Pistachios

If anyone had asked, I would have said that pistachios come from California, like almost every other agricultural crop (avocados, strawberries, marijuana, etc.) On this trip we learned that pistachios also come from New Mexico!

Imagine our surprise, driving through the high plains—mountains still ahead of us—to spot an orchard by the road, right there in the desert. Row after row of pistachio trees ran right up to the highway, with roadside businesses hawking the bounty of the arid countryside.

This discovery called for a stop—a good thing. How could we have missed the world’s largest pistachio?

And what treasures the vendors had to tempt the weary traveler? Pistachios with chile pepper seasoning, habanero popcorn, and most surprising of all, lollipops with a genuine stinging scorpion embedded in the solidified high-fructose corn syrup! The desert is indeed full of bounty if one only knows where to look.