Agave Expo Day 1: Preparing the Roasting Pit, Agave Talks, Plant Sale & Activities for Kids

Friday, April 29, 2022, 8:00AM to 1:30PM at Mission Garden

FREE with suggested donation of $5 when you enter the gardens

Learn about the centuries-old preparation technique for roasting Agaves for food and beverages while also exploring Mission Garden, Tucson’s Birthplace.

Emily Rockey, Garden Supervisor, with Maegan Lopez, Cultural Outreach Specialist and friends will offer a hands-on demonstration of preparing the agave piñas and the roasting pit. Learn about the ancient Hohokam agave cultivation techniques and uses for agave as well as how agave fiber was used for ropes, shoes, clothes, and many other aspects of the agave plant.

Mission Garden fruit raspados with artisanal agave syrup will be offered for sale.

Schedule:

8am-12pm: Agave Plant Sale & Information (Bat Conservation International, Borderlands Restoration Network, Colectivo Sonora Silvestre) — Pre-order native plants and seeds from Borderlands Nursery & Seed! To place your order, shop www.borderlandsplants.org and note "Mission Garden 4/29" in the notes at check out for pick up.

8:15-9am: Walking Tour of Mission Garden Trincheras

9:15-9:45am: Hohokam Agave Cultivation and Fiber Arts in the Tucson Basin, a presentation by Drs. Paul & Suzi Fish

9:15-9:45am: Hands-on agave planting for kids

10-10:30am: Preparing the fire pit and agave “piñas” for roasting

11-11:45am: Greg Starr, a local author, horticulturist, and agavephile has been growing agaves for about 30 years. He will discuss the five best agaves for landscape use in the Tucson area giving tips and suggestions he has learned over the years. Come prepared with questions and be ready to engage in conversation about agave cultivation.

11-12pm: Fun fiber activities for kids - agave fiber extraction and rope making with Muffin Burgess, ethnobotanist

12:15-1pm: Author and ethnobotanist, Gary Nabhan & friends, present on “Ancestral tequilas and artisanal mezcals: Reading the labels and between the lines to assure sustainability” with book signings by the author.

1:30pm: Garden closes

Sponsored by Rio Nuevo, Visit Tucson, Hotel Congress, Bookmans