Life is hard, but these farmers wouldn't have it any other way. They rise before the sun; scan the skies as often as they run soil through their fingers; use tractors and trucks as shade trees; taste their product without washing it; and celebrate with festivals. They take pride in their land, their soil, their crops, their families.
The competition for business is friendly and cordial. Neighbors help out neighbors, and cooperation is the focus. They willingly share their stories and traditions and eagerly await the farmers markets not only to sell their wares, but to renew their friendships and swap stories of their mishaps, trials, and adventures.
Although the setting is New Mexico, the tales of the small artisan farmer could happen anywhere, with the crop being anything. The lifestyle is unique; when you have to take a tape recorder with you in order to get a recipe, you know you are onto a phenomenon deeply rooted in the tradition and folklore of the land.
Richard Harris is the author of 36 travel guidebooks and history books about the American West, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. A gourmet cook, he lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is president of the New Mexico Book association and past president of the writers' organization PEN New Mexico.
Lisa Fox is the host and producer of Farming in Season, an interview show broadcast on Taos public radio and on the internet. She lives on an organic herb farm north of Taos, where she makes Southwest Chutney products using fruit grown by farmers in nearby villages and sells them at the Santa Fe Farmers'Market.
Trent Edwards holds a degree in photography from the Art Institute of Atlanta and worked as a commercial photographer for Georgia-based corporations including Coca-Cola and Wendy's before moving to New Mexico to pursue a career as a painter. He lives in the small village of Los Cerrillos and exhibits at galleries in Santa Fe and New York City.
Backcountry
Most of the farms covered in this book lie along the Rio Grande and its tributaries such as the Rio Chama. Most are located in the northern part of the state, where small farms have been under cultivation since Spanish colonial times or before, and where large-scale agriculture is unknown. Some are close to urban areas, including at least one farm within Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city. Another is within easy walking distance of the town plaza in Socorro.
Introduction vii
Seeds 1
Water 21
Earth 43
Economy 75
Food 95
Resource List 145
Index 147
Overview
Life is hard, but these farmers wouldn't have it any other way. They rise before the sun; scan the skies as often as they run soil through their fingers; use tractors and trucks as shade trees; taste their product without washing it; and celebrate with festivals. They take pride in their land, their soil, their crops, their families.
The competition for business is friendly and cordial. Neighbors help out neighbors, and cooperation is the focus. They willingly share their ...