Brooklyn Pizza
http://www.brooklynpizzacompany.com
Brooklyn Pizza has served gelato and italian ice for years.

Cafe Italiano
http://www.cafeitalianoaz.com
Hidden in a strip mall next door to Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches on the northwest corner of Grant & Swan, Cafe Italiano features many rotating flavors in addition to their signature flavors, Mama Mia – a sweet cream gelato with amareno sour cherry and small bits of chocolate (this flavor is seriously crave-worthy), and Spicy Chocolate. Recently they were featured in the Desert Leaf which you can check out here.

Frost, A Gelato Shoppe
http://frostgelato.com
With no shortage of fans or press, most of Tucson has truly come to love Frost. And for good reason – their gelato rocks. Owners Jeffrey Kaiserman and Stephen Ochoa brought in a master gelato maker from Italy. And when I say they brought him over, I mean they had to fight to get him back when his visa expired. They’re one of the busiest gelaterias in the country. Check out their press. Taste their gelato. It’s good.

Viro’s Italian Bakery
http://www.virosbakery.com/
On the far-east side of Tucson is Viro’s Italian Bakery. Vito, the owner talked to me about his desire to bring the flavors and style of gelato he grew up with in Italy to Tucson.

Some of Vito’s faves include Caccata de Siciliana, a cannoli-filling like flavored gelato, and Zuppa Inglese, which has an eggnog-like flavor. On my recent visit Vito sampled me on the Zuppa Inglese, the Orange Cream which is similar to a creamsicle, and the mint with chocolate. All three of them were excellent with rich flavors and a smooth consistency which are two of the characteristics he looks for in gelato.

Tavalino Italian Ristorante
http://www.tavolinoristorante.com/
Tavolino, in addition to being an excellent choice for authentic Italian food, also makes their own gelato. If Mossimo, the owner/chef is working, say hello!

There’s no shortage of farmers markets in Tucson. While there aren’t many stores in Tucson where you can find a wide variety of fresh, local produce, the various farmers markets scattered around town on different days make up for it. I’ve made it a point to get to most of them, and I enjoy most of them, too, for their own character, but the St. Philip’s Plaza Farmers Market on Sundays is the most well rounded. Depending on which farmers markets you’ve visited, you might have noticed this isn’t always the case. A lot of the time it’s more of a crafts fair than a farmers market. Held on Saturdays from 9am-2pm and Sundays from 9am to 1pm the St. Philips Plaza Farmers Market features a variety of prepared foods such as jams, jellies, hummus, pies, baked goods and cider, raw, locally grown produce and ingredients such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, eggs, cheese, meat, as well as live music and great people watching in a lovely little courtyard.

Vendors come from Amado, Cochise, Glendale, Maricopa, St. David, Tucson, Willcox, Winkelman, and more with produce, meats, eggs and cheese, much of which is raised or grown at their farms in the towns listed. Many of the farmers and vendors also bring in produce from outside Arizona, so if you’re concerned where your produce is coming from, just ask the person selling it. I’ve never met a farmer, rancher, vendor, winemaker, or cheesemaker that wasn’t more than willing, excited, and happy to talk about their operation in great detail.

Listed below are some of the vendors you’ll find at the St. Philip’s Plaza Farmers Market. I’ll add to this as more vendors appear. Also, some of these people have no contact information, so you’ll just have to go the market and hope they’ll be there. And, keep in mind, all of their produce – except for the meat, dairy, and nuts – is seasonal. Also, I’m only listing those that offer raw ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, meats, eggs, and cheese. There are many more vendors than I’m listing that do not fall into this category. Also, if you know something I don’t, or have contact information for any of the vendors listed, please let me know.

Agua Linda Farm, Amado, AZ
T (520) 398-3218
W http://agualindafarm.net/

Agua Linda Farm is one of Tucson’s more proximal farms. In addition to being able to purchase at the farmers market, they also have a CSA. According to their website, their March harvest includes Spring greens, arugula, turnips, carrots, chois, kale and brazing greens. They also list each month’s harvest on their website, so pay it a visit for more information.

B-X Ranch (B “Bar” X Ranch), Cochise, AZ
4505 N Cochise Stronghold Rd.
Cochise, AZ 85606
T (520) 904-9025

Although the B-X Ranch offers pork, beef, lamb, and eggs, only the lamb and eggs come from the ranch. Not that this should prevent you from eating their pork or beef which I hear is excellent (and from Texas), but if you’re trying to find local, this isn’t the place for pork and beef. Buy up the lamb and eggs, though!

Brown’s Orchard, Willcox, AZ
5774 N. Atwood Dr.
Willcox, AZ 85643
T (520) 384-3671

Seven varieties of apple, four varieties of pear, lamb meat, and more. U-Pick season August through November.

Desert Treasures, Tucson, AZ
I don’t know much about Desert Treasures other than it’s an old citrus grove on the Northwest side of Tucson growing Ruby Red grapefruit, oranges, Nagami, Meiwa, and Calamondin kumquats, Kaffir limes, limequats, and more.

Limequats from Desert Treasures

Double Check Ranch, Winkelman, AZ
4965 N. Camino Rio, Winkelman, Arizona 85292
T (520) 357-6515
W http://www.doublecheckranch.com/

Grassfed, natural beef. Free range, hormone & antibiotic free.

Grammy’s Garden, Cochise, AZ
T (520) 508-1505
swyckoff@hughes.net

Tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, greens, red bell peppers and more. Some of the produce is from their farm and some from Yuma county.

Bulk green beans from Grammy's Garden

La Oesta Gardens, Tucson, AZ
Excellent looking greens and Asian produce all grown in Tucson.

Chard, collards, and bagged salad greens from La Oesta Gardens

Lee’s Pecans, Willcox, AZ
T (520) 384-2927
jaakilee@vtc.net

Just pecans.

Bags of Pecans from Lee's Pecans

Seasonal Fresh, Glendale, AZ
Seasonal Fresh is more of a distributor than a farmer, however most of his produce does come from Glendale. I believe he harvests most of the produce himself.

Radishes and green onions from Seasonal Fresh

Sleeping Frog Farms, Tucson, AZ
Somewhat of a newcomer to the industry but with plenty of experience, Sleeping Frog Farms has an excellent variety of produce (prior to selling it all).

Bok Choy and radishes from Sleeping Frog Farms

Super Natural Organics, St. David, AZ
Melons, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes from St. David, a beautiful, small town to drive through. Not too sure what else you can do there, though.

Peppers, zucchini, squash and potatoes from Super Natural Organics

Rainbow Valley Nursery, Maricopa, AZ
T (520) 424-3464
W http://rainbowvalleynurseryaz.com

Farmers Cheese, seasoned butters, and gnocchi.

Seasoned butter from Rainbow Valley Nursery

50 Mile Farms, Tucson, AZ
joshua@50milefarms.com

Currently only growing Bibb lettuce, which sells out quick.

For some reason, it was only recently that I first tasted a kumquat. I always assumed they were too tart for my taste. And you know what happens when you assume, don’t you? You make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” Okay, bad joke. The kumquat, of which there are four different varieties and only one that I’ll discuss – the Nagami, for it’s superior flavor – thrives here in Tucson. Their rind is sweet, and the center is only mildly tart. You eat the whole thing – peel and all. I hear you don’t eat the seeds (but I’ve been eating them and I feel fine).

The Nagami kumquat came to London from China in 1846 by Robert Fortune, sealing its fate into the genus Fortunella rather than Citrus, though it is often included in the genus Citrus. The fruit was officially brought into the U.S. from Japan in 1885, though reports of kumquats in North America date as far back as 1850.

Today I had the pleasure of helping harvest an abundant amount of citrus from someone’s land. Although we harvested some amazingly tasty and attractive tangelos, navel oranges, Meyer lemons, pink lemons, and grapefruit, I was drawn to the immense tree of Nagami kumquats. Reports on the internet peg the tree from 8 – 15 feet when mature. The tree that we harvested had to be at least 15 feet tall, and perhaps taller. It was loaded with fruit. We filled an entire orange crate and half of a paper grocery bag and the tree barely looked touched.

If you’re interested in checking out the Nagami kumquat and can’t find any in the stores, give a call or a visit to Mesquite Valley Growers. Hell – go there anyway, it’s such an amazing place. It’s 23 acres of every kind of plant, tree, and shrub you might ever want to grow here as well as every varietal of fruit that does well in Tucson: apricots, blueberries, blackberries, figs, peaches, and every kind of citrus you can imagine – including kumquats. Most of the citrus trees have fruit on them, so you can try them right there in the greenhouse. And kumquats do great in containers. Let me know if you go!

Size comparison of grapefruit, tangelo, and Nagami kumquat.

Local radishes for sale at the Food Conspiracy Co-op

There’s a considerable amount of talk these days regarding eating locally. I first became turned on to the idea when a hippie co-worker mentioned something about a macrobiotic diet being a cure for cancer. I had no idea what macrobiotics was at the time and so I pursued the notion in random books from the library which took me from macrobiotics to Andrew Weil to Deepak Chopra. In very simple terms, macrobiotics has much to do with eating foods from one’s climate, in season, and in balance – very in line with Michael Pollan’s now famous mantra from In Defense of Food: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Eating locally, however – depending upon your locale, might not prove so simple.

When I lived in San Francisco and discovered the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market I was introduced to a whole new world. The produce was so beautiful and fresh. You could find almost anything you wanted. I took it for granted that it would always be that easy to get food that good. Bounties of local cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, Kalamata olive rolls from the Acme Bread Company, and stand after stand of farmers vending their year-round harvests were mainstays.

Fast-forward to life in Tucson and I’ve had to search for local produce that rarely comes close to the quality coming out of the fertile land of Northern California. But that doesn’t mean that what I’ve found here is no good. Far from it. In fact, the local produce in Tucson is better than anything you’ll ever find in any grocery store that’s been brought in from out of state – no matter where it’s coming from. I’ve found the search to be pleasurable, enlightening, and it has introduced me to not only great food but amazing people that are just as passionate about food.

I believe struggle will continue for the local food movement here in Tucson until more people are demanding it. A recent newcomer, Local Harvest Marketplace, a market focused on providing local produce and food products have struggled to stay open. A determined group of customers were able to keep them open past one store closing, but, I’ve heard they’ve since closed up shop for good. A phone call to the number listed on their website was answered with, “We’re sorry, but this mailbox is full.”

Fortunately, Local Harvest Marketplace was not the only store offering local produce. Listed below are some of the stores that I’ve been able to find local produce and other local food products at. To truly find great produce, however, you’ll have to get to one or more of the farmers markets which I’ll list and describe in a future post. Or, you can either forage – there’s an overabundance of olive and citrus trees, a shortage of fig and nut trees (but they do exist), rosemary, nopales, wild arugula, dandelion greens – or grow it yourself.

1. Aqua Vita Natural Foods Market

Aqua Vita Natural Foods Market
2801 N. Country Club Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85716
T (520) 293-7770
F (520) 696-3422
W http://www.aquavitanaturals.com/

Aqua Vita is a very popular place for their steam distilled water, which I buy myself. They also have an excellent herb selection. Local produce will vary depending on season and what they’ve sold out of. Lately I’ve seen apples, citrus, salad greens, dates, and herbs. On a recent visit they had hydroponic Roma tomatoes from Willcox, and they usually have tortillas and tortilla chips from Alejandros, as well as various sprouts and breads from the Grassroots Company. I’ve found that Aqua Vita can be a bit more expensive than some of the other stores, but sometimes what you end up saving by shopping elsewhere you make up for in gas. (Unless your an avid cyclist). When the Nagami kumquats are in, be sure to try them. They’re excellent.

2. The Food Conspiracy Co-op

The Food Conspiracy Co-op
412 N 4th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85705
T (520) 624-4821
F (520) 792-2703
W http://www.foodconspiracy.org/

First of all, I love the co-op. Currently they’re carrying apples, some citrus, herbs, and salad greens, local wines, the full line of bread from Tucson’s own Small Planet Bakery, and dates. They’re also carrying various sprouts from the Grassroots Company and on a recent visit I noticed some very attractive collard greens, radishes and butter lettuce from Forever Young Farms in Amado. In the freezer was grass fed beef, lamb and goat from Sky Island Brand while in the bulk section I found mesquite and prickly pear syrup from RPMS, and honey from Malcolm’s Honey and Happy Bear Honey.

3. New Life Health Centers

4841 E. Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85712
T (520) 795-7862
F (520) 326-3360
W http://www.newlifehealth.com/

1745 W Ajo
Tucson, AZ 85713
T (520) 294-4926
F (520) 434-9483
W http://www.newlifehealth.com/

3954 N Oracle
Tucson, AZ 85705
T (520) 888-4830
F (520) 888-2581
W http://www.newlifehealth.com/

5612E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85711
T (520) 747-0209
F (520) 747-3707
W http://www.newlifehealth.com/

New Life opened in 1970 at the Speedway location, which was then 1,2oo square feet. It’s now 7,000 and carries a large variety of food, however they’re less robust with their local selection. On a recent visit I found dates, sprouts and high fiber essene bread from Grassroots Co., and prickly pear nectar and spread from AZ Cactus Ranch. As is the case with most of these stores, selection varies with the season.

4. 17th Street Farmers Market

17th Street Farmers Market
810 East 17th Street
Tucson, AZ 85719
T (520) 624-8821
F (866) 803-9136
W http://market.treasureshidden.com/

Technically not a farmers market, but a great place nonetheless. Awesome produce section. Locally, they’re carrying bread from Viro’s Italian Bakery and Small Planet Bakery, tortillas and tortilla chips from Mi Casita, and New York strip, ribeye and ground beef from Double Check Ranch.

5. Native Seeds|SEARCH

Native Seeds | SEARCH
526 N. 4th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85705
T (520) 622.5561
F (520) 622.5591
W http://www.nativeseeds.org

Primarily a seed bank that has “endeavored to conserve the rich legacy of agro-biodiversity in the arid Southwest,” Native Seeds | SEARCH also sells food. Listed on their website here for ordering or purchasing in the store are baking mixes, chile pastes, chile powder, corn products, grains, meals, herbs, teas, mole powder, salsas and sauces, smoked chiles, soup and stew mixes, sweets, whole chiles, and beans. If you’ve never been to Native Seeds | SEARCH it’s a a great place to checkout regardless of if you need anything or not. They also have a great book selection.

6. San Xavier Cooperative

San Xavier Cooperative Farm
8100 S. Oidak Wog
Tucson, AZ 85746
T (520) 295-3774

I finally made it out to the San Xavier Cooperative Farm. The Tohono O’odham woman at the front desk was sorting through white tepary beans when I walked in. While they didn’t have much, they assured me that during the summer, they grow and sell melon, cantaloupe, honeydew, squash, and 60-day corn. Year-round, or until they run out, you can find red and white tepary beans, Pima Lima beans, Pinto beans, Pima/Durham wheat flour, regular wheat flour, wheat berries, corn meal and mesquite flour. Definitely call before heading there.

7. Fruit-land Market (Corner of 6th Avenue and Speedway)

Fruit-Land Market (Larry Green)
1101 N. Sixth Ave
Tucson, AZ 85705
T (520) 792-1892

In operation since 1962 and covered in the Star in 2008, the Fruit-Land Market provides local citrus, almonds, pistachios, and pecans. Marmalades, jellies, and candies are available from the Cactus Candy Company as well as honey from the Sonoran Desert Honey Company and The Honeyman. Not all nuts and fruit are always in stock, so call first.

8. Craigslist Farm & Garden Section

Last but not least, I’ve found herbs, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and occasionally a pig or cow for butchering, which you may need quite a few friends and a large freezer for. Again, what’s available will depend on the season.

I hope this will bring attention to some of the stores where local food and produce is sold. Unfortunately, sometimes we must frequent the non-local stores such as Whole Foods, Sunflower Market, Ike’s and Sprouts and often (but not often enough) I see local produce there, too, so keep an eye out wherever you are. I’ve even found local pistachios at Walgreens. But shop locally if you can. It keeps your dollars in the community. And if I’ve missed anything, let me know and I’ll add it.

Happy local shopping!