Early Winter Issue: Wellness

For this issue of edible, we examine the state of our wellness through the health of the lands and waters that surround us. From a recent proliferation of fracking wells near Chaco, which potentially contaminate water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock, to ongoing threats to local bee populations due to herbicide and pesticide use, we take stock of how seemingly distant and outside contaminants can affect the foods we consume.

As winter settles in, and the scent of green chile gives way to wafts of juniper smoke in the air, we reflect on how our personal health reflects that of our planet. We find in this reflection that the wellness of our bodies and minds, and that of our landscapes, are entangled and inextricable. Food is the outside environment becoming a physical part of ourselves.
For this issue of edible, we examine the state of our wellness through the health of the lands and waters that surround us. From a recent proliferation of fracking wells near Chaco, which potentially contaminate water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock, to ongoing threats to local bee populations due to herbicide and pesticide use, we take stock of how seemingly distant and outside contaminants can affect the foods we consume. We explore local medicine makers, who rely on a vibrant landscape to provide healing plants; and we explore ranchers who invest in grass-finishing techniques to provide a more healthful product for consumers and the planet. We look, too, to invisible landscapes, such as the wild bacteria of our microbiomes, that help maintain digestive health and aid the immune system. Throughout the issue, we find that wild places, both inside and outside of us, prove essential to our wellness.

With the holidays on the horizon, making healthful food decisions can be a challenge. This issue also features a variety of food and drink options that will help you partake in the decadence of this food-centric season without derailing your wellness goals for the new year. Recipes for delicious desserts that swap out refined sugars for antioxidant-rich alternatives like local honey are sure to keep your sweet tooth satisfied. We also highlight local kombucha companies, which provide gut-friendly, fizzy, and festive refreshments that won’t leave you with a holiday hangover. And if you do indulge, we’ve got a “cure” for that, too, in our Last Bite recipe column.

Achieving a healthy constitution and planet may feel, at times, beyond our control—sometimes it is—but the work these local food producers and protectors are doing should inspire us to be more proactive and mindful about what we put into our bodies and what we put out into the world.

We wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!