Picking UP

For this week's blog, I strayed from my theme due to an amazing experience I had this weekend.

This past weekend, I went on a trash pick-up with Humane Borders to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ariz. If any of you have ever been to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Mexico, chances are you've probably passed through this area. We left on Saturday, September 29 at 6 a.m. from Tucson and returned around 4 p.m. This was an all-day adventure.

I found out that this was the first time Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument had invited Humane Borders to come pick up trash left by migrant crossers. It happened to be National Public Lands Day , where volunteers, like Humane Borders, take care of the land by removing trash and "have fun by getting back to nature."


Well, it may not be the most appealing type of fun, but I had an extremely memorable and eye-opening experience while wondering east off mile marker 79 on Interstate 19. Luckily, the weather was in our favor. There was a cool breeze that made the 90 degree weather feel comfortable.

I was a border cleanup virgin on this trip. I did not know what to expect. The Border Patrol told my group to watch out for snakes and give them any cell phone we find. After receiving a blue garbage bag, gardening gloves, and a trash grabber, I went off into the desert. All I could think about was how difficult walking hundreds of miles to this country, through hazardous terrain, would be. I tripped many times, kept hearing rattling noises (which I thought were snakes but realized they were cicadas), and sweat a ton. I think we, as a country, don't give migrant crossers enough credit. Just wandering around picking up trash for two and a half hours was rough. Here is a quick video of when I first started out.

My trash findings were pretty exciting. Beside picking up a bunch of plastic water bottles, I found a calling card, hair clip, and a blue sweater. Compared to what others found, my finds were pretty uneventful. Other volunteers found bikes (which are a popular find), backpacks full of tattered children's pants, long-sleeved shirts and shoes. I also picked up a lot of Budweiser beer cans and convenient store-looking soda cups. Not only was it migrant trash, it also was Rocky Point vacationer's trash too.


When I got home, I felt like I had done a good "green" deed. Although picking up trash isn't the greatest thing in the world, I got to know really great and friendly people and learned to appreciate being a United States citizen. Plus, I do not plan to litter ever again.

Aquaculture in the Southwest

This week, I decided to do aquaculture research. Aquaculture is fish farming in a controlled environment. Surprisingly, I discovered that aquaculture in Arizona is rather common after talking to Kevin Fitzsimmons, University of Arizona professor and extension specialist and research scientist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Fitzsimmons told me that Arizona produces a lot of tilapia, a white fish. Tilapia and trout are the main fish farmed in the Southwestern United States, according to Fitzsimmons. He told me about a huge tilapia farm in Hyder, Arizona called Desert Springs Tilapia, which was founded by a UA graduate.

After looking through the Desert Springs Tilapia Web site, I discovered that they are environmentally friendly. Fresh water circulates the fish tanks, which are self-cleaned to remove all of the “organic material released by growing fish.”

Not only do they keep the fish tanks clean, "all water circulated through our ponds and raceways becomes rich in nutrients, which act as a natural fertilizer. Water is reused in the agricultural production of alfalfa, Bermuda grass hay, barley oats and olive trees," according to the Desert Springs Tilapia Web site.

I'm sure you are probably wondering what these farms look like. Some of these fish farms are in concrete long raceway troughs and some are in big round tanks with water running through them to water the fields, explained Fitzsimmons. I would have never pictured those troughs filled with water running alongside crops to actually have fish in them, you know the ones you see while you are driving on the highway.







Although I've heard that farmed fish are not always the healthiest fish for you and that wild fish are the better food choice, aquaculture that kills two birds with one stone by replenishing the fish farm water then using it to water crops, may be a good choice. Read this article and you might get a better understanding, plus it is actually really interesting: .

This is a link to a video that I found on aquaculture: salmon aquaculture.

All photos were used with permission by Kevin Fitzsimmons.

Late Night Rain Harvest

Tonight in Tucson was pretty rare. Why, you ask? Well, out on the Eastside, where I live, it rained and stormed for about one hour and a half. Now, as I sit at my computer, my hair is still damp. It smells like rain. I was probably out in the rain taking photos and videos for about ten minutes. I came back inside completely drenched to the point where I had to put on sweatpants. Yes, I am not joking, I put on sweatpants in September.

As cold and as cough-inducing the rain is for me, I can't stop thinking about how much plants love it. After writing a story about "green" gardening, I learned information the their relationship I was unaware of. One of the things I found most interesting it was that plants yearn for rainwater (I guess this is an obvious fact, but I had never really thought about it before). The rain revives plants and allows Tucson come alive again. It releases her from her bland and arid climate. Judy De La Ossa, the certified permaculturist who I had interviewed for my gardening story, explained to me that plants love rainwater because of its acidity. She continued to tell me about harvesting rain water. Harvesting rain water is a great way to garden "greener" because you are using a natural resource from the sky.

By harvesting rainwater, you save groundwater, which is a luxury here in Tucson. I discovered that the best part about harvesting rainwater is how easy it is. Just get large containers, place them directly under your rooftop drains, and voilà! De La Ossa has large plastic garbage cans that she fills. She uses the collected rainwater to water her plants.


So tonight, when the rain fell, I put a plastic storage bin, which was probably two feet high, under the drain and watched it fill up. I was overjoyed and drenched at the same time.


In a few days when it is time to water my plants, I will use the harvested rainwater. I'm thrilled because this was my first rainwater harvest! I know the plants will love me for this.

This is a video of the rain harvest. It is not quality, but the sound of the rain is intense.


For more information on harvesting rainwater check out these informative Web sites:

http://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/index.html

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1052/

http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?a=bbehfa&c=ecbbd
(this site gives you a rainwater calculation formula)

Organic vs. Natural

Definitions of organic and natural from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

ORGANIC: of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides



NATURAL: food that has undergone minimal processing and contains no preservatives or artificial additives



This week I was inspired to learn the true meanings of organic and natural. On some of the food I buy, the labels usually say "Certified Organic" or "All Natural." I figured that buying either natural or organic food was better than buying food that didn't have those words on their label. Plus, I have heard that eating foods without preservatives is healthier for you. Today, when I went to Aqua Vita Natural Foods, on 2801 N. Country Club Road, I talked to employee David De Lucia and he broke organic and natural (also known as conventional) down for me.

"It (organic) is based on certification. So anything you see anywhere advertised as organic -unless it is breaking the law- has to be certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture," said De Lucia. "You also have to pay to be certified (organic)."

Being certified organic also entails more ecological practices like taking care of the land, rotating crops, trying to ship or pack in a non-toxic or recyclable way, according to De Lucia.

My next question was if food or products labeled natural had to go through a certification process, like organic.

"I don't think the word natural involves any sort of law," said De Lucia. "You can kind of just throw the word around."

It was interesting to learn that foods or products labeled natural really don't have any guidelines to abide by. There could be UN-natural subsistences going into natural products. You don't know what you are getting when you go natural, but when you go organic, the product must meet certain guidelines provided by the USDA.

To see guidelines, click here.

This isn't always the case though, according to De Lucia. Smaller farms that can't afford organic certification use the word natural on their product and they are really organic. He also pointed out that the only non-organic produce found in Aqua Vita are the hydroponic tomatoes, which are genetically modified organisms (GMO's).

Beside my pursuit to define organic and natural at Aqua Vita, I had come across glass-bottled milk, the kind my mom would buy when I was little, with the cream on top. Although it cost more than your average gallon of milk from Safeway, it was organic and delicious.


For more information about organic food go to the Organic Trade Association.

Locally Grown: Experience at the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market

What comes to mind when you think of buying fruits, vegetables, and maybe a bar of soap? Well, if you are like me, you would think of a supermarket like Safeway. You would picture perfectly placed and glistening slopes of produce under lights and sprinklers. Eating this produce would be a crap shoot. Maybe that grape might be sour or taste wonderful. The fact of the matter is that eating produce from supermarkets today is a surprise. After visiting the Santa Cruz Farmers' Market, I saw produce, organic and natural, in a very raw, imperfect, and fresh-off-the-vine state.

Located on North Riverside Drive and West Ontario Street, on East Speedway Boulevard at the west side of Interstate 10, the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market is one of the most local happenings in Tucson every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. I can't describe the overpowering presence of community I felt. Residents were coming to this market, either by foot, bike, or car with recycled bags for their soon-to-be-purchased items. Almost everybody seemed to know each other, which I found amazing. I also discovered that this particular farmers market accepts food stamps and WIC Program coupons (coupons for low-income women and children). Even better.

The day I was there, I was told that not all of the vendors had shown up. There were between 8 to 10 tables set up with people selling stuff you can't find at your local supermarket. There was one table with a huge line. This was where you could purchase seasonal produce like eggplant, garlic, and more. At another stand, you could find fresh fruit like apples and grapes. I can still picture the grapes. They were not as large as the ones you find in the supermarkets but they reminded me of the fruit I would eat in Italy. The fruit there was seasonal, oddly shaped, yet gushing with flavor. I was pretty sure that was how the fruit at this market would taste.

If produce isn't your fancy, there are many other options. If growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs is your hobby, you can drop them off at the market. As a grower you and the Community Food Bank get part of the profits.

Other tables had handmade soaps and potted desert plants and herbs. At another table, Desert Tortoise Botanicals was selling dried herbs, teas, natural remedies, prickly pear juice and concentrate. You could buy tortillas and breads from a local Tucson bakery, and dried desert beans and desert honey from the San Xavier Cooperative Association. You could also buy all natural beef from Double Check Ranch in Winkelman, Arizona.

The Santa Cruz River Farmers' market not only had amazing fresh products, it reassured me that there is still an effort for community in rapidly expanding Tucson. I also realized that you could find natural,organic "Arizona grown" food in the desert.

Below is my first attempt to create a video slide show with voice clips from my experience at the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market. I hope you enjoy watching it.




For more information contact www.communityfoodbank.org or call 520-622-0525. If you want to visit, check out this map.


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