Edible Rio Grande Valley - Winter 2023

Gratis!

No. 8 Winter 2023

EAT. DRINK. THINK. LOCAL.

Member of Edible Communities

SPONSORED CONTENT

ISSUE WINTER

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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DON’T CALL IT TEQUILA, DON’T CALL IT MEZCAL Blasfemus Boasts Texas Agave Spirit

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COMMUNITY Surprise! Veganism Thrives in the RGV

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WHAT’S IN SEASON December to February

13 NATURE Labor of Love: Sustainable Gardening Yields Cornucopia of Blessings 16 MARKET GUIDE 18 RECIPES Soups to Keep You Warm!

Caldo de Res Vegan Pozole Pork and Beans Stew 22 LAST SIP Latin Holiday Sips!

Ponche Navideño Rompope Holiday Eggnog Coquito ON THE COVER: Caldo de Res Photo by Melissa Guerra

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

A Votre Santé!

The holiday season is upon us…I feel the anticipation of reveling in the comfort of yearly traditions surrounding the celebrations to come. There is something special about winter, a change of seasons, reflecting on our year, and finding gratitude in what we have.

Growing up, my dad always said, “Santé,” when clinking our glasses at occasions. In this Edible issue’s Last Sip section, Melissa Guerra and Vianney Rodriguez bring you traditional celebratory drinks of the Americas: ponche navideño, rompope, holiday eggnog, and coquito. My favorite is a Dominican version of rompope called ponche de rum. For Vianney, each beverage is used differently during the season. Her ponche navideño is always served at Christmas. Rompope, offered at a posada, reminds her of sitting outside on a chilly night and getting lost in conversation with her abuelita. As for her coquito, she makes a large batch and gifts it to friends each Christmas.

I hope to get on her list for next year!

Also in these pages, Sammy Jo Cienfuegos talks to some of the trailblazers who have brought veganism to the RGV. What makes the homegrown vegan spots so fabulous is they have taken the flavors we grew up with and made them plant-based. You can see how popular the plant-based movement has become at the annual Vegan Fest in Harlingen.

Speaking of goodness to celebrate, the bounty that comes from the soil in the RGV is something to be grateful for. Brenda Garza shares how gardening brings the community abundance and produce grown with love with which to feed our family. She shares a recipe for fertilizer that will enrich your soil — our second compost hack for new plants in your yard.

Part of what makes my job so special is the people and places I get to visit for each issue. Like any good mother hen, I don’t play favorites, but visiting Roma for the first time was memorable, and touring Ancestral Distillery, where Blasfemus agave spirits are made, was a remarkable experience.

Given the area’s historical architecture, the bluffs, and the new Rio Grande brewery and pub, you can see how this district will bloom into a unique experience. The Blasfemus tasting courtyard comes alive on Friday and Saturday nights. There, you drink tasty craft cocktails surrounded by the agave plants that will eventually be turned into the spirits you are imbibing. If you can’t get to Jalisco or Oaxaca, go to Roma on the weekend.

Also, we share some soup recipes to help you stay warm this winter. Our editor Letty Fernandez loves to make caldo when it first gets cold in the Valley. “I have wonderful memories of my mother preparing caldo. Cousins, aunts, and uncles all would come over to our house because they knew when the first cold front hit, my mother would be making caldo. I can still remember the aroma of it simmering on the stove. Oh, to have my mother’s soup again.”

Melissa Guerra provides the traditional caldo de res recipe, Diego Benitez gives us his take on a easy cassoulet in the pork and bean Stew and Ingrid Monserrat of Maria Cruz in McAllen gives a vegan take on her abuelita’s pozole, which is delicious. When I made a pot for our photo shoot, I shared it with friends, They raved!

I can’t believe it’s the end of our second year of bringing you Edible Rio Grande Valley each quarter. Doing so has been and continues to be a sheer pleasure. I want to thank the writers, photographers, and chefs who bring each issue to life, the people of the RGV who allow us to tell their stories, the advertisers for seeing the value in expanding our local food economy, and our readers for enjoying the content. I am excited for 2024, as we’ll be adding some new programming: a trip to Southern Italy in September, some Edible RGV dinners, and maybe even a podcast!

Stay tuned….

Jacqueline Folacci Publisher

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Edible Communities Publications of the Year (2011)

PUBLISHER Jacqueline Folacci EDITOR Letty Fernandez CONTRIBUTORS Diego Benitez John Burnett Sammy Jo Cienfuegos Brenda A. Garza Melissa Guerra Dudley Martin Ingrid Monserrat Vianney Rodriguez PHOTOGRAPHERS Melissa Guerra Delcia Lopez Vianeey Rodriguez LAYOUT DESIGN Matthew and Tina Freeman COPY EDITORS Doresa Banning Marci Caltibiano-Ponce Cristina Tijerina ADVERTISING advertise@edibleriograndevalley.com CONTACT US hola@ediblergv.com TO SUBSCRIBE Visit us online at edibleriograndevalley.com edible Rio Grande Valley is published quarterly by GC Publishing LLC. Subscription rate is $28 annually.

No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions.

If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us at hola@ediblergv.com. Thank you. ©2023. All rights reserved edibleriograndevalley.com

THE VALLEY’S PREMIER LINEN SERVICE. 956.399.4340 modellaundrytx.com

Have a story to tell?

Know a business to feature?

Tell us about it. letty@ediblergv.com

SAVE YOUR PIPES.

DISPOSE OF FATS, OILS AND GREASE PROPERLY. 1425 Robinhood Drive, Brownsville, Texas 78521 www.brownsville-pub.com | 956-983-6100

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DON’T CALL IT TEQUILA, DON’T CALL IT MEZCAL Blasfemus Boasts Texas Agave Spirit STORY BY JOHN BURNETT | PHOTOS BY DELCIA LOPEZ

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Opposite page: Blasfemus agave spirits. This page, clockwise from left: agave plant; door to Blasfemus’ headquarters in the Guerra Building in Roma, Texas; coowner Leonardo Sanchez with baby agave plants.

“‘We have done some special editions Guerrero, San Luis Potosi. So why don’t we do a special edition Tejas?’

And one of the board members told him that would be blasphemy.”

L

eonardo Sanchez looks out over a barren clearing in the dense brush alongside the Rio Grande, not far

from the border town of Roma, Texas. Two years ago, Sanchez and his partner Eduardo Ocampo Ramirez planted 2,500 spiky agaves on this piece of ground that’s known by the U.S. Border Patrol as a crossing spot for undocumented immigrants and dope smugglers.

Sanchez, co-founder of Ancestral Craft Spirits, envisions one day harvesting the hearts of his Tex-Mex agaves and producing the first Texas-made mezcal. Crops in the hot, arid Rio Grande Valley depend on irrigation; the hardy agave — that stores water in its sharp-tipped leaves — thrives in this climate. Sanchez is counting on the terroir of Starr County to be similar to that of Oaxaca and Jalisco, the chief

Mexican states where mezcal and tequila are produced.

But he didn’t predict problems with a pestilential varmint that has overrun Texas. “We came back one day and what we found is that there’s a lot of hogs and javelinas in this area,” he says, with a forced chuckle.

“And they like a lot of these little plants. So they ate thousands of them.”

Sales of tequila and mezcal in the U.S. have more than tripled in the last decade, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, even outselling American whiskey. With that exploding market, Sanchez persevered. He brought more baby agaves from his native Mexico and put them safely in a sunny courtyard next to his distillery. Once he plants them on the riverside acreage — and erects a stout hog-proof fence — it will take at least seven years for the agaves to mature. edibleriograndevalley.com

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“Of course, we will have to take extra measures to protect them,” Sanchez says, “like electric fencing, or maybe we’ll have to pay some men with rifles. I don’t know.”

Mexican distillers have been making tequila and its smoky cousin, mezcal, for more than 400 years. Like Champagne from France, if it’s called tequila or mezcal, it has to come from Mexico.

If the liquor is produced anywhere else, it is called an agave spirit.

Sanchez and Ramirez’s Texas agave spirit is bottled under the brand name Blasfemus.

“Actually there is a story that Eduardo, my partner, was sitting in the board of directors of the Mexican company that makes the mezcal, and he was telling them, ‘We have done some special editions Guerrero, San Luis Potosi. So why don’t we do a special edition Tejas?’ And one of the board members told him that would be blasphemy.”

Blasfemus comes in slim black bottles marked with the numerals 7, 11 or 17. But these are not the number of years the liquor has aged in oak barrels, like anejo and reposado tequila. These Number of numbers denote how many years the years agave agave plants have been in the ground. takes to mature While his agaves are maturing, Sanchez is importing agave juice from Type of agave his partner’s mezcal estate in Oaxaca.

He distills, flavors and bottles it inside Type of wood a handsome building in historic downtown Roma, formerly the Manuel Guerra General Store, that dates to the midReason Blasfemus 1800s when the town was a steamboat uses this wood port on the Rio Grande.

The City of Roma — which recently put the image of an agave plant on civic banners hanging downtown — is Tasting Notes hoping Ancestral Craft Spirits and its Friday happy hours will help revitalize the moldering historic district on the

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bluffs overlooking the Rio Grande. As it happens, Roma was not an arbitrary choice Courtyard and for the distillery’s location. Sanchez’s partFacade of the ner, Ramirez, who is involved in the OaxBlasfemus distillery in Roma. acan mezcal estate, has longstanding ties to Starr County. His maternal ancestors, the Ramirez family, moved from Portugal in 1739 to a portion of a Spanish land grant north of the Rio Bravo, where the Ramirez home still stands to this day.

Blasfemus is by no means the first American mezcal. California and Hawaii have been growing and distilling agave spirits for nearly a decade. But it is the first made in Texas, and it’s already being poured in cantinas in Houston, Marfa and the Rio Grande Valley.

And how does it compare to traditional Mexican mezcal? “A traditionalist I don’t think would necessarily drink this,” says Chris Galicia, cocktail spirits director of Las Ramblas in Brownsville, after sampling a shot of Blasfemus. Then he quickly adds, “I think things like this are good for a growing market, and it has a place on the back bar.”

Sanchez insists he and Ramirez aren’t trying to replicate Mexican mezcal on Texas soil. “We’re trying to create something uniquely American.”

John Burnett worked as a national correspondent for NPR for 36 years and specialized in covering the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

TASTING NOTES 7

11

17

Espadin

Tobala

Americana

Amburana

American Oak

French Oak

To honor Portugal, where the Ramirez family is from

To honor the Ramirez family’s move to the New World

To honor the history when the city of Roma was a port city trading with the French Empire

Sweet and smoky with notes of cinnamon and spice

Balanced with notes of vanilla

Floral notes from the agave with a silky finish

ON THE HUNT FOR A CULINARY DEGREE Now serving up to three related degrees on the Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco and the Pecan Campus in McAllen.

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COMMUNITY

Surprise!

Veganism Thrives In The RGV STORY BY SAMMY JO CIENFUEGOS

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nown for its traditional Tex-Mex foods, the Rio Grande Valley might be the last place you’d think of when looking for vegan options. Vegans in the RGV have long had to settle for soggy side salads and fries when searching for plant-based options.

That is until a few vegan aficionados decided to spark the creation of a local scene, offering delicious foods without the negative environmental or health impacts associated with standard diets.

Eating a diet that excludes meat and dairy products has often been viewed as a passing health craze. With ever-changing health buzzwords being tossed around, it’s clear why so many tend to stick to their widely popular westernized diets. Many are quick to turn their noses up to anything labeled plant based, or god forbid, the infamous v-word (vegan). Despite all of this, veganism has found a way to thrive in the Valley and has only continued to grow over the past few years.

If you’ve recently visited your local grocery store, you may have noticed the newly designated plant-based aisles, filled with foods that don’t look much different than the standard items you’re used to seeing and eating. Many locally owned restaurants have followed suit, with chain businesses not far behind. With so many options, going out to eat as a vegan is not as daunting as before.

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Why People Choose Vegan

A vegan diet, often confused with vegetarian diets, consists of abstaining from all animal products, and people’s reasons for going vegan, or simply eating more vegan meals, are vast.

For some, it is a way to do their part in helping mitigate the effects of global warming. A study done in the United Kingdom, comparing the environmental impacts of various diets, found that a vegan diet results in less water use, less biodiversity loss and the lowest amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Others pursue plant-based eating for the health benefits. With the high rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity in the RGV, it is certain that following a vegan diet would largely benefit our community, as it is free of cholesterol and low saturated fats.

Metanoia’s Kitchen, owned and operated by head chef Oscar Rico and Natalie Gonzalez, was opened to bring plant-based options to the Lower Valley. Its locations in Brownsville and Harlingen offer Mexican street-style tacos and panchos packed with flavor. Vegan does not entail bland food. Rico shares, “Anything you can imagine can be made vegan.”

Vegan Fest stage in 2023. Opposite page, clockwise from left: Kombucha taps at Boocha Bar in Weslaco; quesabirrias from Maria Cruz in McAllen; vegan gansito from Sweet Craft Vegan in Brownsville; soup from Pasta la Madre in Harlingen.

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Rico believes that simply implementing more plant-based meals, even without being fully vegan, has tremendous effects on our bodies and the environment, citing the multiple positive changes he personally underwent after making the switch.

Similarly, The Boocha Bar and Taproom, based in Weslaco, shares its love for healthy cooking, offering delectable kombucha and handmade pizzas made with simple, clean ingredients. Co-owners Noe and Liz Acevedo are proud of their scratch kitchen, sharing that they can name every ingredient used in their food. They chose to go vegan as a health journey during Liz pregnancy and then started sharing the Kombucha and food with others and then Boocha Bar was born!

RGV Boasts Many Vegan Eateries

Foods labeled as vegan have often been written off as inaccessible, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of our cultural foods are already accidentally vegan, such as rice and beans.

Pitbosses Barbecue, based in Brownsville, offers vegan flautas, pollo asado and chicharron en salsa verde, for example. Carlos Cantu, chef and owner, shares, “Many Hispanic dishes can be easily made vegan by leaving out ingredients such as lard, meat broths and dairy.”

Adopting a vegan lifestyle does not mean giving up your favorite comfort foods. All sorts of dishes can be vegan, even fettuccine alfredo and chilaquiles. You don’t even have to give up your favorite Gansitos, as Sweet Craft Vegan in Brownsville bakes a fresh vegan version daily.

Sweet Craft’s owner and operator Amanda Nolan gets customers from all over the Valley, even those who may not consider themselves vegan, trying her conchas, donuts and cookies, among many other delectable pastries. This is a trend, happening at many Valley-based vegan eateries.

At the end of the day, good food is good food, no matter what label it carries.

Agape Harvest & Grain, owned by personal chef Denise Cuellar, named her McAllen-based business Agape to represent the pure, unconditional love she puts in her cooking.

“Agape is meant to bring comfort while still being plant based and whole food based, as I strive to stay away from processed foods,” says Cuellar. ”Whenever I cook, I aim to share a little piece of me with the community and spark a memory of love.”

Similarly, Ingrid Monserrat and Alberto Sanchez noticed there were not many places selling vegan options, so they decided to open Maria Cruz, a plant-based restaurant and bar in McAllen. Their food is inspired by Monserrat’s grandmother’s recipes and legacy.

“They are her recipes that she passed down to my mom, and then passed down to me,” says Monserrat. “With the mixture of cultures in the RGV, we eat a lot of foods that are high in calories and saturated fats. We want to provide foods that are still true to the culture but are better for you.”

Options For Various Food Needs

Food has long been a means of connection. The food we consume tells a story about where we come from. Connecting people from different backgrounds and flavor profiles, food should be available to meet every person’s vastly different needs.

Meggan Leal, co-owner and mastermind of Pasta La Madre, opened her Harlingen-based restaurant for this very reason, alongside co-owner and kitchen manager Luis Orozco.

Offering allergen-free, hearty soups, creamy pastas and plant-based cheeses, Leal aims to create a space where loved ones can share a meal together despite their dietary restrictions, after she struggled to find places for her children to eat with their many allergies.

“I realized that in eight years of being a family, we couldn’t ever eat at a restaurant together, and I wanted to do something to change that for other families in the Valley that are in the same sort of predicament,” shares Leal.

Community is everything when it comes to plenty of vegan eateries in the RGV.

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Celebrating the Vegan Lifestyle

The growth of veganism in the Valley has even led to the creation in 2022 of a local festival showcasing how easy and fun leading a vegan lifestyle is. Since its debut, the event has expanded. In 2023, the Harlingen Vegan Fest featured 57 vendors, up from about 40 the year before.

“In its inaugural year, the festival was, to our surprise, very well attended, and this year, all of our expectations for attendance were definitely exceeded,” says Jared Castaneda, cofounder and director.

With plenty of welcoming chefs throughout the Valley serving mouth-watering plates, it is evident that plant-based eating has gained popularity here over the past few years … despite the stigma surrounding the v-word.

Sammy Jo Cienfuegos works as a freelance journalist and grant writer for the City of Brownsville. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing poetry and caring for her three-year-old shih tzu, Ollie.

What’s In Season December – February

Plant All Season Beans Bok Choy Cilantro Green Onions Kale Lettuces Mustard Greens Radishes Swiss Chard

December Beets Broccoli Fennel Melons Parsley Squash Turnips Zucchini

Harvest December & January Carrots Spinach

February Only Bell Peppers Chili Peppers Cucumbers Honeydew Melons Tomatoes Watermelons

All Season

December

Bok Choy Carrots Cilantro Herbs Lettuces Radishes

Bell Peppers Chili Peppers Cucumbers Field Peas Squash Sweet Peppers Tomatoes Zucchini

December & January Brussels Sprouts

December, January & February Beans Cabbage Cauliflower Fennel Grapefruit Kohlrabi Melons Parsley Spinach Swiss Chard Turnips

January & February Kale Mustard Greens

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NATURE

Labor of Love

Sustainable Gardening Yields Cornucopia of Blessings

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRENDA A. GARZA

f there were a justice system in gardening, I’d probably be in prison for “plant slaughter.” For years, I unintentionally killed everything from the simple philodendron to the more exotic bromeliads.

It was overwhelming trying to decide when to water, how much to water, where to plant and which nutrients to use. And after, it was to no avail; most plants died under my watch.

The turning point was when I changed my attitude about vegetation in general. When my children were growing up, my perception of plants was skewed. I viewed them as knickknacks for the curio cabinet, adornments for the kitchen table and decorations for the living room and front porch.

I was outside in the summer heat one day with my four dachshunds — Mocha, Coco, Ty and Marty. They ran to the back door and drank what seemed like a gallon of water. As they were slurping up that cool drink, I looked over at my wilting plants and thought to myself, “They must be thirsty, too.”

Something inside me just clicked.

Left to right: Plant beds in the Tres Angeles commuFrom that day forward, I began nity garden in Brownsville; to view plants differently. I saw them Brenda Garza tending to her as living beings, creatures of nature garden; planted seedlings.

that deserved a respectable level of care and protection. Following that epiphany, I paid closer attention to good water retention, plant diseases, and aerating and feeding the soil.

This new outlook inspired me to start an organic vegetable garden more than 15 years ago. My initial setup was an 8 x 8 foot enclosed greenhouse overlooking the resaca (man-made lake) in my backyard. I volunteered at an urban farm, joined a local community garden (both projects of the Brownsville Wellness Coalition), visited farms up the Rio Grande Valley and gravitated to Master Gardeners who were more knowledgeable than myself. In doing so, I realized that different gardeners and farmers have different styles and approaches to working the land.

By no means am I a gardening expert. However, in the beginning, I learned these four important lessons: • Only grow what you like to eat.

• Organic produce is not always aesthetically pleasing, perfect and shiny (like the store-bought waxed tomatoes).

• Accept that, despite your best efforts, the entire farming process is hit and miss … not everything survives.

• Plan your meals accordingly to utilize organic produce quickly. Depending on what it is, the probability of organic produce lasting weeks in your refrigerator is low.

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Young gardeners often approach me with the question of having enough space to plant a garden. I laughed the first time I saw the book, Garden Survival: Discover How To Grow Everything You Need To Survive In 3 Square Feet, by Clive Harrison. It’s true and shocking to see how many vegetables will grow in a small area.

I’ve managed up to four garden boxes approximately 8 x 4 feet each. Currently, I oversee two boxes at one of our local community gardens. My greatest success has been with cilantro, cucumbers, basil and kale, but I’ve also enjoyed growing cabbage, squash, eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, Swiss chard, green onions, broccoli, chiles, dragon fruit, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and beets.

Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year for cultivation.

This is when root vegetables like carrots, beets, radishes and onions are in the ground. As long as I don’t have pest problems, the advantage of root vegetables is that I can harvest a few items at a time and use them as needed. Other vegetables growing this time of year include greens (arugula, spinach, collards, lettuce and kale), brassicas (broccoli and cabbage) and legumes (peas and beans).

Gardening is a labor of love that teaches patience and humility.

It allows me to enjoy nature and to get unapologetically covered with grass and dirt. I am a Cameron County Master Gardener, and I still

consider myself a student. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, I learn something new.

During the pandemic, many people turned to gardening for stress relief, relaxation and food access. Throughout the quarantine, volunteering at the garden kept me involved with the community.

I donated boxes of cilantro and kale to Brownsville’s Gladys Porter Zoo for the gorillas. I bartered with my friends and exchanged the fruits of my harvest for fresh fish, venison, jars of salsa, farm eggs, other produce and even graphic design work from a local advertising agency.

My epiphany has led me to understand the process of getting food from the farm to the table and the importance of sustainability.

I see each harvest as a blessing. I am an advocate of people growing their own food, being self-sufficient and environmentally conscious.

I can only hope that by turning my brown thumb green, Mother Nature has exonerated me.

Brenda A. Garza is a former journalist, assistant superintendent of juvenile detention, executive director, administrator and grant writer for several local nonprofit organizations. In addition to gardening, she enjoys deep sea fishing and volunteering.

Texas Tea Organic Plant Fertilizer I love this Texas Tea. I find it interesting how a fish, a creature from the sea, could be so beneficial to plants which need fertile, biologically active soil to flourish.

Farmer Dave is the inspiration behind this compost recipe. He is one of my mentors and has been a huge influence to many gardening enthusiasts in this area. He has dedicated himself to promoting community gardens and urban farms locally. He describes himself as a man of the earth, who loves nature. His mantra is: Only cool vibes allowed in the garden.

Use with freshly planted transplants to pre-fruiting plants, so they’ll grow stronger and faster.

To prepare this recipe, you’ll need a plastic bucket that holds 5 gallons.

5 1 2

gallons (19 l) water pound (454 g) composted soil tablespoons (30 ml) fish emulsion per gallon of water

Start by dechlorinating the water; leave water in the bucket for a day or two in direct sunlight.

Wrap the composted soil tightly in a cloth, pantyhose or old T-shirt. Like you

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would with a tea bag, dunk the cloth containing the composted soil in the water and manually squeeze out the liquid to extract the nutrients.

Add the fish emulsion to the bucket.

Among other nutrients, fish emulsion may contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Spin together with a drill (paddle or paint mixer) or stir vigorously by hand until well blended. Now it’s ready to be applied.

Pour some Texas Tea around the base of the plant, using enough to dampen the soil.

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Start by applying this fertilizer once a week. Observe the plant closely over time. If it looks green, healthy and flourishing, you may reduce the application to once or twice a month.

t i s i v

Where culture and entertainment are life

Las Ramblas at Market Square is a James Beard Award nominated craft cocktail lounge located in Brownsville, Texas.

The Mitte Cultural District is home to the Gladys Porter Zoo along with the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Children’s Museum and four historical museums

For a list of all the events and festivals going on in the Mitte Cultural District, visit our Instagram and Facebook. mitteculturaldistrict.org @MITTECULTURALDISTRICT

MITTE CULTURAL DISTRICT MAP

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MARKET GUIDE

Market to Market

All Across the Rio Grande Valley Market Locations & Available CSAs Brownsville Brownsville Farmers Market Linear Park, 1495 E. 7th St. Saturdays 9AM-12PM brownsvillewellnesscoalition.com @brownsvillewellnesscoalition The Market at North Park Plaza 800 North Expressway 77/83 Every other Saturday 3-7PM marketattheplaza.com info@marketattheplaza.com

Donna Heart of the Valley Farmers Market 120 S. Main St. 3rd Saturday of every month 2-5PM @heartofvalleyfm

Edinburg Hub of Prosperity Urban Farm 3707 W. University Dr. Saturdays 9-11AM openfoodnetwork.net @hub_of_prosperity

Harlingen Harlingen Farmers Market Tyler Avenue & 2nd St. Saturdays 3-4:30PM Mid October-mid June harlingenfarmersmarket.com @harlingenfarmersmarket HOPE Farmers Market 19833 Morris Rd. Mondays & Thursdays-Saturdays 10AM-6PM yahwehfarm.com yahwehs.farmgarden@gmail.com @yahwehsfarm hopeforsfs@yahoo.com hopeforsfs.org

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Wild August Nursery & Flower Market 16802 Garrett Rd. October-May Saturdays 9AM-12PM June-September Fridays 6-9PM wildaugust.com @themarketatwildaugust

Mission

Available CSAs in the RGV

Neighborhood Farmers Market The Bryan House 1113 E. Mile 2 Rd. Wednesdays 3-7PM thebryanhouse.com @thebryanhouse

Laguna Vista

Rancho Viejo Farmers Market 3301 Carmen Ave. Every other Sunday Sept. 5-8PM Oct. 3-7PM ranchoviejofm.com @ranchoviejofarmersmarket

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), is one way consumers can directly support local farms. You connect directly with the farmer, and every week your farmer delivers or you can pick up a variety of fresh nutritious food.

All CSAs have different financial structures and procedures, so we suggest you reach out to the CSA for more information.

SPIGCC Community Farmers Market South Padre Island Golf Course 1 Ocelot Trail Rd. 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month 4–6PM

McAllen

Rancho Viejo

Farm to Table Tres Lagos Farmers Market 4350 Tres Lagos Blvd.

1st Sunday of every month 2-5PM visitmcallen.com @treslagosmcallen

San Benito

Grow’n Growers Farmers Market Firemen’s Park, 201 N. 1st St. Saturdays 9AM-12PM visitmcallen.com @farmersmarketatfiremenspark

South Padre Island

McAllen Farmers Market 4001 N. 23rd St. Saturdays 10AM-1PM mcallenfarmersmarket.com @mcallenfarmersmarket

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El Pueblito Market 101 N. Reagan St. 2nd Sunday of the month 11AM-3PM elpueblitomarket956@ gmail.com South Padre Island Farmers Market 8605 Padre Blvd.

Sundays 11AM-1PM sopadre.com

Weslaco La Cebollita Mid-Valley Farmers Market Weslaco City Hall 255 S. Kansas Ave. Last Saturday of every month 11AM-2PM @weslaco_chamber weslaco.com

CD&J Mini Ranch Offers a produce CSA Meat and egg CSA 29575 Adams Rd., San Benito cdjminiranch.com @cdjminiranch_woman_owned Nature’s Heartland Farm Offers produce and eggs 11920 N. Mile 16, Edinburg Saturdays 10AM-4PM heartlandfarm.com @naturesheartland Sentli Center for Regenerative Agriculture Offers produce CSA from Participants: Terra Preta Farm, Food Bank RGV, Vida Farms, The Hour Farm & Sunshine’s Bounty.

Contact Shakera Raygoza to sign up, 956-472-7436 Valley Green Growers Cooperative (VGG) Offers fresh produce and protein boxes CSA 19833 Morris Rd., Harlingen vggcoop@hopeforsfs.org

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RECIPE

Soups To Keep You Warm!

Photo by Melissa Guerra

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Caldo de Res Recipe by Melissa Guerra Makes 12 servings For the stock: 4 pounds (3.5 kg) bone-in beef shank 1 whole onion, peeled 2 whole tomatoes 1 whole head garlic 2 whole serrano chiles Salt and pepper to taste For the caldo: 1−2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced Pinch of ground cumin teaspoon (2 g) ground black pepper 1 3 tomatoes, cored, seeded and peeled Fresh soup vegetables: 3 whole serrano chiles 4 carrots, chopped 3 ribs celery, chopped 8 new potatoes, halved ½ head cabbage, sliced 3 ears corn, cut into 3 pieces each 1 pound (454 g) tatume squash or zucchini, chopped Lime wedges, for garnish

To make the stock, place beef, onion, tomatoes, garlic, chiles and salt in a 6-quart (6 l) stockpot.

Serve the caldo in big bowls with plenty of lime wedges on the side, for garnish.

Fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 3 hours. Skim foam off of the surface. If the broth seems too reduced, add more water, 1 quart (1 l).

Note: After the stock is boiled, the vegetables must be strained out and discarded.

Beef shank is loaded with sinew, collagen and flavor, all of which melt into a velvety beef flavor after several hours. So save the beef and the stock.

Remove beef. Cut meat off bone and into bite-sized pieces. Strain out stock vegetables and discard. Return bones and meat to the pot.

Once you have made the stock, you may cool it down and store it for several days in the refrigerator. It’s convenient to make the broth in advance and have it ready.

To finish the caldo, add the garlic, cumin and black pepper to stockpot.

The most traditional vegetables for caldo de res are corn on the cob, in small pieces; cabbage, celery, carrots, squash and potatoes, in chunks; and a chile, whole, thrown in for flavor.

In a blender, purée tomatoes, with a little beef broth. Add to the stockpot.

Add fresh vegetables and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

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19

Vegan Pozole Recipe by Ingrid Monserrat, chef and owner, Maria Cruz in McAllen Makes 4-6 servings 3 2 3 6 8 4

tablespoons (44 ml) olive oil onions, peeled and chopped cloves garlic tomatoes, cut in halves cups (1.9 l) vegetable broth cups (640 g) hominy (canned or cooked dried hominy) 4 cups (946 ml) water 6 guajillo chiles, seeded 4 ancho chiles, seeded 2 cups (176 g) white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 6 bay leaves 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cumin 2 teaspoons (2 g) dried oregano 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt 1 teaspoon (2.3 g) pepper 8 whole cloves 1 teaspoon (2 g) smoked paprika 2 serrano peppers (optional, for heat) Toppings: sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, shredded cabbage/lettuce, avocado slices, tortilla chips, lime juice

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, minced garlic and tomatoes, and turn until softened and fragrant.

Add the vegetable broth and hominy. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 20 to 25 minutes In the meantime, in a separate pot, bring water to boil and add the guajillo and ancho chiles. Cook until they soften. Save water.

Place all chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, ground cumin, salt, pepper, cloves, paprika serrano peppers and 1 cup (236.6 ml) of leftover chile water to the blender. Blend until smooth.

Check flavors and make sure sauce doesn’t need more salt. If you feel it does, add more to your taste.

Add sauce to the pot containing the hominy mixture and stir. Add mushrooms. Stir again, and it’s ready to go!

Serve the vegan pozole hot, garnished with sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, lime wedges, shredded cabbage, avocado slices and tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Photo by Melissa Guerra

20 Winter 2023

edible RIO GR ANDE VALLEY

Pork and Beans Stew Recipe by Diego Benitez, chef/proprietor, Laurel Park Bistro in Harlingen Serves 4-5 2½ cups (482.5 g) pinto or canalleni beans soaked in water for 12 hours 2 strips bacon, sliced into lardons 1 small onion, diced 1 small carrot, diced 1 rib celery, diced 3 cloves garlic, smashed with flat side of knife 2 bay leaves 5 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon (16 g) tomato paste 4 cups (948 ml) dry white wine 10 leaves fresh sage, destemmed 6 country-style sausage links (such as Kiolbassa or Slovacek’s) 5 cups (1.2 l) unsalted chicken stock or broth 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (such as Knox) 1-2 large handfuls chopped kale (optional)

Pour 2 cups (473 ml) of chicken stock or broth into a bowl. Open envelopes of unflavored gelatin and sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the cool liquid (this process is called “blooming the gelatin”).

Warm the remaining amount of chicken stock or broth in a pan. Then add your bloomed gelatin to the warm stock and allow it to completely dissolve.

The chicken stock is now ready to use.

Set it aside.

Drain the beans from their soaking liquid and place them in a pot. Add enough water to cover the beans and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute. Then drain and rinse and set aside.

In a separate pan, put the sliced bacon.

Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is slightly crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan. Add the sausage links and cook until browned. Remove the sausage links from the pan.

Add onions to the same pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Then add carrots and cook for 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Next, add celery and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring continuously.

Finally, add the smashed garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Return the bacon and sausage links to the pan.

Pour in the white wine and reduce it by half.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, drained beans, chicken stock and bay leaves.

Simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring from time to time to break up the tomatoes.

In the final 30 minutes of cooking, add the sage leaves and greens (if using). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Photo by Melissa Guerra edibleriograndevalley.com

21

LAST SIP

Spice Up Your Holidays!

A

With Latin-Style Drinks STORY BY MELISSA GUERRA

n uncle of mine forever established himself as the eggnog king in our family. During our holiday gatherings, men rarely ventured into the kitchen. Even as a small child I remember how amused, delighted and slightly baffled I was to see him wearing my grandmother’s frilly red apron, madly cranking an old-fashioned rotary eggbeater, lost in the vision of his magical brew. He insisted on only using a certain brand of Irish whiskey that he brought with him in a plain brown paper sack.

He made a non-alcoholic batch for the kids, as his magical version was strictly for adults. The taste of nutmeg still takes me back to the image of little me kneeling on the seat of a wooden kitchen chair, elbows on the red checkered tablecloth, and my uncle ladling up another serving for my enameled tin cup.

Beverages are the center gemstone in the Christmas holiday’s crown of glories. Fond memories can be quietly shared over warm cups of ponche navideño, which is similar to European style mulled wine or cider, it is chock full of fruit flavors and warming spices. As well as rompope, the Spanish version of eggnog, this curious name evolved from “Rum Pope,” a traditional milk-based beverage honoring the white robes of the Catholic Pope. Having a drink with friends and family is more central to the holidays than turkey or tamales. Although store bought beer and wine dominate the scene at most gatherings, we are most nostalgic about holiday home brews.

In the Americas, we may attribute a certain beverage to distinct countries: coquito, Puerto Rico’s most famous Christmas libation is made with sweet coconut cream and plenty of Puerto Rican Rum. But remember that Christmas, Hanukah and the concept of January 1 as the beginning of a New Year came from Europe through Spanish colonialists. Prior to the arrival of Columbus, the tribes of the Americas had their own calendars and rituals that were not based on Judeo-Christian beliefs. Therefore, the majority of holiday traditions in Latin America are derived from what the conquistadores brought from Spain.

If the Spanish colonists didn’t have the ingredients they craved from the Old World, they made do with what they found in the New World. Later, when farms, ranches and plantations were established, the ingredients most plentiful, such as sugar cane, coffee and coconuts which became the basis for a new traditional holiday grog.

Several of the recipes below featured in this article are milk based. Even though traditional recipes include favorite flavors, many popular historical recipes are derived from the ingredients that were available at the time. Monasteries established in the Americas were allowed to grow grapes for sacramental wine, but the vineyards were very small.

Early wine and beer production in the New World was limited. So if you wanted a festive Christmas beverage, within a wine-scarce Spanish New World colony, during the cold, fruitless winter month of December, then milk, eggs and other pantry staples like cinnamon and sugar were combined for a festive drink.

These days, non-cooks might be looking for a reason to avoid the kitchen chaos. Disappearing to create a special beverage for the day is certainly a valid excuse. Even a simple cup of Mexican hot chocolate can inspire nostalgic memories. Thankfully, most holiday beverage recipes are quite easy and are preferably made in advance.

Dive into your family cabinets and look for those old holiday punch sets or hot toddy cups. Just like holiday sweaters and that old tinsel ornament that has been on the tree forever, traditions can be a little kitschy but always comforting. It’s time to bring the holiday cocktail back to life!

22 Winter 2023

edible RIO GR ANDE VALLEY

o Ponche Navideñ

ist: author, Latin Tw ney Rodriguez, ired Cocktails sp Recipe by Vian -In tin La ly 100 Delicious ar Ne of n io ct A Colle Serves 12 til all sugar heat and stir un r l) wate a slotted 4½ quarts (4.3 is dissolved. With r ga su n ow br dark hibiscus.

2 cups (416 g) spoon, remove d) an br l (such as Imperia cks ars and raisins.

4 cinnamon sti Add apples, pe rs we flo us isc hib ditional cup (40 g) dried 1 Simmer for an ad d 3 apples, dice 30 minutes. d ce di s, ar 3 pe d ns rnished with slice cup (200 g) raisi 1 Serve warm, ga s ar pe d on ce m sli na , apples s and cin Garnish: sliced apples and pear sticks on m na cin d an sticks. ila reposado Brandy or tequ ounce (15 ml) (optional) To spike: Add ½ each ila reposado to brandy or tequ nacin r, ga su n ow rk br Place water, da mug, stir. rs ied hibiscus flowe dr d an s ck sti mon ce ing to a boil, redu in a stockpot. Br

Rompope

Recipe by Vian ney Rodrigue z, author, Latin 100 Delicious Twist: A Colle Latin-Inspired ction of Near Cocktails ly Serves 6 ⅓ cup (40 g) blanched alm onds 1½ cups (300 g) plus 2 tabl espoons (25 g) extra-fi ne sugar (suc h as Imperial bran d) 6 cups (1.4 l) milk 2 cinnamon sticks ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon (5 m l) pure vanilla

extract 8 large egg yolks, at room temperature 1 cup (237 ml) rum or brandy (optional)

In a food proc essor, pulse al monds with 2 tablespo ons (25 g) of sugar until fine.

In a large sauc epan, place m ilk, cinnamon stic ks, ground nu tm eg, vanilla extract and remaining su gar.

Simmer, mixin g occasionally , un til sugar dissolve s, about 10 m inutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in finely ground almond mixtu re.

In a bowl, beat egg yolks until light and creamy. Sl owly ladle into m ilk mixture, and st ir continuously un til all are incorporat ed.

Return to sauc epan and simm er, stirring until mixture th ickens, about 10 minutes.

Mixture should coat back of sp oon.

Remove from heat, stir in ru m if desired and se rve warm.

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23

Holiday Eggnog ey Martin Recipe by Dudl Serves 16

rated 6 eggs, sepa sugar, divided g) 0 ¾ cups (15 l) heavy cream 2 cups (473 m l) whole milk 2 cups (473 m l) Irish whiskey 2 cups (473 m rum ounce (29.6 ml) 1 eg, for garnish tm nu nd Freshly grou

with ½ cup (100 er the egg yolks th ge to at be r, hand mixe oughly.

Using an electric d dry them thor beaters well an r ixe m e th h as g) sugar. W p remaining, ¼ cu until stiff. Fold in s ite wh g e eg th e wl, beat th h bowl. Fold in In a separate bo s to a large punc ite wh g eg en d the beat d rum.

(50 g), sugar. Ad , Irish whiskey an lks, cream, milk yo g prepared eg pped with Serve chilled, to

nutmeg.

Coquito

Recipe by Vian ney Rodrigue z, author, Latin Twist: A Colle Nearly 100 De ction of licious Latin-In spired Cockta Serves 4 ils 2 cups (473 ml) coconut m ilk 1 14-ounce (300 ml) can sweete ned condense 2 cups (473 d milk ml) Puerto Rica n rum 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten Ground cinnam on Cinnamon stic ks, for serving Blend milks, ru m and egg yo lks in a blende to serve. r until frothy. Ch ill

until ready

Pour into glas ses, dust each glass with grou with cinnamon nd cinnamon sticks. and serve

24 Winter Winter 2023 2023 24

edible RIO RIO GR GRANDE ANDE VALLEY VALLEY edible

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25

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