Late Summer 2021: Travel Issue

edible NEW MEXICO

®

THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

Travel

ISSUE 74 · LATE SUMMER JULY / AUGUST 2021

photo: doug merriam

SUMMER 2021!

505 Cerrillos Santa Fe 505.930.5325 radishandrye.com

Late Summer

CONTENTS JULY / AUGUST 2021

Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

DEPARTMENTS 2

GRIST FOR THE MILL

70 COOKING FRESH Solanaceae

By Willy Carleton and Briana Olson

76 LOCAL PROVISIONS GUIDE

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CONTRIBUTORS

80 LAST BITE

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#EDIBLENM

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LOCAL HEROES

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Jambo Cafe, Laura Crucet, The Farmacy, and New Mexico Harvest

FORAGING

Sour, Savory Sumac by Ellen Zachos

®

THE STORY OF LOCAL FOOD, SEASON BY SEASON

46 SUN CITY

A Gastronomic Tour of El Paso by Stephanie Cameron, Caitlin Jenkins, and Amy Tischler

60 THE TOWN AT THE TOP OF THE RIVER

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WORTH THE TRIP

64 THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT A SOUR

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EIGHT AROUND THE STATE Ice Cream

NEW MEXICO

FEATURES

TOUCH AND GROW

New Home, Sweet Home by Candolin Cook

edible

Tomatillo and Melon Sorbet

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When in Drought by Marisa Thompson

ON THE COVER

Getting Grounded in Chama by Michael J. Dax

The Sour Beer Scene Thrives in Fort Collins

by Nora Hickey

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

Travel

ISSUE 74 · LATE SUMMER JULY / AUGUST 2021

Scoops of raspberry sorbet, raspberry ice cream, and burnt pineapple ice cream from the soon-to-open Heidi's Ice Cream. Look for them in Albuquerque's Nob Hill late this summer. Photo

by Stephanie Cameron.

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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GRIST FOR THE MILL

Travel The heat is on, and with it, travel. In what feels like a flash, time has shifted from a crawl to warp speed. Traffic is thick. Airports are busy. Markets buzz and hop. Renewal, rejuvenation, and post-traumatic growth pervade conversations in the kitchen and at the table, and here at edible we are feeling the thrill of possibility, too. An exciting element of that potential is discovering what may be a stone’s throw from home but has remained untouched, untasted, out of view.

In this travel issue, our first in two years, we take to the road. Grateful to once again be able to ramble and roam, we relish the flavors of our greater region, from El Paso to Fort Collins, Chama to Magdalena. Photographer (and edible publisher) Stephanie Cameron assembles a montage of the historic and up-and-coming flavors of El Paso, while Nora Hickey provides a sampling of the history of sour beers that might tempt a visit to Fort Collins—or just tempt you to branch out the next time you sit down at the bustling patio at a local brewery.

The drought that has persisted for the past two decades seeps into these pages as well.

After a year even drier than those before, some local farmers have been advised not to plant, and water managers predict that, by the time you read this, some of our state’s irrigation ditches, the lifeblood of our communities and local food system, will have gone dry. With this slow-moving but deepening crisis in mind, state horticulturist Marisa Thompson offers tips for adjusting our home and garden landscapes for drier times; Ellen Zachos shares recipes for a well-adapted dryland native, sumac; and Michael Dax, in his journey up the Chama to explore the food and drink options closest to its headwaters, can’t help but muse on the shrinking reservoir and browning landscape he passes along the way.

This issue of edible meets you at the height of summer. Still healing from a difficult year, we celebrate the bounty of the season’s harvests with a sense of gratitude for those who have sustained our food community, working on our local farms, in our grocery stores, and in our restaurants. In this spirit, we move forward with hope for the possibilities, appearing like the welcome sight of a monsoon cloud on the horizon, of a reopening state.

PUBLISHERS Bite Size Media, LLC Stephanie and Walt Cameron

EDITORS Willy Carleton and Briana Olson

COPY EDITORS Marie Landau and Margaret Marti

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Stephanie Cameron

PHOTO EDITOR Stephanie Cameron

EVENT COORDINATOR Natalie Donnelly

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Cyndi Wood

VIDEO PRODUCER Walt Cameron

SALES AND MARKETING Kate Collins, Melinda Esquibel, and Gina Riccobono

CONTACT US Mailing Address: 3301-R Coors Boulevard NW #152, Albuquerque, NM 87120 info@ediblenm.com ediblenm.com

SUBSCRIBE ∙ LETTERS EDIBLENM.COM We welcome your letters.

Write to us at the address above, or email us at INFO@EDIBLENM.COM Bite Size Media, LLC publishes edible New Mexico six times a year.

We distribute throughout New Mexico and nationally by subscription.

Willy Carleton and Briana Olson, Editors

Stephanie and Walt Cameron, Publishers

Subscriptions are $32 annually.

Subscribe online at ediblenm.com/subscribe

No part of this publication may be used without the written permission of the publisher. © 2021 All rights reserved.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

celebrating 30 years rosewood inn of the anasazi ROSEWOOD INN OF THE ANASAZI

A NA SAZ I

113 WASHINGTON AVENUE | SANTA FE, NM 87501 | 505.988.3030 rosewoodhotels.com

RESTAURANT BAR & LOUNGE WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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CONTRIBUTORS

STEPHANIE CAMERON Stephanie Cameron was raised in Albuquerque and earned a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. After photographing, testing, and designing a cookbook in 2011, she and her husband Walt began pursuing Edible Communities and they found edible in their backyard.

Today Cameron is the art director, head photographer, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible New Mexico.

CANDOLIN COOK Candolin Cook is a PhD candidate in history at the University of New Mexico, freelance writer, editor, and former co-editor of edible New Mexico. She lives in Albuquerque, where her husband owns Vida Verde Farm, and believes in supporting local agriculture and food businesses whenever possible.

WILLY CARLETON Willy Carleton is the co-editor of edible New Mexico and author of Fruit, Fiber, and Fire: A History of Modern Agriculture in New Mexico, which explores the cultural and environmental history of apples, cotton, and chiles in our region.

MICHAEL DAX Michael J. Dax lives in Santa Fe and writes about environment and culture in the American West. He is the author of Grizzly West: A Failed Attempt to Reintroduce Grizzly Bears in the Mountain West (2015).

NORA HICKEY After ten years in Albuquerque, Nora Hickey now lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She researches and discusses the weird, wild, and wonderful Albuquerque on the podcast City on the Edge.

CAITLIN E. JENKINS Caitlin Jenkins is the co-owner of Simply Social Media, a professional wedding photographer, and a walking encyclopedia of hashtag analytic data. An avid student of all things social media, she is forever learning, incorporating, and sharing her findings with her community. Find her on social media @simplycaitlinelizabeth.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

BRIANA OLSON Briana Olson is a writer, co-editor of edible New Mexico, and lead editor for the 2019 and 2021 editions of The New Farmer’s Almanac.

She also works with Agrarian Trust, supporting land access for next-generation farmers.

MARISA THOMPSON Marisa Thompson is New Mexico State University's Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist, responsible for active extension and research programs supporting sustainable horticulture in New Mexico. In addition to studying landscape mulches and tomatoes, her research interests include abiotic plant stressors like wind, cold, heat, drought, and soil compaction. She writes a weekly gardening column, Southwest Yard & Garden, which is published in newspapers and magazines across the state and on her blog. Readers can access the column archives and other hort-related resources at desertblooms.nmsu.edu. Find her on social media @NMdesertblooms.

AMY TISCHLER Amy Tischler, co-owner of Simply Social Media, is a master multitasker, community creator, and creative thinker. She is passionate about mental health issues and digital accessibility. She enjoys walking, spending time with her family, and taking care of her ever-growing clan of succulents and leafy green plants. Find her on social media @amytischler.

ELLEN ZACHOS Ellen Zachos lives in Santa Fe and is the author of eight books, including the recently released The Forager's Pantry. She is the cohost of the Plantrama podcast (plantrama.com), and writes about wild foods at backyardforager.com.

Zachos offers several online foraging courses at backyard-forager.thinkific.com.

THE ART OF ADVENTURE

THE ADVENTURE OF ART

An iconic Santa Fe landmark re-opens its doors Summer 2021. Savor elevated Southwestern cuisine in SkyFire, helmed by Executive Chef Peter O’Brien; discover ancient healing practices at Turquesa Healing Arts Studio; embark on a horseback ride to explore our 317 acres and beyond; curate an intimate al fresco celebration with loved ones in our charming event garden.

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge | 1.888.741.0480 | bl.reservations@aubergeresorts.com 5

#EDIBLENM

Tag us @ediblenewmexico or use #edibleNM and your photos could be featured here.

tirawan HORNO is coming!! Opening soon. I did their food photography, the art on their walls, and their interior photography. How amazing do his tacos look? They taste even better. #edibleNewMexico

ncmcsando Move over sandos! This week is Nobody Calls Me Chicken & Waffles week. We top our Belgian waffles with our Nobody Calls Me Chicken tenders, our agave whipped butter, orange drizzle and classic maple syrup. #edibleNM

lindomexicogrill1 What’s your favorite, cucumber or pineapple margarita? We make our own mixes in house and they are truly amazing. Come try our homemade margaritas today! @ediblenewmexico

montoyaorchard Come pick up these beauties today @losalamosfarmers. @ediblenewmexico

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Housed in the historic Hacienda, one of John Gaw Meem’s residential masterpieces, the Hacienda Spa at Los Poblanos provides a singular experience. The intimacy of the space combined with distinct architectural and design elements craft an environment that explores the senses – sight, smell, touch and sound.

introducing a serene wellness getaway i n the h e art of th e rio grande valley Discover a deeply relaxing environment and a profound sense of well-being at the new Hacienda Spa at Los Poblanos. The surrounding landscape and serene ambiance evoke a sense of wellness that completely awakens all the senses. Informed by the elements of nature, the unique treatments and elegant space work harmoniously to provide the ultimate enchanting experience that is both relaxing and rejuvenating.

Visit us at lospoblanos.com for treatment and reservation information.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Ahmed Obo, founder and chef-owner of Jambo Cafe.

LOCAL HEROES

Jambo Cafe BEST RESTAURANT, SANTA FE An Interview with Ahmed Obo, Founder and Chef-Owner Photos by Douglas Merriam Originally from Lamu Island, one of a chain of seven islands off the coast of Kenya, Ahmed M. Obo came to the United States in 1995, worked in restaurant kitchens in Santa Fe and New York, and opened Jambo Cafe in August 2009. Popular with locals and families, foodies and tourists, Jambo and Chef Ahmed have been winning accolades and awards since the restaurant first opened. Starting in 2010, Ahmed won Santa Fe’s Souper Bowl four years in a row, competing against the best chefs in the city. Jambo was voted #1 Best Ethnic/International Restaurant for ten years running in the Santa Fe Reporter’s annual Best of Santa Fe competition, and Ahmed was voted Best Chef in Santa Fe from 2015 to 2020. A beloved and admired member of the Santa Fe community, Chef Ahmed contributes to events for Gerard’s House, Kitchen Angels, The Food Depot, Creativity for Peace, and many other organizations. In 2013, Jambo Cafe was featured in the “Sammies and Stews” episode of the Food Network’s Diners, DriveIns and Dives. Chef Ahmed published his first cookbook, The Jambo Cafe Cookbook: Recipes and Remembrances of My Journey from Africa to America in 2016 and is currently working on another. Chef began serving his African-Caribbean fare on the road with Jambo Hapa (Hapa means “here” in Swahili), the Jambo Cafe food truck, in 2016.

What is the origin story of Jambo? Was there a pivotal moment or formative experience that brought this restaurant into being?

I was fortunate to be born on Lamu Island, in what has been called “the cradle of Swahili civilization.” Swahili culture stretches back a thousand years, as does its constantly evolving cuisine, which has been influenced by the many different people who traded with the city-states that once spread across the east coast of Africa. Swahili cooking techniques allowed poor women like my mother, with a husband, in-laws, and many children to feed, to coax extraordinary flavor out of the simplest ingredients. My mother, Halima, was a skilled and inventive cook, and she has influenced my cooking more than anyone else in my life. At night, she would begin to prepare the meal for the following day, mixing together the ingredients for the Mkate wa Nazi, a dense savory bread made with cornmeal and shredded coconut. Early in the morning, she would light the fuel in the jikov (a charcoal-burning metal cooking stove) and begin to bake her discs of bread. Often, milky chai made with black tea and this fragrant, coconut-infused bread was all we had for breakfast.

Lunch was the main meal of the day. Sitting on mats on the floor,

we shared a mountain of rice or ugali (cornmeal porridge), always prepared with coconut, garlic, salt, and spices like cardamom or turmeric, and sometimes supplemented by bananas or mangoes, which grow plentifully in Lamu. When we had animal protein, it was usually fish, which was relatively inexpensive. My mother would carefully divide it into small portions so that everyone had a piece. We ate a lot of beans. Occasionally, we had greens like spinach and, very rarely, a treat like chicken, which my mother cooked into a delicious, spicy, coconut-based curry.

All through my childhood, I watched my mother—and later my sisters—as they cooked, preparing rice, ugali, breads, and fish, and making complicated sauces that transformed simple ingredients into filling, satisfying meals for large numbers of people. After school, I and my brothers and sisters helped my mother prepare our lunch, grating coconut and mixing spices, but it wasn’t until I started going out on our dhow (small sailboat) with my father that I learned to dry and grill fish. Later, when I moved to a small apartment and began taking tourists out on overnight boat trips, I began to cook on my own for the first time.

When I came to the United States, I brought only simple cooking skills, but I carried with me the memories of the food of my childhood. The smells were delicious: coconut bread baking in the early morning, spices adding sweetness to the air, sauces simmering. My family gathered together to share the meals my mother prepared, determined that we would be nourished even when money was scarce.

Food, caring, family. These are the enduring memories I have of Halima’s kitchen, which inspired my own.

You’ve introduced thousands of locals (and no shortage of tourists) to new dishes and cuisines. Many diners who would have never expected to enjoy goat now count your goat stew as a favorite. Are there any dishes or ingredients you’d like to see more people open up to?

In developing recipes for Jambo, I have drawn on many culinary traditions, but the most profound and enduring influence continues to be the food of my childhood. I have adapted recipes using Caribbean spices and have fused North African and Indian flavor profiles into those traditional dishes, incorporating herbs and cooking methods that reflect many cultures. Some Swahili-influenced recipes might not be recognizable to people in Lamu. Soups, for example, which are an American favorite, WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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Left: Jamaican coconut curry with steamed mussels served with plantains. Right: Moroccan-spiced beef brisket wrap served with harissa sauce.

are not traditionally Swahili, but my soups, based on fragrant, intensely flavored masalas, are a tribute to the food of my homeland.

Jambo’s menu is influenced by a multitude of global culinary traditions in addition to that of your native Kenya. Can you describe the evolution of a particular dish, or of the menu over time?

Jambo’s menu can be described as consistent. Customers return over and over to have their favorites. I think it is a good “problem” to have—every dish being so well loved. Additions, though, are fair game. The best menu change happened in 2020, when I decided to make a dish featuring berbere (an Ethiopian spice mix). A member of my team suggested that I make it vegan and then add it as a selection to our best-selling Combination Plate, making it possible to have a completely vegan option. Not only did the Ethiopian Chickpea Berbere Stew sell well as a stand-alone dish, but the Combination Plate sales (vegan version) skyrocketed.

You cook with smoky, savory, fiery spices and spice blends that are uncommon to many New Mexican kitchens. Any recommendations for the adventurous home cook on something new to try?

The goal for my cookbook is to allow American cooks to enter into the heart of the cuisine I have developed, which integrates East African, Caribbean, Indian, and North African flavors—and continues to embrace new influences—and give them tools and recipes so they can experience it for themselves. I have developed spice mixes for my recipes to assist the home cook, and I also urge them to try new combinations of foods. There are additional spice blends that Jambo has available for sale, such as berbere and ras el hanout; I suggest that home cooks give them a try.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

What is a local food issue that is important to you? Why? Ensuring that Jambo Cafe can consistently source the best for our customers. All of our meats are halal—a benchmark of quality that is vital to Jambo Cafe. We use local distributors and organic options as much as possible. The pandemic upset our capacity to source regularly and we often found ourselves unable to provide our full menu.

We are hopeful that the rest of 2021 will be more amenable.

Tell us about your work with the Jambo Kids Foundation.

Jambo Kids Foundation directly supports my native Lamu. The people in the Lamu islands face serious health-care challenges. Many people, including members of my own family, have died from illnesses that are easily treatable in the United States, such as asthma.

I have lived in the United States for twenty-five years, and in that time, I have been able to help my family achieve a better life. I have felt a drive to also help my home community that nurtured me.

In 2015, we opened the Jambo Kids Clinic in Lamu. Since then, we’ve been able to help thousands of kids and adults receive vital medical care. The Jambo Kids Clinic sees about four hundred people a month, 30 percent of them kids. We’re thrilled to be able to consistently offer quality care to the people of Lamu.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with edible readers?

Thank you to all of our loyal diners. You have supported Jambo Cafe through 2020–21 with an avidity that was unexpected. We appreciate you and look forward to seeing you in person soon.

2010 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, 505-473-1269, jambocafe.net

Land of Enchantment.

WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LOCAL HEROES

Laura Crucet BEST CHEF, GREATER NEW MEXICO An Interview with Laura Crucet, Executive Chef and Owner of Pig + Fig Cafe Photos by Douglas Merriam

Left: Laura Crucet, executive chef and owner of Pig + Fig Cafe. Right: Crunchy Salad—shaved kale, veggie medley, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, and mandarin oranges served with cherry basil vinaigrette.

Pig + Fig Cafe is a casual café in White Rock, serving upscale comfort food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Laura Crucet, owner and operator, is a classically trained chef whose background is in pastry and fine dining.

You’ve held many roles in the kitchen, from sous chef to executive pastry chef to culinary instructor. Was there a pivotal moment that led you to open Pig + Fig? When I moved to New Mexico twelve years ago, I stayed at home with my young kids at first, but, unfortunately, my husband and I got

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divorced a few years later. As a newly single mom, I worked a few odd jobs to make ends meet, including being a bakery and deli manager at a local grocery store. About a year later, I got the opportunity to help a friend who was overwhelmed running her little café. At the time, she had four kids. Shortly after realizing she was pregnant with baby number five, she offered to sell the café to me.

I was scared to death because I had worked in restaurants almost my whole adult life, and I knew the risk, the heartbreak, the financial stress. However, I knew that all that experience had prepared me for the moment in front of me. Waiting tables for so many years

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WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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1301 Cerrillos Road (corner of Baca St), Santa Fe • 505-557-6654 • galleryethnica.com

had taught me the finer points of customer service, living and studying in France had taught me about wine and the beauty of simple, well-prepared foods, and working in large fine dining restaurants in Houston had made me a seasoned caterer and event planner and taught me about the importance of creating ambience.

At Pig + Fig, you specialize in classics, from quiche to shrimp po-boys, and unique spins on traditional dishes. What have been some of your most popular dishes, and what are your thoughts on the enduring appeal of traditional comfort foods?

I think any food becomes comfort food when it is so thoughtfully prepared that it becomes a visceral experience that transports people to a place in time, a memory, or an image of how life was or could be. The shrimp po-boy and muffuletta sandwiches take me back to visiting the French Quarter as a kid, the Cuban sandwich reminds me of smelling the swiss cheese burning on the plancha (griddle) in my abuela’s kitchen in Miami, and the quiche and lemon tart take me back to my cooking school days when I was dirt poor (but determined to eat well!) and they were the only dishes I could afford from the corner café. The greatest compliment my customers can ever give me is telling me that my food takes them back to a specific place or memory.

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Your goal is to create comfort food for everyone, from vegans to meat eaters, using high-quality, ethically sourced, seasonal ingredients. Can you talk about ethical versus local sourcing?

To only use local products would feel very limiting, so we try to find the best ingredients from all over the world. Living in New Mexico, we are blessed with many wonderful local growers and ranchers, but not all local sources have high standards, so it’s important to know your sources, both globally and locally.

There’s a process for creating a seasonal menu, and then there’s a process for creating a seasonal menu of box lunches and to-go-friendly meals during a global pandemic. How did you adapt to meet the challenges of the past year, both in terms of sourcing and of serving?

When creating a seasonal menu under normal circumstances, you just check with your suppliers, your customers, and the weather and let your creative juices fly, but during the pandemic, that model couldn’t work anymore. Suddenly, everyday items like eggs and beef were hard to get. Also, most of our customers seemed a little lost and were craving a slice of normalcy, so we went straight to making some of the most classic comfort foods we could think of: BLTs, chicken salad, carne adovada, fried chicken. We just wanted our customers to pick up a “culinary hug in a box,” and that’s what our Daily Box Lunches became.

What is your vision going forward? Do you think the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the relationship between Top: Lemon tarts. Bottom: Pig Mac—macaroni in a three-cheese béchamel, topped with candied bacon.

a

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chefs, restaurants, and customers? Are you planning wine dinners again? What can we expect from a paint party?

I don’t know that I have ever had a long-term vision; I’ve always just been inspired by what I perceive to be the needs of the local community. The pandemic has required chefs and restaurants to be more in tune with the psychological needs of their customers.

The scariest part of the pandemic for food professionals was realizing that sitting down to eat in a restaurant is not an absolute necessity, so we are all going to have to step up our game.

I am absolutely planning wine dinners again! Our community is too small to support a full-time fine dining restaurant, so these wine dinners have become an opportunity to do “pop-up fancy dinners.” Also, this community is full of awesome wine nerds and collectors. I have a vision of doing paint parties out on the patio in the summer, but we have to wait for the spring winds to die down a little first.

You have experience doing volunteer work and have hosted fundraisers for local nonprofits. What are your priorities in supporting the needs of your greater community?

When I lived in Houston, I was approached about teaching classes at the Boys & Girls Club. I started teaching kids who had very limited resources how to cook healthy meals for themselves at home. That was over fifteen years ago, but since then, helping people battle food insecurity has been a top priority.

I feel a little embarrassed and humbled (and possibly even slightly guilty) about the amount of success I’ve had these last few years, so I feel the need to parlay the resources I have into giving back. I’m definitely not a saint or a martyr, but giving back is just something I feel morally compelled to do.

Your cooking career began in Houston, with time at Brennan’s and the Rainbow Lodge, among others. For readers unfamiliar with Houston’s expansive culinary terrain, can you share some of your favorite places to dine in Space City?

Houston is such an underrated culinary gem! The city has an ethnically diverse population of over eight million people, so you can find world-class food of any genre almost twenty-four hours a day.

If I were to hop on a plane right now and visit five restaurants in Houston, they would be Brennan’s of Houston, for their inspired Gulf Coast cuisine, world-class service, and gorgeous patio; Rainbow Lodge for their creative and seasonal wild game–inspired dishes and stunning restaurant interior and grounds; El Tiempo Cantina for mouthwatering and authentic Mexican dishes that I still dream about at night; Mai’s for the ultimate Vietnamese comfort foods; and Collina’s Italian Cafe for delicious, no-frills Italian food.

11 Sherwood Blvd, White Rock, 505-672-2742, pigandfigcafe.com

LOCAL HEROES

The Farmacy BEST CAFÉ, ALBUQUERQUE An Interview with Jacob Elliot, Owner Photos by Stacey M. Adams

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Breakfast tacos at The Farmacy.

Jacob Elliot spent the earlier part of his life traveling and living in as many cities as possible. He settled for many years in Portland, Oregon, where he enjoyed the burgeoning music scene and the highly creative culture. Further travels took him to Los Angeles, Austin, and eventually Albuquerque.

How did you get to where you are now? What’s the backstory, and what was the moment that brought you to your current work?

New to Albuquerque, I was employed at a restaurant that occupied our former space on Mountain Road. When that business moved downtown, I decided to take my idea for a food truck and rework it

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into a brick-and-mortar space, and our tiny Eighth and Mountain location was born.

Is there a food experience you had prior to starting The Farmacy that has shaped your approach to the restaurant?

In Portland, most of the restaurants source locally. Some even source “hyperlocally,” which means getting produce from small neighborhood farms adjacent to the restaurants. This type of familiarity really lends itself well to putting care and attention into each dish.

Do you have a favorite food memory?

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I think I have many more unfavorable food memories! Growing up

Amazing coffee, incredible food.

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poor, we often ate terrible food. One such dish was creamed tuna on toast. I remember thinking it was the worst possible thing I’d ever put into my mouth. I think those food memories drove me to want to cook more than any actual favorable ones.

How did The Farmacy make it through this past year? Are there any lessons you’ve taken away from this difficult experience that will shape the restaurant going forward?

Whew. The last year was a nightmare that just kept unfolding month after month. We made it by the skin of our teeth, and with some serious improvisation. The overall painful lesson was that stimulus packages offered by the government were often too slow or too complicated to be of any real value. When restaurants needed help financially, they needed it within days, not months.

The real hero here is the local community. They came out to save us time after time, and the fact that The Farmacy is even open for business is all thanks to them.

Is there a local food issue that especially motivates you?

Not sure if it is an issue, but I see more restaurants opening up that take actual care with the dishes they are putting out. They are composing thoughtful menu items that look pleasing on the plate. This inspires me because it elevates the eating experience to something much more than just filling your stomach.

What’s your favorite meal on a day off?

I love going to the food halls and sampling different fare. If I can wash it down with a Marble IPA, then my day is complete.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with edible readers?

Top left: Jacob Elliot, owner of The Farmacy. Top right and bottom: State Fair—buttermilk waffles topped with cinnamon sugar, strawberries, vanilla cream, whipped cream, and syrup.

I have always taken the approach that your attitude directly impacts the amount of knowledge that people want to absorb from you. In this way, I do not tolerate attitude/competitiveness among my staff, especially in the kitchen. This has had the wonderful effect of reminding me to remain humble, and I am often humbled by the outpouring of support from the community.

Thank you, edible readers, for your votes of confidence!

3718 Central SE, Albuquerque, 505-227-0330, facebook.com/farmacyabq

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

VEGETARIAN KITCHEN Fine International Vegetarian and Vegan grab and go including ready to serve complete meals.

Grab Our Fresh and Delicious Food at:

VISIT US IN NOB HILL and dine on our beautiful patio.

116 Amherst Dr SE Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE La Montañita Co-op–Nob Hill & Rio Grande Keller's Farm Fresh at Eubank and Candalaria Lowe’s Market on Lomas Moses Kountry Natural Foods Silver Street Market Triangle Market in Sandia Crest Lovelace Main Hospital Heart Hospital of New Mexico UPC at UNM UNM Hospital in La Cocina Cafeteria

SANTA FE La Montañita Co-op Kaunes Market Eldorado Supermart at the Agora

LOS ALAMOS Los Alamos Cooperative Market Los Alamos National Laboratory

ESPAÑOLA Center Market

TAOS Cid’s Market

GALLUP La Montañita Co-op

CATERING AVAILABLE Morita Chile Enchiladas

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LOCAL HEROES

New Mexico Harvest BEST SPECIALTY GROCER An Interview with Thomas Swendson, Founder/President

New Mexico Harvest is a year-round community-supported agriculture (CSA) provider and local food hub. They work with nearly seventy farmers and producers from around the state and, over the last year and a half, have donated roughly $20,000 in local food and services to food pantries and refugee communities around New Mexico. Their members have invested over $1 million into the local food system.

From working as a trucker to becoming a farmer, New Mexico Harvest founder and president Thomas Swendson has spent much of his life venturing down the rabbit hole of trying to understand his food and where it comes from. He and his partner, Electra, recently settled in the South Valley, where they are excited to be starting their own farm.

New Mexico Harvest traces its roots as a CSA back to 1994. How did it start, and how has it evolved to what it is today?

In February of 2020, our collective members and farmers celebrated twenty-six ongoing seasons as Beneficial Farms CSA. Founded in 1994 by Mesa Top Farm, Beneficial Farms was a group of around sixty members who supported the farm’s harvest through the first growing season. By March 2020, we re-formed as New Mexico Harvest and began our journey to work with more New Mexico farmers and producers and bring the freshest food possible to members around the state.

CSAs can come in many forms. How does your CSA work?

We are not your traditional single-farm CSA. We work with nearly seventy different New Mexico farms and producers, which allows us to get a huge variety of fresh food to our customers. Each share is completely customizable, with a variety of produce, meats, dairy, bread, drinks, and so much more. You will be surprised by the diversity of local food available at our marketplace. Through our incredible network of farmers, produce is delivered to homes across the state within forty-eight hours of its harvesting. We back our work with a satisfaction guarantee and continue to evolve to better serve our membership. We also take EBT and have partnered up with Double Up Food Bucks, a program that allows folks with SNAP benefits to get two dollars worth of food for every one dollar spent!

Having worked with many farmers and ranchers of various scales for many years, you have seen and learned a lot about New Mexico agriculture. What surprises you about the state of local New Mexico agriculture right now? What excites you about it?

New Mexico has somewhere near 20,000 farms and ranches, and of those, only about 8 percent make direct sales to local buyers. This

Thomas Swendson, founder/president of New Mexico Harvest.

Photo courtesy of New Mexico Harvest.

averages out to us spending less than 1 percent of our food budget on local food. As this pandemic has shown us, food security is easily threatened and New Mexico can be less dependent on the national food system. We have more than enough food to feed our communities. Luckily, we are seeing a huge outpouring of support for local food and we are excited to see our farming community thrive in the coming years. We are hoping to work with local businesses to really grow the “buy local” movement.

What lessons will you take away from this past year?

Support for our farmers and community is one of the most important parts of our business. At the start of the pandemic, many farms quickly lost revenue streams, which threatened their livelihood. Farmers markets and restaurants closed down and there were very limited outlets for farms to sell their food. We decided early on that it was our duty to pay our farmers what they needed in order to survive and thrive. We grew

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New Mexico Harvest's Kyle Malone, marketing manager, and Edward Whitney, general manager at Vida Verde Farm, checking out the spring harvest. Photos by Stacey M. Adams.

our farmer network and were able to procure huge amounts of food that our members benefited from. Thanks to our members and farmers, we were able to bypass the national food system and rely on our own producers to get food on New Mexicans’ tables during these hard times.

Through our unity, we invested over $1 million into our local food system, supporting family-owned New Mexico businesses.

What is your vision for the CSA in five years?

We would love to see our farmer network and membership expand.

We want to work with farmers to help grow their farms and begin producing for a larger portion of the New Mexican population. We want to start supplying hospitals, senior centers, schools, and grocery stores with local produce and provide as many sales outlets for local farms as we possibly can. We hope to increase our vehicle fleet and open more trade routes around New Mexico to access more farms and do whatever we can to support our farmers and our communities.

Are there some local products you’re particularly excited about right now?

Well, this is the season to be excited about a lot of things. Farmers are pulling more and more food out of the ground every day, and we are lucky enough to see it make its way to the consumer’s dining room table. There are many products we are always excited to see, particularly the authentic Chimayó red chile. Zitro Farms in 22

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Chimayó has produced some amazing red chile that has this deep red color unlike any other red chile we have seen. We are also very excited about our friends at Taos Hum, who are making some amazing hot sauces, and a great partnership with Desert Spoon Food Hub in Las Cruces—they help bring up food from farms in the southern part of New Mexico. Local spring greens are coming in strong, and our farmers are bringing their all. Throughout the winter, we brought on many new partners, farmers, and food artisans.

We have some freeze-drying projects in the works, and there’s all sorts of surprises we’re still working on.

Is there anything else you want to share with edible readers?

Thank you, everyone who voted for us. We are honored and thrilled. We have a dedicated team of foodies who want to see New Mexico farmers thrive, and we are thankful every day for the opportunity to work in a “growing” industry—pun intended.

Our community’s support for agriculture is a direct commitment to our farmers. Even when you support a local restaurant, you’re supporting local farmers—your impact just doubled!

If you are interested in becoming a member, give us a call or visit our website. We always love talking to new members about how everyone can be a part of the local food movement.

505-585-5127, newmexicoharvest.com

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FORAGING

Sour, Savory Sumac Words and Photos by Ellen Zachos

R. glabra (a.k.a. smooth sumac) is native to about half of New Mexico’s counties.

New Mexico has several native species of edible sumac. Rhus trilobata (a.k.a three-leaf sumac) is native to most of the state and is a popular landscape plant, valued even more for its exceptional red fall foliage than for its tasty fruit. R. glabra (a.k.a. smooth sumac) is native to about half of New Mexico’s counties, and is also found as a feral and cultivated shrub throughout the state. R. lanceolata (a.k.a. prairie sumac) is native to Doña Ana and Eddy Counties, and the rare R. virens (a.k.a. evergreen sumac), is native to a few southern counties. All of these species produce edible, tart fruit.

Depending on the species and where you’re foraging, berries will ripen from June through September. Sumac fruit looks ripe long before its flavor is fully developed, so it’s important to taste the fruit periodically. You’ll know it’s ready to be harvested when a berry has a strong, lemony flavor. That flavor comes from a coating of malic acid (also found in apples, grapes, and plums). Timing is everything when it comes to harvesting sumac, because the acid is washed away by rain, so gather your sumac as soon as possible after the berries ripen. That can be tricky in New Mexico; in some parts of the state, sumac ripens smack dab in the middle of monsoon season.

Sumac berries are appreciated around the world for their tart flavor.

In the Middle East, they’re used in za’atar, a spice mix that brightens 26

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up savory dishes. Closer to home, the traditional Diné dish chilchin is a pudding made with dried, ground sumac fruit.

I won’t lie to you—making your own ground sumac spice takes some time, but it’s not difficult and it’s definitely worthwhile. While you can buy R. coriaria (the European/Asian species) in stores, the flavors of our local sumacs are more intense, and the spice itself has a lighter, brighter color.

Once you’ve harvested your fruit, dry the clusters to preserve them.

Use a dehydrator at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, or place the berries in a paper bag and hang it somewhere dark and dry for two to four weeks and let dry. After that, store them in a large glass jar for up to a year.

Here’s how to make your own sumac spice: Remove the dried berries from their stems and put them in a blender or spice grinder. Give them a few pulses. You’re not trying to pulverize the dried fruit; you just want to separate it from the large seeds, which can have a bitter flavor. Transfer the broken-up berries to a metal strainer and rub the fruit through the mesh with your fingers, leaving the seeds behind.

Yes, it’s a little tedious, but you’ll be glad you did it when you’re enjoying that bright, tart flavor in the middle of winter. Add your sumac to dry rubs, pasta dishes, or salad dressings, Buckwheat or try this recipe steamed From left, clockwise: Millet for Sourdough, Green n' Red Chile Cheese Sourdough, Rosemary sumac buns.

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FORAGING STEAMED SUMAC BUNS

SUMAC-ADE

I make these buns in a 6-cup muffin tin, which I place within a sauté pan large enough to hold the tin. Any vessel (with a cover) that’s large enough to hold the muffin tin will work well. This recipe makes 6 steamed buns or 12 steamed minibuns (using a 12-cup mini-muffin tin). Pancake mixes with all-purpose flour produce the lightest muffins. Serve them for breakfast or with afternoon tea.

If you’re looking for a faster, easier way to experience sumac flavor, try making sumac-ade. Sumac fruit is often called lemonade berry because the ripe fruit makes a very pretty, very tart beverage when infused in water as a sun tea. Using boiling water gives you a faster tea, but can bring out bitter flavors in the fruit. Sweeten to taste with a little bit of honey or sugar. For an adult beverage, infuse gin or vodka with dried sumac fruit. Either way, be sure to strain the liquid through a coffee filter before serving.

Some sumacs have fruit that’s coated with hairs that can be scratchy in the throat.

3/4 cup pancake mix 2 tablespoons dried, ground sumac 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons sugar Combine the egg, vegetable oil, milk, and sugar in a bowl.

Add the pancake mix and sumac; stir to combine.

Grease the muffin tin, and distribute the batter evenly among the cups. Place the tin in a large pan, and add enough water to come within a half-inch of the top of the tin. Cover, and turn the burner on to medium-high heat.

Steam the buns for 12–15 minutes (from the time you turn on the burner), until they are round and puffy. The buns are ready when you can feel them bounce back from (but not stick to) the gentle push of your fingertip.

Steamed sumac buns are best served warm. Leftovers can be reheated in a steamer or microwave.

Does the word “sumac” make you nervous? Does it conjure up images of itchy, red rashes? Are you worried that it’s poison? Fear not! Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) is a completely different plant, and according to the USDA, poison sumac has never been reported in New Mexico. Why? Because poison sumac grows primarily in the eastern United States in wet, swampy soils. Even there, it’s a rare plant.

And here’s the most important thing: ripe poison sumac fruit is white, borne in clusters that emerge from leaf axils along the stem. Ripe, edible sumac fruit (Rhus spp.) is red, and produced in terminal clusters, only at the ends of branches.

It’s easy to tell the difference between poison sumac fruit and edible sumac fruit at harvest time. If it’s red, go ahead.

If it’s white, run in fright. (Okay, you don’t really have to run; just don’t touch it.)

When trying any new food, whether it’s foraged or store bought, try a small amount first, especially if you have food allergies. Sumac is in the plant family Anacardiaceae, which also includes mangoes and cashews. If you’re allergic to either of those foods, start slowly with sumac.

Left: Steamed sumac buns. Right: Sumac-ade.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

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TOUCH AND GROW

When in Drought

GARDENING PRACTICES TO SAVE WATER AND BEAT THE HEAT

By Marisa Thompson

Prickly pear cactus.

Photo by Beth Shani.

Calling all plant fanatics, gardeners of all skill levels, rosarians, arborists, and shrub lovers: If you are responsible for watering even a single plant, this exercise is for you. Let’s take a minute to consider how we are adjusting to the ongoing drought and increasing temperatures. What can we do to maximize water efficiency in our yards and gardens?

My first ideas are to plant smarter, get creative with shade, slow and capture water runoff, and mulch like our lives depend on it.

Planting smarter involves several aspects of gardening. Selecting the best plant for a given spot is a big one. Think about available space in your yard and strategize where to put what. Hot spots are great for heat-loving plants, like prickly pear cactuses, yuccas, agaves, New Mexico privets, and lots of ornamental grasses. Crape myrtles, desert willows, figs, pomegranates, and vitex are other examples of plants that can take intense heat without needing excessive amounts of water. These may not survive at higher elevations, depending on how low winter temperatures drop in your area.

While we desert gardeners are doing much better at picking native and adapted plants that are more suited to our urban climates, there’s always room for improvement. For lists of plants that have lower water requirements and are both cold and heat hardy, reach out to local nurseries and contact your county Cooperative Extension 30

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Service office (aces.nmsu.edu/county). Online resources include the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (505outside. com) and the Native Plant Society of New Mexico (npsnm.org).

To get creative with shade, we need to change how we think about it. The mental image of deep shade under a huge tree just isn’t practical for new plantings. It takes a long time and a lot of water for a tree to grow big enough to have a full canopy. Are you looking for recommendations for a tree that grows fast, gets really big, and will live a long time? It sounds to me as if you’re describing multiple trees— and a shade structure too! Unfortunately, many of the faster-growing trees aren’t as long lived, taking several years to get large enough to provide enough shade for a small patio. This year, consider installing a shade structure. The options are as plentiful as they are colorful: canopy tents, shade sails, hip and cantilever shade structures, gazebos, and more. Perennial vines like honeysuckle, grapes, silver lace vines, wisteria, and trumpet vines can be trained to grow up over a trellis or pergola quickly and with relatively low amounts of water. Morning glory is an example of an annual vine that can cover a surprising amount of area in a single growing season, even when grown from seed and planted late. The structures don’t have to be permanent. On the south side of my house, I’m using twine strung from the fence top to the eaves as a guide for honeysuckle and trumpet vines to shade the

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TOUCH AND GROW

Cane cholla cactus. Photo by Kristina Blokhin.

walkway and garage. And they don’t have to be human made either.

Take advantage of the shade pockets provided by heat-loving plants.

There’s still plenty of sunlight for pickier plants to grow there, but with less heat stress and lower water needs.

When it comes to rainfall, notice how water moves across your yard, paying special attention to any water that runs off into the street. The Arid LID Coalition is a collaborative group based in Albuquerque that “promotes arid adapted green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and low-impact development strategies to capture stormwater as an asset.” Their website (aridlidcoalition.org) is an amazing resource, with links to demonstration project updates and newsletters describing all sorts of clever ways to manage stormwater. Contouring your yard with swales and berms is an effective way to direct water toward specific plants and to slow it down so that more soaks in than runs off. In the Arid LID Coalition booklet titled Middle Rio Grande Low Impact Developments: Projects for Storm Water Management, contouring is described in great detail, and the term “swale” is used sixty-one times.

“Swales are depressed sections of land, designed to slow and capture runoff by spreading it horizontally across the landscape, facilitating runoff infiltration into the soil.” Catchment devices, like water barrels and cisterns, are wonderful, but even the larger ones overflow when we’re lucky enough to get a good dose of rain. Swales can be installed to manage cistern overflow or positioned at the base of gutter spouts to move water away from the foundation and over to plants’ roots.

Yerba mansa, a native plant that normally grows in riparian areas, thrives in low areas of my contoured yard. During monsoon season, these plants have a swale of a time.

“Monsoon,” however, is a bit of a misnomer. “Monlater” tends to be more accurate, but it’s still preferred to “monnever.” Last year, the total annual rainfall measured at the New Mexico State University 32

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas was a scant 5.7 inches; only 10.2 inches were reported in Mora at the John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center. Even if New Mexico weren’t in a drought, “normal” rainfall amounts are also distressing. And the heat doesn’t help. Pan evaporation from 1923 to 2005 in Los Lunas was more than 73 inches per year, on average. Evaporation rates have gotten higher in recent years and are only expected to continue in that direction. And at the same time that our plants are practically screaming for more water, many municipalities are pleading with residential customers to cut back on landscape water use.

My intention is to inspire changes in how we design landscapes and use water. Cluster potted plants under shade structures. Decrease absorbed sunlight and lower water needs by selecting containers with lighter colors, or repaint the ones you already have. Check your water bill regularly and evaluate consumption. Switch to drip or drizzle, but let it run long enough for water to reach the roots before vanishing into thin air.

And then there’s mulch. Mulches are any material (e.g., woodchips, shredded bark, pine needles, leaves, etc.) added on top of the soil surface to benefit the soil, the plants, the gardener, or, in some cases, all of the above. Mulch sources include local garden centers, various solid waste departments, tree pruning and landscape companies, and even debris from existing plants. Rather than bagging up and removing leaf litter, keep it on the ground. That's why we call them leaves.

Decrease evaporation and increase the time between waterings and inhibit weeds by applying a nice thick layer of mulch. One final tip: make sure you’re irrigating in a way that allows water to soak the soil underneath the mulch layer. Otherwise, it’s called “too mulch of a good thing.”

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New Home, Sweet Home TUMBLEWEEDS CATERS TO COMMUNITY AND BEYOND Words and Photos by Candolin Cook

Tumbleweeds Diner in Magdalena.

On a sleepy Tuesday afternoon in Magdalena, Eddie Tsosie—a Navajo artist and bit of a local legend—pulls off of historic Route 60 and into Tumbleweeds Diner’s dusty parking lot. Having just opened in March 2021, the restaurant’s freshly painted white-andturquoise exterior gleams against the muted high-desert landscape and unobstructed blue skies. A cow’s skull has been fastened to a front post and an eponymous tumbleweed lies dormant near the entrance. It is a classic roadside diner, straight out of central casting.

As Tsosie begins to pull a series of colorful, Native- and westernthemed paintings from the trunk of his car, he is met by Tumble34

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weeds co-owner Osiris Navarro. She purchases a handful of Tsosie’s works on this visit, to go with several others already on display in the dining room. The diner’s walls are, in fact, covered with fine arts and crafts made by local artists, along with taxidermy and antiques gifted from community members or left over from the restaurant’s last incarnation as the Big Bear Cafe a dozen years ago.

Just as inviting as the decor are the aromas of green chile cheeseburgers, fried chicken, and mac-and-cheese filtering in from the kitchen. From grinding their own locally sourced beef to pickling their own veggies to creating their own dressings and sauces, most

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Tumbleweeds’ green chile cheeseburger, green chile cheeseburger salad, and spicy fried chicken sandwich.

everything at Tumbleweeds is made from scratch, using quality, fresh ingredients. The rotisserie chicken is slow cooked to perfection, and the velvety sauce smothering the loaded chile cheese fries is worth a ninety-minute drive from Albuquerque. It’s diner comfort food executed at a level that truly makes it anything but greasy-spoon fare.

While the aesthetic and food at Tumbleweeds embodies southwestern Americana, the couple behind it are a bit more cosmopolitan.

Navarro’s husband and business partner, Michal Gola, is a self-taught chef, born and raised in the Czech Republic. He moved to Queens, New York, when he was seventeen, before relocating to Seattle and forging a career in the restaurant industry for the last twenty years.

Navarro is originally from the Philippines, though she moved to the Emerald City as a young child, and has a background in marketing and graphic design. A few years ago, the two started a catering company in Seattle, Gola’s Kitchen, featuring global cuisines—Mediterranean, Latin, Asian—and recipes showcasing the abundance of the Pacific Northwest.

In January 2020, the couple decided to take a trip to visit a good friend who lives in Magdalena, ahead of their busy year full of catering weddings and other events got underway. When they arrived, they immediately fell in love with the village’s small-town charm, distinct multicultural history, and pleasant climate. They’d long discussed leaving Seattle, perhaps returning to their European and South Asian roots, but something about the slow-paced desert town began to spark conversations about how a life in the Southwest might look.

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Two months later, the pandemic and shutdown wiped their year’s catering calendar clean. Faced with the prospect of having no foreseeable income while living in one of the country’s most expensive cities, Gola and Navarro decided that Magdalena—and that cute, vacant roadside diner they had seen on the west edge of town—was their future. That July, they inadvertently became part of a national trend that saw residents of largely coastal metropolises flee to smaller cities and towns to escape cramped quarantine quarters, high rents, and dense populations.

While analysts have warned that talk of a national “urban exodus” is both overblown and short term, there are perennial concerns in New Mexico about the correlation between urban transplants and housing scarcity, gentrification, and cultural appropriation. As newcomers, Navarro and Gola are very aware of those concerns and say they have consciously tried to assimilate to their local community and cater to its needs and wants, rather than attempting to transform or co-opt it. Magdalena’s population skews older, and many residents’ families have been in the area for generations. Historically, Magdalena was a cattle town known for its stockyards and train depot. Today, the surrounding area is still greatly populated by ranchers, farmers, and residents of the Alamo Navajo Indian Reservation, which lies less than thirty miles to the north. Villagers have a deep connection to the land and to their collective histories. There is even an Old Timers Reunion every summer (global plague permitting), in which the village celebrates its “Old West” roots with rodeos, western swing dances, and chuckwagon cookouts.

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Tumbleweeds' owners, Michal Gola and Osiris Navarro.

“We always knew we weren’t going to come in here and start serving quinoa,” says Navarro. But some of Gola’s original ideas for the menu (e.g., prime steaks, porchetta) and their necessary price points didn’t quite resonate with diner patrons either. So Navarro and Gola spent the majority of the last year fork deep in research and recipe development. They sampled, read up on, and spoke to elders about local foods; experimented in the kitchen; and, most importantly, listened to feedback from their new community. “Chile needs to be hotter,” was one unsurprising early critique. Eventually, Gola was able to marry local tastes and traditions with his own unique culinary talents and point of view. “That’s not posole,” said one customer after tasting Gola’s rendition, “but it’s the best posole I’ve ever had.”

While the everyday menu is full of spins on familiar favorites, Gola is also able to spread his wings with daily specials (for instance, a rice bowl with five-spice local pork belly, pickled veggies, edamame, and bok choy), and he and Navarro will be introducing special pop-up dinner events. Plans include a Hawaiian night, Malaysian cuisine, and dishes from Gola’s native Czech Republic. “We are excited to maybe introduce some new things to people or [provide] things they just can’t get around here, like Asian food.”

Since opening, Navarro and Gola’s intentionality and collaboration has paid off. Even within the confines of COVID-19 capacity limits and social distancing, Tumbleweeds has become a local gathering place and an avenue for connection in isolating times. “People stop by just to see who is eating so they can visit and pick up each other’s tabs,” says Navarro. “They let your kind in here?” is a favorite local joke.

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

“The community came together for us,” Navarro says, noting the hundreds of volunteer hours that some locals put in to help them build out the restaurant. To give back, the couple is trying to use their resources to help give a boost to the local economy. Thanks to Navarro’s marketing background, Tumbleweeds has gained a healthy social media following, which has attracted an increasing number of out-of-town patrons. Navarro encourages these tourists to not only eat at the diner, but to visit Magdalena’s numerous galleries and shops. On-site artisan fairs are in the works to help support the town’s vibrant art scene, and Navarro used her Instagram following to help sell Tsosie’s works after his sales took a hit during the pandemic. In addition to working with local ranchers, the restaurant will soon begin sourcing vegetables from young farmers growing produce in the greenhouse at Magdalena’s K–12 school.

One would think there’s a sitcom to be made about a big city couple with international upbringings moving to this tiny, colorful New Mexico town. But Navarro and Gola don’t quite fall into fish-out-of-water stereotypes. Their deep respect for the town—its peoples, cultures, and history—is evident, and they’ve taken quickly to the simple pleasures of village life. “Our favorite thing to do is watch the sunset,” says Navarro. Perhaps that’s not quite as exciting as a night out in Seattle, but it seems to suit this small-town couple just fine.

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EIGHT AROUND THE STATE

Ice Cream Whether you are looking for ice cream, custard, gelato, or sorbet, we have your sweet tooth covered in this edition of Eight Around the State. We focused on hand-crafted and homemade ice cream with creative twists on flavors, and found many purveyors that took their inspiration from ingredients easily sourced in New Mexico. Many of these creameries’ flavors change with the seasons, so we see a lot of ice cream tasting in our future. This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have the lowdown on the best ice cream in your city or county, drop us a line, and we will be sure to check them out.

TONARI NO MISE What we are eating: Tonari sundae with caramel miso ice cream, red bean dorayaki, and mochi balls Worth noting: Tonari No Mise is the store next door and sister restaurant to Magokoro Japanese Restaurant. They offer traditional Japanese desserts like dorayaki (pancakes and cream), house-made ice creams, and house-made milks. Their hand-churned ice creams are so unique, we know we will have to go back frequently to try all the flavors, which include black sesame, mushroom, sunflower and honey, and matcha.

Find: 5600A Menaul NE, Albuquerque, instagram.com/tonarinomise Photo by Stephanie Cameron

FREEZIE FRESH: ROLLED ICE CREAM What we are eating: Salted caramel red chile Worth noting: Freezie Fresh specializes in Thai rolled ice cream, named after the distinctive rolled shape of the frozen treat, which originated in Southeast Asia. First, the vanilla custard base is mixed with handcrafted flavors and flattened onto the anti-griddle. Then a spatula is used to scrape the ice cream from the pan's surface into the shape of ice cream rosettes.

Find: 2860 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, freeziefresh.com Photo by Stephanie Cameron

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EIGHT AROUND THE STATE

LA LECHERIA What we are eating: Red chile rhubarb Worth noting: Chef Joel Coleman, owner of Fire & Hops, is the brains behind La Lecheria. He finds inspiration in the community by supporting local agriculture. Their ice cream is made using organic dairy, eggs, and sugar, without stabilizers or artificial ingredients.

Find: 101 W Marcy, Santa Fe, lalecherianm.com Photo by Stephanie Cameron

TAOS COW ICE CREAM CO. What we are eating: Lavender scoop, flavored with organic New Mexican culinary lavender seed Worth noting: Taos Cow Ice Cream Co. has been churning out ice cream since 1993, and it’s all produced in Santa Fe. They use cream and milk from the Rasband Dairy in Albuquerque’s South Valley, and locally source many other ingredients to create their flavors. At their Arroyo Seco storefront, they also offer savory food made with the same care.

Find: 483 Hwy 150, Arroyo Seco, taoscow.com Photo by Stephanie Cameron

NM VINTAGE MARKET What we are eating: Green mint chip and pecan pie Worth noting: NM Vintage Market, a 100 percent New Mexico products store, partnered with New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) to bring fresh-made, by-the-scoop gelato and sorbets to Mesilla. ACES Foods is a student-run food production company in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at NMSU, providing students with hands-on opportunities to apply the principles of food science and technology to food products.

Find: 2310 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla, facebook.com/nmVintageMarket Photo by Morgan Switzer of NM Vintage Market

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EIGHT AROUND THE STATE

FRATELLI'S PIZZA BISTRO & ICE CREAMERY What we are eating: Green apple chile gelato Worth noting: Italian cuisine is known for many traditional foods, notably spaghetti, pizza, and gelato!

Fratelli’s innovates on tradition with fresh, made-fromscratch gelato in a host of playful and seasonal flavors, such as lavender, Almond Joy, and lemon blueberry.

Find: 1209 N Hwy 491, Gallup, fratellisbistro.com Photo by Stephanie Cameron

MINT CHIP CREAMERY What we are eating: Wild rose ice cream on a glutenfree cone Worth noting: The Mint Chip Creamery began in Anchorage, Alaska, as a food truck. They transplanted to Silver City in 2018, and recently set up a brick-andmortar space downtown. Locally and organically sourcing whenever possible, they shop for ingredients at the Silver City Farmers’ Market and the neighborhood food cooperative. They also handcraft popsicles, donuts, and other baked goods.

Find: 601 N Bullard St, Silver City, instagram.com/themintchip Photo courtesy of Mint Chip Creamery

FAHRENHEIT 32 What we are eating: Mangoñada with mango nectar ice cream, mango, Tajin, chamoy, and a tamarindo stick Worth noting: Yes, we know they are in El Paso, but since this is our travel issue, we are including them in the mix. Signature roll-ups include Honeydew You Love Me, served with melon balls and mochi; Gotcha Matcha; Piña Colada; and Brotein, made with chocolate protein ice cream. Their over-the-top garnishes include green tea and strawberry Pocky, Teddy Grahams, Thin Mints, and cornflakes.

Find: 12135 Montwood Dr, El Paso, fahrenheit32icecream.com Photo by Stephanie Cameron

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Time for a cool change...

See you soon at the Pub!

It's a Spring Fling! Deviled Egg & Bacon Salad Join us soon!

730 St Michaels Dr, Santa Fe, loyalhoundpub.com

614 Trinity Drive, Los Alamos • 505-662-8877 pajaritobrewpubandgrill.com

SUN CITY

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AN @TRAVELNEWMEXICO PHOTO ESSAY

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

A GASTRONOMIC TOUR OF EL PASO

By Stephanie Cameron, Caitlin Jenkins, and Amy Tischler El Paso means “the pass,” which felt apt to me as I considered the years I’d spent passing through El Paso on my way to somewhere else, never stopping to see what it had to offer. Word on the street was that a lot of money was being put into revitalizing downtown El Paso, and the city had lots to explore, both new and old. With suggestions from several locals, we got the lowdown on where we should eat, imbibe, shop, and stay. Here, we illustrate our journey down south by sharing photos of all the discoveries we made as we ate and drank our way through Sun City.

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 1 From the 1880s until the 1960s, downtown El Paso's San Jacinto Plaza featured a pond filled with live alligators. Many people still fondly refer to the plaza as La Plaza de los Lagartos, or Alligator Plaza. Today, a fiberglass sculpture by nationally acclaimed local artist Luis Jiménez honors the original alligators. 114 W Mills Ave

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Thanks to @TravelNewMexico for a great road trip collaboration!

Follow them on Instagram as they post more about our gastronomic tour of El Paso.

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@TravelNewMexico™ documents New Mexico road trips by inviting guest Instagrammers to take over the account to share their unique experiences through imagery and stories. In February 2020, pre-lockdown, and again in May 2021, I set off with Amy Tischler and Caitlin Jenkins, founders of @TravelNewMexico, to discover what has become one of our new favorite destinations. In the past, we have unearthed New Mexico’s unique gems of Silver City, Las Vegas, Sunland Park, and Las Cruces. After visiting Las Cruces and Sunland Park in 2019, I knew we wanted to cross the western Texas border and explore El Paso for a future travel issue. El Paso stands on the Rio Grande, known as the Río Bravo to those on its opposite shore in Ciudad Juárez. Along with Las Cruces, these three cities form an international metropolitan area sometimes referred to as the Paso del Norte or the Borderplex.

  2 ELEMI is a modern, taco-focused Mexican restaurant, with made-toorder corn tortillas as its foundation.

We shared a platter of à la carte tacos, brussels sprouts with balsamic agave, and the Aguachile de Callo de Hacha.

313 N Kansas St

3 The Dome Bar is located in Hotel Paso Del Norte. Sip on a curated cocktail, enjoy a light bite and gaze at the iconic twenty-five-foot Tiffany-style stained-glass dome. We enjoyed the Desert Bird, featuring rum, Campari, and prickly pear extract.

10 Sheldon Ct

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OLD & NEW

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

3 El Paso's 108-year-old Hotel Paso del Norte has come gloriously back to life and is one of many renovations that have happened downtown in the last few years.10 Sheldon Court

To find out what fun things we’re offering follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or check our website for current Hours, Events, and Menus.

7 Avenida Vista Grande, Santa Fe | 505-303-3816

AT L A MO N TA Ñ ITA C O - O P,

3x

THE GLASS

THE IMPACT

I S AL WAYS

HALF FULL C ORPOR ATE CHAIN

LOCAL CO-OP

It’s the Local Multiplier Effect, and it’s why more than 3 times the money stays in New Mexico when spent locally.

STOP IN FOR LOCAL & ORGANIC FOOD THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE S A N T A F E • ABQ • G A L L U P • W W W . L A M O N T A N I T A . C O O P

STAY

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5 The Stanton House hotel maintains a collection of original prints, paintings, and sculptures, and includes works from accomplished and up-and-coming Mexican, European, and local artists. Stanton House's 50

also features Circa 1963, a panoramic bar overlooking the skyline of El Paso.

We enjoyed the La Adelita margarita.

325 N Kansas St

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4 At Hotel Indigo, you can cool off in the fifth-floor outdoor pool and watch desert sunsets from the floor-to-ceiling windows in your room. Hotel Indigo

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Taft-Díaz restaurant serves haute cuisine innovated by chef/patrón Oscar Herrera that celebrates regional influences. 209 N Stanton St 6 Heritage meets luxury in Hotel Paso del Norte, an icon that has

stood more than a century. Atop the tenth-story roof is where guests watched the Border Campaign of the Mexican Revolution play out.

10 Sheldon Ct 8 Sabor serves Mexican and

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BRUNCH

7 Grove Brunch Cafe offers traditional and fusion brunch, lunch, and light dinner menu items, along with a full bar. We loved the kimchi fried rice. 7470 Cimarron Market Ave

  southwestern cuisine, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in a beautiful setting with great cocktails. We enjoyed Champiñones Tacos and the Sabor Margarita. 10 Sheldon Ct

style coffee shop featuring coffee

9 District Coffee Co. is an industrial-

hit the spot before a morning walk.

beans from Picacho Coffee Roasters in Las Cruces. They have coffee lovers covered with a variety of lattes and ice-blended options, and their toasts

 We enjoyed the Seedy Toast and HBE Toast. 222 Texas Ave 10 Salt + Honey is a breakfast and brunch spot in central El Paso with a creative café menu, cold-pressed juices, locally roasted coffee, mimosas, and WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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Their brews are constantly changing, and they curate craft brews from around the US. 1620 N Resler Dr

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IMBIBE

11 Aurellia's Bottle Shop & Brewhouse is an ultramodern brewhouse, bottle shop, and restaurant serving upscale bar food and pizzas.

sangrias. The Tacos Borrachos and Salt

They rotate a seasonal beer menu,

cocktails, with an expansive, lantern-

+ Honey Fries are must-tries.

offer classic bar food, and have an

adorned outdoor patio. Experience

801 N Piedras St

amiable and accommodating staff.

delicious food at Sabertooth, located

12 Blazing Tree Brewery awaits beer

11426 Rojas Dr

next door, along with your favorite

aficionados from an unassuming locale

13 Hope and Anchor is an inviting

drink. 4012/4006 N Mesa St

tucked away in an industrial complex.

hangout serving beer, wine, and

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14 El Paso Brewing Co. has an

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by hand. We shared many different dishes, but the favorite was the Xiao Long Bao, served up in a steamer basket. Multiple locations.

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DINNER

16 Noodles & Dumplings offers delicious Chinese food at five different locations in El Paso. They are the real deal! And they make their noodles

inviting atmosphere where you can

a mean margarita (even if it is served

in North America. Ask for a mezcal

grab a brew and enjoy a game of giant

with a maraschino cherry).

luge with the Tuetano (grilled bone

Jenga. 810 Texas Ave

3454 Doniphan Dr

marrow) and enjoy the Foie Gras

15 Rosa's Cantina, of Marty Robbins

17 Ámbar Restaurante features

Torchon. 106 W Mills Ave

fame, is the oldest bar in El Paso. It's

wood-fired modern Mexican cuisine

18 You will feel like you have stepped

the ultimate dive bar, and they make

and the largest agave spirit collection

back in time at the 1700° Steakhouse, WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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 restaurant. They serve up fine handcut steaks such as porterhouse, filet mignon, veal, bison, and Wagyu beef.

The restaurant is aptly named for the temperature of the oven. We enjoyed 54

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

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Hotel Paso del Norte's fine dining

are projected onto the back wall. Lavender Breeze is the most popular item on the menu, and Berkeley on Fire is a great mezcal cocktail. 317 E Mills Ave

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IMBIBE

19 The Berkeley Cocktail Lounge creates a living room–style atmosphere where friends gather and enjoy finely crafted cocktails while classic movies

the Roasted Bone Marrow with onion soubise. 10 Sheldon Ct

experience. Don't be put off by the

20 El Velvet Elvis at the Pershing Inn creates original, modernist cocktails focused on balance, presentation, sustainability, and an unforgettable

—and you will be pleasantly sur-

exterior—or enter the wrong door prised with some of the most creative cocktails we have ever tried. Try the Dorada Víbora made with sotol and a Frank Holloway, co-owner of Hollow Spirits.

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 mango and tomatillo shrub.

2909 Pershing Dr 21 El Mirador at Hotel Paso del Norte is a sleek and cozy rooftop hangout. Stunning downtown views make this tenth-floor hangout one-of-

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SEE AND DO

its-kind. We snacked on spicy wings and enjoyed the Hibiscus Mirage made with rum and hibiscus extract.

10 Sheldon Ct

building in the historic Union Plaza

22 Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots is an eclectic brick warehouse

into this place. They are more than

District of downtown. If you love boots, you will think you have died and gone to heaven when you walk happy to give you a tour and show you WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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the endless possibilities when it comes to designing a pair of boots. Be sure to tip your tour guide. 115 Anthony St 23 Known as the best view of the city accessible by car, Scenic Drive wows visitors every time. Featuring fabulous views of El Paso and Juárez, the road traverses the southern tip of the Franklin Mountains. You’ll get the most 56

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

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EXPLORE

out of your drive by pulling over at the small park and scenic overlook. The road is closed off to motorists every Sunday, offering visitors a safe haven for walking, running, or biking.

2100 Scenic Dr 24 Burn some calories while strolling the downtown area and taking in the eclectic architecture. The city has

commissioned more than thirty-five public art projects that range from murals to abstract sculptures. And many businesses throughout Sun City have added eye-popping murals as an extension of their personality. There is something to be discovered around just about every corner, with infinite Instagrammable moments.

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THAT'S A WRAP

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

Stephanie Cameron, Caitlin Jenkins, and Amy Tischler

A Wonderful Mix of Friendship and Philanthropy

Become a Member of The Circles The Circles is the premier membership of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Join us and enjoy an exclusive calendar of events that is especially designed to enhance your appreciation of the art, history and culture of New Mexico and folk art traditions worldwide.

You’ll discover unparalleled camaraderie with an intimate group of fellow members.

For more information contact Cara O’Brien at 505.982.6366, ext. 118 or email cara@museumfoundation.org or visit museumfoundation.org/circles.

THE TOWN AT THE TOP OF THE RIVER GETTING GROUNDED IN CHAMA

By Michael J. Dax

Photo by Stephanie Cameron.

Late-afternoon view of the Chama River north of Abiquiu. Photo by Dean Fikar.

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H

aving grown up in the hardwood forests of upstate New York, I often tell people the only time I miss it is during the fall, when those deciduous trees turn every shade of yellow, orange, and red, and the forests come alive in a kaleidoscope of colors. Last autumn, driving back into New Mexico over Cumbres Pass, the aspens had turned gold, lending these usually monochrome forests a sense of texture and nuance. The contrast of the quaking yellow leaves against the stoic conifer green made it hard for me to keep my eyes on the road. When the small town of Chama suddenly appeared, I was almost surprised—yes, I was in New Mexico.

For many people unfamiliar with the Land of Enchantment, the name of our state itself may conjure images of barren, windswept desert or maybe even the stately saguaro cactuses that make their home in our neighboring state to the west. Despite these misconceptions, New Mexico is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, thanks in part to our array of diverse landscapes, from the Great Plains of eastern New Mexico to the Chihuahuan Desert of the borderlands to the alpine spruce-fir forests of the Sangre de Cristo and the sprawling parklands that stretch across the northern tier.

Exploring the divergent corners of the fifth-largest state in the country can take days of driving and countless wrong turns. From Santa Fe, a weekend trip to Chama—just a stone’s throw from the Colorado border—is the perfect cure for any resident or visitor’s geographic ignorance. The drive through Abiquiu, past Ghost Ranch, and through Tierra Amarilla highlights New Mexico’s distinct natural and human histories before landing visitors in Chama’s small downtown strip that combines the feel of a hardscrabble New Mexico village with a gem-in-the-rough Colorado mountain town.

On a weekend in early May, I steered my truck north through Española and continued to follow US 84 northwest toward Abiquiu and eventually to my weekend destination, Chama. Even with Chama as my goal, the two-hour road trip was just as much a part of the adventure. There’s plenty of hiking to do in Chama, but some of the best spots can be found on the drive, the first being the Poshuouinge Ruins just east of Abiquiu. Located on the south side of the road at a signed Forest Service picnic area, the ruins can be accessed via a short half-mile hike to the top of a small point that provides views of a townsite dating back to the 1400s. This easy hike makes for a pleasant break from the car, and, the history aside, the views of the lower Chama Valley’s pinyon-juniper-covered hills are exquisite.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and the accompanying Welcome Center are located just a few miles west of this point, but from the top of the hill, with red rock features beginning to emerge and arroyo-carved mesas stretching out in all directions, there’s little question that you have entered O’Keeffe Country.

Less than a mile past the Georgia O’Keeffe Welcome Center, you will pass the most unassuming stop along your journey, but a personal favorite. Bode’s General Store has occupied its location on the banks of the Chama River for more than a hundred years, and remains a true general store at its core. Whether you’re in need of groceries, livestock feed, a burrito, textiles, handmade note cards, a Yeti cooler,

cast-iron cookware, fishing supplies, proprietary spice mix, or some locally themed books, Bode’s is sure to have it. It’s the sort of place where a quick stop can easily become an hour or more, and I rarely miss an opportunity to visit.

Back in the truck and heading north again, the road parallels the Chama River before climbing steeply to the mesa above. After a few turns, the road crests a ridge, and one of New Mexico’s most picturesque red rock deserts reveals itself. Due to the anemic winter preceding my visit, Abiquiu Lake appeared as a puddle, but there was no time to dwell on that, as neapolitan-streaked monoliths once again had me struggling to keep my eyes on the road. Flying past these stately cliffs and the entrance to Ghost Ranch, I made my next stop at Echo Amphitheater.

From the small parking area, it’s a short walk along a paved trail to the natural amphitheater. Growing up in New York and being a Yankees fan, I couldn’t help myself: the concave sandstone wall perfectly amplified my best attempt at announcing Derek Jeter as the next batter coming to the plate. I returned to my truck, content with my nostalgic distraction, and was back on the road again.

With low canyon walls rising skyward, forest and sage quickly reabsorb the red rock sandstone. By the time the road reaches the next ridge, rolling forested hills and expansive parklands dominate the views.

For the third time in thirty miles, the landscape has changed completely.

Continuing north, the road enters the small village of Tierra Amarilla, where keen observers will notice a banner reading “Tierra o Muerte”—Land or Death—hanging from the back of a billboard.

In 1967, the Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Alliance of Land Grants) led a takeover of the Tierra Amarilla courthouse, protesting the annexation of lands by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management from the local land grant community. As the sign indicates, not all histories are in the past.

From here, Chama lies just ten miles to the north. The impressive Brazos Cliffs loom to the east, and to the west, the road passes signs for El Vado Lake and Heron Lake State Parks. After numerous stops and a short hike, I was ready for lunch by the time I reached town.

The Chama Grill first captured a small piece of my heart on the way back from a fishing trip on the San Juan River. The small, inconspicuous building, standing like an island surrounded by concrete, doesn’t appear to hold much promise on its own, but independent fast-food restaurants are a rarity, and that fact alone should be enough to pique anyone’s interest.

Because of COVID-19, only the drive-through was open, making this the first time I had experienced the restaurant without a rush of customers. Just the same, the no-frills green chile cheeseburger hit the spot. The chile was hot—not a given in late spring—and with a side of perfectly fried tater tots and a chocolate milkshake to wash it all down, I left plenty satisfied.

Driving the final two miles into Chama, the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad stands out as the town’s most distinctive feature. Starting in Chama, climbing over Cumbres Pass, and dropping into Antonito, Colorado, nineteenth-century locomotives and train WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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Left: Green chile cheeseburger with a side of tater tots and a chocolate milkshake at Chama Grill. Right: Foster's Hotel, Restuarant, and Saloon.

Photos by Michael Dax. Photo by Becky Scharff.

cars take visitors on a sixty-four-mile journey, weaving back and forth across the Colorado–New Mexico border through some of the prettiest terrain New Mexico has to offer.

Unfortunately, the train was not yet running at the beginning of May, so instead, I headed to the Edward Sargent Wildlife Management Area. Located on the north side of town, the twenty-thousand-acre preserve stretches all the way to the Colorado border and is known for its plentiful wildlife. Although primarily used by hunters, the area is open to hiking, wildlife watching, cross-country skiing, and biking, with the purchase of a habitat stamp from the NM Department of Game and Fish.

Within ten minutes of starting my hike along the Rio Chamita, a group of cow elk appeared in the distance, and I took in the views of the wide, grassy valley with the stunning twelve-thousand-foot Chama Peak looming just across the state line. The route was nearly flat, making for an easy stroll as I lost myself, with the unmistakable call of a meadowlark to keep my company.

While most of Chama’s charm is derived from its unpretentious, rough-around-the-edges aesthetic, Local, a restaurant that opened in 2019 and serves “New Western” cuisine, offers a more upscale dining experience. With plenty of outdoor seating and an open-kitchen design on the interior, Local combines a chic modern setting with the refinements of a rustic western cookout.

The restaurant’s Patatas Brazos—a take on the classic bravas—made with heirloom potatoes and served in a cast-iron skillet, exemplifies this carefully curated ambience. Wood-fired pizzas make up much of the rest of the menu, but their speciality is the arepa, a thick cornmeal 62

edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

cake topped with shaved local beef, smoked Anasazi beans, cotija, and a chimichurri sauce.

The lodges on the south side of town offer a bit more room, but the handful of hotels along the main stretch make it easy to finish the night at the historic Foster’s Saloon. I have a soft spot for traditional wooden bars, so after dinner, I wandered a couple blocks to the bar that has stood at the center of town since 1881. With dollar bills hanging from the ceiling and domestic beer signs scattered across the walls, the bar, with its deep mahogany color and backsplash mirror framed by wooden columns, is undoubtedly the centerpiece. With few other nostalgic frills playing up its history, the bar is the sole reminder of its enduring past and the fact that this place existed for a generation before New Mexico’s statehood. But it was a quiet Saturday night, and I slowly sipped a few beers before stumbling back to my hotel.

Another benefit of staying in town was the easy walk to Rio Chama Espresso the following morning. Specializing in single-origin and single-harvest pour-overs, Rio Chama Espresso provides a delightfully diverse selection of coffee and beans. Great care is taken in producing each drink, and the well-designed patio made for a relaxing space to enjoy a blueberry scone and watch the Sunday traffic drift by as the town slowly came to life.

Awake and ready to greet the day, my next stop was Tierra Wools.

Located on the south side of town, the workshop, store, and school, which opened in 1983, works with local ranchers to offer premium wool from coveted Navajo-Churro sheep. The store features the work of nearly forty different artists and sells dozens of commercially and naturally dyed yarns used for weaving rugs, blankets, and everything in between. Traditional looms fill multiple rooms throughout the

Left: Rio Chama Espresso. Right: Local's Patatas Brazos. Photos by Michael Dax.

space, and they offer training in basic and advanced techniques of weaving, spinning, and dyeing.

It was time to return home, but before I did, I made a detour to see Heron Lake and El Vado Lake State Parks. The drive along NM 95 to Heron Lake encapsulates the beauty of this region. The road twists and turns through rolling pinyon-juniper hills interspersed with meadows as it approaches Heron Lake. With numerous camping and hiking opportunities, the first views of the lake don’t come until passing over the dam that separates Heron from the Chama River just upstream of El Vado.

Despite the fact that early May should mean peak spring melt, after one of the driest years on record, the low water level exposed the lake’s barren, striated banks. Continuing southwest to the adjacent El Vado Reservoir did little to assure me of a secure water future for New Mexico. The entire northwest arm of the lake had become a meadow, and although the bumpy drive along the shore was still plenty scenic, by the time I crossed the dam, I was scared for what a persistent drought might mean for New Mexico.

Completing the loop along NM 112 back to the highway and turning south toward home, I couldn’t help but dwell on the region’s intertwined human and natural histories. Inhabited long before European settlement, it has experienced conflict over land and control of resources, and today, many of the same resources that draw visitors and support livelihoods face an uncertain future. But tucked away, upstream of where the land can no longer hide the marks of persistent drought, with an enduring connection between land and people, Chama quietly stands the test of time.

AROUND CHAMA Restaurants CHAMA GRILL 2414 Hwy 84, 575-756-2276, chamagrill.business.site FOSTER'S HOTEL, RESTAURANT, AND SALOON 393 Terrace Ave, 575-756-2296, fostershotel1881.com LOCAL 587 Terrace Ave, 575-756-7661, chamalocal.com RIO CHAMA ESPRESSO 614 S Terrace Ave, 505-500-7558, riochamaespresso.com WILDER BAKESHOP AND ESPRESSO 2248 NM 17, 575-999-5134, wilderbakeshop.com Shopping TIERRA WOOLS 2540 Hwy 64/84, 575-756-1650, handweavers.com Activities CUMBRES & TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD 500 Terrace Ave, 575-756-2151, cumbrestoltec.com

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THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT A SOUR THE SOUR BEER SCENE THRIVES IN FORT COLLINS

By Nora Hickey

Sours at Purpose Brewing and Cellars. Photo courtesy of Purpose Brewing and Cellars.

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magine, a year and a half before COVID-19 forced social distancing and staying home, sitting at Bow & Arrow Brewing on a quintessential Albuquerque evening, the sun a hush of red as it sets. I was drinking a sour beer, a tart, sometimes floral, sometimes fruity brew that is made with souring bacteria and spontaneous fermentation. I had no idea as I drank my refreshing Bow & Arrow sour that I would soon be moving to the place where the American sour beer boom ignited: Fort Collins. After my move north, I learned that the burgeoning college town of 165,000, settled along the spine of the Rockies in northern Colorado, is where the tangy and unique brew started its American journey.

Sour beers may at first appear a bit confusing and it’s no wonder why—the age-old process is full of calculations, experimentations, and more than a little alchemy. One local FoCo (that’s short for Fort Collins in local parlance) brewer, Charlie Hoxmeier, said that “it’s likely the first beers ever made were sour beers. The microbes involved in sour beer fermentations are environmental, so in the early days of brewing, before modern cleaning techniques and chemicals were available, these microbes would have been everywhere and hard to avoid.”

Today, these environmentally influenced beers are fermented through a few different mechanisms: in wooden barrels (the oldest

method); fast-aging stainless steel kettle barrels; and rectangular koelschips, vessels for holding the fermenting liquid in open air (more on that later). Along with a container, sours need bacteria and yeast to achieve that pucker-inducing profile. This microbiome of a brew can be influenced by spices, hops, fruits, herbs, and more. The rest is left to science, time, and tasting, as the liquid transforms according to the brewers’ calculated randomness.

No doubt someone will dispute this (or already has), but it’s well known in Fort Collins that the first American sour appeared here in the form of La Folie from New Belgium Brewing (NBB).

I had first heard about this perhaps apocryphal point of pride from a dog park friend, who told me in reverent tones about Peter Bouckaert, the Belgian brewer who is credited with bringing sours to the United States when he came to work at NBB in 1996. The Fort Collins area is touted by locals as the “Napa Valley of beer,” and as a pandemic-era new resident in this bustling Front Range town, I was eager to get to know the place through its (arguably) superlative product. So I explored three different breweries, each one operated by master crafters with approaches as distinct as their delectable brews. Here are three breweries to visit to see how Fort Collins became the sour beer playground of the Mountain West.

THE ORIGINATOR: PETER BOUCKAERT, PURPOSE BREWING AND CELLARS No sours story would be complete without a brief foray into Belgium—the land of waffles and beer. There, Peter Bouckaert was closely acquainted with the latter. Peter and his wife, Frezi, worked in the beer scene and then owned a small brewery in Belgium. “I grew up with sours, and it was kind of a surprise that when we created La Folie it was such a hard thing for people. It was just a different dimension and flavor than people here were used to,” he said about his first sour for NBB. Even if the public wasn’t quite sure what to make of this new, unexpected brew, the craft beer community was. With its debut in 2000 at the Great American Beer Festival, La Folie took home a prize—even when “there wasn’t an existing category for sours,” Peter explained.

A few years ago, after decades of mastery at larger breweries in Belgium and at NBB, Peter and Frezi wanted to return to their roots. “I decided I wanted to go small again and wondered, how small can I get? Where could I add to the spectrum of beer in Fort Collins?” His answer was Purpose Brewing and Cellars, a playful space where the beers aren’t categorized and they change weekly.

“We never describe styles, we only describe flavors,” Peter said. A recent chalkboard menu notes the taste of the Bluebonnet Brett as “sweet cereal grain, fruity hoppiness and Brettanomyces bouckaertii.” That last ingredient is Peter’s own wild yeast strain, used in different Purpose beers.

Jeff Willis, the manager of Purpose Brewing and Cellars, pulling a nail from a barrel of aging beer. Photo courtesy of Purpose Brewing and Cellars.

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The taproom is open from Thursday to Sunday, and each Monday Peter, Frezi, and other employees gather to decide what to put on tap for the new week. Frezi described the organic, intuitive process: “On Monday, we have meetings and decide what to serve—what are you thinking? Feeling?” Peter and Frezi’s communal vision for Purpose Brewing is embedded everywhere you look in the taproom, from the repurposed wood tables to the stacks of barrels full of transforming liquid—vessels that were gifted from friends. The barrels bear marks of their former homes, from wineries and other breweries around the globe. “When I started, I went to friends and said, I just want to go small, would you mind sending me some barrels?” Peter explained.

For his complex, diverse, incomparable beers, Peter and head brewer Mike Hiatt let the sensory details drive them. “I don’t measure time; I got kind of data adverse,” Peter told me. “I look at the barrel number and taste. We just want to serve something that tastes good.” At the welcoming taproom and cellar, customers can order flights and pints, and even arrange for a “cellar experience.”

“During those, we pull nails [from the barrels to allow a small amount of liquid to be tasted] and I take notes of what people say,” Peter explained. “Fort Collins is ripe for a concept where you can just play. I wanted to make Purpose closer to a winery where people could taste and then buy a bottle.” In the interconnected and friendly Fort Collins beer scene, it’s no surprise to learn that Peter and Frezi recently welcomed as a co-owner Jeff Willis, who also has deep ties to the beer community. Jeff recently took me on a tour of the warmly lit cellar, to pull a nail so we could taste the ever-evolving beer. As we caught the golden liquid in clear glasses, he articulated the beauty of being in beer in Fort Collins: “It’s a tight community and we all help each other out.”

THE ARTIST: LAUREN WOODS LIMBACH, NEW BELGIUM BREWING Back at New Belgium Brewing, Lauren Woods Limbach helms the continually impressive sour program. It’s her twenty-fourth year at NBB, where she began their sensory science program after some years working as an assistant. Lauren now oversees the whole sours operation as the wood cellar director and blender. A true sensory explorer, Lauren dove headfirst into understanding sours when she was first tasked with their creation. “[Producing] a sour is very different from saying ‘here’s the sugar, we are going to create alcohol’—it’s a long, strange trip in that barrel,” she said.

“You have to really understand what you are putting into the barrel: the base beer, the different bacteria, the wild yeast, and what they are going to do, so you can start getting benchmarks and get some idea of what is going on.”

Even over Zoom, where faces are flattened into a screen, it’s easy to see that Lauren is inspired by beer. The way she describes her fascination with flavors, scents, and feelings is akin to hearing a poet talk about finding that perfect sensory-driven metaphor.

On our recent Zoom call (COVID-19 protocols still in place prevented an in-person tour), Lauren mused in lyric contemplation: 66

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“Some days I wake up and think about apricots. What is the perfect thing that goes with an apricot—cardamom? Can you re-ferment an apricot with sugar? What did one taste like a hundred years ago? What does it take to make an apricot?”

And within the walls of the impressive, expansive New Belgium campus, Lauren can hone her artistry in comfort. Although NBB beers are now sold in all fifty states, the brewery is anything but an automaton. The enterprise invites experimentation in craft and offers a staggering range of sours. Lauren recently created both the Dominga, a drinkable mimosa sour, and the special-edition batch of La Folie Grand Reserve Fernandito, for which she used fernet-aged barrels and cocoa husks to put a new spin on the standby sour.

Of her process, Lauren offered, “I already kind of know the flavor I’m going with, or I’m crushing on a type of flower, barrel, fruit, or process. I’ll try something I’ve never done before—twenty barrels of pumpkin puree into an acidifying foeder [large barrel]. Can you do that? How can you make a beer that smells like violets?” Even as NBB’s beer output has grown to match their popularity, each pint is treated with the careful technique of a small batch. “Somewhere in the middle of all this is room for all these barrels that you can just walk through, and be whisked back in time. That’s the cool part about New Belgium—the name itself has ‘Belgium’ in it, so it will always be rooted in that, but with ‘New’ in front of it, it gives us permission to keep trying and experimenting.”

Lauren Woods Limbach, New Belgium Brewing. Photo courtesy of New Belgium Brewing.

Above: Front of New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins. Below: Back side of New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins. Photos courtesy of New Belgium Brewing.

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THE SCIENTIST: CHARLIE HOXMEIER, GILDED GOAT BREWING COMPANY Another brewery bringing their own unique angle to the sour proceedings is Gilded Goat, a family-run joint on the main drag in town (College Ave). The Hoxmeier family started the Gilded Goat in 2017, and head brewer (and oldest son) Charlie brings a biologist’s perspective to create science-driven beers. “As I learned more about the process, I discovered how much science is involved in brewing. I have a PhD in microbiology and spent a decade as a scientist, so being able to use my training and experience in microbiology and chemistry to make beer was really appealing to me,” he explained. But the ambience in the cheery taproom and brewery is anything but clinical—the Hoxmeiers have created an inviting space with a beautiful wood bar, high ceilings, and a convivial atmosphere.

Behind the light-filled taproom is an impressive brewing setup, visible from the bar. On an informal tour, Charlie gave me some malts to chew from Root Shoot Malting, a nearby family farm, and a burnt, honeyed taste bloomed in my mouth. The malts (not mine, I promise!) go into the mill to be crushed, and next into an urn where the coarse mash is soaked to break the starch into sugar, creating that brewer’s special sauce, wort. The wort goes into the kettle, where the mixture is boiled and hops are added. From there, the liquid can be made into different styles of beer.

“I’m kind of pedantic and like all the steps and rules,” Charlie remarked about his approach to beer making. One of his favorite tasks is the unusual, multistep process of making a koelschip sour. “This process is so interesting to me because of how much biological/microbial variability is involved, thus leading to a unique beer nearly every time.”

Much like everything at the Gilded Goat, this beer is a carefully considered affair, starting with hops from his parents’ backyard, used only after they have gone bad. Charlie explained how the funky, pungent plants provide great microbial effects for sours. Once the hops-infused wort is ready to go, it is pumped into a rectangular stainless steel receptacle, the koelschip. This isn’t so different from the normal brewing process, except for the fact that the receptacle sits out on the patio, in frigid winter weather. During the koelschip treatment, the liquid is exposed to the winter air to both cool down the 100-degree liquid and to take advantage of the bacteria and yeast naturally floating in the air.

The results are bottled in Gilded Goat’s Professor Funk, and each year’s batch can vary greatly, from the bright and balanced first batch, to the cloudier, funkier second edition. “That’s the part that’s really challenging, because I am a scientist and analytical. [Through] the artistry of aging, each beer will be different every single time. It’s a roll of the dice.”

Of the twenty-something Fort Collins breweries, many have at least one sour option on the menu. Much like Fort Collins itself, sours start with a fast first impression—a punch of liveliness and brightness.

But, also like this town that often feels like a big city, sours reveal more complexity as you sip. Each taste takes you on a different path, a journey outside a more familiar beer, into a forest of possibilities.

Go to any of these breweries, and you’ll find the distinctive fruits of each brewer’s vision.

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Above: Gilded Goat Brewing Company barrel room.

Below: Head brewer, Charlie Hoxmeier. Photos courtesy of Gilded Goat Brewing Company.

RESTAURANTS AROUND FORT COLLINS Don’t forget to eat! There are plenty of delicious eateries to visit as you tour Fort Collins. Old Town is replete with great offerings, and you can’t go wrong on these charming, turn-ofthe-century streets.

Some standouts: GINGER AND BAKER: Contemporary cuisine, famous for their sumptuous pies, housed in a historic mill.

359 Linden St, Fort Collins, gingerandbaker.com/the-cafe RESTAURANT 415: Locally sourced small plates, sandwiches, pizza, and vegetarian and vegan mains.

415 S Mason St, Fort Collins, thefourfifteencom Places to check out a bit farther afoot: LITTLE ON MOUNTAIN: Peter and Frezi’s favorite neighborhood eatery, with shareable plates and local ingredients.

1046 W Mountain Ave, Fort Collins, littleonmountain.com MOOT HOUSE: A cozy, old-time pub with classic, hearty fare.

2626 S College Ave, Fort Collins, themoothouse.com

Barrel room at Purpose Brewing and Cellars. Photo courtesy of Purpose Brewing and Cellars.

Foeder Forest at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins—foeder is a Dutch word, roughly translated as "giant oak barrel." Photo courtesy of New Belgium Brewing.

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Solanaceae

Recipes and photos by Stephanie Cameron

Romesco Sauce

Dip tatoes with Chive Crispy Smashed Po

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COOKING FRESH This edition of Cooking Fresh celebrates the abundance of nightshades in our gardens and at farmers markets this summer. “Nightshades” is the common name for the flowering plant family Solanaceae, which consists of more than two thousand types of vegetables, spices, weeds, fruits, and other plants, many of which are not edible. Some of the most commonly consumed nightshade plants include tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. These foods are a rich source of nutrients and can add immense depth to the local summer cuisine.

ROMESCO SAUCE Romesco is a versatile tomato-based sauce that originated from Tarragona, Catalonia, in Spain. Serve with fish, meat, raw or roasted veggies, or with the crispy smashed potatoes recipe above as a vegan alternative to the chive dip. This recipe swaps in pecans for the usual almond-and-hazelnut mixture, for some New Mexican flair. When blending the sauce, it is personal preference that determines the texture—a thin, smooth sauce might pair well with a delicate serving of fish, but a thick, chunkier sauce showcases the heartiness of the tomatoes and peppers.

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 1 hour; Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes Level: Easy • Makes 2 cups 4 red bell peppers, cored, and seeds removed 4 small tomatoes 1 cup pecans 1 slice toasted bread, crusts removed, bread broken into small pieces 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste) 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled Juice of half a lemon 1/4 cup olive oil Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and place tomatoes, bell peppers, and garlic on it. Roast in the oven until tomatoes are wrinkled and lightly charred in spots and garlic is soft, about 1 hour. Let cool and remove skin from the tomatoes and peppers, and peel the garlic.

In a blender or food processor, combine everything but the olive oil. Once the ingredients are mostly blended, start drizzling in the olive oil while running the blender. Blend until you reach your desired consistency.

CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES WITH CHIVE DIP ​

These twice-cooked potatoes create the ultimate crispy texture, complemented with a creamy dip. The thinner you smash your potatoes, the crispier they will be. When smashing, remember that thicker smashed potatoes will come out soft inside, crispy on the outside, and thinner smashed potatoes will be crispy throughout. Both options are delicious—let personal preference be your guide. Local new potatoes, which are more perishable and only found in summer, add a creamy, less starchy, and all-around delicious dimension to this recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes; Total time: 55 minutes Level: Easy • Serves 4–6 Chive Dip 1 cup sour cream 1 1/2 tablespoons hot horseradish (freshly grated or jarred) 1/2 cup chives, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon juice Salt and pepper, to taste Potatoes 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons granulated garlic 1 tablespoons parsley Preheat oven to 450°F. For the dip, mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Chill until ready to serve.

Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rapid boil. Add potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, until soft. Remove from water and allow them to dry completely in a colander.

Coat a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Arrange potatoes on the baking sheet and use the bottom of a glass to gently press down on potatoes until they are 1/4-inch thick. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and season with salt and garlic. Bake for 25 minutes, until crispy.

Transfer to a plate and top with fresh herbs, and serve with chive dip.

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Mushr oom an d Pepper Fajitas

Tomatillo Gazpacho 72

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​

TOMATILLO GAZPACHO ​

Gazpacho originates from Iberia. Although most recipes call for tomatoes, we are making a tangy version with tomatillos that is reminiscent of salsa verde.

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 10–15 minutes; Total time: 30 minutes Level: Easy • Serves 4–6 4 fresh green chiles 1 pound tomatillos, husked 1/2 sweet onion, skin removed 1/2 jalapeño pepper 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped 1 avocado, diced 1 cup stale white bread, cubed 2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup cilantro 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 teaspoons honey or agave syrup 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Toss the tomatillos, onion, and jalapeño with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Place the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and green chiles directly on the grill. Grill 4–5 minutes per side, or until charred and soft. Remove from the grill and let cool. Peel the green chiles and remove the seeds. Combine all grilled veggies, then chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place all remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor with the chilled veggies. Blend until smooth, season to taste, and chill the soup until ready to serve. Serve with desired garnish.

Pro tip: The flowers from bolted cilantro make a beautiful garnish, as pictured on the opposite page.

MUSHROOM AND PEPPER FAJITAS This recipe is a great way to showcase colorful bell peppers, and mushrooms are a meaty vegetarian substitute for the skirt steak used in traditional Tex-Mex fajitas. Because there is no meat to be grilled, this recipe is easy to throw into the oven for a quick weeknight meal.

Prep time: 35 minutes; Cook time: 22 minutes; Total time: 1 hour Level: Easy • Serves 4 Marinade 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons lime juice 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon paprika Fajitas 1 pound king oyster, portobello, or shiitake mushrooms, or mixture of all three 1 red onion, sliced in thin strips 3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, sliced in strips 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Small flour tortillas, guacamole or avocado, salsa, lime wedges, and cilantro for serving Preheat oven to 450°F and move one rack to the top slot in the oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Toss the mushrooms in the marinade until evenly coated. Let sit for 30 minutes. Toss peppers and onions with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Spread marinated mushrooms, onions, and peppers across an oiled baking sheet with a rim and bake for 20 minutes.

Move pan to top rack and broil for 2 additional minutes to add some char to the veggies.

Serve with warm tortillas, salsa, guacamole or avocado, and fresh cilantro.​

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Late Summer Ratatouille

Nasu Dengaku

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edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2021

NASU DENGAKU

LATE SUMMER RATATOUILLE

This classic Japanese dish, nasu dengaku (miso-glazed eggplant), is inspired by Joan Itoh Burk’s Rice Paddy Gourmet.

Serve this dish as an appetizer or as a side to a meal of stirfried rice and veggies.

Ratatouille is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice. Recipes and cooking methods vary widely, but most have tomatoes in common. We are having fun with this recipe by including all five nightshades featured in our Cooking Fresh recipes: tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. The key to this recipe is to slice all your vegetables to be consistent in size.

Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes Level: Medium • Serves 6 Eggplant 6 small Japanese eggplants 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 slices of bacon, chopped (optional) 1 tablespoon chives, sliced thin for garnish 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish Sauce 2/3 cup white miso 1/3 cup sake 1/3 cup mirin 1/3 cup sugar Ingredient info: Source miso, mirin, and sake at Talin Market, A-1 Oriental Market, or other Asian market.

For the sauce, combine miso and sugar in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in sake and mirin. Over low heat, bring to a simmer and cook, frequently stirring, until sugar dissolves, color darkens, and it has the consistency of a thick sauce—approximately 45 minutes. Sauce can be made up to a day in advance and should be refrigerated. When ready to use, reheat in a pan on low heat for 2–3 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Use the tip of a paring knife to score cut sides in a crosshatch pattern. Brush scored sides with olive oil, then spread 1 teaspoon of miso mixture over each half. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast eggplant for about 20 minutes, until tender and browned.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chives, and bacon, and serve.

Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes Level: Easy • Serves 4 as a side Tomato Sauce 1 pound tomatoes 1 garlic clove, minced Salt, to taste Veggies 4 fingerling or new potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces 1/2 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces 1 medium-size tomato, sliced in half lengthwise, then in 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 thin red or orange bell pepper, sliced in half lengthwise, then in 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 tomatillo, sliced in half lengthwise, then in 1/4-inch-thick slices Herb Seasoning 8–10 basil leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 4 tablespoons olive oil Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Preheat oven to 400°F. and move one rack to the top slot in the oven.

For the sauce, cut the tomatoes in half and grate on a box grater, discarding the remaining skins. Cook on medium-low heat in a wide, nonreactive skillet with garlic until thickened into a sauce, about 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Prep all your veggies while the tomato sauce is cooking.

In a small bowl, mix all the herb-seasoning ingredients and set aside. Spread tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish. Stack veggies by alternating layers of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tomatillos.

Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Move pan to top rack and broil for 2 additional minutes to add some char to the veggies.

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LOCAL PROVISIONS GUID E ALBUQUERQUE RESTAURANTS Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

Rio Grande Valley cuisine rooted in seasonal organic ingredients from our own farm.

4803 Rio Grande NW, 505-344-9297, lospoblanos.com

Cutbow Coffee

One of the nation's most accomplished artisan coffee roasters, Paul Gallegos.

1208 Rio Grande NW, 505-355-5563, cutbowcoffee.com

Debajo

Local Spanish-style tapas restaurant with fine wine and beer. 1025 Lomas Ave NW, 505-243-6050

Farm & Table

Enjoy delectable seasonal dishes created from scratch, sourced from local farmers and our beautiful on-site farm. 8917 Fourth Street NW, 505-503-7124, farmandtablenm.com

Mata G Vegetarian Kitchen

Unmistakably comforting, uncompromisingly fresh, and undeniably delicious.

116 Amherst SE, 505-266-6374, mata-g.com

Savoy Bar & Grill

California wine country in the Northeast Heights. Farm-to-table dining and a casual patio. 10601 Montgomery NE, 505-294-9463, savoyabq.com

Seasons Rotisserie & Grill

Oak-fired grill, local and seasonal ingredients, and the best patio dining in Old Town.

2031 Mountain NW, 505-766-5100, seasonsabq.com

The Grove Café & Market

The Grove features a bustling café experience serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch.

600 Central SE, 505-248-9800, thegrovecafemarket.com

The Shop Breakfast & Lunch

born. 7 Avenida Vista Grande, 505-303-3816, arablesantafe.com

1502 Hwy 68, Velarde, 505-852-2820, blackmesawinery.com

We serve progressive American fare inspired by our on-premise garden and local purveyors.

218 Camino La Tierra, 505-983-2100, arroyovino.com

Chef and owner Kevin Bladergroen brings together fine and fresh ingredients, artistic vision, and European flair in every dish.

221 Hwy 165, Placitas, 505-771-0695, bladesbistro.com

Arroyo Vino

Cafecito

Cafecito is a family-owned business blending cultures to bring you a delicious menu in a beautiful gathering space. 922 Shoofly, Santa Fe, 505-310-0089, cafecitosantafe.com

Charlie's Spic & Span Bakery & Café

We serve modern American brunch with Eastern European influences. Open 7 days a week. 402 N Guadalupe, 505-982-9394, dolinasantafe.com

Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery

Amazing food, unique coffees roasted on-site, and super fast high-speed internet.

314 S Guadalupe and 1600 Lena, 505-428-0996, iconikcoffee.com

Michael’s Kitchen Restaurant and Bakery

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Loyal Hound

Locally sourced modern comfort food paired with craft beer, cider, and wine.

730 St Michaels, 505-471-0440, loyalhoundpub.com

Market Steer Steakhouse

Where refined dining meets fun dining.

210 Don Gaspar in the Hotel St. Francis, 505-992-6354, marketsteersteakhouse.com

Ohori’s Coffee Roasters

The original source for locally roasted coffee beans, gifts, and gathering. 505 Cerrillos and 1098 St. Francis, 505-982-9692, ohoriscoffee.com

Paper Dosa

Bringing fresh, authentic homestyle South Indian dishes to your table. 551 W Cordova, 505-930-5521, paper-dosa.com

Radish & Rye

Serving breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. 2933 Monte Vista NE, 505-433-2795, theshopabq.com

Farm-inspired cuisine: simple yet innovative food and drinks sourced locally whenever possible. 505 Cerrillos, 505-930-5325, radishandrye.com

We roast coffee and brew it in unique ways utilizing some of the best methods available.

413 Montaño NE, 505-803-7579, trifectacoffeeco.com

Seasonally changing, globally inspired cuisine and an extensive, value-priced wine list.

304 Johnson, 505-989-1166, terracottawinebistro.com

Trifecta Coffee Company

Vara Winery & Distillery

Spanish and American wines celebrating the origins of the American wine experience.

315 Alameda NE, Albuquerque, 505-898-6280, varawines.com

SANTA FE RESTAURANTS Anasazi Restaurant & Bar

Contemporary American cuisine inspired by locally sourced seasonal ingredients.

113 Washington, 505-988-3030, innoftheanasazi.com

Arable

Inspired by the bounty of New Mexico, and the small community of Eldorado, Arable was

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Blades' Bistro

TerraCotta

The Compound Restaurant

Chef Mark Kiffin preserves a landmark tradition of elegant food and service at his Canyon Road institution. 653 Canyon Road, 505-982-4353, compoundrestaurant.com

GREATER NEW MEXICO RESTAURANTS Black Bird Saloon

Genuine food and drink, Wild West style.

28 Main St, Los Cerrillos, 505-438-1821, blackbirdsaloon.com

Black Mesa Winery

Black Mesa Winery is an award-winning winery using only New Mexican grapes.

Charlie’s offers New Mexican cuisine, breakfast, and classic pastries. 715 Douglas Ave, Las Vegas, 505-426-1921, charliesbakeryandcafe.com Taste Southwest New Mexico.

200 N Bullard St. Silver City, 575-956-6144, and 119 N Main St, Las Cruces, 575-556-9934, littletoadcreek.com

Regionally inspired eats with a tongue-incheek menu in a casual space decorated with knickknacks. 304-C N Pueblo, Taos, 575-758-4178, michaelskitchen.com

Pajarito Brewpub & Grill

Open for lunch Tuesday–Sunday. Open for dinner every day. 30 craft beers on tap.

614 Trinity Dr, Los Alamos, 505-662-8877, pajaritobrewpubandgrill.com

Parcht

/pärCHt/= the physical condition resulting from the need to drink wine, eat good food, and shop . . . in Taos. 103 E Plaza, 575-758-1994, parcht.com

Pig + Fig

Whether you're strictly vegan or strictly meat and potatoes, our goal is to create comfort food for everyone using high-quality, ethically sourced, seasonal ingredients.

11 Sherwood Blvd, White Rock, 505-672-2742, pigandfigcafe.com

Revel

Farm-to-table, elevated comfort food, in a fast-casual environment. 304 N Bullard St, Silver City, 575-388-4920, eatdrinkrevel.com

The Gorge: Bar and Grill

Our menu is straightforward, yet eclectic, and chock-full of favorites made from scratch.

103 E Plaza, Taos, 575-758-8866, thegorgebarandgrill.com

The Skillet

American, Southwest, vegetarian friendly.

619 Twelfth Street, Las Vegas, 505-563-0477, giant-skillet.com

FOOD ARTISANS / RETAILERS Barrio Brinery

Bringing fine fermented foods to Santa Fe. We make our products by handcrafting small batches of flavorful goodness, using only the finest ingredients.1413-B W Alameda, Santa Fe, 505-699-9812, barriobrinery.com

Bountiful Cow Cheese Company Purveyors of fine cheese, meats, and provisions from around the world.

505-473-7911, B-cow.com

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Barrio Brinery

Repairs/Installations Landscape Remodeling Fruit Tree Pruning and Removal

i TA ex FE z New M

Santa Fe's source for fine fermented foods. Our lacto-fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and escabeche are hand-crafted in small batches.

1413-B West Alameda, Santa Fe www.barriobrinery.com ∙ 505-699-9812

505-319-5730

nmlawnsprinklerexperts.com Wholesale Specialty Cheese/Meats/Provisions 300+ Cheeses from around the World

Genuine Food & Drink Enchanting, Dusty...

Wild West Style 28 MAIN STREET LOS CERRILLOS 505.438.1821 Thursday - Sunday blackbirdsaloon.com

Est. 1984

SANTA FE Linking the pleasure of good food with local community. www.b-cow.com · 505-473-7911

SLOWFOODSANTAFE.ORG

TRIFECTA COFFEE COMPANY

Creative Casual Cuisine

HighGradeOrganicCBD.com

413 Montano NE, Albuquerque 505-803-7579, trifectacoffeeco.com We roast coffee, and brew it in unique ways utilizing some of the best methods available. All of our baked goods, sweet, and savory are made in house.

221 Highway 165, Placitas 505-771-0695, www.bladesbistro.com

Chef and owner Kevin Bladergroen brings together fresh ingredients, artistic vision, and European flair in every dish. Award-winning wine list.

LOCAL PROVISIONS GUID E Del Valle Pecans

Fresh and sweet organic pecans. From our southern New Mexico orchards to your kitchen. Order online. 575-524-1867, delvallepecans.com

Eldora Chocolate

Eldora crafts chocolate using natural, organic, and fair-trade ingredients.

1909 Bellamah NW and 8114 Edith NE, Albuquerque, 505-433-4076, eldorachocolate.com

Finches

Espresso-ground rooibos. Antioxidant-rich.

Coffee alternative. Caffeine-free or caffeinated. finchescafe.com

Heidi's Raspberry Farm

Sumptuous, organic raspberry jams available throughout New Mexico and online!

600 Andrews, Corrales, 505-898-1784, heidisraspberryfarm.com

High Grade Organic CBD

Our hemp is grown from seed under the sun on our USDA Certified Organic farm in the Rio Grande River Valley of northern New Mexico. highgradeorganiccbd.com

KURE

We pride ourselves on providing a unique, friendly, and welcoming environment.

220 North Guadalupe, Santa Fe, 505-930-5339, kureforlife.com

La Montañita Co-op

La Montañita Co-op is New Mexico's largest community-owned natural and organic food market. Locations in Albuquerque, Gallup, and Santa Fe, lamontanita.coop

Mesa Meats

Bringing ranchers and consumers together with local quality beef, pork, and lamb.

6368 South Hwy 55, Mountainair, 575-799-0770, mesameat.com

Skarsgard Farms

Delivering fresh, local, and organically grown produce and natural groceries to doorsteps across New Mexico. 505-681-4060, skarsgardfarms.com

Susan's Fine Wine & Spirits

Your local liquor store in Santa Fe. 632 Auga Fria, sfwineandspirits.com

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Talin Market

88 Louisiana SE, Albuquerque, 505-268-0206, talinmarket.com

LODGING

Bishop's Lodge

Bishop's Lodge is a soulful retreat steeped in heritage. 1297 Bishops Lodge, Santa Fe, aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge

Heritage Hotels and Resorts

Hotels in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Las Cruces. hhandr.com

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

4803 Rio Grande NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, 505-344-9297, lospoblanos.com

Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi

Sophisticated modern aesthetic celebrating the southwestern spirit. 113 Washington, Santa Fe, 505-988-3030

Sarabande B & B

Comfort, elegance, and simplicity.

5637 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-348-5593, sarabandebnb.com

The Parador

Our 200-year-old farmhouse, Santa Fe's oldest inn, is located in historic downtown Santa Fe. 220 W Manhattan, Santa Fe, 505988-1177, elparadero.com

NURSERIES & SERVICES deerBrooke

Irrigation and backflow prevention specialists. Repairs, installations, and consulting.

505-319-5730, nmlawnsprinklerexperts.com

Osuna Nursery

A family-owned and -operated nursery, gardening center, and landscaping company. 501 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, 505-345-6644, osunanursery.com

Payne’s Nursery

Payne's North, 304 Camino Alire, 505-988-8011; Payne's South, 715 St Michaels, 505-988-9626; PAYNE'S ORGANIC Soil Yard, 6037 Agua Fria, 505-424-0336, paynes.com

ORGANIZATIONS & EDUCATION Museum of New Mexico Foundation

Philanthropic support for our state's cultural heritage. museumfoundation.org

New Mexico Tourism newmexico.org

Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta

Refer to website for event details and locations. Santa Fe, 505-438-8060, santafewineandchile.org

Slow Food Santa Fe

Slow Food is about enjoying food and the community it creates. Intrigued? Learn more at slowfoodsantafe.org.

RETAILERS

Flyby Provisions

Enjoy shopping for boutique local New Mexico gifts—thoughtfully selected and packaged with care. flybyprovisions.com

Found on 4th

The eclectic lifestyle store. Vintage home decor and unique gifts. 8909 Fourth Street NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, 505-508-2207, foundon4th.com

Gallery Ethnica

Live globally! 1301 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, 505-557-6654, galleryethnica.com

Hacer Santa Fe

Thoughtfully sourced, carefully curated, natural fabric and fibers. 311 Montezuma, Santa Fe, hacersantafe.com

Kitchenality

Irresistible and gently used gourmet cooking and entertaining ware. 1222 Siler, Santa Fe, 505-471-7780, kitchenangels.org

Next Best Thing to Being There

An eclectic shop for handmade products.

1315 Mountain NW, Albuquerque, 505-433-3204, beingthereabq.com

Sarabande Home

We have a passion for finding the perfect gift. 4022 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-344-1253, sarabandehome.com

Elevated Rooibos. Elevating Health.

Celebrating Café. Celebrating Community.

Espresso ground Rooibos. Antioxidant rich.

Coffee alternative. Caffeine-free or caffeinated.

Pure • Chai • Blossom • Earl finchescafe.com

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER & BRUNCH (505) 310-0089 | 922 Shoofly St. SF, NM

EXPERIENCE Oaxaca

6–10 day tours in captivating Oaxaca, customized for you!

Have a group of travel-obsessed friends? A club, guild, work, or family group that wants a personally crafted experience in magical Oaxaca? You gather the group; we take care of all the planning and logistics. You simply arrive and enjoy!

Email info@openhearttours.com to discuss details. *Open Heart Tours will refund all fees paid, including the non-refundable deposit, should the US State Department issue a travel ban for Oaxaca.

OPENHEARTTOURS.COM WWW.EDIBLENM.COM

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LAST BITE

Tomatillo and Melon Sorbet Makes 2 quarts This recipe does require an ice-cream maker, which we think is well worth the investment. But if you don’t have one, you can use this same recipe to make a granita. Because the sugar content of your fruit can vary, you will want to perform the egg test* to ensure the proper sweetness and creaminess of your sorbet.

2 1/2 cups honeydew melon, cut into small cubes 2 1/2 cups tomatillos, husks removed and chopped 1 cup sugar, divided Zest of one lime 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 egg for egg test* Depending on the type of ice-cream maker you have, place bowl in the freezer 24 hours before preparing the sorbet.

In a blender or food processor, blend melon, tomatillos, and 2/3 cup of sugar until smooth. Add lime zest while mixing. Strain purée through a fine-mesh strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible. Straining ensures a smooth sorbet. Perform the egg test*, and add remaining sugar, if needed, to reach desired consistency and sweetness.

Stir in lime juice and salt, and taste.

Add more of each as needed. The sorbet will taste less sweet when frozen; salt and lime juice help enhance the fruit’s flavor.

Chill the mixture thoroughly for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight, before churning in an ice-cream maker. Base should be 40°F before churning. Churn according to ice-cream maker’s instructions.

Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. *Take an uncooked egg in the shell, wash very well with soap and water, dry it, then place the egg in the sorbet base after you’ve strained it. A portion of the egg, about the diameter of a quarter, should be visible on the surface of the liquid. If the egg sinks to the bottom, the mixture needs more sugar to reach the correct concentration for optimal texture. If the egg totally floats on top, add more citrus juice or fruit purée/juice to thin the liquid a bit.

(We got the egg test from the Bread & Basil blog: breadandbasil.nyc/recipes/sorbet-guide.)

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an

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event

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THE SMACKDOWN HAS ONE SIMPLE GOAL: TO DETERMINE THE BEST BURGER IN NEW MEXICO!

September 11

1:30PM–5:30PM, SANTA FE BREWING CO.

!

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THE GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER SMACKDOWN

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THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO

TRY SOME OF NEW MEXICO’S MOST DELICIOUS

BELLY BUSTIN’ GREEN CHILE

CHEESEBURGERS!

ediblesmackdown.com #EDIBLESMACKDOWN

11 CONTENDERS

ALBUQUERQUE: FORK & FIG HIGH POINT GRILL • TUERTA BOMBSHELL BURGER THE ACRE RESTAURANT STREET FOOD INSTITUTE SANTA FE: LA FIESTA LOUNGE AT LA FONDA LUMINARIA AT INN & SPA LORETTO LAS CRUCES: MOTHER'S PLACE LOS ALAMOS: PAJARITO BREWPUB AND GRILL LAS VEGAS: THE SKILLET RIO RANCHO: TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.

7 FINALISTS

ANNOUNCED ON AUGUST 7.

YOUR VOTES WILL DETERMINE THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNER.

BURGER FANATICS,

THIS IS YOUR EVENT!

DINE-IN SERVICE DINNER TO GO HEAT-AT-HOME SUNDAY DINNER EXCEPTIONAL WINE SHOP

2 1 8 CAMINO LA 5 0 5 .9 8 3 . 2 1 0 0

T I E R R A , S A N TA F E | @ A R R OYOV I N O

A R R OYOV I N O.C O M