Friday July 12, 2024, 8-10am &
Saturday July 13, 2024, 8-10am

In the “Placita” outside Mission Garden’s kitchen
FREE and open to the public, for all ages. All monetary gifts are appreciated. Your gifts help the garden grow.

Mission Garden grows hundreds of traditional local crops. The monthly Tasting History is an opportunity to learn about their origins, how they became part of our local agricultural and culinary traditions, how to grow them at home, and more. Docents will demonstrate and share tastings, written materials and recipes. You may arrive and approach the Tasting History information tables any time between 9am and 11am to learn and ask questions.

This month we will feature prickly pears--both nopales pads and tuna fruits--especially domesticated varieties. Come learn how to harvest, prepare, and taste the diversity: get to know more than 20 distinct, delicious, and nutritious prickly pears growing in the Garden! Sample multiple raw fruits and learn how to make an easy agua fresca. Taste traditional recipes with nopalitos, and see foolproof methods to quickly remove spines. As always, learn about the diverse cultures that traditionally enjoy this plant, and the medicinal benefits of prickly pear. This month's programming is in collaboration with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Arizona Alliance for Climate-Smart Crops. Joining from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Erin Riordan, Conservation Scientist, and Jesús García, Conservation Research Associate.