forage

The jackrabbit often travels alone through the desert searching for food. The jackrabbit survives off of Mesquite, Cacti, Small trees, Roots, Twigs, and other plant life. There is an abundance of food in the desert, not just for animals but for humans as well. Food that was used by those who came before us. Such as the mesquite tree. It produces mesquite beans which are full of nutrients and were once a vital source of food for indigenous peoples of Mexico and the Southwest. The seeds were crushed to a powder and used to make flour or meal to make bread and other items. There are plants to avoid in the desert as well, plants that can be poisonous. The Sacred Datura is toxic to animals, however, this plant can be used for medicinal purposes and was also used for ceremonial purposes by ancient peoples. The Datura can help clear iron and arsenic from the soil through phytoremediation which is the use of plants to clean up contaminated environments. Through colonization, these food resources have been forgotten or lost because they did not view the desert as a terrain that could sustain them. They did not utilize the plants as our ancestors did and therefore erased them from the list of edible food. Through food, we can reclaim our history, and connect with each other and the land.