What constitutes the good life is subjective and, as the stories in our new issue suggest, multifaceted. It is deeply personal, yet profoundly rooted in the collective. In the pages of the Early Summer issue, writers investigate ways to reform our relationships with other animals, plants, and the planet itself; to celebrate a sense of community that comes from gathering once again, such as for a matanza; to appreciate all the little things, like making coffee each morning, that make up the day. However the good life is touched on here, a central element is food. Whether harvested from your garden, your neighbor’s yard, public land, or a nearby farm, whether prepared at home or at a local restaurant, whether eaten in community or in solitude, food is not an afterthought. It is fundamental to what is good about life in New Mexico.
“Life as I grew up and as I knew it as a home economist was rich but simple,” writes famed New Mexican author Fabiola Cabeza de Baca in the 1981 preface to her book The Good Life: New Mexico Traditions and Food, first published in 1949. “People drew their sustenance from the soil and from the spirit. Life was good, but not always easy.”
Much has changed since Cabeza de Baca first documented northern New Mexican foodways. Life remains rich, but not always, if it ever was, simple. And as we endeavor on the uneasy path of living and thriving in a drying region, we look to those same wellsprings of strength—soil and spirit—to work toward that same basic goal: a life that is good.
What constitutes the good life is subjective and, as these stories suggest, multifaceted. It is deeply personal, yet profoundly rooted in the collective. In these pages, writers investigate ways to reform our relationships with other animals, plants, and the planet itself; to celebrate a sense of community that comes from gathering once again, such as for a matanza; to appreciate all the little things, like making coffee each morning, that make up the day. However the good life is touched on here, a central element is food. Whether harvested from your garden, your neighbor’s yard, public land, or a nearby farm, whether prepared at home or at a local restaurant, whether eaten in community or in solitude, food is not an afterthought. It is fundamental to what is good about life in New Mexico.
Stone Fruit Pizza
This recipe inspires some creativity with sweet and savory ingredients, highlighting stone fruit as the meal’s star.
Stone Fruit Salsa
Salsa is one of those recipes that almost seems silly to document because it is so simple, but maybe stone fruit doesn’t come to mind when whipping up a bowl of summer freshness. Either ripe or firm fruit works in salsa. For an alternative to cilantro, you can...
Stone Fruit Gazpacho
Stone fruit gazpacho takes a playful spin on the traditional Spanish cold soup. This recipe uses red onion and fresh herbs as a garnish and to add a little texture to the soup, but they also could be mixed into the puree to allow the flavors to meld. Fruit should be...
Downtown Growers’ Market
Sustainability: Public Health An Interview with Danielle Schlobohm, Associate Director, DowntownABQ MainStreet and Arts & Cultural DistrictJonelle Ewbank, Shawna Brown, Danielle Schlobohm, and Reba Thomas at Robinson Park. Photo by Stephanie Cameron. The Downtown...
Hollow Spirits Distillery
An Interview with Frank Holloway, Founder of Hollow Spirits distillery.
Tres Hermanas
The Refugee & Agriculture Partnership Program (RAPP) is funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Tres Hermanas Farm is the main site location for this program, in addition to multiple community gardens.
New Mexico Locust
Ellen Zachos writes about the New Mexico locust—an understory tree native to the southwestern United States. Includes Locust Sorbet recipe.
Stone Fruit Upside-Down Cake
Soft and buttery upside-down cake with caramelized brown sugar is another opportunity to use stone fruit.
The Art of Preservation amid Great Change
“To really become part of the community, you have to be familiar with the stories that precede you,” Eric Romero tells Emily Withnall in a conversation about the work and legacy of Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, and how that legacy fits into the new Cultural Park at NMHU in Las Vegas.
A Symphony of Species
Through the lens of an elk hunt outside Questa, Christie Green studies the relationship she and other stewards, from ranchers to conservation officers, hold with the land and other species.
Willow + Blaine
In “Willow + Blaine: A Las Cruces Fine Dining Bistro Keeps the Community at Heart,” Shahid Mustafa talks with co-owners Ariana Parsons and Tyrell Thackers about the inspiration for the farm-to-table restaurant they opened in the heart of the Mesquite Historic District of Las Cruces. Willow + Blaine serves toddler-friendly brunch as well as multicourse meals and exceptional wines in the building they renovated in this diverse neighborhood.
Horno Restaurant
Creating Community through Family and Food By Lynn Cline · Photos by Stephanie CameronThai Red Curry and Peanut Glazed Pork Belly with sesame vegetable salad and pickled mushrooms. If you find yourself conjuring up happy childhood memories of Mom’s home cooking with...
Bar Castañeda
Restaurant, Greater New Mexico An Interview with Sean Sinclair, Executive Chef and Proprietor Photos by Stephanie CameronThe Bar Castañeda team from left to right, bottom row up: Katey Sinclair, River Sinclair, Sean Sinclair, Andres Apodaca, Justin Woodlee, Monique...
To Love the World We Inhabit
Words and Photos by Wendy TremayneWendy Tremayne's morning coffee starts with roasting green beans in a Poppery II popcorn maker. I heard someone who I think is smart say, “The one whose desire has not been met did not know how to desire.” In my 2013 book, The Good...
Happiness Sprouts in the South Valley
In “Los Jardines de Moktezuma: Happiness Sprouts in the South Valley,” South Valley farmer Fidel Gonzales talks with Ungelbah Dávila-Shivers about music, gross national happiness, and how Los Jardines de Moktezuma came to be.
