This issue of edible goes back to the basics. We examine the work of those across the state (and beyond) who are reintroducing, rethinking, and reclaiming the very staple ingredients that we depend on for our survival. From Taos, where a baker is making loaves with heritage grains like White Sonora wheat, introduced to the Southwest more than three centuries ago, to Albuquerque, where a distiller is using blue corn to elevate corn whiskey, to the century-old Valencia Flour Mill in Jarales, we talk with New Mexicans who are building markets for local grains. We also explore regional efforts to revive the cultivation of cereal grains, profiling organizations and farmers trialing diverse grain crops in the Navajo Nation and New Mexico. Ungelbah Dávila-Shivers looks beyond cereal grains as she examines efforts across New Mexico to grow amaranth, a hardy and nutritious native plant with deep cultural roots for Indigenous communities in our region and elsewhere.
