Early Winter 2023: Rituals

It’s the time of sandhill cranes in central New Mexico, shifting light, and the last flash of yellow before leaves brown and fall, opening a horizon more vast even as we spend more and more of each day in darkness. It seems that at this time of year, more than any other, we become aware that we are subject to planetary forces, that we are cosmic. From feast days to solstice gatherings, from solitary rites to sprawling family dinners whose center of gravity is the table, we reach for anchors, rituals that can ground us.

In this issue of edible, we explore a multiplicity of practices through which New Mexicans find shape, meaning, and sustenance. Nancy Zastudil, connecting to the local landscape as a runner, sets out to shift the source of the energy that powers her runs from hyperprocessed fuels to real and local foods. Grower and poet Mallika Singh visits with a Diné farmer who sees centuries of Indigenous lifeways in the Los Ranchos land where he grows corn and community. In Albuquerque, we tour a small chocolate factory in the far North Valley and a backyard winery in the South Valley—learning, both times, what it means to start from scratch. Not least, author and archivist Denise Chávez reports on the firestorm she initiated in the form of a poll about New Mexico’s state cookie. In sharing not only die-hard opinions but moving memories and notes from family recipes, she reflects on how a cultural heartbeat can pulse through one simple dish.

As Chef James Campbell Caruso tells Candolin Cook, “when people sit down to dinner, it is the most intimate of rituals.” In that spirit of sharing, we’re showcasing dessert recipes contributed by six generous local bakers and chefs. Consider their recipes, along with the stories in these pages, as an invitation to experiment with tradition—with or without gluten or lard, whipped cream or pumpkin spice. Whether we’re spiritual or secular, these are months where many of us find communion at the table and in the kitchen, once again immersed in traditions that remind us to celebrate the keepers and makers who give richness to our place.

It’s the time of sandhill cranes in central New Mexico, shifting light, and the last flash of yellow before leaves brown and fall, opening a horizon more vast even as we spend more and more of each day in darkness. It seems that at this time of year, more than any other, we become aware that we are subject to planetary forces, that we are cosmic. From feast days to solstice gatherings, from solitary rites to sprawling family dinners whose center of gravity is the table, we reach for anchors, rituals that can ground us.

In this issue of edible, we explore a multiplicity of practices through which New Mexicans find shape, meaning, and sustenance. Nancy Zastudil, connecting to the local landscape as a runner, sets out to shift the source of the energy that powers her runs from hyperprocessed fuels to real and local foods. Grower and poet Mallika Singh visits with a Diné farmer who sees centuries of Indigenous lifeways in the Los Ranchos land where he grows corn and community. In Albuquerque, we tour a small chocolate factory in the far North Valley and a backyard winery in the South Valley—learning, both times, what it means to start from scratch. Not least, author and archivist Denise Chávez reports on the firestorm she initiated in the form of a poll about New Mexico’s state cookie. In sharing not only die-hard opinions but moving memories and notes from family recipes, she reflects on how a cultural heartbeat can pulse through one simple dish.

As Chef James Campbell Caruso tells Candolin Cook, “when people sit down to dinner, it is the most intimate of rituals.” In that spirit of sharing, we’re showcasing dessert recipes contributed by six generous local bakers and chefs. Consider their recipes, along with the stories in these pages, as an invitation to experiment with tradition—with or without gluten or lard, whipped cream or pumpkin spice. Whether we’re spiritual or secular, these are months where many of us find communion at the table and in the kitchen, once again immersed in traditions that remind us to celebrate the keepers and makers who give richness to our place.

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