NRPR selling Canoa Ranch recipe books to help with restoration project

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Want to help raise money for a good cause and make some yummy food at the same time, then this might be the deal you are looking for - Canoa Ranch recipe books for $10.

The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation is selling the books to help raise money for the Tradesman House restoration project at the Historic Hacienda del la Canoa, at the Raul M. Grijalva Canoa Ranch Conservation Park.

According to a Pima County news release, the book, “Recuerdos y Recetas: Memories and Recipes of the Mexicano Families of Rancho de la Canoa” includes authentic recipes and stories from the families who lived at Canoa Ranch between 1951 to 1964.

It was a collaboration between Amanda Salcido Castillo, a child of Canoa, and Patricia Preciado Martin, a native Arizonan author known for documenting Arizona’s Mexican American history and culture in publications such as, “Songs my Mother Sang to Me” and “Beloved Land: An Oral History of Mexican Americans in the Southwest.”

It took seven months to complete the book, which is more than a cookbook, as it not only features recipes (using ingredients that were grown in the Canoa family gardens), but photos, drawings and stories that include some Mexican 'dichos' or sayings.

Interested in purchasing a copy? Visit the NRPR's main office at 3500 West River Road - cash, check and credit cards are accepted.

Money raised from the purchase of the book will go toward the Tradesman House, which will become a new visitor orientation/story center and gift shop at Historic Canoa Ranch.

NRPR is hoping the project will begin this fiscal year, as it has already received a $100,000 grant from the Bert W. Martin Foundation to help fund restoration efforts.

For more information on Canoa Ranch, including upcoming events, tours, programs, exhibits and donations, please visit www.pima.gov/canoaranch/

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