Another nice and sunny day started out with a visit and tour at True Garden Urban Farm. This is a quite unusual vertical urban farm which produces healthy organic food using no soil and sell it on their farmers market and to restaurants. Plants are grow nin the solar-powered True Garden greenhouse, but they also sell "growing towers" (see pic), a clever system of towers with water being sprinkled on the roots of plants growing in little holes with coconut-shell substrate avoiding insects and such. E.g. salads or peas or herbs can be harvested several times. Owner and compound pharmacist Troy Albright, PhD can grow up to an acre of fresh vegetables using 1/10 of the land and a fraction of the water.
Arizona has deep roots in the citrus industry and in Mesa, farmers began planting citrus crops in the late 1800s. The Orange Patch is a fourth-generation operation and we met with the owner, who not only showed us the process of picking and sorting, but also explained "taste fashions" and the different varieties of citrus fruit. In the store, where they sell all their produce, visitors can taste different fruits. In summer they switch to squash, melons and other annual fruit.
Jalapeno Bucks is situated between citrus groves, too. The family serves hearty meals in huge portions on their covered patio, outside. Best is the home-made salsas in different varietions, e.g. mango, which are also sold to customers in quarts and pints.
Mesa Arts Center - now in downtown Mesa - is a modern complex for performing arts, visual arts, and arts education , the largest and most comprehensive arts center in the state of Arizona. At the same time it's sort of a central gathering and event space on Main Street where every kind of culture – from art exhibitions to performances to studios for art education - is offered. The design and color scheme reflects the Sonoran Desert. The campus includes four theaters, Contemporary Arts’ galleries and exhibition space,classrooms and a plaza.
Arizona Museum of Natural History. our next stop, is proud of “Dinosaur Mountain” - the largest (mechanized) dinosaur exhibit west of the Mississippi River. Also presented are Hohokam Indian dwellings and a re-creation of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. Paradise for dino-lovers and worth-seeing fassade of the building!
At the end of an interesting day, we went for a downtown stroll - notice the street car which runs straight into Phoenix! - with stops at the Book Gallery and at Milano Music. Never have seen such a music store before! It started in 1946 as an accordion studio and became a huge, one-of-a-kind showroom and repair facility.
Time to eat again: Dinner at Rancho de Tia Rosa (pics above) – a traditional Mexican hacienda. Loved their Margaritas and had a filling meal of typical Mexican food. Last stop: 12 West Brewing Tap Room & Restaurant for a final IPA.
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