My Indian friends dry halved apricots, peaches, and plums on their flat rooftops between window screening. Shave apples into long coils to dry, pick and dry chokecherries, rose hips and other berries and herbs for teas and sweet creations. Even baby tumbleweeds can be used in soups, but the ground or plants are never stripped bare. Something is always left for the birds, other animals, and to reseed the earth. The Pueblo People harvest squash, chilies, pumpkin, four distinct colors of corn with many variations, sunflower seeds, beans, onions, and other garden plants in their fields or small garden plots near the springs.
Melons are a summer favorite during their hot summers.
Meat, when eaten, is usually served sparingly in soups or small portions. The Pueblo Peoples use drying as their method of preserving food. Squashes are cut in half, the seeds are taken out, and then hung up to dry with long ristras or bunches of chile and garlic. The early Spanish, and later Anglo explorers were amazed to find chilies, in one form or another, eaten with every meal. Pumpkin seeds are always a treat, and watermelon seeds are also used for food and oil.