In this issue, we take a ground-level view. We find a land shaped by harnessing the power of decay and renewal, by collective concern channeled into collaboration and care, by a sense of ambience and playfulness and constructive creativity, by a spirit of resilience and by the power of friendships.
What shapes the land? Limits of rainfall, altitude, and sun; roads and buildings and power lines; stories and memories and visions.
To draw our landscape in eighty pages, through words and photographs, is an exercise in perspective. In this issue, we take a ground-level view. We find a land shaped by harnessing the power of decay and renewal, by collective concern channeled into collaboration and care, by a sense of ambience and playfulness and constructive creativity, by a spirit of resilience and by the power of friendships.
Susan DeFreitas offers an ode to soil, guiding us through a tour of various local businesses working like alchemists to transform organic waste into life-building compost. Nancy Zastudil’s piece on food waste and art builds on the theme, giving us insight into local artists and farmers working to find better uses of an industrial-waste stream that would otherwise fill landfills and exacerbate climate pollution. In their work, we find a reminder to take time to find beauty in what is lost before giving it new life and meaning.
We find an atmosphere of life and creativity at Opuntia Cafe and in the imaginatively repurposed interior landscape of Happy Accidents. We meet a land-based network of cultivators working together to care for each other and their communities in precarious times. Finally, we are reminded by Marisa Thompson, as she periodically revisits the bosque after a fire and a flood, that wild plants provide even more than food, medicine, aesthetic beauty, habitat, and ecological stability; they offer a sense of connectedness and a wellspring of inspiration—in a word, friendship.
Ham, White Bean, Greens, and Green Chile Soup
Need to use up a leftover ham roast and an abundance of swiss chard, kale, or collard greens? The green chile kicks this recipe up a notch and adds depth of flavor. Ham, White Bean, Greens, and Green Chile Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small yellow onion (chopped)...
Zucchini Carrot Cake
Okay, maybe putting veggies in your cake or muffins won’t make them healthy, but it is another way to empty your overflowing vegetable drawers. From carrots and zucchini to peas, parsley, sweet potatoes, and beetroot, there are many creative ways to incorporate...
Microgreen Savory Pancakes
These savory pancakes are a blank canvas just waiting for a burst of flavor from some of the many varieties of microgreens, shoots, and sprouts that frequently end up in our fridges. My refrigerator currently stocks pea shoots, daikon sprouts, and sunflower sprouts....
Israel Rivera, The Shop
Local Hero: Chef, Albuquerque Photos by Stephanie CameronLeft: Buttermilk-brined fried chicken thigh, gochujang, black garlic mayo, and house-made pickles. Right: Israel Rivera, chef and owner of The Shop. Let’s start with the bio. How would you write it? I’m a...
The Kinship of Local Food
By Cassidy Tawse-GarciaHarvesting fields at Reunity Farm. Photo by Esha Chiocchio. On a crisp, bright day in November, we convene at Chispas Farm, located off Saavedra Road, once part of the historic Atrisco Land Grant, a system of colonial land capture that...
Basic Frittata Formula
Frittatas are easy and a great way to use up raw veggies, leftover cooked veggies and greens, or even leftover stuffing or pasta. One of the best frittatas I ever made was with leftover spaghetti bolognese from a restaurant meal. The basic formula below will work with...
Savory Cabbage Pancakes
This Japanese-inspired recipe for okonomiyaki is one way to use up that half head of cabbage left over after making slaw. You can also sub in kale, bean sprouts, radishes, grated broccoli stems, brussels sprouts, or zucchinis. This recipe is adapted from the Japanese...
Opuntia Cafe
A SUCCULENT TERRAIN By Lynn Cline · Photos by Douglas MerriamHigh above the earth, a garden oasis awaits—a paradise of plants, water, sunlight, and calm—a retreat from an overwrought world. There’s nourishing, seasonally inspired food, too, along with a menu of...
Red Chile, Honey, and Lime Shrub & Cocktail
Making shrubs is easy, and it is a great way to preserve seasonal fruit or use up a surplus of produce. Tomatoes, cucumbers, chile peppers, beets, stone fruits, citrus, and berries all make wonderful options that can be spiked with alcohol to make great cocktails....
Lettuce Soup
Lettuce isn’t just for salads. If you garden or subscribe to a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box, you are almost guaranteed to have a surplus of lettuce during certain times of the year. This lettuce soup is perfect served cold or warm and is a great way to...
Flood, Fire, and Flowers
Making Friends through It All Words and Photos by Marisa ThompsonGolden currants in the spring. When I moved to Los Lunas, a gardener told me that I’ll know when to put my hummingbird feeders out when the golden currants are in bloom in the bosque. I didn’t have much...
New Mexico Hard Cider
Santa Fe’s New Mexico Hard Cider is the 2021 edible Local Hero for Wine/Cider. We speak with owner Craig Moya to hear about their backstory and learn a lot about New Mexico apples and crafting locally grown cider from them.
Breaking Down: What Does Food Waste Look Like?
What exactly is food waste, and what does it look like? Nancy Zastudil looks for an answer in “Breaking Down: What Does Food Waste Look Like?”
Still Spirits
Albuquerque’s Still Spirit is the 2021 edible Local Hero for Beverage Program. We talk with owner Zach Hulme about the local distillery movement, essentials of a stellar cocktail program, the process of creating a new drink, and more.
Get Happy at Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents gets its name from a saying by beloved painter Bob Ross, but nothing in the bar’s menu, decor, or practice is an accident. Happy Accidents operates as a distillery that creates its own spirits specifically for every cocktail on the menu, which boasts over sixty options.
Dirt: A Love Story
Here, in New Mexico, our soils tend to be desertified, lacking the organic matter and microbes that nurture plant life. In “Dirt: A Love Story,” Susan DeFritas explores how local organizations are working to build soil across the state and promote the agricultural processes that support it.
The Burque Bakehouse
Local Hero: Baker/Bakery An Interview with Sarah Ciccotello, Founder/Co-Owner Photos by Stephanie CameronA variety of pastries at The Burque Bakehouse. What’s a quick version of your bio for readers? There’s probably flour in my hair and dough under my nails. A great...
