BY DENISE MILLER / FOR THE JOURNAL Wednesday, October 9th, 2019 If there are any vegetables that announce October, winter squash and pumpkins are at the top of the list. Acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash are great fall staples, and at growers’ markets, you can also find less common varieties,…

BY DENISE MILLER / FOR THE JOURNAL Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 at 12:02am   In case you’ve blinked, it’s August. And that means there are at least five things related to local food you might want to know about: 1) National Farmers’ Market Week is happening this week; 2) It’s…

BY DENISE MILLER / FOR THE JOURNAL Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019 The Fourth of July signals that summer has officially arrived. You can also tell by the exponentially expanding variety and volume of locally grown produce that is now appearing each week at your local growers’ market. What should you…

Denise Miller for the Albuquerque Journal Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Local Food Spotlight When it comes to buying food, summer screams for regular visits to your local growers’ market. May and June have been cooler, wetter and windier than usual in New Mexico, and that means that some cool weather…

BY DENISE MILLER / FOR THE JOURNAL Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 The air at your local growers’ market this time of year is filled with the promise of the growing season ahead, and if you get up close enough, the fresh scent of herbs like mint, thyme, oregano, chervil and more….

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, October 10, 2018   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Halloween doesn’t uncloak itself until the end of the month, but the whole of October feels full of the holiday spirit. Whether it’s childhood memories or the hyper-marketing that fills grocery aisles with excess candy…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 Kids are back in school and Labor Day is in the rear view mirror. The calendar tells us summer will be over in a couple of weeks, but as long as fresh fruit is still available at our local…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, August 1, 2018   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — My color crush for August is purple. This is the royal color of eggplant and kohlrabi, and also purple cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, onions, potatoes, beans, blackberries, grapes and plums. Right now New Mexico farmers…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, July 3, 2018   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — What ode to summer vegetables on the grill hasn’t yet been written? Independence Day is the high holy day of grilling, but as we move into high summer for New Mexico-grown fruits and vegetables, there are…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, June 6, 2018   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — What motivates our decisions about the foods we eat? Flavor, cost, availability, health and habit are just a few factors that affect our daily choices. Eating fresh, seasonal foods can help guide our selections, and…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, September 27, 2017   ALBUQUERQUE, NM — As late summer gracefully sways into early autumn, harvest time continues in New Mexico. This means local farmers are still busting their fannies to bring us the best-tasting fruits and vegetables. Most neighborhood growers’ markets…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bonfires and peaches are not two words you usually associate with each other, but that is exactly what Danny Romero, an orchardist in El Duende, was thinking about as he lit 300 bonfires in his orchard…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, July 12th, 2017   You know you can buy skinny green zucchini and yellow squash almost all year long at the grocery store, so what’s special about getting local, New Mexico-grown squash onto your plate this summer? Here are the top five…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, June 7th, 2017 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If you find yourself craving more salads and even cooked greens as the weather heats up, don’t sweat it. On second thought, that’s exactly the point. As the temperature warms up, and we sweat to stay…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, September 28, 2016   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — “What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.” – A.A. Milne That is a sentiment with which Kristen Davenport of Boxcar Farms…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The best cucumbers you have ever tried, butter lettuce as sweet as its name, heirloom tomatoes that taste purple and basil so bright that one leaf carries the essence. At Silver Leaf Farms in Corrales,…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2016   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about eating food that has just come out of the ground is that everything tastes spectacular. Enter Seth Matlick’s radishes. Who knew that the unassuming radish could be the…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s hard to say where Marjory Sweet looks happier. Is it in the field when she bends down to uncover a row of budding spigarello or in her kitchen where she casually tends the sauté pan?…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, October 21, 2015 We’re all still learning how to make locally grown and raised foods a significant part of our diet, but Executive Chef Chris Pope at Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro has some pretty clear ideas of how to make…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 So you want to cook like a restaurant chef, but not quite sure how to go about it? Enter Catherine O’Brien, executive chef and co-owner of TerraCotta Wine Bistro near the Georgia O’Keeffe museum in Santa Fe. If…

By Denise Miller / For the Journal Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 What takes top billing at a gastropub, the drinks or the food? At Soul and Vine Restaurant in Albuquerque, a creative chef and the use of local farm fresh ingredients help give the upper hand to food. “The…

DENISE MILLER/FOR THE JOURNAL The farm-to-table buzzword is well-established now at restaurants across the country, and many chefs are finding ways to thoroughly integrate the locavore ethic into their kitchens. Yet it’s not every day we hear about locally sourced food in tandem with Asian cuisine. But at Mu Du…

DENISE MILLER/FOR THE JOURNAL In mid-September, chef Sean Sinclair of Farm & Table wasn’t quite sure what the final recipe for his upcoming Spaghetti Squash Tamales would be. Hard squash were not off the vine yet, and the late summer harvest was still keeping him busy. But by mid-October, things…

Santa Fe chef uses local growing schedule to decide his restaurant menu DENISE MILLER/FOR THE JOURNAL ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — His pressed white chef’s coat is easy to spot in the glimmering morning light at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market.utive chef Andrew Cooper of Terra calmly make his way around the…

September is magical in New Mexico. The light has softened, the air has cooled and an abundance of fresh produce spills from tables at our local growers’ markets, including mouth-watering heirloom tomatoes with idiosyncratic shapes and quirky names like the mortgage lifter, the Paul Robeson and the radiator. And for…

Izanami chef’s recipes call for the best, freshest ingredients, and simple preparation. DENISE MILLER/FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL Chef Kim Müller, shown here preparing nasu dengaku with den miso sauce, says none of the food at izanami is hard to prepare. It’s as simple as “buy the best quality ingredients you…

The signs are clear: Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins and squash are on our tables. Hanging ristras, garlic braids and dried gourds are in our homes. The sun is lower in the sky and the smell of piñon is in the air. Late fall in New Mexico is here. For our…