As I sit to write this, I can’t believe the welcome and excitement we have experienced after our inaugural issue. It has been amazing to hear the stories of how people are so excited to have a magazine dedicated to local food stories. My favorites are the accounts of people, after reading the latest issue, going to explore a new local business that they never knew about. It has been an honor and a privilege to bring this magazine to the Rio Grande Valley.
I have enjoyed spreading the Edible Rio Grande Valley message throughout the RGV and loved meeting all of the people along the way. These are the ranchers, farmers, beekeepers, restaurateurs, potters, chefs, gardeners, fishermen, coffee roasters and of course, the eaters and home cooks who are excited to try our recipes and dine at the restaurants that source locally.
The benefit of buying local permeates all aspects of our community. Buying local helps keep the money we are spending here in the RGV, so our dollar has a bigger economic impact. It helps support the family that owns the local grocery store or the local coffee shop, where hospitality and service tend to be topnotch. Local businesses put three to four more dollars back into the community. So let’s shop local and keep the money in the RGV.
In this issue we not only give you examples of how to shop local, but we also tell you how to start taking baby steps toward going green. If we all choose and act to become more sustainable, we help the planet and each other.
Another way to help the environment and community is by participating in a community garden or planting one in our backyard. In our Dig In story we discuss how civic agriculture has a lasting economic impact on our community.
RGV summers are not complete without a raspa. Living in New York City for 12 years, I missed my local MR. G’s in Brownsville terribly. Mango natural with chamoy is my go-to flavor. What’s yours? I loved learning about chamoy and how it is made, described in the debut of our Origins section. I’ll be honest, I thought chamoy was a fruit that chile was added to not the name of the sauce.
In our Nature story we talk about how the summer harvest for local honey is special. The terroir in the RGV lends to the flavor profile changing throughout the seasons. When I first moved back here, my allergies were the worst, and I attribute eating local honey to helping my immune system acclimate.
We hope that you will have a fun summer party grilling up our recipes and having a little white sangria. This recipe is so refreshing and cost effective and will be a favorite for you moving forward. Also, it was such an adventure exploring and finding the different companies that produce chamoy and micheladas mixes. There are so many, it can be its own story.
I know I don’t have to say it, but summers are HOT in the RGV. This is why our What’s In Season page is sparse. There are few crops that can handle the heat. I hope that you will stave off the heat by making it out to the beach to cool off, and remember, always stay hydrated.
Thank you to our generous collaborators, partners, neighbors and friends for your help, ideas, support and encouragement!
Please drop me an email and share how you found edible and what you think, at jacqueline@ediblergv.com.
Jacqueline Folacci
Publisher
