Winter Farmers' Market

I love the Farmers' Market in Taos.  It has a very authentic, real feeling.  You can tell the farmers are local, from small farms where they pick their produce early in the morning the day of market and then set up with very simple displays. 

We moved to Taos in time for the last two markets of the year and I stocked up as much as possible. Sadly, I was just not unpacked and organized enough to buy, freeze and can the amount of local produce needed to last through winter. Next year for sure.  This winter will be spent exploring ways to eat locally in a winter climate with very cold weather and very high altitude. (We are at 6,967 feet in the town of Taos). I realize just how spoiled I have been living in California all of my life with year round easy access to fresh, local produce.

I was very happy to hear about the first annual Taos Winter Holiday Market which was held the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  Designed to give locals access to end-of-season  produce, fresh baked goods, honey, beef, lamb, preserves, spices and holiday gifts (all from local farmers, purveyors and artisans) the Market was a huge success. This was the perfect opportunity to shop for the Thanksgiving meal and begin Holiday gift buying. 

 

 

I was so encouraged by the large crowd of both Taoseños and tourists clamoring for organic and/or suistainably grown food.  Taos has always been at the forefront of eco-friendly living.  The emphasis on the locovore movement is growing as farmers and locals learn growing techniques to expand our very short growing season.  I look forward to sharing the successes and learnings (hydroponics, cold frames and greenhouses anyone?)

Keep it local my friends!

my best,
diane
november 27, 2012

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Forbes Magazine Loves Taos

photo by Kate Donnelly

I love it when magazines report on Taos!  Thanks Forbes...I agree with all of your suggestions.

" Can driving be poetry? It can on a scenic and spectacular drive through New Mexico. Writer and Fathom contributor Kate Donnelly goes for a spin. \

TAOS, New Mexico – During my week in Santa Fe, I opt for a 56-mile day trip to Taos (with my adventurous mom in the driver’s seat). Taos is America’s spiritual and historical past. Great artists and thinkers (Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, Carl Jung) have all passed through. So should you.
The road to take? The mountainous, winding High Road, of course, which involves a few stops:"

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Los Dias de Muertos "The Day of the Dead"

Halloween is a huge event in Taos but just as big, and more interesting to me, is the Day of the Dead celebration ("Los Dias de Muertos" in Spanish) which falls on November 2nd to coincide with All Souls day.  This tradition is supposed to celebrate our departed loved ones and help ease their transition to the afterlife.  The tradition started in Mexico over 3000 years ago.  According to the book "The Days of the Dead/Los Dias de Muertos" by Greenleigh-Beimler,  the day is "celebrated with a mixture of reverence for the departed, revelry to make them happy upon their return and mockery to defy the fear of death itself"

Traditionally families get together and visit the grave sites of their departed loved ones.  They decorate the sites with candles, toys, bottles of tequila, flowers, pictures of their loved ones, notes to them, garlands.etc.  Then they gather at family homes and celebrate with food, drink and music.  Sometimes they build altars in their homes and decorate them with the same materials they used at the cemetery.  They also add calaveras which are skeleton-like figures that are supposed to look like the person did when he/she was alive.  The calaveras also often depict what the person did for a living.  Originally made from sugar, they are now made from many different types of materials in many different sizes.

The Adobe Bar in Taos has held a Day of the Dead celebration for twenty three years.  Each year, George and Beverly Chacon build an altar memorial and invite everyone in the community to add the names and photos of their departed loved ones. Tonight I am live blogging at the celebration amidst a huge crowd.  I met Beverly earlier this evening.  She explained that the altar has been set up for a few days but that most of the names have been added tonight.  She told me there would be music, dancing, an explanation of Day of the Dead and lots of food.  The Adobe Bar would conclude the evening by passing out Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerte (bread of the dead) a slightly sweet bread flavored with cinnamon traditionally served on this day.  Beverly told me "The bread is delicious.  Take some and put it in your pockets.  It will be wonderful for breakfast tomorrow morning"

Day of the Dead altar at the Adobe Bar

George spoke a while ago and explained the history of the celebration and their family's involvement.  Then he invited the crowd to speak a bit about their loved ones. 

Right now there is live music from the Cuban rumba players Caridad and Daniel, described by George as "sacred drumming from the ancestors".  The beat is addicting, people are dancing, laughing, eating, drinking, talking...many are dressed as calaveras with white painted faces and black paint around their eyes, noses and mouths to depict skeletons.  It is a wild, wonderful and oh so interesting scene.  I love Taos!

my best,
diane
november 2, 2012

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Halloween in Taos

we stumbled upon the halloween festival in taos yesterday.  what a hoot!  the town sponsers a trick-or-treat parade where the local merchants from the plaza and john dunn shops hand out candy.  it felt like the entire town turned out...and everyone had fantastic costumes.

i expected adorable children...

 

but was most surprised by the number of adults dressed up at 3:00 pm trick-or-treating too....everyone loves candy!  (and most of the grown ups continued on to parties being held at the bars and restaurants in town)....what a night...

 

 

warm sunny day...beautiful blue skies...live music...everyone smiling and laughing....margaritas at the alley cantina. halloween in taos, new mexico.

 

my best,
diane
november 1, 2012

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Welcome to Taos!

so...here i am.  in taos, new mexico.  living here full-time.  and a bit bewildered as to how fast this happened.  you see, our future plan has been to reside in new mexico "one day".  i fell in love with taos twenty years ago and visited as often as i could.  we bought a home here in 1999 and, for the first few years, came a number of times each year.  then life got crazy with work...the house was used as a vacation rental...and, long story short, 5 years passed before i returned. 

in january of this year my mom was rushed to the hospital and stayed there for 5 days.  her recovery has been slow and we will be dealing with her illness for the rest of her life.  for the past 8 months i have spent 1 week per month traveling from the napa valley of california (where i lived) to southern california to spend time with my parents and the rest of my family.  i have spent a lot of time thinking about what i want to accomplish the rest of my life.  the taos move continued to be one of the top priority items.  after a lot of thought and discussion my husband and i decided to make the move now....life is too short to postpone your dreams.  so "one day" became now.

so...here we are.  now, why this blog?  what is it about?  i received similar reactions from everyone i know...or have met...regarding my move.  the first response is usually "how cool!"  then "why?"  then  "i don't know anything about new mexico".  many people misunderstood what i said and thought i was moving to mexico.  sadly, i had to remind a few that new mexico is a state. 

my mission is to share my adventures here.  taos is so beautiful and full of interesting, creative, talented people.  there are stories every where you look.  in the may 2012 issue, smithsonian magazine picked taos second in their list of the 20 best small towns (less than 25,000) in america.  the taos population is less than 6000k, but swells with tourists who come to ski in winter and hike, fish, spa and try the white water rafting in summer.  year-round there is amazing art...taos has more art galleries per capita than anywhere in the country...and the food!  oh my...the food!   i am a food blogger, love to cook...eat...and write about food.  i so look forward to telling you about the food here.

i am a native californian...lived there all my life. for me, living in taos combines the interesting aspects of living in a foreign country while retaining the best qualities of living in the usa.  please join me on my journey.  maybe you will fall in love with taos too...

my best,
diane
october 29th, 2012

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