bookreview Mixing It Up With Mesquite


Eat Mesquite! A Cookbook by Desert Harvesters Tucson: 2011


88 pp. $19.95 ISBN: 978-0-615-40418-9


by Debra Urken


t took an amazing legume to get me to the grocery store on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I shopped for mixing bowls, flour, and non-aluminum baking powder, then spent an already packed-to-the gills Sunday morning mixing batter and flipping pancakes. Although I am a natural food enthusiast (some say a natural food fanatic), I rarely go out of my way to actually make something so involved. However, my first taste of mesquite a year or so ago made a lasting impression. Its sweet, fruity, nutty flavor left my taste buds happy. So when I read about Desert Harvest- ers’ new mesquite cookbook in the Food Co-op’s newsletter, I decided it was time say a goodbye to my laptop for a while and head to the kitchen to see what I’d been missing. If you’ve just moved to the Southwest and are not an expert natural foods cook, the odds are that you’ve never tried anything made with mesquite flour or mesquite meal. The fibrous, gluten-free, low-glycemic, protein-rich mesquite pod, however, has been a staple of North and South American native diets for centuries. The cookbook explains that because mesquite trees can withstand hot, arid climates and otherwise difficult environments, agricultural scientists all over the world (including Richard Felger at the University of Arizona) are studying how mesquite trees can be utilized to help other regions of the world with hot and arid climates cope with food shortages. Moreover, cook-


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book contributors say different parts of the mesquite tree can be used to treat a host of medical ailments, including parasites, diarrhea, fevers, and sore throats.


Since its inception in 2002,


Desert Harvesters, a Tucson-based, grassroots, volunteer-run, non-profit organization, has been working hard to keep the tradition of environmen- tally responsible mesquite planting, harvesting, milling and eating alive in Southern Arizona and neighboring areas. Every autumn, Desert Harvest- ers transports its hammer mill to differ- ent communities so local residents can grind the mesquite pods they’ve harvested from their neighborhoods. This non-profit organization also hosts an annual mesquite pancake breakfast celebration that serves hundreds of curious people. Desert Harvesters decided to put together a cookbook to satisfy the many requests for information it receives each fall. Volunteers culled recipes submitted by many local cooks and from an out-of-print mes-


quite cookbook. Then they cooked, tasted and judged. The end product, a compilation of recipes ranging from the simple (granola) to the advanced (Mesquite Baklava), allows both beginners and connoisseurs to find something new. The book includes savory dishes and drinks as well as spreads, sauces, syrups, breads, crack- ers, cookies, and breakfast foods. A few of the recipes, like “Prickly Pear Syrup/Jelly” and “Prickly Pear Lem- onade” contain no mesquite, but are delicious accompaniments. The cookbook’s introduction


encourages readers to have fun, to experiment and play with the recipes, and to email Desert Harvesters with their new discoveries. The front sec- tion of the cookbook contains advice for those who are new to cooking with mesquite. It’s important, for example, to sift mesquite flour before using it, and to cook it at a low tem- perature to avoid burning. But before you jump out of your seat and head for the store (or your backyard), take the time to read the essays in the be- ginning of the book. They explore the extraordinary potential of the mes- quite tree and other native food crops and teach you how to harvest your own native food. After you familiarize yourself with the history and proper- ties of mesquite and other native food plants, your cooking and eating will take on a larger meaning. 100% of your book purchase from the Desert Harvesters website goes to support their non-profit orga- nization. Order at desertharvesters. org/mesquite-in-the-kitchen/eat-mes- quite-cookbook.


Debra Urken, a Tucson expressive arts facilitator and writer, holds a B.A. in Psychology and Brain and Behavioral Science from Cornell University. Con- tact her at debbyurken@hotmail.com.


January 2011 19


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