Member of E dible Communities No. 3 Fall 2022 EAT. DRINK. THINK. LOCAL. Pricelessedible VALLEYGRANDERIO 3No.FALL2022
2 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY 210 N. MAIN McALLEN,STREETTX 956.627.6304 www.saltnewamericantable.com 1117 W. US HWY BUSINESS 83 McALLEN, www.housewineandbistro.com956.994.8331TX 1409 N. MAIN McALLEN,STREETTX MODERNwww.salomeonmain.com956.267.1150INTERIORMEXICAN Continue doing the things you love with the ones who matter the most. Protect yourself and your loved ones with the COVID-19 vaccine. Visit @TakeCareRGV for more information on COVID-19.
FALL ISSUE 4 PUBLISHER’S NOTE 6 WHAT’S IN SEASON September-November 8 SHROOM BOOM 12 COMMUNITY Turning Beans Into Business 17 NOTABLE EDIBLES 19 ORIGINS Nuns, Vines and Wines 22 IN THE KITCHEN with Diego Ramos 24 GOING GREEN Reduce Reuse and then Recycle 30 EDIBLE FOR KIDS™ Created in Partnership with Barefoot Books Inc. 34 MARKET GUIDE Market to Market 36 HARVEST Success is Sweet 41 NATURE Herbalicious Gardening 48 SIGNATURE SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY EDIBLE COMMUNITIES CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FOOD TANK Is Plastic Waste the Cost of Eating? 56 LAST SIP Return to Avalon 11RECIPESMushroom Pozole 31 Weckmänner (Bread People) 43 Basil Pound Cake 45 Coffee Rubbed Venison Loin Poached Pears, Parsnip Purée and a Coffee Reduction 46 Herb Roasted Acorn Squash 47 Fall Fudge 56 Return to Avalon ON THE COVER: Black Pearl Mushrooms from One Up Mushroom. Photo by Melissa Guerra edibleriograndevalley.com
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Fall has always been my favorite time of year — the fashion, food, flavors and foliage. Moving back to the RGV, marking fall is different than in the northeast. While our leaves may not change to the same degree, the first cold front brings much-needed relief from the blistering summer heat and you can break out your sweaters and jeans again. Fall baking spice flavors are the same no matter the weather, warming you up from the inside out. Getting together with friends and family around a fire is also a nice fall treat.
Daniela Loera
SPANISH EDITION G. Zulema Phillips
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has the first Signature Section from Edible Communities, created in partnership with Food Tank. It highlights how plastic waste is inevitable in the food industry and how COVID mag nified this issue with single-use items skyrocketing. We take this topic one step further and discuss the importance of recycling in our Going Green section. Both the Reduce Reuse and Recycle story and Is Plastic Waste the Cost of Eating story show us the importance of recycling, and we have provided you with the options of drop-off locations as well as curbside pickup. We hope you do your part and recycle. Edible for Kids shows how different cultures celebrate the harvest. There are cute recipes and activities to do as a family.
Jacqueline Folacci
No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us at hola@ediblergv.com. Thank you.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
What’s In Season highlights the many options of what to plant and eat, and our Market Guide contains some new CSAs if you prefer to buy your local produce delivered or pick it up. In our Har vest section, we talk about the teamwork behind sugarcane. Success is Sweet shows the power of the community around the oldest and largest sugar mill in the state. Purchase Domino sugar? That’s all the
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I look forward to hearing how you celebrate with friends and family this fall. I want to thank our contributors, photographers, the individuals who let us tell their stories, and lastly, our advertisers who without you the RGV would not have this magazine brought to you every quarter. Please show your support for these local businesses, which in turn shows them the value of the Edible reader.
With the local coffee culture flourishing, Turning Beans Into Business discusses three local coffee shops and how they chose to bring quality coffee to their communities. If you are a coffee lover and want to support locally, make sure to check out our QR code that lists all the local coffee shops in the valley and visit @rgvcoffeecollective on Instagram to hit up the next Thursday Night Throwdown. The recipes we provide this season call for coffee, too. Use your local roast for the Cof fee Rubbed Venison Loin, Poached Pears, Parsnip Purée and a Coffee Reduction. I came up with a squash recipe that completes this fall feast.
Noelle Bresson
edible Rio Grande Valley is pub lished quarterly by GC Publishing LLC. Subscription rate is $28 annually.
I am a total history buff and love to know how things came to be. Our Origin section satisfies this craving. This season we showcase the convent grape. In Nuns, Vines and Wines we discover how a grape from France survived our soils and now helps two local wineries produce great Texas vino.
Jacqueline Folacci Publisher
PUBLISHER
Another fall treat is our third issue. You can cozy up on the couch and make our fall cocktail, Return to Avalon, which tastes as cozy as your favorite blanket while still refreshing in the Texas heat. In my opinion, Fall flavors are never complete without herbs and mushrooms. We found some local entrepreneurs who are bringing mushrooms to the valley year-round. In Shroom Boom, we talk about the importance of fungi and where you can buy local mushrooms. Debbie Cox, a local legend and lover of nature, offers some tips on how to foster a local herb garden in the valley, which can grow in the ground, in pots or in plant beds — Mom, this one’s for you!
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We decided to change up our In the Kitchen section, so you are able to meet some of the chefs who are sourcing locally and bringing you amazing food. We speak to Diego Ramos and learn what he cannot live without in his kitchen.
ChristopherDeniseBressonCatheyDebbieCoxGaliciaKatieLavalleeRaquelRiveraJavierSalinasEugenioUribe
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4 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
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What’s In Season September – November Plant All Season Zucchini Turnips SwissSquashRadishesParsley MustardMelonsLettuce Kohlrabi Kale GreenFennel Cilantro Cauliflower Carrots Broccoli BokBeanschoy onions greens chard Only September Bell Brussels sproutspeppers Only October Cabbage September and October Chili Cucumbers peppers October and November Field ZucchiniTomatoes SweetSquashSpinach Radishes Oranges Mustardpeas greens peppers Harvest September and October HoneydewCantaloupes melons November Beets October and November ChiliCarrots BokBellBeans peppers choy peppers ZucchiniTomatoes SweetSquashRadishes Oranges MustardLettuce KaleCucumbers Cilantro greens peppers 6 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
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8 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Shroom Boom Shroom Boom
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELISSA
Mushroom growers in the Rio Grande Valley GUERRA
Here in the Rio Grande Valley, two mushroom companies — South Texas Mushrooms and One Up Mushroom Products — with self-taught owner-growers, are bringing exotic fungi, such as blue, pink and golden oysters, chestnuts, king oysters, lion’s manes and enokis to local farmers’ markets and restaurants for both gourmet and wellness applications.
M
Most commercial mushroom growers prefer to start their mush rooms by inoculating an enriched mushroom soil (known as substrate) with mycelium because this process is quicker and more reliable than waiting for the right spore to take root itself. Also, growers can selective ly harvest and regrow mushrooms that have desired characteristics, such as good flavor or shape.
edibleriograndevalley.com 9
ushrooms have long fascinated chefs, bota nists and storytellers. They’re known for their delicious flavor, peculiar shape, fleshy texture and sudden appearance in unexpected loca tions.
Mushrooms grow from spores that are released from the mushroom cap. When a spore lands on an ideal growing spot, the spore grows fun gal threads known as hyphae, a group of which is called mycelium. In the proper conditions, different mycelia join together and form a root ing network of thin filaments that eventually sprouts a mushroom.
“I was out working in a field one day. I was by myself, and I was working on a gas well and it started raining really hard. I turned around, and from nothing, all of a sudden there were mushrooms growing all around.”
Technically speaking, a mushroom is a fungus, not a bacterium, plant or animal, and many mushrooms are fungi. In the culinary world mushrooms are considered a vegetable.
— Ramiro Villarreal
After a few drinks and some deep, life changing conversations with local chefs, Ramiro Villarreal determined that the Rio Grande Valley had no available commercial mushroom sources. With more vegan and vegetarian clientele, area restaurants were looking for ingredients that would satisfy their hungry, health conscious patrons.
At the time, Villarreal was a new father. His job in the oilfield paid well but took him away from home far too often. It was time for a career
Villarrealchange.set up his first mushroom project in his wife’s office. He watched loads of YouTube videos and purchased several books online about mushroom growing. After a few failed attempts, he finally pro
Top Right: Alvaro Gurrola of South Texas Mushrooms. Other photos: Chestnut and Oyster Mushrooms from One Up Mushroom.
ONE UP MUSHROOM PRODUCTS IN MCALLEN
A chef friend with a food truck encouraged Gurrola to expand his growing efforts to include more gourmet mushrooms, and he did. He has successfully grown oyster, shiitake, chestnut, pioppino and enoki mushrooms. The scorching temperatures of the valley summers prohibit growing certain mushrooms year around.
“Even with air conditioning, you just can’t get the temperature in the growing room down that low. Plus, the electricity gets expensive.” So despite being grown indoors and in laboratory conditions, mush rooms are seasonal.
He talked to his long-time friends, Andres and Jose Aguirre, two brothers he had met when they were teenagers attending Sharyland High School. They agreed that the idea of growing mushrooms for restaurants sounded intriguing. Soon the three were signing paperwork and setting up shop at their local farmers’ market.
10 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Along with his cousin Leonel Martinez and friend Beto Gonzalez, Gurrola is looking to grow South Texas Mushrooms — expand infra
“I’ve noticed that it’s very challenging for the students to sit down and listen to a typical lecture. They do better with hands-on learning.”
Editors Note: While getting ready to go to press we discovered a New Cameron County Mushroom Grower. Check out Grande Farms Mushrooms @grande_farms.
Melissa Guerra is an eighth generation, born and raised South Texan. She is a self-taught culinary expert and food historian. Follow her @thekitchenwrangler on Instagram.
The trio of One Up Mushroom Andres Aguirre, Jose Aguirre and Ramiro Villarreal
duced his first cluster of yellow oyster mushrooms. Villareal called his chef friend to announce his mushroom success, and the chef offered to buy them immediately.
The “Shroom Boom” in the Rio Grande Valley has brought with it a new generation of mushroom enthusiasts. Locally grown and harvest ed, mushrooms provide a delicious ingredient with beneficial wellness properties.
structure, increase production and perhaps develop new lines of business. One new area could involve the use of mushrooms in making the planet greener, which Gurrola, who has a degree in engineering, is pondering.
“Right now, mycelium is being utilized for packaging instead of Styrofoam or plastics. You simply inoculate a packaging mold with my celium, and the packaging grows around it. In fact, Ikea has replaced Styrofoam with mushroom-based bioplastic.”
Once other local chefs found out about the new local supplier of mushrooms, Villarreal’s business took off. He moved out of his wife’s office, pushed his motorcycles out of the garage and set up a laboratory and growing space there. But after a few years, the intricate process of mushroom pro duction, invoicing, marketing and social media were bog ging Villareal down.
Follow @southtexasmushrooms and @oneupmushroomproducts on Instagram.
The growth in One Up Mushroom Products coincided with what Villarreal calls the “Shroom Boom.” Gourmet consumers, chefs and restaurant goers wanted mushrooms. Additionally, people were starting to understand the health benefits of mushrooms. The Aguirres and Villareal devel oped a mushroom extract, which is tremendously popular among their regular farmers’ market customers.
Highly influenced by the YouTube videos of mycologist Paul Stamets, Gurrola began to experiment with growing reishi mushrooms as an alter native wellness supplement for his father. Next, he began to grow lion’s mane mushrooms. which are used for health and culinary purposes.
Whatever his new, future mushroom growing projects are, Gurrola hopes to have his students at Buell Central High School in Pharr partic ipate (Gurrola is a teacher there).
—Alvaro Gurrola
“Each mushroom does its own thing.”
SOUTH TEXAS MUSHROOMS IN LAS MILPAS Alvaro Gurrola started his mushroom journey on a quest for better health for his father. Struggling with an autoimmune disorder, the doctors told his father that if his disease didn’t kill him then he would die from the side effects of chemotherapy and the steroids he had been prescribed. Given these choices, Gurrola set out to find an alternative healing method for his father.
Once the pozole is cooked, remove from the heat. Remove the bundle of thyme. Add the drained hominy and stir to combine well.
1 quart (1 l) water or vegetable stock
Brush away any loose dirt on the mushrooms. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Using scissors, cut off the top stem of the chile guajillos. Open the chiles and scrape out and discard the seeds.
Pour the chile purée over the mushrooms and on ions. Stir to combine well. Add the bundle of thyme. Cover the Dutch oven and return to the heat. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes over a medium low heat.
2–3 sprigs fresh oregano, stems removed (for garnish)
2–3 sprigs fresh thyme, bundled and tied with cotton twine
1 Yellow onion, chopped
Serve the pozole hot and pass the garnishes of oregano and radishes. Best flavor is achieved when made 1 day in advance of serving.
2–3 radishes, chopped (for garnish)
1–2 cloves garlic, peeled
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy 5 quart Dutch oven with a lid. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the mushroom pieces and sauté briefly, about 2 minutes. Do not allow the mushrooms to overcook or shrink too much. Remove from the heat.
1 30 ounce (850-g) can white hominy, drained**
* You may prefer to wear gloves when handling chiles to avoid skin irritation.
3–4 tablespoons (45–60 ml) olive oil
** The weight of the hominy when drained is about 18 ounces or 500 grams.
Heat the broiler in your oven.
Place the chile guajillos and garlic cloves in a metal baking pan and toast under the broiler in your oven for 60 to 90 seconds. Place the chiles and garlic in the container of a blender along with the water or vegetable stock. Purée well until smooth.
2 ounces (57 g) dried chile guajillos*
Serves 8 | Recipe and photo by melissa guerra
3 pounds (1.5 kg) fresh mushrooms
Mushroom Pozole
12 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Semilla Coffee Lab roaster and co-owner Cynthia Hermosillo stands in the shop’s roasting building outside their McAllen-based coffee shop
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENISE CATHEY
Husband and wife team Daniel and Cynthia Hermosillo opened Semilla Coffee Lab in 2017 at its current space on North 10th Street in McAllen.
Decorated in a Wes Anderson style, a favorite di rector of Daniel and a fellow Texan, this coffee spot offers a singular take on coffee that you won’t find anywhere
Whileale. the owners offer a variety of experimental flavors, their espres so and the beans that make it are part of their larger mission with coffee.
SEMILLA COFFEE LAB
T
COMMUNITY
Choiceselse.range
TURNING BEANS INTO BUSINESS
Armed with highly trained and capable baristas, these three temples of espresso represent just a few of the many excellent places to explore for that perfect cup.
So it should come as no surprise that these days the Rio Grande Valley is absolutely hitting it out of the park when it comes to coffee. Where once Starbucks served as the most popular coffee chain, bringing espresso and frappes to the people, in recent years a slew of local-owned coffee spots has popped up in cities across the Valley to provide new and varied takes on this age-old beverage.
“For us, what we envisioned and wanted was to focus on specialty coffee. We are very focused on educating people about the relationship between coffee and farmers because we have a direct relationship with our farmers and our roasting process,” Daniel said.
from the floral Last Word Latte — which features rose petals, dates, sage and nut meg, to the Tragos, the shop’s tea and coffee-based “cocktails” like the Tamarind, which mixes espresso with the refreshing taste of tamarind and juniper berries over ginger
Local coffee spots serve up perfect cups of ahhhs
here is something special about a truly excellent cup of coffee. Whether you’re of the flavored-syrup latte crowd, an espresso purist or just have strong feelings about your pour-overs, there’s nothing better than finding the place that gets your preference just right.
edibleriograndevalley.com 13
Counterclockwise: Latte art at Bandera Coffee. Bandera Coffee Co. co-owner Ashley Garcia stands outside her shop in Harlingen. Barista Daniela Bochas and owner Kenneth Atkinson man the counter at Sovereign Coffee’s flagship location in Brownsville. A shot of espresso is pulled at Sovereign Coffee.
Cynthia is the roaster for Semilla and uses its on-site coffee bean roaster to turn the green beans the couple travel to obtain and source, directly from farmers in coffee-producing coun tries, into the final product for the Hermosillos’ shop and wholesale business.
The shop also features a rotating seasonal menu of drinks with unique flavors outside of what it offers
According to Daniel, specialty coffee is cof fee that scores above 80 points for quality and taste. This coffee is also known as single-origin coffee due to not being blended with beans from other producing countries.
Walking around downtown Harlingen, it is in evitable that eventually, you’ll find yourself at Bandera Coffee Co. on West Van Buren Avenue.
The menu features classics like the cappuc cino and cortado while highlighting third-wave coffee techniques like pour-overs and cold brews.
Opened in 2018 by husband and wife coffee aficionados Thomas and Ashley Garcia, Bandera is a multi-roaster café featuring beans from several roasters, such as Superthing Coffee Roasters out of Austin and Edison Coffee Co. in Flower Mound.
“I want people to learn here what coffee re ally is. We associate coffee with the harsh black,
14 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Scan for a list of RGV local coffee shops
His favorite drinks to make are cappuccinos and flat whites because they let the flavor of the coffee and the work that Semilla Coffee Lab is doing shine through.
BANDERA COFFEE CO.
Often behind the counter, manager and barista Samuel Oakley, known as Oakley, has worked at Semilla for nearly three years. He said his work involves constant learning, like about the various coffee farms and what creates certain flavors in their beans.
burnt liquid we drink in the morning to wake up a lot of the time, and coffee is at its essence a lot more than that,” he said.
While this coffee hotspot features a relaxing atmosphere, its coffee is serious business.
Theroutinely.ideaisto keep it simple and let the coffee speak for itself.
With its flagship location having opened in 2020 on East Alton Gloor and this year’s addition of a drive-thru on Price Road, Sover eign Coffee is an up-and-comer on Brownsville’s coffee scene.
“We put a lot of care and attention into details, even if you do not notice it. If you order something with a lot of ingredients, you might not taste all the nuance of the coffee, but regardless of that, we are going to make sure that it is a perfect espresso shot and a perfect drink,” she said.
“We do like to see the coffee be the highlight of the drink and that whatever other flavors or ingredients added are only raising the flavor of the coffee,” Ashley said.
“We want our coffee to be delicious on its own without having to add anything,” Atkinson said.
coffee guru Gregory Alford, the head trainer at Houndstooth Cof fee, in 2014, Atkinson was inspired. He packed up and lived in Aus tin for four years to train with him before coming back to the Valley in 2020 to open his own coffee shop.
edibleriograndevalley.com 15
Sovereign is the brainchild of Kenneth Atkinson, who previously owned Beethoven’s Café in Los Fresnos. After meeting Austin-based
When you stop in, the familiar face you’re sure to see is that of barista Jen Valdez, who’s been working behind the counter since November of 2021.
Bochas is the mastermind behind one of Sovereign’s unique beverages, Bochas’ Mimosa. The drink combines orange juice, es presso and seltzer water for a refreshing yet caffeinated take on a mimosa.One of the shop’s first staff members, Bochas likes that coffee is more than just a beverage; it’s a field of study.
Denise Cathey is a reporter and photojournalist living in Browns ville, Texas. A native Texan, she has an ingrained love of whiskey, BBQ and the truly odd. She’s currently on a quest for the perfect cup of coffee. Follow her on Instagram @denisecatheyphoto.
Daniela Bochas is one of Sovereign’s baristas. The 24 year old from Edinburg started training there in May of 2021 and is a graduate of Atkinson’s intensive two-month training required for all staff.
However, Valdez believes the most fundamental feature Ban dera’s baristas offer customers is the concerted effort they make in preparing every drink.
SOVEREIGN COFFEE
Valdez has been in the coffee industry on and off since 2008 and sought a job at Bandera to help further her plans for making coffee a Whilecareer.the staff members are constantly brainstorming new drinks using all kinds of ingredients for their seasonal menu, Val dez admits that her favorite drink to make is cappuccinos as it gives her a chance to showcase her latte art skills for customers.
“I enjoy most how much it can give you in terms of knowl edge,” she said. “From the history to the flavors, there is just so muchUsingthere.”coffee beans from Dallas-based Tweed Coffee Roasters, Atkinson and his talented staff apply a scientific approach when creating coffee. From its ever-popular agave latte to the surprising flavors of its seasonal offerings, Sovereign Coffee is committed to providing coffee that satisfies.
Visit us and enjoy live music every weekend, Brunch on Sundays, Happy Hour MondayThursday, as well as lunch and dinner daily.
NOW OPEN IN HARLINGEN
16 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
At Dos Olivos Market, we invite everyone to experience what a true marketplace can be. A meeting place for all to try unique food, local wine and beer, come together for events, and shop artisan gifts.
Sunday - Thursday 11:30am - 9pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30am - 11pm
Market | Eatery | Butchery
6710 W Expy 83 Suite A-107, Harlingen, TX dosolivosmarket_harlingenwww.losolivosmarkets.com
Dr. Lisa Pena of Rio Hondo was a runner-up on the first-ever Silos Baking Competition on the Magnolia Network. For the competition, she baked her Ruby Red Cream Pie, a nod to the fa mous Ruby Red grapefruits of the Rio Grande Valley. Read more about Pena and what inspired her love of baking, in our summer newsletter at edibleriograndevalley.com. Follow Pena on Instagram @mslisapena.
The bilingual children’s book series Palomita’s Cravings,” or Los Antojitos de Palomita in Spanish, follows the title character and her abuelita — her maternal grandmother whom she calls Ata — as they cook traditional Mexican recipes with a pinch of seasoning and love.
2935 Central Blvd
1375 Palm Blvd.
Lou Castro, owner of TXQ Rubs, was one of the finalists in the third annual StartUp Tex as Pitch Summit hosted by the Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. (BCIC) in June. The summit was part of BCIC’s efforts to develop an ecosystem of entrepreneurship in Brownsville and across the valley. In our summer issue of edible Rio Grande Valley, we featured Castro’s hamburger recipe. Check it out at edibleriograndevalley.com.
Morning Glory 1049 E. Washington.
6710 W. Expresway 83, Ste. A-107
The series is brought to life thanks to the imagination of author and Browns ville native Vanesa Salinas-Diaz. Her second book, Palomita’s Cravings: Pan de Muerto, will be available for purchase in September and comes on the heels of the first publication, Palomita’s Cravings: Buñuelos. Both are available for purchase on Amazon. Visit Paloma Latina Books on Facebook and Instagram.
Brownsville Author Writes Bilingual Children’s Books
RGV Locals Making Waves with Food
Know someone who should be in Notable Edibles? Let us know. Send the information to hola@ediblergv.com.
Dodici Provisions
Dr. A lexis Racelis, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advance ment at UTRGV, has been awarded a $250,000 grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, TheMich.funds will support efforts to jump start conversations around the intersection of food and agriculture and poverty, racial eq uity, environmental health and well‐being, and culture of the Rio Grande Valley. Plan ning is underway to host a Speaker Series in the fall and a regional food summit in 2023. To get involved, reach out to Racelis at alexis.racelis@utrgv.edu.
Sony Rego received the Outstanding Restaura teur of the Year award from the Texas Restaurant Association’s Rio Grande Valley chapter. Known for her passion for the restaurant industry and her continued service to the community, Rego is the co-owner of Santa Fe Steakhouse & Cantina, Republic of the Rio Grande and University Draft House, all in McAllen. Read more about her award at txrestaurant.org.
Sweet Notes Baking Co.
NOTABLE EDIBLES
4400 N. 23rd, Ste. 104
Melissa Guerra, food historian and a contrib utor to edible Rio Grande Valley, competed on Chopped, on the Food Network in late May. One of four “chuckwagon” chefs from Texas who vied for a chance to take home a cash prize, Guerra un fortunately didn’t win but made the valley proud.
Valley Restaurants to be Featured on Tacos of Texas
DosHarlingenOlivos Market
1101 E. Washington St.
BoqueriaBrownsvilleTapas and Wine
ValleyAcrossOpeningsNotablethe
Re becca’s Mexican Restaurant and Teddy’s Barbecue will be featured in the award-winning Tacos of Texas podcast. When taco journalist Mando Rayo and his camera crew visited both restaurants, smoked barbacoa and cabrito asado were on the menu. The episode will air this fall on KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station. Follow Rayo @unitedtacosofamerica on Instagram.
Jolene’sMcAllen
Nuns, Vines and Wines
onvent grapes, as locals often call them, are making a place among wine enthusiasts in the Rio Grande Valley. Originally from Lyon, France, these hardy grape vines made their way to Browns ville in 1853 by French Catholic nuns. Lyon is a short distance from the well-known and highly visited wine region, Beaujolais. The nuns arrived in South Texas to tend to the faithful and start much needed health care and educational systems which are still in place today. Aside from the impact of their great works in the community, arguably one of the nuns’ more significant contribu tions to the region may very well be the grapevines they brought with them 160 years ago.
Convent Grapes Make a Comeback
edibleriograndevalley.com 19 ORIGINS
STORY BY JAVIER SALINAS | PHOTOS BY DANIELA LOERA
One could say it’s a miracle these convent grapevines still exist since the vines almost met their demise in 1969 with the demolition of the Convent of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. Despite numerous calls from local preservationists to spare the New Orleans French-style structure, the convent was razed. Brownsville residents salvaged abandoned bricks, doors, cupolas and beams as keepsakes from the toppled building remnants.
C
SOLID GROUNDING FOUND IN NEW WINE
What miraculously survived, and you’ll thank those nuns after tasting your first sip of convent wine, were the vines in the convent’s courtyard. Call it divine intervention, but thankfully some residents had the vision to dig up the grapevines and transplant them in area gardens.
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Rubiano’s Sendero Escondido Rosé Gold is made from convent grapes. He currently has four barrels or 200 gallons of wine made with convent grapes ready to sell and enjoy.
A few of the vines ended up at an all-girls Catholic school, Villa Maria, in Brownsville which was founded by Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in 1926. Julie Schoenmakers-Trevino recalls her mother, Maria, bringing home a prayer bench and clippings of the convent grapevines that are still growing on the grounds of their family home.
“My mother and grandmother had convent grapes at their home, and they made wine from the grapes. My grandmother even taught my brother, Jim.”
Following in Julia’s footsteps, two local wineries have created new twists on the grape species by grafting the old convent grapevines and with the har vest, developing several full-bodied, rich wines ready for all to enjoy.
Rubiano’s quest led him to learn about Pierce’s disease that wiped out the vines in years past and find a rootstock that would thrive in the South Texas heat and soil.
Jim said his grandmother, Julia, would make and sew the nuns’ habits at the convent. “That is probably where she learned to make the wine.”
The moment you approach Bonita Flats Farm and Vineyard, you will be captivated by the rows of grapes growing on the vines. The recently poured concrete slab provides a glimpse of what will become the winery’s tasting room. Bonita Flats is
“I went over there and bought the whole lot, over 100 potted vines for under a dollar each,” said Rubiano. “I was fascinated, and I wanted to learn all I could about the history of these convent grapes.”
“I wanted to find the root of the problem, and it was precisely the vine’s roots where I found my answer. I learned about a vine that survived when others didn’t, and the con vent grape vines were among this mix of survivors.”
Ricardo Rubiano first heard of the convent grapes in 1995 from Morris Clint, a local botanist and horticulturist. He told Rubiano about a nursery that had amassed a collec tion of the convent grapevines but was shutting its doors and was interested in selling.
PRAISING THE CONVENT GRAPES
Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, the tree-lined streets will lead you to Rubiano Vineyard and Winery, a 30-acre farm boasting oak trees and rows of grapevines. Grapevines even flank the winery entrance all the way to the expansive red, metal barn tasting room.
The Delgados also did extensive research about the soil and growing condi tions in the area and turned to the experts to guide them in the process of making wine.“It is special to us that these are over 160 years old and they have been thriv ing in the valley this whole time. To our
“It is sweet and it’s more of an after dinner wine, and our customers love it,” said Melissa. “Our Immaculate Rosé is an homage to the history of these convent grapes.”Thirteen years ago, the Delgados were first introduced to the convent grapes at a grape festival at Rio Farms in Monte Alto, where their convent grapes are now planted and harvested.
“I went over there and bought the whole lot, over 100 potted vines for under a dollar each. I was fascinated, and I wanted to learn all I could about the history of these convent grapes.”
While here, you will want to ask for Immaculate Rosé. This is Bonita Flats’ rosé wine made from convent grapes.
Below: Color Illustration of the Convent of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament by Brownsville artist Don Breeden
“I was blown away. I didn’t know anything about the convent grapes,” said Art. “The whole story is really intriguing to me.”
With the growth of wineries in deep South Texas, the wine tasting experience is now available to many people who may or may not be familiar with wine. And it’s no longer just about wine; it’s about the experience one has with it, even while visiting a local winery. Who says you need to pair a certain wine with a certain food? Why not savor a glass of wine with savory chicharrones? Next time you utter, “Arri ba,” “Abajo,” “Al centro,” “Pa’dentro” we hope you’re holding a glass of wine, better yet, a glass of convent wine. Enjoy that glass and give thanks to those nuns who carefully transplant ed those blessed vines many years ago.
knowledge, no one has ever made convent wine to sell. We are pretty Immaculateexcited.”Rosé is available for purchase at Bonita Flats along with the other varieties of wines that the Del gados have created.
WINE IS MEANT FOR EVERYONE
edibleriograndevalley.com 21
an all hands on deck operation. Not only will you get to meet owners Melissa and Art Delgado, but also the couple will likely be the ones serving you and sharing stories of the wines they have produced.
Visit Bonita Flats at bonita-flats.com and Rubiano Vineyard & Winery at rubianovineyard.com.
Left: Convent grapes at Rubiano Vineyard, in Harlingen.
Javier Salinas is the owner of the Hicks-Gregg House, a historical home in Brownsville. You can catch him on his front porch sipping wine from time to time.
WINE AND MARIACHIS! POR QUÉ NO! WHY NOT?
For Rubiano and the Delgados, growing grapes in the Val ley is not just about making wine. It’s about unearthing and shedding light on the story of the convent grapes. These grapes have gained acclaim for their durability and survival, and now they are being harvested here in the Valley. What’s essential is that convent grapes are survivors, and their root structure has withstood the test of time.
D: I have spices from all around the world. I’ll take half of my spices from the farm and half from North Africa. We just recently went to Turkey where I discovered Tunisian harissa and I’ve been using it a lot.
A
N: What are you excited to try next?
N: If you could only use three cooking tools in the kitchen, what would you use?
No matter what ingredients Ramos works with, I’m sure he’ll find a way to turn them into something extraordinary.
22 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN THE KITCHEN
His experimental and creative dishes, like vegan Moroccan harissa carrots, squash and mushroom stew, picadillo with grass-fed beef from his Provenza family farm as well as favorites like paella and burgers, are bringing customers, new and loyal, to experience his amazing menu.
D: I’m going to Peru soon to take a cooking class, and I want to focus on raw foods. I’m working on a seasonal tasting menu for the truck, something that tells a story.
NOELLE: If we were to walk into your pantry right now, what would you have in there?
market. I feel like I’m in my own little world, with an unlimited amount of choices.
D: Does fire count? Definitely a sauté pan. A cutting board. I use the cutting board for everything. I eat off the cutting board, we serve on cutting boards. And a really, really sharp knife. I can do anything with that. It gets wild in the kitchen. I really am meant for [cooking]. I have so much fun.
Diego’s Food Truck is located inside the McAllen Food Park at 10 N. Broad way. Menus are posted daily on Facebook and Instagram @diegosfoodtruck. Provenza Farm and Ranch Cattle Co. is an aquaponic farm and grass-fed beef ranch in Edcouch-Elsa. It sells homegrown organic vegetables, grassfed beef, fresh eggs and artisanal bread. Follow Prozenza on Instagram @provenza-ranch.
N: What’s your favorite ingredient to use and why?”
On any given evening, you will find a long line of customers down the sidewalk, patiently waiting to get their order in at Diego’s Food Truck.
D: Almost everything is from my family’s farm, the Provenza Farm and Ranch Cattle Co. Once a month, Provenza gives me a USDA butchered cow and lamb. I always have a huge amount of beef even though I love doing vegetarian dishes. Sometimes I will go and clean out the farmers’
“The real beauty of Diego’s food is that he sources all his own vege tables and proteins from his own Provenza farm,” said Seby Haddad of McAllen. “He focuses heavily on quality, locally sourced, clean food. His truck brings an elevated dining experience to the park, and he has established a loyal following.”
STORY BY NOELLE BRESSON | PHOTOS BY DANIELA LOERA
genie in the lamp? No, a genie in the food truck, Diego Ramos is making magic in McAllen.
N: What local products do you use?
DIEGO: My mom hangs every herb to dry in the pantry. She’s the geni us behind it all. She’ll stop by and give me new ideas ‘to try, and I’ll go in the kitchen and experiment. Our motto is, ‘The weirder the better.’ My mom and I will seek out the really weird stuff. You wouldn’t believe how many people have never had a grilled carrot. We found some purple ones recently.
In the Kitchen with Diego Ramos
For a glimpse at what Ramos uses to make food magic, I asked him about the ingredients and cooking implements he prefers to use.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATIE LAVALLEE
GOING GREEN 24 SUMMER 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEYFALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
edibleriograndevalley.com 25
causes human health issues such as respiratory and heart diseases. According to the Climate & Clean Air Coalition, methane causes half a million premature deaths each year in the U.S. But the power of peo ple, fueled by hope for to morrow and participating in responsible waste management, can change these bleak facts. How? We can reduce waste that ends up in a landfill by composting food scraps in our home compost bin or coordinate a drop with someone who composts. Landscape waste such as grass clippings and leaves can be collected in paper bags and picked up by local composting facilities in cities such as McAllen and Brownsville. If your city doesn’t have a compost program, we can call the municipal representatives and de mand this service. Marta De Angulo, administrator of the Zero Waste RGV Facebook group, shares, “We can improve our local food systems and economy when we switch from packaged to local produce and oth er products.”
C
According to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, Texans produced about 36.6 million tons of solid waste in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, costing more than $1 billion each year in disposal expenses.
sibleingtion,consumponsciousincludresponwaste management, can enrich our lives with awareness and fulfillment as we do our part to create a more sus tainable Rio Grande Valley. We can reflect on our actions and consequent impact and choose to deviate from the norm of excessive consumption and waste to make decisions that align with our morals.
According to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, Texans produced about 36.6 million tons of solid waste in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, costing more than $1 bil lion each year in disposal expenses. At least 20 percent of this waste is compostable materials that can be returned to the soil to improve food production and help restore ecology. Landfills across the country are reaching their capacity. Additionally, the burning of waste emits meth ane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and
confirmed that the McAllen Recycling Center acts as a regional facility, receiv ing materials to sort by hand from oth er cities. She urged people across the valley to clean/rinse their recycling, to only recycle accepted materials and to not bag their recycling because it clogs machinery.Furthermore, with the National
Further, we can reuse materials we already have and purchase refillable vessels and bulk products. This helps cut back on the extraction of natu ral resources that use fossil fuels, fill landfills and emit pollutants. We can also get creative and use cardboard to suppress weeds and grow a garden, line small garbage bins with newspaper in stead of plastic bags, donate magazines to your local salon, fashion old t-shirts into produce bags and refill jugs with water.The last point of responsible waste management is to recycle because only about 5 to 6 percent of plastics is actually recycled in the U.S., according to 2021 data. Other materials have higher success rates, including 99 percent for lead acid batteries, 91.4 percent for corrugated cardboard (both in 2021), 70.9 percent for steel cans and 59.7 percent for alumi num cans, both in 2018.
26 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
However, contaminated non-recyclable materials like styrofoam, along with plastic bags and food scraps contaminate hauls and con tribute to recycling ending up in landfills. For example, recycling stored in dark bags is tossed without even making it to the sorting line because it is hazardous for employees to open and sort what’s in them. Abril Paz, recycling education coordinator for the City of McAllen,
Katie Lavallee is the education coordinator with the Texas Center for Local Food. She is a passionate environmental advocate and garden er striving for a zero-waste lifestyle.
When we do recycle, we can make a more positive impact by first REDUCING and REUSING and then RECYCLING correctly.
Sword Policy, China no longer accepts exported recycling materials from America, leaving 56 percent of recycled waste unprocessed. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t recycle.
When we do recycle, we can make a more positive impact by first REDUCING and REUSING and then RECYCLING correctly. This includes being informed about local recycling processes. To assist people in responsibly managing their waste, we offer a label that lists the materials commonly accepted for recycling throughout the RGV. Another list contains RGV recycling facilities.
Clean Plastics 1 & 2 Clean Aluminum & Tin Cans Paper, Newspaper & Cardboard RECYCLABLERECYCLABLENOT ProductsPlasStyrofoamticBagswithFoodResidue
HOURS City of CitRecyclingCityRecyclingCityRecyclingCitRecyclingCityRecyclingCityRecyclingCityRecyclingAlamoCenterofAltonCenterofBrownsvilleCenterofEdinburgCenteryofHarlingenCenterofMcAllenCenterofPharrCenteryofSanJuanRecyclingCenterCityofSouthPadreIslandCityofWeslacoRecyclingCenterRedFishRecycling 612 S. Tower Road, Alamo, TX 78516 416 S. Alton Blvd, Alton, TX 78573 308 E. Elizabeth St., Brownsville, TX 78520 3102 S. Business 281, Edinburg, TX 78541 1006 South Commerce St. Harlingen, TX 78550 4101 N Bentsen Rd, McAllen, TX 78504 1015 E. Ferguson Ave. & 7101 S. Cage Blvd, Pharr, TX 78577 323 W. 1st St., San Juan, TX 78589 4501 Padre Blvd, SPI, TX 191278597JoeStephens Ave., Weslaco, TX 78596 5250 Coffee Port Brownsville, TX 78521 YesNoNoNo YeNo956-292-2133$5/mos,getyours redfishrecycling.comYeNoYes,956-223-2340Yes,NoMcallenRecycles.comatMySPI.orgs, Monday – Friday 8:00am – 8:00pm 8:00amSaturday- 12:00pm Monday – Sunday 8:00am – 7:00pm Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm 8:00amTue8:00amSaturday8:00amSaturday8:00amMo8:00amSaturday8:00amMondaySaturday8:00amMonday8:00amSaturday8:00amMo8:00amSaturday-Sunday8:00amMonda8:00amSaturday–12:00pmy–Friday–6:30pm–5:00pmnday–Friday–5:00pm–1:00pm–Friday–4:30pm8:00am–12:00pm–Friday–5:00pm–4:00pmnday–Friday–5:00pm–12:00pm–11:00amsday&Thursday–11:45amand1:00pm–4:45pmCalltoschedulepickup956-299-8025 Aluminum cans, cardboard, computer paper, Christmas trees, junk mail, magazines, newspaper, plastics 1&2, telephone books, used motor Aluminumoil cans (rinsed), cardboard & paper (no metal,Pabooks,glass,Alumplasticspaper,newspaper,bottleAlumtinpaper,magazines,Alumusedpaper,cardboard,Aluminum1&2,rors),jarscomputers,cardboard,Alurechargeablemagazines,telephonetrees,cardboard,Aluplasticsbond/ledger,computerbatteries,Aluminumshreddedpaper,newspaper,cardboard,Alumcontamination)foodinumcans,magazines,officepaper,plastic&paperbags,papercans,lead-acidcardboard,paper,coloredmagazines,1&2,tincans,usedoilminum/steel,books,Christmaspaper,plastics1&2,books,newspaper,batteriesminumcans,cellphones,glassbottles&(notceramicsormir-paper,plastictincanscans,books,magazines,plastics1&2,tin,tires,motoroilinumcans,cardboard,newspaper,plastics1&2,cansinumcans,batteries,tops,cardboard,mixedofficephonebooks,1&2,tincansinumcans,cardboard,newspaper,phonetincansper,cardboard,plastic,aluminum ACCEPTEDMATERIALCURBSIDEENTITY ADDRESS
LEARNMORE
TXGULFSEAFOOD.COM
Texas Department of Agriculture | Commissioner Sid Miller | TexasAgriculture.gov
TexasAgriculture.gov
When you’re craving fresh seafood, don’t take the Texas Gulf for granted. The tastiest shellfish comes right from our own backyard. So go ahead and fill that tortilla, bowl or plate with succulent Gulf shrimp, straight from the waters of the Lone Star State.
— IS C AUGHT ON — OUR OW N TURF
30 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY Activities, recipes, stories (and more!) created for family sharing Activity from Kids’ Garden (Barefoot Books) | created for family sharing Global Harvest KIDS Read to Learn More: Discover 13 global harvest festivals Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World barefootbooks.com/harvest-days Activities, recipes, stories (and more!) created for family sharing
5. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and mix.
edibleriograndevalley.com 31
15.
11. Create a head, a body, two hands and feet and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
is created in partnership with indie, award-winning, Concord, MA-based children’s publisher, Barefoot Books. Learn more by visiting www.barefootbooks.com
Weckmänner Recipe
LET’S EAT!
16.
fromadaptedtextandIllustrations DaysHarvest DePalmaKatebywritten, Jackson.P.LaurelbyRecipeBooks).(BarefootPelusoMartinabyillustratedand
In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and 1 Tbsp sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between.
4. Pour the flour into the large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle with your fingers.
Celebrate the harvest with homemade Weckmänner (Bread People), a traditional Saint Martin’s Day festival treat from Germany.
13.
Dough: • 1 packet active dry yeast • 4 Tbsp warm water • 1 cup milk • ¼ cup butter • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil • 2 Tbsp vanilla extract • 1 Tbsp sugar, plus 2⁄3 cup, divided • zest from 1 lemon (optional) • 5½ cups all purpose flour • 3 large eggs Egg Wash: • 1 egg yolk • 2 Tbsp milk or cream Decorations: • Raisins or cranberriesdried • Almond slices or other nuts Cooking Tools: • Saucepan • Large mixing bowl • 2 Small bowls • Fork • Baking sheet lined with parchment paper You’ll Need:
9. Place the dough back into a bowl and sprinkle it with a tiny bit of flour. Let the dough rest for an hour, or until it doubles in size.
10. Divide the dough into ten equal pieces. Each ball is one Weckmann, or person.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, vegetable oil, 2⁄3 cup sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest on medium-low.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead with your palms until you have a smooth ball.
1.Instructions:
6. Add the mixture from the saucepan and mix with your hands or a mixing machine.
.
Saint Martin’s Day is a Christian holiday that falls at the end of the autumn harvest season. Those who celebrate in Germany walk in a lantern-lit parade the night before and enjoy baked treats like Weckmänner.
them so they can stretch their arms and legs! Let the Weckmänner rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the egg yolk and 2 Tbsp of milk or cream in a small bowl and mix them together with a fork. Brush this egg wash on top of your Weckmänner to make them shine! Have fun making eyes and clothes with dried raisins, cranberries or nuts. the Weckmänner for 15-20 minutes, or until they become golden in color. Let cool and enjoy!
14.
17. Bake
3. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. The temperature should be lukewarm. If it is hot, let it sit to cool down.
Appreciate where food comes from with this simple mindfulness activity for all ages.
Activity from Mindful Kids, written by Whitney Stewart and illustrated by Mina Braun (Barefoot Books)
3 Imagine eating pancakes or waffles. To make them you often need eggs from chickens, milk from cows and flour from grains.
ACTIVITY: Cooking Up Connections
You need the people who work at the supermarket to sell the food, and your family to help you buy it. And you need somebody to cook!
32 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY| created for family sharing
1 Sit mindfully, with your spine straight and body relaxed. Close your eyes and take three soft, slow, mindful breaths
2 Think about how you are always connected to other people, plants and animals. Let’s explore these connections.
Global Harvest KIDS
You need farmers to milk the cows, gather the eggs and grow the grains in the ground.
4 Before you open your eyes, take a moment to thank all those people, plants and animals for your tasty food.
It’s easy to see how we’re all connected when we eat nourishing food.
To find more mindfulness activities, www.barefootbooks.com/mindful-kidsvisit
You need drivers to take the milk, eggs and flour to the supermarket.
Dożynki in Poland (do-ZHEN-kee)
Harvest Festivals All Year Round!
children’s publisher,
SeptemberorOctober
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY
Vaisakhi in Punjab, India (vai-SAH-kee) around April 13 or 14
sticky rice flour cakes
Autumn Equinox
Martes de Challa in Bolivia (MAR-tays day CHAI-yah) February or March
MehreganinIran (MEH-reh-gone)
La Tomatina in Spain (LAH toe-mah-TEE-nah) lastinWednesdayAugust
is created in partnership with indie, award-winning, Concord, MA-based Barefoot Learn more by visiting www.barefootbooks.com.
fromIllustration DaysHarvest , illustratedandDePalmaKatebywritten Books)(BarefootPelusoMartinaby
Books.
inChuseokSouthKorea (CHU-sok)
To learn more about global harvest celebrations, visit www.barefootbooks.com/harvest-days
AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
HomowoinGhana (ho-MOE-woe)
Adapted from Harvest Katewritten(BarefootDaysBooks),byDePalma
Many
JUNE JULY
inSukkotMorocco (soo-COAT) SeptemberorOctober
October 8
33
Crop Over in Barbados June until the first Monday in August
August
Harvest season comes when the foods we grow are ripe and ready to be gathered. Different crops are harvested at different times, so harvest seasons happen throughout the year around the world.
November 11
Some of the cultures that celebrate these festivals use their own calendars. That is why some of these special days don’t fall on the same day each year according to this calendar.
Chuseok (CHU-sok) is a festival celebrated in North and South Korea at the beginningof autumn on a full moon. families make called songpyeon (SONG-pyon).
Pongal in Tamil Nadu, India (PON-gull) around January 16
ThanksgivinginLiberia first Thursday in November
edibleriograndevalley.com
Martin’sSaintDayinGermany
Saturdays 3-4:30PM
Mid October-mid
Offers a produce CSA Meat and egg CSA 29575 Adams Road San @cdjminiranch_woman_ownedcdjminiranch.comBenito
1 Ocelot Trail Road
@brownsvillewellnesscoalitionbrownsvillewellnesscoalition.com9AM-12PM
hopeforsfs.orghopeforsfs@yahoo.com@yahwehsfarmyahwehs.farmgarden@gmail.comyahwehfarm.com10AM-6PM
@mcallenfarmersmarketmcallenfarmersmarket.com10AM-1PM
@hub_of_prosperityopenfoodnetwork.net9-11AM
SaturdaysEdinburg
Weslaco City Hall 255 S. Kansas Ave.
4001 N. 23rd St. Saturdays
Available CSAs in the RGV CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is one way con sumers can directly support local farms. You connect directly with the farmer, and every week your farmer delivers or you can pick up a variety of fresh nutritious food. All CSAs have different financial structures and procedures, so we suggest you reach out to the CSA for more information.
Offers fresh produce and protein boxes CSA 19833 Morris Road., vggcoop@hopeforsfs.orgHarlingen
800 N. Expressway 77/83 Saturdays
HOPE Farmers Market
South Padre Island Golf Course
South Padre Island Farmers Market 8605 Padre Blvd. Sundays sopadre.com11AM-1PM
All Across the Rio Grande Valley
Sentli Center for Regenerative Agriculture
Offers a produce CSA starting inShakeraNovemberRaygoza at (956) sentlicenter@gmail.com472-7436,
Edinburg
Firemen’s Park , 201 N. 1st St. Saturdays
Market to Market
16802 Garrett Road
@farmersmarketatfiremensparkvisitmcallen.com9AM-12PM
FarmersNeighborhoodMarket
19833 Morris Road Mondays & Thursdays-Saturdays
Linear Park, 1495 E. 7th St. Saturdays
Weslaco
Brownsville
La Cebollita Mid-Valley Farmers Market
@harlingenfarmersmarketharlingenfarmersmarket.comJune
McAllen Farm to Table Tres Lagos Farmers Market
info@marketattheplaza.commarketattheplaza.com3-7PM
Valley Green Growers Cooperative (VGG)
First Sunday of every month
1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month
4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
4350 Tres Lagos Blvd.
Harlingen
Market Locations & Available CSAs
Nature’s Heartland Farm Offers produce and eggs 11920 N. Mile 16
CD&J Mini Ranch
Laguna Vista SPIGCC Community Farmers Market
Grow’n FarmersGrowersMarket
McAllen Farmers Market
Brownsville Farmers Market
Tyler Avenue & 2nd Street
Mission
San Benito El Pueblito Market
South Padre Island
Last Saturday of every month weslaco.com@weslaco_chamber11AM-2PM
Hub of Prosperity Urban Farm
34 FALL 2022
The Market at North Park Plaza
3707 W. University Drive Saturdays
MARKET@themarketatwildaugustwildaugust.comFridaysJune-SeptemberSaturdaysOctober-May9AM-12PM6-9PMGUIDE
Harlingen Farmers Market
The Bryan House 1113 E. Mile 2 @thebryanhousethebryanhouse.comWednesdaysRd.3-7PM
Wild August Nursery & Flower Market
Second Sunday of the Month 11 a.m.- 3 elpuebilitomarket956@gmail.comp.m.
101 N. Reagan St.
@treslagosmcallenvisitmcallen.com2-5PM
@naturesheartlandheartlandfarm.com10AM-4PM
BROWNSVILLE WELLNESS COALITION
We serve communities by sharing sustainable practices and overall wellness.
Interested in taking a cooking class? Learn how to prepare a budget-friendly meal, minimize food waste, proper food portions, as well as learn what nutritious food the body needs to thrive. Come join us!
Our market-on-wheels takes fresh produce to rural areas throughout the Rio Grande Valley. We source our produce from our urban farms, community gardens, and local farmers.
Choose what you want to grow! Our gardens allow any individual in the community to learn how to grow their own food. With the guidance of our Green Team, you will learn about sustainable growing practices. @BROWNSVILLEWELLNESSCOALITION WWW.BROWNSVILLEWELLNESSCOALITION.COM
edibleriograndevalley.com 35
FRESCO MOBILE
COMMUNITY GARDENS & URBAN FARMS
COOKING CL ASSES
Success is SweeŁ
t’s just before 8 a.m. with the sun still low in the sky as Matt Klosterman, president and general manager of Rio Farms Inc., leads me to a sugar cane field in Monte Alto behind the farm’s head
Valley- grown sugarcane crop yields ongoing profits
As a grower, Rio Farms is one of 100 that make up Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc., a member-owned co-op erative that spans three counties committed to growing sugar cane in the region.
36 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
I
Matt Klosterman, president and general manager of Rio Farms Inc., stands by one of the farm’s sugarcane fields in Monte Alto.
For its growers, it represents a year of blood, sweat, tears and use of the most precious resource of all in the Valley — water. If they get it right, the return is worth it.
found within the state of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENISE CATHEY
Usingquarters.acanemachete, he hacks away at the base of a sug arcane stalk. He’s forgotten his pocketknife, so he carefully wields the machete to cut away the outer skin of a node to get to the plant’s fibrous center and gives me a wedge to try.
Over the next few weeks, as harvesting operations kick off through October and November, about 32,000 acres of sugar cane will be harvested, milled into raw sugar and shipped on a barge by the co-op from the Port of Harlingen to the Domino Sugar Chalmette Refinery in Chalmette, La.
This hint of sweetness is the unique taste of a crop only
HARVEST
It’s just July, so the crop isn’t at its full October sweetness, but in my mouth, the earthy, fibrous sliver of cane already has a faint flavor like that of agave syrup.
Sugarcane is a type of per ennial grass, which means that once planted, farmers can get years of crops before they need to replant it.
Every field of sugarcane starts with a cutting.
Sugar is big business here in the Valley, but it’s had its ups and downs over the Accordingyears.
The most popular variety of sugarcane grown in the Rio Grande Valley is CP 89-2143, an older variety out of Florida that growers have used in the area for the past decade.
Top Left: Sugarcane harvest in Santa Rosa. Top Right: Cane machete being used to cut a sliver of sugarcane.
In 1970, starting with just 100 growers, Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc., decided to bring sugarcane back and built what is now the oldest and only sugar mill in the state.
From Cane to Sugar
An experienced sugarcane grower, Klosterman explains that with a good crop, you can
Midpage: Smoke rising from freshly burned field in Harlingen. Opposite page: In Santa Rosa, a bulldozer loads a truck with raw sugar for transportation to the Port of Harlingen.
However, sugar wasn’t gone forever.
to the co-operative, sugarcane was introduced to South Texas in the 1800s and by the early 1900s it was being produced com mercially. By 1913 five sugar mills were operating in the Valley. How ever, blight, low prices and a pivot by growers to other sugar-producing crops statewide lessened the financial incentive to be had with sugar cane. The last of these mills closed in 1921.
38 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
In 1970, starting with just 100 growers, Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc., decided to bring sugarcane back and built what is now the oldest and only sugar mill in the state.
In the 1960s the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Wesla co and the U.S. Department of Agriculture collaborated with local ag ricultural leaders of South Texas to conduct feasibility studies, which found that sugarcane could be cost effective again to grow.
A Look Back
As for Rio Farms, this year it is devoting 2,700 acres of its 18,000acre spread in Hidalgo, Willacy and Cameron Counties to growing sugarcane.Oncea grower decides to put sugarcane in the ground, it is a commitment.“Thesugarcane growing process is different from any other crop in that it is a year-long crop so it takes a year to grow fully,” Klosterman said.
During the 2021-2022 season, this collaborative produced 127,252 tons of raw sugar and 43,630 tons of feed-grade molasses, all from Val ley-grown sugarcane.
Once through the hottest months of summer, a crucial time for the crop’s growth and water needs, the cane is ready to harvest starting in October or November.
Another difference between sugarcane and other crops grown throughout the Valley is the amount of water required. Whereas cotton and corn each need two or three waterings over the season, sugarcane requires significantly more — 30 to 60 inches of rainfall — as it grows for a longer period. Because the Valley doesn’t get that much rainfall, irrigation is needed to supplement it.
He expects that this year’s harvest might have similar qualities.
“The reason that we burn sugarcane fields is to burn the leaf off the stalk. We aren’t burning the stalk itself,” said Dale Kerstetter, the environmental and safety director of Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers. They do this because stalks with the leaves on slow processing at the mill as more filtration is needed.
As for how the co-operative did collectively this previous season, Klosterman explains, “In general, the crop was a little bit light, but it had a higher sugar ratio within that biomass. We also got a boost from a higher price for sugar,” he said.
Then the sugar is transported to Chalmette, before ending up back in the Valley on our pantry shelves under the Domino Sugar label.
If harvesters can’t burn the stalks, they can still harvest the cane, a process known as “cutting green.”
Growers get paid for their sugarcane by the tonnage and the sugar quality in its juice. So a large crop with a high percentage of sucrose in it makes for a good season.
Denise Cathey is a reporter and photojournalist living in Brownsville, Texas. A native Texan, she has an ingrained love of whiskey, BBQ and the truly odd. She’s currently on a quest for the perfect cup of coffee. Follow her on Instagram @denisecatheyphoto.
expect to get five to 10 years from one planting before you need to rotate in something else. The average, though, is about three years.
Once harvest season officially kicks off, it takes months to work through all of the cooperative’s 32,000 acres, with crews working 24/7. Harvesting starts with fire.
Since the crop is annual, farmers know when to harvest each year, but Klosterman says there’s another way to determine this: Brix scale re fractory testing. It measures the level of sucrose in the cane’s juice, an in dicator of when the crop is sufficiently sweet and, thus, ready for pulling.
Once harvested, the cane is weighed and taken to the mill in Santa Rosa to have the juice pressed out of it and turned into raw sugar.
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40 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
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You have two options for planting: in a bed or in a container. As for beds, you don’t need one dedicated to herbs; you may plant herbs among your regular plants. The one exception, however, is mint be cause it will take over any space, so it’s best to plant it alone in its own container. For bed and container ideas, look online.
Care of your herb plants starts right away. New plants may not survive stress between the time you purchase and plant them. You can stress
When picking out herb starter plants, brush the leaves with your fingers then smell them to see if you like the fragrance. Only buy the ones with an aroma that appeals to you. Avoid plants with brown leaves or that look unhealthy.
Herbalicious Gardening
Tips for successful herb planting, growing and harvesting
You are not a true gardener until you’ve killed a plant.
With containers, you may move them around during the season, to a sunnier or shadier spot, as needed. The closer your pots are to your kitchen, the more often you’re likely to use the herbs growing in them.Plants need room, so whether you use a bed or pot, give them lots of space. I like to plant mine in at least 12-inch-wide containers. Do not plant starters in the cute small pots with depictions of herbs on the sides; they’re just not big enough.
I
PLANTING
PRE- PLANTING
edibleriograndevalley.com 41 NATURE
f you’re like me, you want a low maintenance and success ful garden. Here are a few things I’ve learned to help you achieve both. Keep them in mind as you prepare to grow herbs this fall.
SELECTING
a plant by leaving it in a hot vehicle, keeping it in the shade too long, letting the soil dry out and not transplanting it right away. I have been guilty of all of these — one of the reasons I am a true gardener! Learn from me, and avoid these mistakes if possible.
Good drainage is a must. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, it might seem like we have a lot of rainfall, but it happens all at once instead
STORY BY DEBBIE COX | PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE FOLACCI
Be sure to soak the soil your herbs are planted in. Drip and soaker hoses are best for delivering water to the root system where it’s needed and for conserving water. Oftentimes, a first watering just covers the surface. Be sure to water again so the water seeps into the soil. It’s bet ter to water well and then let the soil dry or almost dry before watering again, depending on the plant.
42 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
With these conditions in mind, allow for drainage. Plant beds should be raised at least 12 inches, and plant containers should have holes in the bottom. With adequate drainage, you’ll spend less time watering your herbs, and they won’t dry out as quickly and die.
WATERING
of throughout the year. September is the wettest month. The combina tion of clay soil and too much standing water can drown your plants.
As for when to water, a deep soak in the early morning is best. If you do it then, you’ll have less foliar diseases and pests. When I switched to early morning from evening watering, I found that I had a lot less problems with my plants and, therefore, my gardening was lowerAlsomaintenance.inthemorning, you can check for bad bugs on your plants as they seem to be early risers. Because they don’t seem to like to get wet, when you water, they’ll move to the top of the plant, where you can easily flick them into some soapy water. Be sure to learn the good bugs from the bad bugs, though, as you don’t want to be getting rid of the good ones. Nature usually takes care of the bad bugs by sending in the good ones.
When planting, group together herbs that are more drought tolerant, such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and vice versa. Herbs needing more water include basil, chives, lemon verbena, lemon balm and mint.
Once your herbs are planted, place a good layer of mulch around, but not touching, them. This helps keep the soil cooler, in turn re ducing the amount of water needed and the time you spend watering. It also helps curb weed growth and feeds the soil. Over time mulch breaks down though, so you will need to replenish it as needed, about every six months or so.
Mint and other herbs make delicious sun tea. To prepare it, cut a sprig of the herb or herbs you’re using, rinse, place in a glass jar filled with water and let steep overnight in your fridge. Try different herbs to see which ones you like best as a tea.
Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube cake pan, or 2 large loaf
is removed from oven, cool for 10 minutes; invert carefully on serving plate to remove cake from pan.
Basil Pound Cake
From Southern Herb Growing by Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay, THE must-have book for growing and cooking with herbs
Ifmiddle.necessary
Afterbaking.cake
43
1½ cups (340.2 g) butter, cut into small pieces
I like to sprinkle basil, cut using a chiffonade technique, over fresh tomato slices that have been rubbed with olive oil and spritzed with balsamic vinegar. Yum!
Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing top. Bake 1¼ hours or until cake tester comes out clean when inserted into
3 cups (384 g) sifted flour
Try different ways of using your fresh herbs. You’ll be delighted with the results.
Most herbs prefer a half to a full day of sun. If you notice your plants’ stems growing long and leggy, your herbs need more sun.
edibleriograndevalley.com
1½ teaspoons (7.4 ml) pure vanilla extract
Slice and serve with vanilla custard, lemon curd or other sauce. Garnish with fresh rose geranium leaves.
As for chives, cut them across, about an inch up from the soil. They will regrow in one and a half to two weeks.
and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add flour alternately with soda, beating well. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and chopped fresh herb leaves.
Pruning encourages your plants to become fuller. A good time to prune is when you harvest or remove blossoms from your herbs. Evergreen herbs, though — such as rosemary, thyme and sage — only need pruning once a year, in the fall or early spring. When harvesting your herbs, basil for example, don’t just pick leaves off of the plant. Instead, cut just above a set of growing leaves or nodes. Do this at the top of the plant rather than the bottom, oth erwise, it will become top heavy and potentially fall over. (This tip does not apply to veggie plants, i.e., tomato flowers.)
To store herbs other than basil, wrap them in paper towels, put the bundles in a sealed plastic baggie and keep them in the produce bin in your fridge. Take them out as needed and use. The herbs will usually last a week or two.
As for basil, keep it in a glass of water in the kitchen and cut from it when you want to use some.
PROVIDING SUN
This famous cake is equally delicious with cinnamon or sweet basil, rose geranium, lemon verbena or orange mint. To sim plify, chop the herbs and stir them into the batter rather than lining the pan with them.
Once you’ve harvested some of your herbs, rinse and spin them dry in a lettuce spinner. Then use them right away or store them for later in a container or wrap in a paper towel.
Creampans.butter
Note: Cake freezes very well. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil then place in large plastic freezer bag. Let come to room temperature before serving or warm it in an oven on low heat. Keep cake tightly wrapped in foil to stay warm.
Use fresh herbs in the place of dried ones when you can. The general rule of thumb is to substitute three parts fresh herb for one part dried. For example, if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried, use three tea spoons of fresh.
6 ounces (180 ml) lemon-lime carbonated soda, such as Sprite or 7-Up (do not use diet version)
Good gardening!
Preheat oven to 325° F.
3 cups sugar (600 g), may use vanilla sugar, and if so, decrease amount of vanilla used
Makes 16 slices
1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (6.8 g) fresh sweet herbs of choice, such as basil, finely chopped
5 eggs
Chives are great chopped on potato, egg, pasta and other dishes.
Debbie Cox is a lifelong learner, nature/garden enthusiast. You may know her as the former Herb Lady from her 10 years of selling her husband’s herb, veggie and pollinator plants at the local farmers’ markets. She was the one with the sign that read, “Please Touch the Herbs.” Nowadays you can find her shooting for the stars and be yond with the South Texas Astronomical Society (STARS).
Used with permission from Gwen Barclay, co-author of Southern Herb Growing.
Additional rose geranium leaves, for garnish
PRUNING AND HARVESTING
to prevent over-browning (ovens vary), place a piece of aluminum foil lightly over the cake toward the end of
EXPERIMENTING
Photo by Daniela Loera
RECIPES 44 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Venison Loins
Strained marinade liquid
Cut pears into cubes and reserve.
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Add both loins to the pan and add a large knob of butter. Baste the loins with butter for another 3 minutes.
3 tablespoons (15 g) ground coffee
1 cinnamon stick
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups (473 ml) water
*Can substitute venison for pork tenderloin
2 venison loins, about 2–2½ pounds (907–1,134 g) total*
2 juniper berries, ground
Pinch salt
Pat dry the loins with a paper towel. Season with salt and the coffee-spice
2 red pears, peeled and cored (you may use a measuring spoon to remove the core)
½ tablespoon (3.4 g) ground black pepper
Recipe by Eugenio Uribe, Executive Chef, Boqueria Tapas and Wine, in Brownsville Serves 4
1 dash red wine vinegar
Add red wine vinegar and taste to adjust flavors.
1½ cups (350 ml) red wine, preferably California syrah
With a sharp knife, remove the silver skin from the venison loins. Place all ingredients in a zip-locked bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours and no more than 12 hours.
Inmix.acast
In a medium-sized pot combine all the ingredients over a medium low flame.
Keep warm.
Coffee Rub
Coffee Reduction Sauce
3 juniper berries
Coffee Rubbed Venison Loin, Poached Pears, Parsnip Purée and a Coffee Reduction
Place 3 to 4 pieces of warm pears on top. Slice the venison loin and place on top of the peaches. Drizzle 2 table spoons of sauce on top and around the dish. Enjoy!
½ bottle red wine, preferably California syrah
Onceconstantly.parsnips
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme
½ cup (118 ml) coffee, preferably cold
4 tablespoons (59 ml) red wine vinegar
are very, very soft, after about 7 to 10 minutes, place into a Blendblender.on
Poached Pears
4 cloves
6–8 juniper berries, lightly crushed
Parsnip Purée
iron skillet or pan, heat a splash of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Sear the loins one at a time, turning constantly to get a nice brown crust, 4 to 6 minutes.
3–4 parsnips, peeled and cut thinly
¼ teaspoon (0.55 g) ground cloves
Peel the parsnips and slice thinly. Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring
1 tablespoon (12.5 g) brown sugar
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Add the sugar and the demi-glace. Reduce again by half or until the sauce covers the back of a spoon.
Remove from the pan and rest the loins for 4 to 5 minutes.
high until very smooth, add ing more of the cooking liquid or water if needed; the consistency should resemble that of a thick purée.
1 teaspoon (1.7 g) coriander seeds, ground Kosher salt, as needed
Marinade
1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream
Pinch sugar
Cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pears from liquid and strain the liquid. Make sure to reserve the LIQUID not the solids.
“I enjoy cooking and eating venison, these different flavors pair well. The parsnips have these wonderful banana and carrot notes that balance the savory and, in a good way, bitter notes of coffee. The pears add sweetness and acidity to the dish and bring everything together. I hope you enjoy making this recipe.”
1 cup (237 ml) venison or beef demi-glace
To serve, place 2 spoonfuls of parsnip purée in the middle of a large plate.
Place pears back in liquid and let sit overnight in the fridge.
Strain the marinade and place it in a pot. Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until marinade has reduced to ¼ of its original volume.
edibleriograndevalley.com 45
Photo by Daniela Loera
Herb Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe by Jacqueline Folacci Serves 6 “My sister and I were looking to make a savory squash recipe for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. There is such an abundance of squash this time of year, and we wanted something new and flavorful. Taking inspiration from that, I added to the recipe. I especially love how easy it is to make, the way the cheese adds texture, and it’s healthy. Enjoy! 1 small acorn squash (about 1 pound or 454 g) washed, cut in half and seeded 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil ¼ cup (22.5 g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 1 clove garlic, crushed ½ teaspoon (2.8 g) sea salt 2 teaspoons (2.3 g) fresh thyme, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish (optional) 2 teaspoons (2.3 g) fresh rosemary, chopped Pepper, to season Preheat oven to 425° F. Line baking sheet with parchment Cutpaper.the squash into ½-inch-thick slices (keeping the skin on). Place the cut squash in a large bowl and toss with the oil, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and chopped herbs. Arrange the squash slices in a single layer (half on each lined baking sheet) and roast in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, until the squash is golden and crispy around the edges.
46 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Fall Fudge
3¼
1
1
¼
Put everything except the cranberries and pecans together in a pot on low heat. With a spatula, continue to mix until everything is melted and mixed thoroughly. It is very important to never stop stirring so that nothing burns.
Recipe by Raquel Rivera, Chef, Bonhomia, in McAllen Makes 8 pieces make this recipe for my family every year during the fall and the holidays. I wanted to create a small piece of heaven that would be like eating cake without the bread or the inside of a truffle. My favorite is to have this with a double espresso on the side, this fudge with great company.”
½
5¼ tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter cups (500 g) cup (400 g) condensed milk vanilla bean teaspoon (2.8 g) ground cinnamon teaspoon (0.7 g) ground ginger teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cloves cup (64.9 g) cranberries cup (37.5 g) pecans
¼
sharing
Once all ingredients are incorporated, transfer to a mold and top with cranberries and pecans before it sets.
Cut it in small squares with a knife, and it’s ready to enjoy!
Photo by Daniela Loera
edibleriograndevalley.com 47
chocolate ¾
“I
Let fudge set for 2 hours in the fridge.
¼
edible Communities | SIGNATURE SECTION
About a year ago, a comedian—not a scientist or environmentalist—enlightened consumers about a product they use every day that is harmful to the planet.
“Much food packaging is made from plastic, and most plastics are never recycled—though the plastics industry has long worked to convince us otherwise,” says Dianna Cohen, co-founder and CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
recycling bins or items that are not clean—the most common culprit is food residue.
The recycling system is also wrought with environmental injustice. “Recycling facilities are predominantly built in mar ginalized communities, in part due to the traditional invisibility of and bias against low-income communities of color and In digenous peoples,” says Nilda Mesa, director of urban sustain ability and equity planning at Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Urban Development.
Now, however, in an exciting wave of innovation, businesses and entrepreneurs are rethinking how to package food.
Further, recycling facilities are often underfunded and over whelmed. In 2018, China stopped importing most plastic waste from both the U.S. and Canada. That ban upended recycling systems that relied on exports, and neither country has been successful in building a domestic recycling market.
REALLY RECYCLED?
“A lot less plastic winds up getting recycled than you might think,” John Oliver said on that particular episode of Last Week Tonight, which has now been viewed more than 4 million times. In the United States and Canada, less than 9 percent of plastics is recycled. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), packaging comprises the largest percent of U.S. plastic waste. Since the pandemic disrupted curbside pickup and put more emphasis on single-use products, especially in food service, these numbers have only worsened.
ediblecommunities.com
Consumers often see plastic food packaging as the cost of eating: tubs of salad greens; clear clamshells for berries; and even, pre-wrapped cucumbers and other produce.
IS PLASTIC WASTE THE COST OF EATING?
And while many plastics are recyclable, they still end up in landfills, oceans and, ultimately, in our bodies.
One-quarter of packaging reaching recycling facilities is contaminated and, thus, sent to landfills, the EPA estimates. Contamination can occur from contact with non-recyclables in
For example, Stamford, Connecticut made $95,000 selling recyclables in 2017; after 2018, it paid $700,000 for removal. And Bakersfield, California, earned $65 per ton from recyclables; it now pays $25 a ton to get rid of them.
edibleriograndevalley.com 49
STORY BY EMILY PAYNE AND DANIELLE NIERENBERG
Amid pressure to transform the recycling system, experts are advocating for circularity in food packaging. Circular systems pre vent waste from reaching recycling facilities by implementing strat egies to reuse and repurpose plastics already created. A shift in this direction requires the food industry to rethink packaging materials and to consider what the reuse and disposal of plastics (eventually) would look like, especially for packaging that is compostable.
This is, in part, because composting facilities are not available nationally. Mixing compostables into curbside bins can contami nate recycling streams. Throwing compostables in the trash gets them sent to landfills, where they emit methane.
Compostable packaging isn’t always sustainable, though. With out the right infrastructure, pricing and awareness, compostables can contribute to the food packaging waste problem.
“If you’d asked me two years ago, I wouldn’t have been as enthu siastic,” says Gailmor, “but I am very confident now.” Consumer demand drives innovation, lower prices and more sustainable op tions for small businesses like Brass Roots, but the onus can’t be only on eaters.
This is, in part, because composting facilities are not available nationally. Mixing compostables into curbside bins can contami nate recycling streams. Throwing compostables in the trash gets them sent to landfills, where they emit methane.
“The real game changer will be when people buy less plastic, reuse what they have and minimize what goes in the trash and into recycling,”
Compostable packaging isn’t always sustainable, though. With out the right infrastructure, pricing and awareness, compostables can contribute to the food packaging waste problem.
Ecovative’s technology upcycles farming and forestry byproducts through mycelium to create plastic-free and home-compostable prod ucts for the food, leather, beauty, foam and packaging industries.
THE POWER OF PROCUREMENT
According to the Center, buying bulk items can help institu tions reduce both packaging waste and food waste—a win for tight budgets, too.
“Along with the innovation in more sustainable packaging, pric ing has come down dramatically, and it’s only a small premium to conventional or fossil fuel-based packaging now,” Gailmor says.
Ecovative’s technology upcycles farming and forestry byproducts through mycelium to create plastic-free and home-compostable prod ucts for the food, leather, beauty, foam and packaging industries.
ediblecommunities.comedible Communities | SIGNATURE SECTION
Gailmor is hopeful that more options can be available at large scale as consumer demand rises.
COMPOSTABLE IS COMPLICATED
“We would have loved to be in all compostable packaging from the beginning, but for a small company starting out, pricing for small runs and guaranteed shelf life for new products with un known velocity can be prohibitive,” says Logan Farley, chief operat ing officer at Brass Roots, a plant-based snack company based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
COMPOSTABLE IS COMPLICATED
One powerful solution is for government and institutional pro curement practices to help reduce or eliminate plastic packaging.
San Francisco, California, was one of the first cities to make a zero-waste commitment in 2003—it diverts 80 percent of its waste from landfills. Vendors use either compostable or recyclable contain ers, and every event must offer recycling and composting. The city also requires individuals and businesses to separate waste into recy clable, compostable and trash bins.
When proper infrastructure and education are in place, pro cessing compost can be sustainable, especially given that munici palities pay for waste processing by weight.
“If you’d asked me two years ago, I wouldn’t have been as enthu siastic,” says Gailmor, “but I am very confident now.” Consumer demand drives innovation, lower prices and more sustainable op tions for small businesses like Brass Roots, but the onus can’t be only on eaters.
“We can do this on an individual level and also need to support systems shifts, from our schools to our workplaces to policy and legislation,” says Cohen.
Gailmor is hopeful that more options can be available at large scale as consumer demand rises.
50 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
“A municipality that can figure out how to minimize its organic waste stream will be saving funds over the long run, as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions and producing material that will enrich soils… It’s a win all over,” says Mesa. But only if they can afford it.
“Compostable is often referring to packaging that must be transported to an industrial composting facility—which it often isn’t, and just ends up in a landfill versus recycled,” says Emily Stucker, vice president of menu innovation and product integrity at Farmer’s Fridge.
Food businesses consider pricing, shelf life and quality of pre sentation for packaging, and it’s been cheaper to choose plastic packaging. Brass Roots Founder Aaron Gailmor believes the tide is turning, however.
ediblecommunities.comedible Communities | SIGNATURE SECTION
“A municipality that can figure out how to minimize its organic waste stream will be saving funds over the long run, as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions and producing material that will enrich soils… It’s a win all over,” says Mesa. But only if they can afford it.
“Compostable is often referring to packaging that must be transported to an industrial composting facility—which it often isn’t, and just ends up in a landfill versus recycled,” says Emily Stucker, vice president of menu innovation and product integrity at Farmer’s Fridge.
Food businesses consider pricing, shelf life and quality of pre sentation for packaging, and it’s been cheaper to choose plastic packaging. Brass Roots Founder Aaron Gailmor believes the tide is turning, however.
THE POWER OF PROCUREMENT
“Moving away from single-serve meals and snacks is probably the most impactful way to reduce packaging waste in an institutional setting,” says the Center for Good Food Purchasing, a nonprofit that aims to use procurement to build a more equitable food system.
For example, many elementary school districts are required to serve milk which is distributed in single-serve cartons. Students take a carton, drink some or none of it and throw it in the trash. But when the Austin Independent School District in Texas transitioned
Compostables are made of plant-based materials—corn, starch or sugarcane—unlike plastics derived from petroleum.
According to the Center, buying bulk items can help institu tions reduce both packaging waste and food waste—a win for tight budgets, too.
One powerful solution is for government and institutional pro curement practices to help reduce or eliminate plastic packaging.
“Along with the innovation in more sustainable packaging, pric ing has come down dramatically, and it’s only a small premium to conventional or fossil fuel-based packaging now,” Gailmor says.
Unilever and PepsiCo include compostable packaging as part of their strategies to reduce waste. Chipotle and Sweetgreen use compostable material for take-out meals.
“Moving away from single-serve meals and snacks is probably the most impactful way to reduce packaging waste in an institutional setting,” says the Center for Good Food Purchasing, a nonprofit that aims to use procurement to build a more equitable food system.
IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT
“We can do this on an individual level and also need to support systems shifts, from our schools to our workplaces to policy and legislation,” says Cohen.
San Francisco, California, was one of the first cities to make a zero-waste commitment in 2003—it diverts 80 percent of its waste from landfills. Vendors use either compostable or recyclable contain ers, and every event must offer recycling and composting. The city also requires individuals and businesses to separate waste into recy clable, compostable and trash bins.
IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT
“The real game changer will be when people buy less plastic, reuse what they have and minimize what goes in the trash and into recycling,”
“We would have loved to be in all compostable packaging from the beginning, but for a small company starting out, pricing for small runs and guaranteed shelf life for new products with un known velocity can be prohibitive,” says Logan Farley, chief operat ing officer at Brass Roots, a plant-based snack company based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
When proper infrastructure and education are in place, pro cessing compost can be sustainable, especially given that munici palities pay for waste processing by weight.
Compostables are made of plant-based materials—corn, starch or sugarcane—unlike plastics derived from petroleum.
For example, many elementary school districts are required to serve milk which is distributed in single-serve cartons. Students take a carton, drink some or none of it and throw it in the trash. But when the Austin Independent School District in Texas transitioned
Unilever and PepsiCo include compostable packaging as part of their strategies to reduce waste. Chipotle and Sweetgreen use compostable material for take-out meals.
In 2021, Driscoll’s diverted more than 10 million pounds of packaging from landfills. The company’s circular clamshell initiative requires packaging suppliers to incorporate recycled clamshells back into new Cloverclamshells.Sonoma released the first fully plant-based milk carton in 2022. Meanwhile, Danone aims to make every piece of packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
LEADING THE WAY
This focus on waste reduction can drive investment in better sorting infrastructure, reducing widespread contamination and making recycling easier for all.
The campaign also supports the Break Free from Plastic Pollu tion Act. It mandates reduced production of a variety of materials, including plastic, and requires producers of packaging, containers and food service products to boost recycling and composting efforts.
Meanwhile, Notpla aims to eliminate the need for single-use plastic bottles. Its condiments and water sachets are made from seaweed, which can be composted or actually eaten. And Sway’s seaweed packaging integrates seamlessly with existing machinery, eliminating the costs for manufacturers.
to bulk milk, they reduced so much waste that it was able to transi tion to all organic milk for the same cost of single-serve cartons.
Meanwhile, some of the largest industry players are tackling packaging and plastic waste internally.
edible Communities | SIGNATURE SECTION
There’s no silver bullet to solving the food packaging crisis. It’s complex and requires both top-down solutions and bottom-up changes by consumers and businesses.
Cohen recommends prioritizing unpackaged food. Whole Foods, Sprouts and co-ops allow customers to purchase bulk food in reusable containers, while zero-waste shops are becoming more common across the country. And farmers’ markets offer a way to avoid plastics in grocery.
Kroger partnered with TerraCycle to test a reusable packaging program in 25 Fred Meyer stores. Customers will be able to pur chase products from brands like Arbor Teas, Nature’s Heart and Na ture’s Path in reusable containers that they can return to be cleaned and Ifreused.unpackaged foods or reusable containers aren’t available, Co hen says to choose easily recyclable materials like paper, glass and metal. Consumers can also look for products with instructions on how to dispose of their packaging.
“If you want true systemic change, it means taking a stand against things that derail the broader conversation, just like you take a stand for the organizations that are actually solving the problem,” says Gup ta-Fonner.Therealso is the need for a cultural shift. “When you acknowl edge that there are resources, natural elements and actually pieces of real life and habitats that went into making this packaging,” says Gupta-Fonner, “then reuse is compassion.”
“Private industry has the opportunity to create the demand to kickstart or revive strong and stable recycling end markets for the circular economy, and we hope more brands and manufacturers will step up to the design and sourcing challenge,” says Camille Herrera, packaging development and sustainability manager at Driscoll’s.
“The real game changer will be when people buy less plastic, reuse what they have and minimize what goes in the trash and into recy cling,” says Mesa.
Emily Payne is Food Tank’s copy editor, and Danielle Nierenberg is the president and co-founder of Food Tank.
edibleriograndevalley.com 55For more on this story, visit ediblecommunities.com
Other institutions are increasing demand for sustainable food services—within the Center’s partner institutions, there has been a more than 30 percent increase in environmentally sustainable pur chasing over the last few years.
ZERO PACKAGING
Apeel makes plant-derived coatings that growers, suppliers and retailers use to keep produce fresh two to three times longer. And
More than 70 brands have committed to the One Step Closer to Zero Waste Packaging campaign, which launched in January 2022. It aims to improve infrastructure, labeling and the responsi bility of producers.
NatureSeal coating combines vitamins, salts and minerals to extend the shelf life of sliced fruits for up to 28 days.
Designing the infrastructure for circularity—a system that in herently limits waste—can create an easy and affordable choice for all eaters.
Companies that fundamentally change the way they think about packaging, rather than simply swapping plastics for another singleuse material, can build true circularity.
The best way to reduce packaging waste, though, is by using no packaging at all.
Gupta-Fonner’s waste-free delivery service aims to do the fun damental work of building a circular supply chain from the ground up. For her, waste is an issue of design. “Linear supply chains are not designed for this,” says Gupta-Fonner.
“To make any kind of single-use packaging including composta bles, you’re using precise raw materials, energy and water,” says Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner, co-founder and CEO of Spr ingEats.com, an online grocery store achieving zero-waste delivery from farm to table.
PACKAGELESS EATING
Combine the cinnamon water and 2 cups of granulated sugar in a pot on the stove over low heat.
Remove from heat and store.
Lightly torch the top of a sprig of rosemary with a match or lighter.
Recipe by Christopher Galicia Cocktail and Spirits Director, Las Ramblas in Brownsville Makes 1 drink
1½ ounces (44.4 ml) apple brandy
1 ounce (29.6 ml)
3 sprigs rosemary
Strain the cocktail using a Hawthorne strainer over ice into a Collins glass. Top with ginger beer of your choice.
Avalon combines four of my favorite autumn flavors: cinnamon, ginger, rosemary and apple. It’s layered with flavors that, even when the fall season has passed, will automatically transport you to a time filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and aromas of warm apple pie. Sip and enjoy.”
56 FALL 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Return to Avalon
Photo by Daniela Loera
lemon juice
Keep the ingredients below a simmer and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves.
LAST SIP
Combine all ingredients but ginger beer, including 2 sprigs of rosemary, into a cocktail shaker with Hardice.shake the ingredients with ice for roughly 5 to 7 seconds.
Insert this sprig into the drink so that the torched end protrudes above the rim.
¾ ounce (22.2 ml)
Cinnamon Syrup Makes about 2 cups 4 3-inch-long cinnamon sticks 1½ cups (355 ml) filtered water 2 cups (402 granulatedg)sugar
3 dashes Angostura bitters Ginger beer
cinnamon syrup (recipe below)
Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. (You can also do this in a kettle if available.)
“The coming of fall brings with it a revival of the senses. The aro mas, tastes, sights and sounds are the most alluring of all the Returnseasons.to
Add cinnamon sticks to the hot water and steep for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove cinna mon sticks from water.
edibleriograndevalley.com 57
toLicenseGrill
For more information visit southtexascollege.edu/
culinary
Now Serving up to three related degrees on the Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco and the Pecan Campus in McAllen.
South Texas College Culinary Arts
