Spring is springing … Are we ready?
Welcome to our first issue of 2023.
In our story by Denise Cathey, I loved learning about our local crop of edible flowers. I will definitely serve the cupcakes for dessert at my next dinner party, and I look forward to visiting the local flower markets to source a variety of these vibrant edibles. Spanish dagger sounds delicious and one I really need to get my hands on and try.
Subscriptions are all the rage. Would you sign up for one that would guarantee you farm fresh produce, knowing that it supports local farmers and grows your local food economy? It’s a no-brainer, right? Well, while this sector is in its infancy in the Rio Grande Valley, as our article by Chris Ardis notes, you may find a producer no matter where you live in the Valley. I find it curious that community-supported agriculture (CSA) does not resonate more with RGV consumers. Two CSA vendors. Sentli and Brownsville Wellness Coalition, have rebranded their CSA as a farm togo box and bag bundle and are having more luck selling their local produce. Read Chris’ story and learn more about CSA.
If you prefer to grow your own veggies, composting will be important to your success. While you can buy compost from some local vendors, you may also repurpose your waste into compost. Katie Lavallee gives us the lowdown on how to do this at home. It’s actually pretty easy. Beekeeper Glen Simpson provides an insider tip: If you are looking to plant a new fruit tree, place compost in the hole for the tree before you plant it. Just follow the instructions in the story.
Letty and I are honored to be working with Dr. Alexis Racelis of UTRGV by serving on its Food Services Advisory Committee. It has been amazing meeting the individuals who are trying to make the food economy more sustainable in the RGV. As part of their mission, they will host the first food summit in April. I am very excited to be moderating a panel with local chefs on our local food culture. I hope you can attend.
Our two recipes in this issue are easy to make. The mussels are always a crowd pleaser. While they look intimidating to prepare, they are not. An insider tip when eating mussels is to use an empty shell as tweezers to grasp and eat the rest. The minestrone soup, hearty, healthy and so flavorful, is a staple in our fridge now. If you make these dishes, share with us how they came out on our Instagram @edibleriograndevalley.
While reading Steve Clark’s story on the restaurant scene post pandemic, I could not help but have flashbacks to my days in the industry and be grateful that I am now only a guest. The restaurant industry is unrelenting, and now more than ever, any margin that existed pre-COVID is being eaten up by a new problem: rising costs. As we know, everything is getting more expensive.
The only way for our favorite restaurants and bars to stay in business is for us to realize they too are affectd, and support them in the ways we can. Keep in mind how much we all love dining out, for the nourishment, social aspects and convenience. You don’t need to grocery shop, clean the ingredients, prepare the food, make sure it tastes good and wash the dishes. All you have to do is show up and eat! You can’t put a price on dining out, a good friend of mine says.
We are excited to share that Edible Rio Grande Valley won two gold awards, for Best Cover and Best of Print, from the American Advertising Federation’s Rio Grande Valley chapter. You may remember that the cover of our inaugural issue featured chile pequins. It was the work of photographer, Yvette Vela. We believe the image truly represented the food culture of the valley we call home. On behalf of the Edible team, it is an honor to receive such recognition from our peers. As always, please share the magazine with friends and family and go out and support the businesses that are making it possible to bring it to. We couldn’t do it without our advertisers, so thank you to those who see the value in what we are doing!
I wish everyone a happy spring.
Jacqueline Folacci
Publisher
