Follow the Food

Before moving to the desert, we participated in a cross-country bicycle trip that put us up close and personal with some of our food sources. We saw the contrast between big farm corporations and smaller-scale farmers, and heard the stories of local and small town businesses and farmers being run out by larger corporations and chains. After our ride, we read Michael Pollan's book, Omnivore's Dilemma (discussed in a previous post), and started to become more intentional about sourcing our food.

We visited a few farms that were practicing small, local, sustainable agriculture. Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia (mentioned in Pollan's book) boasts a "beyond organic" label, where pigs till the forest, rabbits neutralize waste, and mobile chicken coops permit natural cycles of grass growth. Polyface Farm introduced techniques that have caught on with organic farmers, and we have been hot on the trail!

Despite the lack of water, the Phoenix valley sustains a year-long growing season, and we have been thrilled to find opportunities to support our local (and organic) farmers. Our first find was Bountiful Baskets, a volunteer cooperative that provides local produce and grains on a bi-weekly basis. This organization is run completely by volunteers, and has locations around the country. Their unique status ensures low costs for consumers and high returns for local farmers. We have loved contributing to Bountiful Baskets, and have learned a lot about food seasonality, recipes and cooking/preparation. Since you can never be 100% sure what will be in the next basket, we've discovered several new foods, too (Bok Choy, Fennel, Leeks, and more!), which always turns into a hunt for new recipes.

We'd love to read any comments about your local food options; please share below!

Check back for new recipes and ideas from our most recent basket bounty!

Around Town: Bartlett Lake

Before temperatures hit the triple digits, we wanted to explore some of the water recreation near the Phoenix area. Many newcomers to the desert are shocked to hear that there are multiple options for getting on a boat in the desert - Lake Pleasant, Lake Roosevelt, Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake, Lake Bartlett - just to name a few. For this trip, we were looking for remote camping and Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)... and you can't beat the price of National Forest camping (free)!

Despite some difficulty navigating the roads of Tonto National Forest, we found a secluded campsite under the cover of darkness. We pulled into a car camping spot and set up a tent on soft sand, within earshot of a gurgling stream.

The next morning, we broke camp and headed down the road toward Bartlett Lake.

We were outfitted with our SUP gear, and hit the water!

A few hours gave us enough time to tour the perimeter, beach up opposite the marina, and have a little fun in the wake of a few motor boats. We took turns using our GoPro to capture photos and video hands-free.

A quick Wikipedia search revealed that Bartlett Lake is technically a reservoir, which was created by damming the Verde River in the late 1930s. It's neighbor to the north is the Horseshoe Reservoir, also on Tonto National Forest land.

For those new to SUP, we decided to demonstrate the surprisingly stable nature of these boards:

We were pleasantly surprised by how empty the lake and marina were, despite it being Memorial Day weekend! Our theory is that most folks head to more well-known spots like Lake Pleasant. Bartlett Lake boasts that it is "Arizona's Best Kept Secret," and we'll have to agree!

Around Town: Fountain Hills

This year, we did some meandering a little closer to home. In February, we were drawn to the town of Fountain Hills for their annual "Love in the Hills" event to renew our vows on Valentine's Day. It's an adorable town with an interesting history.


Our first stop was the River of Time Museum, where we received a personal tour of the area's geologic and human history. It's a small museum, and easy to miss (tucked away behind the library). If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend a short visit! Our docent went into great detail about the role of water throughout Arizona's history, right up to the planned community of Fountain Hills in the 1970s.


  So, why name a desert town after a fountain in the desert? It was built as a tourist attraction, holding the record for tallest fountain in the world for over ten years, sending water 300-561 feet in the air (depending on how many of three 600 horsepower pumps are being used). You can watch it live for yourself on the town's fountain webcam.

Fountain Hills prides itself on the variety of art work displayed throughout the town.

After our tour, we celebrated our marriage and renewed our vows with hundreds of other couples (Click here to see the official video of the event).










We ended the evening with tapas at Sofrita. If you ever find yourself in Fountain Hills, we highly recommend the bruschetta!