By Kathleen Yetman
The monsoons of July and August bring life where there appears to be none, and plants of all kinds spring up to ensure their propagation. Corn and melons that were planted in May are finally ripe and most gardeners have more zucchini and tomatoes than they know what to do with. The mild days and cooler nights support a variety of crops, which means we benefit from a bounty of local produce.
Truly, September is the best month for local food here in the high desert.
In addition to the crops cultivated by gardeners and farmers, there are numerous wild edible plants, and September is a particularly good month to harvest many of them. We are privileged to have access to some of the most nutritious and delicious of them right now here in Prescott.
Wild foods are incredible because they not only survive Arizona’s erratic weather but also bear fruit. A handful of the best harvesting options are acorn, black walnut, piñons, and prickly pear fruit.
Now is the time to explore the foods that our unique landscape has to offer. If you’d like to learn more about wild foods in Arizona, check out Caroline Niethammer’s 1974 book “American Indian Food and Lore: 150 Authentic Recipes.”
Happy harvesting.
Acorn
The Apache still harvest many wild foods — the most common being acorn. If you’ve ever driven through the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains this time of year, you’ve probably passed by signs for acorn stew. Fairly bitter at first but also a little sweet, acorn is an acquired taste. The acorn itself is harvested from trees, then the shells are cracked open to reveal the bright golden meat inside. The meat is ground into meal then mixed into a stew with elk or beef and flour dumplings. Prescott, as it so happens, is loaded with Emory Oak trees, which cater these acorns.
Black walnut
Black walnut trees line many creeks and washes in and around Prescott. The husk of the walnuts turn black when the nuts are ripe (hence the name). Wash them in a burlap sack or pillowcase until the clean shell is visible. (Be sure to wear gloves when handling; the black coating is also used as a long-lasting dark brown dye.) After they have been cleaned and dried in the sun for a week, they’re ready to be cracked open with a large rock or hammer. The meat inside is small but rich with nutritious fats and oils.
Piñons
Pinyon pines are one of the most abundant trees here in the mountains. Piñons (pine nuts) can be coaxed out of pinyon pine cones if squirrels and birds haven’t ferreted them out first. Extracting the nuts from the cone is tedious work but extremely satisfying. (Imagine all the pesto you could make!) Once you’ve harvested piñons, you’ll understand why they cost so much at the grocery store.
Opuntia ficus indica, aka prickly pear cactus. Photo by Nevit Dilmen, Creative Commons 3.0.
Prickly pear fruit
And saving the sweetest for last, prickly pear fruit color the landscape. The fruit, which are covered in glochids, (tiny spines that sneak into your hands and are hard to locate) are precarious to gather, but so worth the effort. Boiling the fruit removes the glochids, which makes it easier to process. Fruit can be pressed into juice (a personal favorite) or made into jelly.
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Visit the Prescott Farmers Market at PrescottFarmersMarket.Org or Yavapai College Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St. Send questions to Info@PrescottFarmersMarket.Org.
Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market. She was born and raised in Prescott and spent the past three years living on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.