Following a successful series in June, Encuentro de Mezquite is returning next month with a three-day celebration of South Texas native foods, ecology and culture timed to coincide with CaminARTE.
The event takes place Aug. 7-9 at multiple locations throughout Laredo.
Opening night will be held from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 7 at Casa Ortiz and feature Maite Gomez-Rejón alongside a mezquite demonstration by Luna Vela.
On Aug. 8, up to 100 attendees will gather for a symposium and luncheon at the Laredo Center for the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery. The program includes a Mercado de Mezquite, a keynote address by Gomez-Rejón, a conversation with botanist and herbalist Tony Ramirez and a moderated panel featuring Marcella Juarez, Servando Leal and Elsa Arguindegui.
The symposium will also feature a Native Foods Lunch prepared by South Texas chefs and a presentation by Lucille Contreras of the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project.
The evening concludes with a Carne Asada, Mezcal & Barbacoa en Pozo preparation from 6:30-9 p.m. at La Pita Mangana Ranch. The event wraps up Aug. 9 with a Barbacoa Unveiling & Closing Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ranch. Registration is required for both ranch events.
Encuentro de Mezquite is hosted by Laredo Urban Agriculture with support from the Texas Indigenous Food Project, Humanities Texas and numerous local partners and chefs. The event is co-organized by Ryan Cantu and Virginia Elizabeth.
Cantu said he hopes Encuentro de Mezquite encourages people to reconnect with South Texas’ ecology and the region’s Indigenous history.
“In Laredo, places like Webb County, there’s a very poor knowledge of the native past,” he said. “We wanted to do this, because the Mezquite … is a symbol of this past and in addition, is a nutritious staple that grows all around us.”
Cantu said the inaugural event in June focused on teaching participants how to identify quality mezquite beans, harvest them and process them into foods such as flour.
This year’s event expands on that foundation by highlighting mezquite alongside other edible plants found throughout the South Texas monte.
“We’d like to educate people on that, have a lot of tastings with foods like Mezquite,” he said, adding that many ranchers consider the tree to be invasive. He and co-founder Virginia Elizabeth are looking to flip that.
“We’re trying to start a dialogue. … Mezquite is so resilient, it’s hard to combat or eradicate. How can we instead learn to live with it in our land?”
To register for the events, scan the attached QR code.