Foodways Wednesdays: Verdolagas at Las Milpitas Farm

Verdolagas at Las Milpitas Farm

Hosted by Tucson City of Gastronomy Food Justice Committee, this event highlights the work happening on Community Food Bank’s Las Milpitas de Cottonwood Community Farm, a six-acre community farm just southwest of downtown Tucson. Las Milpitas serves 120 families and is operated by the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on urban land leased from Pima County. Las Milpitas growers share their experiences farming together for household food and income and present a demonstrations how to how to pick, prepare, and eat purslane, or verdolagas as it better known in Tucson!

JORGE PINON & KIM CLIFFTON are growers at Milpitas South End, well-known for their purslane/verdolaga harvests. Jorge just finished a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Milpitas and is now Plot Leader.

Las Milpitas de Cottonwood is a six-acre community farm, located on the banks of the Santa Cruz River, that provides materials and support for local residents to grow food for themselves, making healthy, local food more accessible to low-income families. The farm offers family garden plots, gardening supplies, and educational workshops at no cost.