While summers in Tucson are a wee bit warm (to say the least), there are still a multitude of events and activities happening in and around Old Pueblo.
Tucson’s long history is brimming with stories of Native American culture and traditions, visitors and Arizona residents can learn and sample the flavors of Arizona’s oldest descendants.
During the summer, Tucson plays host to the Sacred Saguaro Fruit Harvest. Guests and visitors can taste flavors of the Sonoran Desert at the Ha:san Bak Saguaro Harvest Celebration at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Tucson on July 10. At the festival, individuals can sample jams and syrups made from ruby-red saguaro fruit and discover the saguaro's value to the Tohono O'odham ("People of the Desert").
If the one-day harvest whets your appetite, dishes prepared with cactus products and other desert-harvested foods are served Monday through Friday at the Desert Rain Café in Sells, which is 60 miles west of Tucson. Sells provides the opportunity to explore the Tohono O'odham Cultural Center and Museum in Topawa, 68 miles southwest of Tucson. In Tucson proper, Etherton Gallery hosts an exhibition of saguaro photographs at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, June 4-August 29.
If the culinary journey inspires you to get out and pick your own summer produce, a bevy of fresh treats awaits at Apple Annies. One of the fondest summer memories I have is picking fresh summer fruit from my grandma’s garden. Tusconans can recreate the experience with their own broods from Apple Annie's orchard and farm in Willcox, east of Tucson. Apple Annie's opens in July for the summer harvest of sweet corn, melons, green beans, squash, tomatoes, chiles, peppers, and more. Produce is available already picked, or you can pick your own right from the vine. Upcoming special events include the Sweet Corn Extravaganza, July 10-11 and July 17-18; and the Peach Mania Festival on weekends between mid-July and mid-August.
To Learn More
Apple Annies, 520.384.2084, www.AppleAnnies.com.
Desert Rain Café, 520.383.4918, www.desertraincafe.com.
Etherton Gallery, 520.624.7370, www.ethertongallery.com.
Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, 520.624.1817, www.visittucson.org.
Tohono O'odham Cultural Center and Museum, 520.383.0211.
