Why do people do the work they do? A report on job growth or inflation implies that it’s all a numbers game. And any business owner knows this is partially true—the printers and the landlords, the lenders and the vendors must be paid. The staff and writers too. A livelihood is, by definition, a means of subsistence, the way a living is earned. But the word circles back through the Middle English liflihed, meaning energy and vigor, to the Old English līf. Life!
“They’re a joy,” farmer Tom Delehanty told Deborah Madison nearly eighteen years ago for a story printed in the very first issue of this magazine, then called edible Santa Fe. He was speaking of his new chickens, a breed closely related to those featured—along with a new generation of New Mexico chicken farmers—in this, our eighty-ninth issue.
For these winter months, when the drinks are warm and the ground is cold, when restaurant business is notoriously slow and many growers lean into their off-farm jobs, we offer stories that twine living with living, earning with breath. One feature explores the complications of the state’s new liquor laws, another begins to untangle the matter of water rights. Writing of this resource more vital even than rent, Shahid Mustafa points to the need for collective accountability in the management of what we cannot live without. At Nizhoni Farms with Ungelbah Dávila, we learn that the farm’s reason for being is our own health. This idea of reciprocity, tying human health to land health, business to community, gift to responsibility, recurs again and again in the conversations we share in these pages.
For every dollar spent at a small business, it’s been found, sixty-seven cents stays local, engendering another fifty cents in local spending. There is no available data about the corresponding joy that results from buying local chicken or pie, but in reflecting on a long career as chef and restaurateur, Joseph Wrede says there’s a reward: the people.
From the care of these writers to the care of farmers and producers in sharing their work and their words, we hope to kindle a parallel return, a chain of joy whose energy and drive are grounded in the intersection not only of our livelihoods but our lives.
Why do people do the work they do? A report on job growth or inflation implies that it’s all a numbers game. And any business owner knows this is partially true—the printers and the landlords, the lenders and the vendors must be paid. The staff and writers too. A livelihood is, by definition, a means of subsistence, the way a living is earned. But the word circles back through the Middle English liflihed, meaning energy and vigor, to the Old English līf. Life!
“They’re a joy,” farmer Tom Delehanty told Deborah Madison nearly eighteen years ago for a story printed in the very first issue of this magazine, then called edible Santa Fe. He was speaking of his new chickens, a breed closely related to those featured—along with a new generation of New Mexico chicken farmers—in this, our eighty-ninth issue.
For these winter months, when the drinks are warm and the ground is cold, when restaurant business is notoriously slow and many growers lean into their off-farm jobs, we offer stories that twine living with living, earning with breath. One feature explores the complications of the state’s new liquor laws, another begins to untangle the matter of water rights. Writing of this resource more vital even than rent, Shahid Mustafa points to the need for collective accountability in the management of what we cannot live without. At Nizhoni Farms with Ungelbah Dávila, we learn that the farm’s reason for being is our own health. This idea of reciprocity, tying human health to land health, business to community, gift to responsibility, recurs again and again in the conversations we share in these pages.
For every dollar spent at a small business, it’s been found, sixty-seven cents stays local, engendering another fifty cents in local spending. There is no available data about the corresponding joy that results from buying local chicken or pie, but in reflecting on a long career as chef and restaurateur, Joseph Wrede says there’s a reward: the people.
From the care of these writers to the care of farmers and producers in sharing their work and their words, we hope to kindle a parallel return, a chain of joy whose energy and drive are grounded in the intersection not only of our livelihoods but our lives.
Where The Water Lands
Southern New Mexico farmer Shahid Mustafa begins to untangle the matter of water rights in a desert climate.
CHICKEN’S CHICKEN, OR IS IT?
Briana Olson sets out to answer the question “Where is all the New Mexico–raised chicken?”
Caramelized French Onion Dip
This Caramelized French Onion Dip features slow-cooked caramelized onions and greek yogurt.
Las Golondrinas Pie Company Takes Flight
Las Golondrinas Pie Company offers up sweet and savory pies and empanadas whose flavors change with the seasons.
Milk Punch
Our version of Milk Punch is both sinfully creamy and refreshing, with a fullness of flavor from the bourbon and brandy.
Cheers?
Candolin Cook explores the complications of the state’s new liquor laws.
Margarita Cookies
Spiked frosting makes these Margarita Cookies perfect for game night.
Farming, Nizhoni Style
At Nizhoni Farms with Ungelbah Dávila, we learn that the farm’s reason for being is our own health.
An Extraordinary Chef’s Life
In reflecting on a long career as chef and restaurateur, Joseph Wrede says there’s a reward: the people.
Za’atar Meatballs with Green Sesame Sauce
These flavor-packed Za’atar Meatballs with Green Sesame Sauce are great for entertaining because they can be made ahead of time.
Queso Fundido
This edition of Last Bite, brought to you by Rio Grande Credit Union, features the party favorite Queso Fundido.
Zendo Coffee
Zendo Coffee embodies owner Pilar Westell’s concept of the third space—one that is different from home or work—where community members can gather and get to know each other.
