Tucson Garden Club at El Rio’s “Health and Safety Fair”

El Rio Neighborhood Center’s ”Health and Safety Fair” was held for the first time since the pandemic on April 6th, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona.

University of Arizona’s R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy conducted free health screenings for Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Breathing as well as Medication Reviews. College students were able to practice their skills (under supervision) and community participants received free screenings.

As cultural outreach, students from the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center performed a traditional Dragon Dance, dressed in colorful large costumes and dancing through the crowd in the exhibition hall; the dance was accompanied by the mesmerizing rhythm of cymbals, gongs and big drums.

Tucson Garden Club was invited to participate in El Rio’s Health Fair by Recreation Coordinator Paul Ponce. The exhibition hall was set up with tables and a raised stage for raffle prize drawings. Over 40 exhibitors provided materials and literature to the community participants for 3 hours.

Tucson Garden Club provided an educational exhibition table about the Sonoran Mesquite Tree, also known as Prosopis velutina. In keeping with the fair’s theme, this display featured the many health properties of this native tree. Many kids and adults visited the display to touch and feel mesquite products and receive handouts, including mesquite recipes.

The mesquite’s legume pods are dried and ground into a dense flour which is naturally sweet and high in fiber while being low glycemic, thus especially beneficial for people suffering from
diabetes. The flour is often cooked into a soft mash or as part of pancake recipes. The flavor pairs well with cinnamon or lemon.
Mesquite coffee and teas are naturally caffeine free, low acid and slightly sweet flavor. These products can be found in online stores.
Mesquite honey presents a unique flavor when bees feed primarily from spring mesquite flowers; this honey can be found in most local grocery stores in the southwest.
The tree’s black sap is useful as a topical for relief of chapped fingers and sore lips or gums. The black sap was also used by Native Americans as a hair dye.
The tree bark and leaves are pounded or boiled into a topical as an anti-inflammatory.
The pith-coated bark can be boiled and strained to make a paint as seen in traditional Maricopa pottery.
The mesquite wood is also popularly used in smoking meats.
The roots, bark and leaves are found in hardwood furniture, basketry and fabric creations.

The El Rio Health and Safety Fair was a great success among the community participants. Tucson Garden Club looks forward to participating in the next fair in April 2025.

By Rosemary Wade and Jennifer Moreland

Rosemary is a member of NGC Garden Clubs in Arizona and Michigan. She is also a NGC Landscape Design Consultant.

Jennifer is a member of Tucson Garden Club serving as Club President 2023-25; is AFGC President-Elect 2023-25; and is Pacific Region Invasive Weeds Chairman and co-Chairman of Convention 2025.

Photos:
#1TGC Educational Exhibit Table April 2024, Moreland, Moreland