What is a harvest festival if not a community work party? It is nearly impossible to imagine a meal—much less a feast—that is not the fruit of collaboration. But, as anyone who has ever worked the line or the floor at a restaurant, who has ever wept over a lost crop, or who has ever hosted a harvest festival knows very well, collaboration is not always easy. It requires making space for the lives of others, adapting to their rhythms, listening, tasting, sharing, and sometimes adjusting the timeline or the recipe.
In this issue of edible, we celebrate the art of cooperation—its beauties, its challenges, and, above all, the wealth that can be wrought from it. Reporting on food co-ops in the state, farmer and co-op veteran Shahid Mustafa reflects on the “funk” of the cooperative, writing of the way co-ops can empower and energize community. Mariko O. Thomas tunes into the bee clock with three northern New Mexico beekeepers, inspiring us to join her in wondering what humans might learn from bees, whose collaborative practice is their means of survival. And micro-baker and cook Cassidy A. Tawse-Garcia shares stories of entrepreneurs who have made their way thanks to shared kitchen spaces.
Turning toward the table, we dine at a Santa Fe restaurant whose chef suggests that feeding people is itself a collaborative act. Jessica and André Kempton introduce us to a high-desert farmer raising and milling wheat for them and other bakers in northern New Mexico. Too, the Local Heroes featured here—community planners, all—exemplify the landscape-changing power of collaboration. Speaking of the nonprofit she cofounded nine years ago, Erin Garrison declares that Food is Free Albuquerque was born from abundance. Living as we do amid preoccupations of scarcity, in labor as in resources, we invite you to consider what else might likewise be made from the bounty that, seen and unseen, surrounds us.
What is a harvest festival if not a community work party? It is nearly impossible to imagine a meal—much less a feast—that is not the fruit of collaboration. But, as anyone who has ever worked the line or the floor at a restaurant, who has ever wept over a lost crop, or who has ever hosted a harvest festival knows very well, collaboration is not always easy. It requires making space for the lives of others, adapting to their rhythms, listening, tasting, sharing, and sometimes adjusting the timeline or the recipe.
In this issue of edible, we celebrate the art of cooperation—its beauties, its challenges, and, above all, the wealth that can be wrought from it. Reporting on food co-ops in the state, farmer and co-op veteran Shahid Mustafa reflects on the “funk” of the cooperative, writing of the way co-ops can empower and energize community. Mariko O. Thomas tunes into the bee clock with three northern New Mexico beekeepers, inspiring us to join her in wondering what humans might learn from bees, whose collaborative practice is their means of survival. And micro-baker and cook Cassidy A. Tawse-Garcia shares stories of entrepreneurs who have made their way thanks to shared kitchen spaces.
Turning toward the table, we dine at a Santa Fe restaurant whose chef suggests that feeding people is itself a collaborative act. Jessica and André Kempton introduce us to a high-desert farmer raising and milling wheat for them and other bakers in northern New Mexico. Too, the Local Heroes featured here—community planners, all—exemplify the landscape-changing power of collaboration. Speaking of the nonprofit she cofounded nine years ago, Erin Garrison declares that Food is Free Albuquerque was born from abundance. Living as we do amid preoccupations of scarcity, in labor as in resources, we invite you to consider what else might likewise be made from the bounty that, seen and unseen, surrounds us.
In the Time of Bees
Mariko O. Thomas tunes into the bee clock with three northern New Mexico beekeepers, inspiring us to join her in wondering what humans might learn from bees, whose collaborative practice is their means of survival.
Bread Soup with Swiss Chard
Inspired by the sopas de pan from Chiapas, Mexico, this Bread Soup with Swiss Chard recipe, uses the abundance of swiss chard growing in our fall garden.
Reunity Resources Community Farm
Reunity Resources Community Farm, the 2023 Local Hero for Farm, Central New Mexico, promotes a close-loop system in which they strive to reunite the community with resources that would otherwise be wasted.
Atapiño and Apple Cake
This Atapiño and Apple Cake recipe is our twist on an apple brandy cake using Santa Fe Spirits Atapiño Liqueur.
Pinto Bean Soup
This edition of Last Bite, brought to you by Rio Grande Credit Union, offers a budget-friendly Pinto Bean Soup recipe.
Cafecito
Cafecito, the 2023 Local Hero for Café / Coffee Shop, serves Argentine and Armenian cuisine in a greenhouse-style dining room.
Fermented Green Chile
An alternative to roasting, this recipe for Fermented Green Chile provides an opportunity to dip your toe into fermenting peppers, which can be used for developing hot sauces and other condiments.
“Let’s Start a Co-op”
Reporting on food co-ops in the state, farmer and co-op veteran Shahid Mustafa reflects on the “funk” of the cooperative, writing of the way co-ops can empower and energize community.
Growing Grains in the High Desert
In “Growing Grains in the High Desert,” Jessica and André Kempton introduce us to Daniel Hutchison of Big Wheel Farm, who’s raising and milling wheat for bakers in northern New Mexico.
Sweet Potato “Noodles” with Chile Butter Sauce
In this quick and easy Sweet Potato “Noodles” with Chile Butter Sauce recipe, garlicky strands of sweet potato replace traditional pasta for a nutrient-packed main course or side.
Cooking Together
In “Cooking Together,” Cassidy A. Tawse-Garcia shares stories of entrepreneurs who have made their way thanks to shared kitchen spaces.
Miso-Roasted Butternut Squash and Harvest Salad
Our recipe for Miso-Roasted Butternut Squash and Harvest Salad features two of our favorite autumn ingredients, squash and apples, and checks all the boxes for seasonality and layers of texture and flavor.
The Kitchen Confidential
Candolin Cook dines at The Kitchen at Plants of the Southwest, a hidden gem tucked away at the end of a dirt path teeming with native plants.
Caramelized Garlic and Onion Bisque
In our Caramelized Garlic and Onion Bisque recipe, we cook the onions and garlic slowly over low heat to allow them to caramelize and develop a lovely nutty flavor.
