Gathering the Desert

by Gary Paul Nabhan, Paul Mirocha (Illustrator)

Winner of the John Burroughs Association’s John Burroughs Medal for natural history writing and a Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association

To the untrained eye, a desert is a wasteland that defies civilization; yet the desert has been home to native cultures for centuries and offers sustenance in its surprisingly wide range of plant life. Gary Paul Nabhan has combed the desert in search of plants forgotten by all but a handful of American Indians and Mexican Americans. In Gathering the Desert readers will discover that the bounty of the desert is much more than meets the eye—whether found in the luscious fruit of the stately organpipe cactus or in the lowly tepary bean.

Nabhan has chosen a dozen of the more than 425 edible wild species found in the Sonoran Desert to demonstrate just how bountiful the land can be. From the red-hot chiltepines of Mexico to the palms of Palm Springs, each plant exemplifies a symbolic or ecological relationship which people of this region have had with plants through history. Each chapter focuses on a particular plant and is accompanied by an original drawing by artist Paul Mirocha. Word and picture together create a total impression of plants and people as the book traces the turn of seasons in the desert.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Plants, Natural History, Science, Nature, Cooking

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Gary Paul Nabhan is an internationally-celebrated nature writer, seed saver, conservation biologist and sustainable agriculture activist who has been called "the father of the local food movement" by Utne Reader, Mother Earth News, Carleton College and Unity College. Gary is also an orchard-keeper, wild forager and Ecumenical Franciscan brother in his hometown of Patagonia, Arizona near the Mexican border. For his writing and collaborative conservation work, he has been honored with a MacArthur "genius" award, a Southwest Book Award, the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing, the Vavilov Medal, and lifetime achievement awards from the Quivira Coalition and Society for Ethnobiology.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I love the desert and many of the plants associated with it, I was drawn to this book to learn more about some of them. The author writes about 12 different plant species he finds notable in Southwest Desert regions of the U.S. as well as Northern Mexico. He includes a chapter on each one of them. His writing touches plant uses, historical and cultural references, scientific studies and experiments and his own experiences investigating these plants. The book was published in the mid 1980’s, so somewhat dated. I found the writing to be well done and quite interesting and informative. Some of the chapters were more compelling than others. I found a few of them to be dry and too scientific for this non Science major 😊.

A few of my favorites from the book were “The Creosote Bush is Our Drugstore,” detailing medicinal properties of this pungent bush which I like rubbing the tiny leaves and smelling them. (I did that tonight during my evening walk); “Sandfood and Sand Papago,” a fascinating food eaten historically by Native peoples that looks a little like a mushroom and pops up from sandy areas, tasting delicious and like a sweet potato - (never heard of this one); “Organpipe Cactus: Bringing in the Rainfeast,” the organpipe in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cacti in the desert and their fruits I didn’t know anything about; “For the Birds: The Red-Hot Mother of Chiles,” - I will not forget when I tried one of these tiny Chiltepin peppers that I picked one day while volunteering at a Tucson heritage garden. The pain from that tiny bite didn’t go away for a long time 😣. But I learned from this chapter that some people pop the tiny chile into their mouths for its “cooling effect.” The chile produces intense heat which signals to the body to sweat and the moisture from sweating makes one cooler 😏; “Devil’s Claw: Designing Baskets, Designing Plants,” - I won’t forget my first day volunteering at Tucson’s Mission Garden where my task was to separate the devil’s claws from the long vines they come from. I added to quite a big pile of them and I was amazed that these sharp, strange objects from nature help create beautiful Native American basketry. I admired their shape while frequently removing them from around my ankles and shoes where they liked to get stuck 😉.

Four and a half stars from me rounded up on this worthwhile nature and scientific read.

[Charlie Miksicek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always like a book that mentions me.

[Claudia U. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful account of Sonoran desert plants and the intimate connections with Native American peoples of this region. I learned the fascinating life cycles of these plants (many of which are non-cultivated species), their incredible adaptations to the harsh desert environment, and most importantly, the ingenuity of the various Native American cultures in using these plants for medicinal purposes, food and drink, for weaving and other uses. Often, the desert is erroneously portrayed as an ecosystem devoid of life. These essays point to the contrary, and demonstrate a vast web of interconnections between landscapes, the land, plants, animals, and people. Written in accessible language that delicately captures a portrait of several desert plants, Gary Paul Nabhan illuminates upon the spirit of each plant and how some of them are threatened due to habitat loss, over harvesting, and development. Nonetheless, Nabhan concludes most chapters in a hopeful tone, imagining a future where these plants continue to thrive.

[Jonathon Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey about the evolution of indigenous agriculture in the Sonoran desert from pre-European times into the present. Many lessons for those seeking more sustainable uses of water and means of food production in arid lands.

[Alice King · Rating 3 out of 5]

excellent

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating essays about a variety of desert plants from the Sonoran desert, and the ways native americans have interacted with them. Nice mix of ecology, ethobotany and some good story telling.

[Ben Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nabhan invites the reader into the Sonoran desert he so deeply loves. He powerfully elucidates the deep imbrication of plant and human communities through the long durée of time. A snapshot of a place that will shape how I imagine and interact with my own, very different place and context.

[Ann]

This book is about the history and uses of sonoran desert plants. Right now I'm learning how to harvest cactus fruit and desert legumes myself so it's right up my alley, but this book also won the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing so anyone that enjoys this genre would enjoy this book.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers little "vignettes" on a variety of plants in the Sonoran Desert and the ways they have been used by past and present desert dwellers, especially native Americans. Reading this made me miss the desert.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss the Sonoran desert.

Ethnobotany rules! Learn how Sonoran farmers make bootleg mezcal with carbuerators, and all the home remedies creosote can be used for.

[Brett Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, beautiful, informative writing about the food traditions of a beloved landscape.

[Stephen Thomas jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, I learned quite a bit about culture and medicine and some culinary uses of plants of the southwest. A lot of lost history out here even for my group, the Mormons.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read if you are interested in Sonoran desert plants. It's not just a foraging book like I thought it would be