown Market , which opened in the dead of summer to rave reviews and some serious love after a 42-year downtown grocery market drought.

Johnny Gibsons, named after the late local barbershop owner, weightlifter, war hero, and downtown cheerleader, is an adventure in pure pleasure. The ceilings are high and the exposed red brick offers an old fashioned touch. Rows of fresh colorful veggies and racks of stainless showcase every-thing from artisan flavored olive oils to milk, eggs, peanut butter, jam, and so on down the food chain. Think of it as the new Mecca of nourishment, minus high convenience store prices.

Without any recent history to chart their current demographic, Cisek says, We decided to make sure that we put enough of the various lines in: natural, traditional, private label, and gourmet grocery so we

would see a trend by virtue of

the types of foods people were buying. After about a year theyll have

a better idea of what to stock based on item sales.

In the meantime, the shop has plenty of local vendors, including Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company, Isabellas Ice Cream, Tucson Tamale Company, Sun-Rise Baking Company, Arbuckle Coffee Company, Alejandros Tortilla Factory, Don Juan Tortillas, Green Valley Pecan Company, Fermented Tea Company, and others. And theyre excited and open about carrying new local vendors.

Theyve got a full service deli and fresh fish, and their meat market will be up and butchering soon (complete with spit-roasted chickens). The outside back patio is a hidden gem. Its a community meeting place where you can hang with

friends, indulge in some beer and wine, have lunch, and bring your computer (wi-fi is free.)

All this beauty didnt come cheapa $1.1 million-dollar

build-out, and it shows throughout the markets 6,000 square feet.

Gibsons purchases their major gro-cery items through Bashas, and Cisek says he loves being affiliated with the Arizona chain because theyre a family, theyre not looking to open up all over the country. They have opened a warehouse to independents. And they dont have to do that.

As for Arizona, it turns out were a leader in the grocery wars. Cisek, a vet-eran of the market business, says, There are more grocery stores per capita [in the state]. I think were No. 1. Thats why you dont see a lot of independents, because of the competitive nature of the grocery stores in Arizona. They cant compete.

Of course, Johnny Gibsons will prove them wrong. 11 S. Sixth Avenue. 520.393.8544. GibsonsMarket.com.

Laura Greenberg is a Tucson writer.

36 July/August 2015

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The PlatethePlate

4 3

1 2


Photography by Isadora Lassance

That one thing they should never take off the menu.

ErmanosZip BurgerThe burger to put a zip in your step (or a nap in your afternoon). The grass-fed beef in the seven-ounce patty comes from Double Check Ranch. Topped with their secret zip sauce, burnt onions, on a brioche bun. $11 ($7 during happy hour). 220 N. Fourth Ave.

5 Points Market & RestaurantHuevos RancherosSo good, they were mentioned in our nations paper of record. Local corn tortillas come smothered in pinto beans, over-medium eggs, sharp white cheddar, house ranchero sauce, pico de gallo, avocado, and cilantro-serrano pesto. $9.756 S. Stone Ave.

Gringo Grill & CantinaGringo BurgerSonoran flavors on an American classic: this half-pound burger made with local grass-fed beef comes with mesquite bacon, jalapeo jam, beans, lettuce, and tomato. $145900 N. Oracle Road

Caf DestaCombination vegan & meat tasting platterA feast to feed a family. Caf Destas shared plates come with a generous side of injera, a pancake-like sourdough bread with the perfect mix of spongy and soft to scoop up all that deliciousness before you. $45.758 S. Stone Ave.

KIDS MENU

Hailes Healthy SwapsBy Haile Thomas | Photography by Jackie Alpers

Summer is a blast! Ive had so much fun teaching my kids cooking camps; enjoying much needed time to play, relax, and rejuvenate on the beaches in California; and precious moments taking super-early morning walks with my mom to beat the Arizona heat. But even though the temperatures are still soaring, were back to school now, which inspired me to get into the kitchen and create some simple, easy, nutritious, and delicious recipes to fuel a fantastic new school year.

My first swap takes on sugary breakfast foods like donuts and cereals. I love to literally mix things up a bit by making yummy smoothies. The best part is they can be made out of an unlimited combination of fresh and delicious ingredients. My Chocolate Cherry Zucchini smoothie recipe is fun, flavorful, and a refreshingly sweet way to get your daily veggies. All the kids in my cooking camp really loved this recipe. Plus, did you know that zucchini is heart-healthy? Just another reason to blend it up right now.

My next swap takes on pizza. I know this is a very popular (and in my opinion, boring) lunchtime meal, because eating cheese, peperoni, and maybe a few other toppings isnt always the healthiest or adventurous choice. Thats why I like to swap pizza out for my Mediterranean Chickpea Flatbread. I love Mediterranean flavors like cumin and paprika, which really make the flavors in this dish pop! The chickpeas are used both in hummus form, as well as whole roasted on top of the flat bread, imparting plenty of calcium to keep our bones nice and strong.

Finally, an essential component to back-to-school recipes is making sure they are simple and quick to prepare, and my Green Rice and Tofu Fajita Bowl is a fantastic example of a perfect lunch to bring to school. I love how colorful and flavorful the green rice is, and how well the spinach, jalapeo, and cilantro work together. And, the crispy tofu just makes it all complete. Its truly perfection.

I hope that these swaps will inspire you to get creative with back-to-school meals, and to have a happy and healthy new school year!

Haile Thomas is a 10th grader at The Gregory School, a motivational speaker, a young chef, and the founder of the HAPPY Organization.

Mediterranean Chickpea Flatbread

Ingredients: 2 medium-sized pita bread 1 can chickpeas cup hummus per flat bread (store

bought or homemade) 1 teaspoon cumin teaspoon paprika teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 cup cherry tomatoes red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:Preheat oven to 400. Season the chickpeas with cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Pour chickpeas onto baking pan, and roast for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut your cherry tomatoes in half, chop the cilantro, and thinly slice the red onion. Next spread cup of hummus onto the pita bread. Then divide and top pita bread with the chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Bake the pita bread for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Serves 2.

Green Rice, Black Bean & Corn, and Tofu

Fajita Bowl

Ingredients:For tofu: 1 package extra firm tofu 1 green bell pepper yellow onion 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon fajita

seasoning 3-4 tablespoons coconut oil

For green rice: 4 cups cooked brown rice 1 cup spinach cup cilantro of a jalapeo of a yellow onion cup vegetable broth 1 clove garlic

For Bean and Corn Mix: can black beans can corn 1 cups diced cherry

tomatoes

Directions:Cut tofu into equal sized cubes and set aside. Heat a pan on medium-high heat, and add coconut oil. Add the tofu to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add salt and fajita seasoning to the tofu, and distribute evenly by stirring the tofu around the pan. Cook the tofu for another 10 minutes, or until slightly crispy and golden brown. Mix in the bell peppers and onions, and heat through. Add all green rice ingredients to a blender, except for the rice, and blend until smooth. Pour the green sauce over the precooked brown rice, and stir until the rice is completely green. Dice tomatoes, and combine beans, corn, and tomatoes in a bowl. Season with a dash of salt. Set aside. You can warm this mixture or serve cold. Layer the green rice mixture, then the bean and corn mixture, and finally top with tofu. Enjoy! Serves 4.


Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Smoothie

Ingredients: 2 cups soymilk (or your favorite milk) 1 small zucchini 1 cup frozen cherries 4 pitted dates 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 2 tablespoons almond butter (or chia

seeds) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:Add all ingredients to a blender, blend untilsmooth, and enjoy! Serves 2.


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Good BedfellowsBy Amy Belk | Illustrations by Danny Martin

I love the visual appeal of a tidy, organized vegetable garden. I have a helpless crush on the promise of using clever hand-made plant markers to identify well-groomed rows of tomatoes and groups of herbs, all growing neatly in their appointed spaces.

Despite my irrational fondness for mini-monocultures and neat little rows, Ive come to accept that my garden will probably never be well-groomed or organized enough for a plant marker, and thats OK. Indeed, putting a variety of plants together in one bed is often a much better plan than grouping each type of plant together in one place. Plants can help each other out in a surprising number of ways when theyre allowed to intermingle.

Companion planting has been practiced for centuries by farmers and growers all around the world, but its the home gardener, often working with a smaller amount of space, who can benefit the most from learning which plants make good bedfellows. Since now is a great time to start planting so many of our cool-season veggies and herbs, this is the perfect time to consider a wilder approach with your next garden plans. This planting season, why not see what happens

when you mix things up a bit, and use small spaces to your advantage?

We know that large groups of the same type of plant are much easier to spot (or smell) from a distance, so one of the first benefits of growing a mixed variety of plants together is that hungry critters will have a more difficult time finding their favorite snacks. And there are a number of other less-obvious interactions happening at the same time. The smell of one plant might help mask the smell of another; a smaller plant may stay protected beneath a bigger plants canopy; and another plant could help repel a pest or pathogen.

Sunflowers, for example, are tall enough to provide excellent afternoon shade for tomatoes in the summer. The snap beans and peas that we plant by seed in September or as transplants in October are known to boost the growth of nearby plants by increasing nitrogen levels in the soil. When grown within the vegetable beds rather than sequestered to the herb garden, certain herbs can help keep pests and pathogens at bay, and can often lend a subtle flavor to vegetables grown nearby.

Companion planting in raised beds.

[E.H.]


Its interesting to note that whats good together on the plate will often grow well together in the same soil. Such is the case with tomatoes and basil. Basil is said to impart a delicate flavor to tomatoes, and gardeners have noted that both plants seem to just do better when the other is growing nearby. Like a lot of the aromatic herbs, basil plants produce substances that have some antimicrobial and antifungal properties while also deterring some pests with their strong scent. Tomatoes, on the other hand (and some other members of the nightshade family), produce substances that help deter harmful nematodes in the soil.

Perhaps thats why asparaguswhich many of us can begin planting around the beginning of Octobergets along so well with both tomato and basil plants. Although it takes a while for this crop to pay offyou should wait at least one year before your first harvestonce you get asparagus going youll have fresh spears to harvest every spring (and sometimes summer) for 12 to 15 years. Parsley is a great cool-season herb to seed around your asparagus starts in fall. These two plants will happily keep each other company until you can add some basil and tomatoes to the bed next spring.

Another famous pairing is strawberries with spinach. If youre one of the many of us who just planted strawberries in August, try starting some spinach from seed in the same bed.

Both plants have similar soil and food preferences, but their roots occupy different soil levels, so theyre not in direct competition for nutrients. In addition, the saponin produced by the spinach helps to repel some of the bacteria and fungi that can keep strawberries from thriving.

Now is a great time to plant any of the brassicas (also called cole crops: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga, and kale), but youll want to try to keep them away from tomatoes, strawberries, radish, or pole beans. Most plants in the cabbage family prefer growing near celery, dill, onions, leeks, or potatoes.

Alliums (onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) are all especially useful as companion plants in the garden. As youre planting your fall and winter crops, disperse some allium bulbs throughout your lettuce, beets, and brassicas to help protect them from a number of nibbling critters and hungry pests.

Garlic is probably the best-known and most-used member of the allium family. This stinky bulb helps to protect all kinds of plants from pests, but keep in mind that companion planting doesnt always mean that the benefits are mutual. Many of the plants that like to have alliums nearby dont appreciate the dry soil conditions that are necessary for

Tomato and basil do better together, on the plate and in the garden.

[E.H.]


alliums to produce a tasty bulb. Its sometimes the case that we grow two plants together for the benefit of one more than the other.

The only veggies that dont like having an allium nearby are beans and peas. Plant these legumes along with some carrots, lettuce, or radishes instead. The deep taproots of radish and carrot mix well with the more fibrous roots of a lettuce, and the nitrogen bump from legumes growing in the same bed will make everyone happy.

In many ways, companion planting is all about fostering diversity in your garden beds. Having a good mixture of root types and differing speeds of growth within the bed will help reduce competition for nutrients. A variety of leaf types and a mixture of smells will help obscure your garden goodies from pests. A tiny ecosystem can exist in your own back yard!

Amy Belk is a garden writer and photographer, a certified arborist, and a certified nursery professional who has been learning from her garden for 15 years (and counting). She and her husband homestead on a little piece of the desert in the heart of Tucson.

PLANT NOW

Baja Arizona includes a variety of elevations and hardiness zones. Most of us can plant the following veggies and herbs this September and October, but check with local resources for more detailed information about the best times

to plant or sow seed in your area. If marked with an asterisk (*), its recomm ended that

you dont seed or sow until temperatures drop below 100.

Seeds to sow: anise*, beets, beans (snap), bok choy, borage*, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, calendula*, carrots, celery, chamomile*, chervil*, cilantro*, collard greens,

cucumber, cumin*, dill*, endive, fennel, French sorrel*, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard greens,

parsley*, peas, radish, salad burnet*, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips.

Plant/transplant starts of: asparagus*, beets*, bok choy*, broccoli*, Brussels sprouts*,

cabbage, carrots*, cauliflower*, collard greens*, endive*, fava beans*, fennel*, garbanzo beans*, garlic,

garlic chives, green onion*, kale*, kohlrabi*, lavender*, lettuce*, leeks*, marjoram*, mustard greens*, potatoes, onions, parsley*, parsnip*, radish*, rosemary*, rutaba-ga*, sage*, spinach*, sweet bay, Swiss chard*, thyme*, turnips*. For rhubarb and salsify, plant after September in cooler zones of Baja Arizona only.

Companion planting is all about fostering diversity.

Garlic, Allium sativum

[E.H.]


Her long braids bob merrily as Linda Leigh circles the demo box, spraying water on the cloth that covers the featured performers, a couple hundred wiggly worms.

They are too dry, she tells an early customer at the Heirloom Farmers Market at Rillito Park. Their skin has to be moist for them to survive. Worms breathe by the diffusion of air through a moist coating on their skin, Leigh explains.

Every few minutes, a visitor or two stops to look in on the pinkish-to-multicolored worms. With Leighs help, they turn back the cloth and dip their hands into the black humus to lift a glob of wormhood, as if to wish them a good morning.

These worms do feel friendly as they crawl about your hand. Nothing creepy about these guys, the all-stars of Leighs five-year-old Vermillion Wormery in Oracle.

Its just past 8 a.m. on a summer Sunday and Leigh (rhymes with day) has already been delivering minilectures for a half hour, almost nonstop, to passersby. Its what youd expect from the former college teacher and lifelong researcher.

Leigh was an original crew member living in the Biosphere 2, 30 miles north of the market. Before she moved into the Biosphere 2, in 1985, Leigh worked as its biome design coordinator, working alongside specialists

in all aspects of building food websexperts in worms, soil, butterflies, as well as engineers and architects in the design of the rainforest, savannah, and desert. She was eventually selected as one of eight Biospherians chosen to walk our talk, and lived inside Biosphere 2 from 1991 to 1993. While inside, she managed those wilderness systems, and worked daily in the agriculture system with the other Biospherians.

We grew most of our food during that time and of course recycled all of our waste well, really no such thing as waste in a truly closed system, is there? she recalls.

Before becoming a worm entrepreneur, she also worked for the Nature Conservancy and at the research depart-ment of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to identify, collect, and grow desert plants that could be appropriate for drylands agriculture.

A lifelong student of botany, a few years ago, Leigh hit on a new mission: creating a world with less organic waste. She returned to worms, those wrigglers who love to eat ex-tra bits of lettuce or orange peel and excrete what becomes a gardeners gold. She says that adding vermicomposting to gardening was a natural process, completing the total systems cycle that she loves to practice and study.

Spreading the worm, as Leigh calls her work, came serendipitously. A neighbor was getting married and had to ditch her worm bin for marital harmony. Leigh took

A Happy Kingdom of Worms in Your Kitchen

By Ford Burkhart | Photography by Elijah LeComte


over. She failed, the worms bailed, and she began studying. I learned from the ground up, she says. It helped that she had a Ph.D. in systems ecology and energy analysis from the University of Florida.

As Leigh buzzes about her booth, more customers line up for a quick tour of the worm bin, or to buy some small Egyptian spinach starters or a few herb plants. Some will buy a bag of worms or just the dark fertilizer, called castings.

Leigh studies each potential customer to see if they have the necessary character to take some of her worms away.

Thats why I vet people, she says with a laugh. I dont want my worms going home with just anybody. I want only those who will be faithful stewards. Starting a worm bin has a pretty strong learning curve.

Mainly, they have to remember to keep the bedding, a mix of shredded cardboard and coconut coir, or fiber, moist, but not too moist.I wont send my worms home to their death in the wrong environment, Leigh says.

Why start a worm bin? asks a potential customer.To get rid of your garbage and improve your plants,

Leigh says. But one customer has his own view.They become like my pets, says Donald Lockwood, a

massage therapist, who came to the farmers market with his wife, Charity Whiting, and daughter, Ruby Rain. They buy a bag of worms to restart their bin. Their first experiment failed. It was a disaster. They all died, says Lockwood, who vows hes learned enough to start again.

You get really bonded with them. It makes you happy to toss in your food scraps and have them poop out this great fertilizer, he says. We water all our plants with the mix of castings and water, what we call compost tea. Their

compost tea is made with one cup of worm compost per gallon of dechlorinated water, plus 1 teaspoon of unsul-phured molasses, stirred periodically for least 24 hours to keep it oxygenated.

Another lesson to be learned is heat.This morning, the temperature is on its way to 109. But

in the shade, Leighs worms are no more than 75 to 80. Leigh explains that the worms can survive anywhere as long as their bedding is between 34 and up to 88. But they are happiest between 60 and 75.

At the Vermillion Wormery site in Oracle, Leigh and her business partner, Doug Shepherd, have built eight 4-by-8 feet concrete bins and few others made from wooden pallets, all sunk about a foot into the ground to provide some insulation from heat and cold.

She uses horse manure, food scraps from friends and restaurants, coffee grounds, and shredded paper to grow worms for sale. The horse manure has too much sand to be ideal for her marketed castings; for that, she uses llama, sheep, or goat manure. Leigh looks over at the Adventure Coffee Roasting booth. I take all their grounds home to the worms, she says.

Just then, a UA student arrives, seeking advice. Id like to know whatever I need to know to get started, says Emily McIntosh, just back from the Peace Corps in Mozambique. Ten minutes later, she knows. She places an order for a quarter pound of worms, for $6.25. Delivery next Sunday.

She passed the test.Im so excited, Emily says, before she departs.

Ford Burkhart has called Tucson home for going on 70 years; his 1917 bungalow has a tree he planted in 1947.

Worm castings make for gardeners gold: nutrient-rich soil.


SO yOu bOughT WOrmS. WhAT NexT?

The binTo prepare your 10-gallon bin for a pound of worms, drill

3/8-inch wide ventilation holes in the bottom, upper edge, and top of the bin. Keeping it indoors works best in extreme summer or winter temperatures. Worms are happiest, and eat and reproduce more, between 60 and 75 degrees. If you are managing the worm bin correctly, there should be no smell and no invasive critters.

BeddingVermillion Wormery mixes compost and coconut coir,

which can hold a lot of water. The compost kick-starts the microbial community to start breaking down the food you put in so that the worms can eat it. To test for the correct amount of moisture in the bedding, take a handful (without worms) and squeeze it as hard as you can. A few drops of water should come out. If its too dry, mix in some water. If its too wet, add some shredded paper or cardboard.

Adding the wormsPlace the worms and the material they are packed in on top

of the bedding in the bin. Watch them wiggle down into the beddingthey will move away from the light into the dark bin. Lay shredded paper on top of the bedding and worms. Moisten the paperit will keep your bin cool in the summer and help maintain the moisture level. Worms will eat it eventually, so add fresh shreds and new bedding now and again.

For the next night or two, your worms might be a bit restless in their new home. Leave the bin in a place with a light turned on (in a bathroom, say, or laundry room) and the bin top removed for the next two or three nights so they wont be tempted to explore outside the bin. Start feeding them food scraps in a few days, after theyre settled in. Using compost as part of the bedding offers plenty of food for a few days before you start your regular feedings.

Feeding the wormsYour worms will eat food scraps, coffee grounds, shredded

cardboard and paper, compost, and other organic materials. They dont eat soil or anything that is not organic. Dont feed them dairy or meat, which will become stinky. Chop-ping and freezing food scraps before feeding them to worms increases the surface area of the food for microbial growth, breaks the cell walls of the plant, and kills fruit fly eggs and larvae that could be a problem later.

Start with a light feeding, maybe a cup or so, and bury it an inch or two under the surface. Cover it with bedding. Once that food has been consumed, feed them more. If you have a 10-gallon bin, you can typically feed your worms up to a half pound of veggie scraps a day. You can add a tablespoon of ground eggshells or fine sand to help the worms grind the food. Its best to not feed a lot of any one particular food at a feeding.

Linda Leigh and Doug Shepherd co-own Vermillion Wormery and raise their red wiggler worms in Oracle.


HarvestingThe worms will let you know when to collect

the castings. When all the contents of your bin look like dark coffee grounds, its harvest time. Using the dump-and-sort method, dump the bin contents on a flat surface where a light, or the sun, can shine on them. Make little piles of castings and wait a few minutes until the worms burrow down away from the light. Brush the castings away until you have a pile of castings and a pile of worms. Harvest your castings, and have a bin with fresh bedding ready. Put the worms in it, and start all over again.

Using worm castingsSeedlings: Use up to 20 percent worm compost

in your potting mix. More than 20 percent will not harm plants, but it wont offer much additional benefit.

Vegetables and annuals: Side dress with about cup of worm compost per plant as needed.

Transplants: Provide 1 inch of worm compost in planting hole before placing plant.

Potted plants: Mix 1 inch of worm compost with top of soil around base of plants as needed.

Trees and shrubs: Mix 1 inch of worm compost with top of soil around base of plants every month during growing season.

Worms will eat everything from food scraps to coffee grounds.

bASic mAriNArA SAuce

In my Italian family, Sunday dinners are centered on a generous pot of sweet marinara sauce and a few good bottles of red wine. Once mastered, marinara sauce plays a powerful role in enhancing the flavor of an array of Italian dishes. To make the perfect marinara sauce, you need good ingredients and patience.

TomatoesIt is important to use high-quality tomatoes as they are the

main ingredient in any marinara sauce. Although fresh tomatoes are wonderful, I save them for salads and use canned San Mar-zano tomatoes for sauce. Picked and canned as soon as they are vine-ripened, San Marzanos have a sweet and concentrated flavor that is difficult to find elsewhere. Because these tomatoes are canned whole, they will need to be pured before they are put into the sauce.

WineA small amount of red wine has the ability to help create mar-

inara sauce with great depth of flavor. It is important to use good wine because its flavors become concentrated during the cooking process. Chianti is great for tomato-based sauce because its acidity levels complement those that are found in tomatoes.

TimePerhaps the most important thing to remember when cooking

marinara sauce is that it requires patience. Marinara sauce is cre-ated in a progression of steps, and it is important that the flavors in each stage of the process have adequate time to develop. The entire cooking process is done over low heat, so the ingredients are encouraged to mingle and develop together during the simmering process.

Marinara Recipe: 2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil 2 large cloves of garlic, minced cup diced yellow onion cup good red wine 1 tablespoon high quality tomato paste 1 tablespoon cane sugar 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, pured 1 tablespoon fresh basil or tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or tablespoon dried

oregano teaspoon sea salt Pepper, to taste

Directions:Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over low heat. Add the minced garlic and saut for 30 seconds.Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently,

until the onion is translucent (about 3-5 minutes).Add the red wine, tomato paste, and sugar to the

pot and stir to combine.Cook the wine mixture for 5-10 minutes, or until

the wine reduces to about half.Add the pured tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the

pot and stir until everything is combined. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover most of

the pot with a lid (allowing about an inch for steam to escape), and let the sauce simmer for at least 30-60 minutes.

If you are making a larger quantity of sauce, let it simmer for at least an hour for best results.

Stir the herbs into the sauce 10 minutes before you remove the sauce from the heat.

Italian 101Text and Photography by Shelby Thompson


Herbs

Basil, oregano, and flat-leaf parsley are some of the herbs used most frequently in Italian cooking, but a variety of other leafy green herbs such as sage and thyme also show up. While buying or growing fresh herbs is a wonderful way to liven up a meal, it is easy to end up with a lot of leftover herbs after youve finished cooking. If you know how to properly store herbs to keep them vibrant and flavorful for next week, next month, and next winter, you can have flavorful meals all year long.

Short-Term PreservationWhen stored correctly, herbs can last for up to two

or three weeks in the refrigerator. The key is proper storage.

As soon as your herbs are picked from the garden or brought home from the market, rinse and dry them carefully.

Dampen two connected paper towels (a flour-sack towel would also work) and lay on the countertop.

Arrange your herbs in a flat row along the length of the towel. Youll want a different towel for each type of herb.

Beginning with the towel end nearest to you, carefully roll the herb-filled towel into a loose bundle. Store bundles in an unzipped gallon-size bag in the refrigerator.

Long-Term PreservationMy favorite way to store herbs for seasons is to freeze

them in a small amount of olive oil, which preserves the herbs vibrant flavors all winter long.

In an empty ice cube tray, fill each empty cube with herb leaves. You can keep the various herbs in separate cubes or combine them to create herb blends.

Pour enough olive oil in each cube to cover the top of the herbs. Store the tray in the freezer.

When you are ready to use your herbs, simply place a cube in a small bowl for about an hour to let it thaw.

Drying HerbsDried herbs are wonderful for sauces, salad dressings,

and spice blends. You can dry herbs the same way you might dry out a flower: upside down.

Wash and dry your herbs thoroughly. Bundle each individual type of herb and tie each bundle together with a piece of twine. Tie each bundle along a clothes hanger and store the hanger in a cool, dry place. Allow 4-7 days for your herbs to properly dry out. Once dry, store the dried herb leaves in airtight Mason jars.

How to Cook Dry PastaIn todays markets, there are entire aisles shelved with

various types of pasta. Whether you choose whole-wheat linguine, tagliatelle, or gluten-free penne, its important to know how to properly cook dried pasta. Pasta that is cooked al dente, or firm to the bite, is ideal. To achieve an al dente texture, dont overcook your pasta.

Fill a large pot full with water and heat on the stove over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt and your desired amount of pasta.

Immediately stir the pasta with a long wooden spoon so that the individual pieces do not clump together.

Cook the pasta for 7-10 minutes, stirring it every 2 or 3 minutes.

At the 7-minute mark, remove a piece of the pasta to test its consistency. The pasta should be soft but should retain a firm bite.

Thick pasta shapes, such as farfalle and linguine, typically take longer to reach al dente consistency than do thin shapes such as angel hair and orecchiette.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain it in a large colander over the sink.

Return it to the pot that it was cooked in and coat with marinara or a touch of olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Shelby Thompson practices yoga, plays ball with her black lab Cola, and cooks. Her blog thesunandthespoon.com provides nutritious, plant-based recipes for fellow food lovers.


In September and October, many farms in the northern hemisphere are preparing to close up for the winter, and farmers are looking forward to a well-deserved break. Not so in Baja Arizona. Hot temperatures last into the fall and mild weather allows many farms to continue to produce throughout the winter. In the fall, many farmers here are working overtime preparing their fields for winter crops, while continuing to maintain and harvest their summer crops. Plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and eggplant continue to pump out fruit, although more slowly now as daylight begins to wane. Plants that have produced for months are sprawling and oversized. Okra plants can tower over six feet tall, while squash hide behind gigantic leaves. This is an abundant time of year with lots of heavy produce. Big summer melons sit alongside giant pumpkins and winter squash at market stalls. The seasonal overlap provides a wide selection of fruits and veggies for market shoppers as farmers from various elevations and climate zones bring a wide variety of produce to sell.

In our sometimes scorching desert, the cool-weather growing season tends to be less demanding in terms of

both resources and labor. It is usually a relief when the long, hot days of summer finally come to an end. Many farmers work from sunup until sundown, so the long days of summer can be particularly exhausting. Rattlebox Farm owners Dana Helfer and Paul Buseck are just returning to the market after a summertime hiatus. To conserve water and make time for other projects, Helfer and Buseck grow a drought-tolerant cover crop during the hot, dry months of May and June. Then, when monsoon rains start in July they plant summer crops, ready to be harvested in the fall. At our farm in southeast Tucson, we plant zucchini, green beans, winter squash, cucumbers, melons, watermelon, flowers, green onions, basil, as well as cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, and eggplant that we start in the greenhouse, says Helfer. As the hot temperatures subside they also start planting cooler-weather root and leaf crops. When our CSA starts in September or October, this gives us a great mix of late summer and early fall veggies and fruits, says Helfer. For more information about Rattlebox Farm CSA, email [email protected].

FARM REPORTWhats in season in Baja Arizona.

By Sara Jones | Photography by Liora K

Watermelon and squash from Big D Farms.


Apples, to many people, are a symbol of fall. In Baja Arizona, the apple season starts early and extends for several months. Apples grown here tend to be smaller but sweeter than apples grown elsewhere in the nation. Our long growing season ensures that the apples have plenty of time to accumulate sugars and sweeten in the desert sun. Each type of apple has a slightly different growing season and they appear at markets at different times throughout the season. The texture, sugar content, and acid levels vary for each type of apple, meaning that some apples will perform better in baking or applesauce and others are better for eating fresh. Early season apples tend to be more delicate and dont last as long in storage as later season apples. One early apple, the Red Delicious, has long been a supermarket standard. The Red Delicious has a bad reputation of being mealy and tasteless, but if you have never tried a freshly harvested, local Red Delicious you will be amazed at the difference. These delicious apples really deserve their name and are great served in simple sweet or savory salads. Later in the season, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples become available. In the past decade or so Pink Lady apples have become widely available at both farmers markets and supermarkets. Bred in Australia, the Pink Lady and its cousins,

the Sundowner and Annas apple, are hot climate apples, well adapted to our desert growing conditions. With an equally tart and sweet flavor, the apples have a dense crisp flesh and store well. These apples are late season apples and should be available at markets well into the winter months.

Baja Arizonas longest running U-pick orchard, Apple Annies, has a convenient chart on its website letting customers know when each variety becomes available as well as the special qualities and flavors of each. In addi-tion to picking your own apples and pumpkins, there are plenty of fun fall activities. Visit AppleAnnies.com.

Although it sometimes seems like summer will go on forever, eventually it comes to an end. Fall is a great time to preserve produce that will be going out of season soon. Making a few quarts of quick pickles is an easy afternoon project that doesnt require special equipment. These pickles, which are stored in the refrigerator rather than canned, can last a couple months. Summer veggies like peppers, green tomatoes, squash, okra, and green beans are all prime ingredients for pickling. Cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and squash can be left whole if very small, quartered lengthwise for spears, or chopped into a relish. Green beans and okra are best left whole.

Fresh apples from Big D Farms.

bASic Quick PickLe reciPe

Fill two clean quart jars with your choice of veggies, whole or chopped. In a medium saucepan bring to a simmer:

2 cups white vinegar 2 cups water 1 heaping tablespoon salt cup sugar 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 tablespoon whole spices

(peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, and dill seeds are a traditional mix, but browse around online for ideas).

Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved; then pour hot liquid over veggies, making sure to evenly distribute spices and garlic. Let cool, then screw on lids and store in refrigerator for up to two months.


Feast changes its menu monthly. Why? Id worked at restaurants where people do the same dish over and over. One of the most enjoyable things about being in this business is being able to play in the kitchen. The No. 1 reason we change the menu is because were entertaining ourselves. I know what its like to prepare a dish that Ive prepared 5 million times before. Theres no love in it, and I think you taste that as a guest.

The other reason is seasonality. Theres so much mediocre food out there, because people insist: We do strawberry shortcake year-round, even though the strawberries are so bland.

Its been 14 years168 monthswhere weve done this, and every month has been different.

Why is it important for you to serve food from local producers? If you get your food locally, the quality can go up so dramatically. Everything you get from California is grown with the intention of shipping it rather than the intention of it being delicious. You can order tomatoes from Willcox and say, I want beefsteak tomatoes, or you can order tomatoes from US Foods and youre ordering what are called 5 by 6 vine-ripe tomatoes (packed 5 rows by 6, and stamped 5X6 on each pack of 30). They have to be a uniform size and they have to be picked prematurely so that they dont bruise on the way over. Youre harvesting for shipability rather than for taste, texture, or quality.

Roughly what percentage of your menu comes from local producers? If you go as far as Arizona, not that much of our menu is local. Thirty to 40 percent at absolute most. Its local but its big. Shamrock dairy, Hickmans eggs, Blue Sky Farms. The quality is fine, but its not the same as calling up Sleeping Frog Farms, or Jojoba Beef.

Whats holding you back from sourcing more food from local producers? For us, logistics has always been the biggest sticking point. Weve always wanted to support local producers. But with many small growers, one spate of bad weather, and its overthey dont have the product.

We end up having to go with sources that were more reliable in terms of being able to deliver it in a timely way on a regular basis. Knowing that it was going to be here. Even the bigger farms, like Hayden Farms, were growing spigarello for us, and it was a weird winter, and there was one freeze that knocked it all out, and we had to pull it off the menu a month early because we just couldnt get it.

What we need as a restaurant is consistency. To be able to

IN THE BUSINESS

A Changing FeastAt Feast, chef and owner Doug Levy changes his menu monthly,

keeping the food fresh and the kitchen creative.

By Megan Kimble | Photography by Elijah LeComte

Doug Levy says the challenge for sourcing more food locally is logistics.


get something on a regular basis, to be able to know for certain that its going to be here. Right now, that piece doesnt exist.Im constrained to do whats going to be safe and what I know Ill be able to have for my menu.

When you say youre sourcing an in-gredient locallyhow much of that ingredient do you really need to put a dish on your menu? It really depends on the dishhow much the dish requires, how popular the dish is, what time of year it is. If its February and were in the middle of the gem show, I need a ton of that ingredient, because were going to serve 180 dinners a night. Compare that to a dish well make in June or July when well have 80 people in here a night. We used to get eggs from ReZoNation Farm. They lay more in the summer, so theres an abundance of eggs in the summer, when we have a dearth of guests. When were busy in December or January, thats when theyre not laying nearly as much.

Local foodparticularly local meatoften costs more than the food available in the commodity market. How do you explain the price differential to your customers? Well bring in beef from Rio Santa Cruz. And its expensive! Hes feeding those cattle alfalfa, sorghum Its amazing stuff. I pay more for that beef, and our guests understand that. To a surprisingly large extent, theyre willing to pay that premium for something thats really high quality.

You can always get cheaper beef. You can get whats called no roll beef, which doesnt have the USDA roll [the grade stamp] over it, which is what they serve at free Las Vegas buffets. You can always go lower. You can always get something cheaper. The question is: What are you happy to put your name on?

How do you convey seasonality to eat-ershow weather, for example, affects the availability of a certain food?Right now we have sea urchin on the menu, which is fished off of Santa Bar-bara. The weather has been very finicky out there, so there are nights we say, the weather is bad off of Santa Barbara, so we dont have that dish tonight; instead were

offering this dish with sea scallops.Same thing when we lost all that spigarello. We dont have it, but were offering the dish with Swiss chard tonight.People understand. Its not like customers say, Ill have the ice cream, and we say, All we have is fish. Were trying to help people understand that this is fresh food, harvested by people.

Any ideas on making local food more accessible to restaurants and chefs? If only there could be some kind of a ser-vice that helps bridge that gap between what we at restaurants need and what farmers produce, but also helps with running around town to deliver. I cant really go pick up food at farms or at the farmers market. I dont know if theres ever a good time for a restaurateur to go trundling off to the market. It always amazes me when you see these pieces on TV, where its like, oh, this chef goes and strolls the farmers market in Brooklyn and gets the freshest whatever and Im going, who really is doing that? I can tell you, there is no restaurateur who is working a 12-hour day at their restau-rant, and saying, oh, I better get up three hours early to find enough stuff to run a restaurant with. We go through maybe $3,000 worth of produce a week. I cant imagine doing that without cleaning out a farmers market, let alone getting enough of any one ingredient. For us, its a question of scale and a question of logistics.

Id rather source my food here [in Baja Arizona], and I dont mind paying a little more for it.I think my guests are willing to pay for it. But it needs to be there in abundance and consistently, and its just not there yet. Were in an early stage of this whole process.

Feast. 3719 E. Speedway Blvd. 520.326.9363. EatatFeast.com.

Megan Kimble is the managing editor of Edible Baja Arizona and the author of Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food.

From top to bottom: Grilled romaine and radicchio salad with bresaola, shaved Parmesan, and Castelvetrano olives; squash blossoms stuffed with house-made ricotta cheese; smoky farro pudding with roasted grapes, garlicky walnuts, lemony greens, and avocado brule.



When the Edible Baja Arizona editorial team first hatched the idea of documenting the process of someone eating only locally sourced foods for a month, my first thought was, Oh, yes, someone should totally do that! Meaning, of course, someone absolutely not me.

While I love reading about, writing about, talking about, and of course eating food, I dont actually know much about eating local. I split a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share with a friend for a while; I love seeing locally sourced foods on a menu; and I dutifully select my produce from the shelves at the grocery store marked Locally Grown when I can, but thats about as far as Ive gone. Im also somewhat timid when it comes to venturing outside my cooking comfort zone. Last week I had to ask Google if the fat purple-white root brooding on my cutting board was, in fact, a rutabaga or a parsnip. Prior to starting work as Edible Baja Arizonas digital content manager, I did not know who our local food producers were, and I have yet to make it to a single farmers market.

It isnt that I lack the motivationI love the idea of lessening my environmental impact and supporting the Arizona economy through eating local. Its just that, like so many people, Im busy. I manage to squeeze a 25-hour workweek and the occasional freelance project around the schedule of my deceptively adorable 10-month-old daughter, who ruthlessly demands such time-in-tensive attention and activities as Being Read To and Standing With Help (multiple times a day, no less, the tiny dictator). There are a couple of days a week when she goes and hangs out with her grandparents so I can go into the office (thanks Mom and Dad!), and my husband, Cha

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Edible Baja Arizona - September/October 2015