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Spicin' Bison
By Lucinda Hutson
Barney made an impressive getaway! He busted through the gate of the neighboring estate, trampled the new landscape and catapulted 1,800 pounds of bulk into the swimming pool—pulverizing its imported mosaic tiles in the process. Even though he caused $10,000 worth of damage, Barney wasn’t ground into patties, but rescued because he was much beloved—the only bull in a small herd. Yep, Barney was a bison (aka a buffalo), raised on my friend’s Hill Country ranch about 15 years ago.
La Cruz de Comal
By Jessica Dupuy
Photography by Andy Sams
There’s a little winery near Canyon Lake that’s turning heads among Central Texas’s top wine experts. La Cruz de Comal, nestled in a small valley just beyond New Braunfels, is fast becoming known for producing crisp, delicate wines that reveal an authentic character for the place in which they were made. One sip, and you’ll taste an inherent uniqueness—something a little different about these wines.
Flight of the Honeybee
By Susan M. Cashin
Photography by Lucinda Hutson
Beginning in 2006, and appearing again last spring, a mystery worthy of a CSI team hit professional beekeepers in the U.S. Once healthy and well-populated honeybee colonies were discovered devoid of bees, with only the queen and a few worker bees left in each hive. No bodies were found outside the hives, no signs of marauders; the bees were simply missing and the colonies died.
Cooking Greens
By Lucinda Hutson
Photography by Lucinda Hutson
My grandmother loved Galatoire’s, the iconic New Orleans restaurant where customers have sipped Sazerac cocktails and enjoyed traditional French Creole fare like oysters en brochette, shrimp rémoulade and crabmeat maison for over a century. It was in Grandma’s honor that I slipped out of a recent conference to poke my head into this French Quarter establishment, even though I knew it wasn’t yet open for lunch.
Lay of the Land
By Jessica Dupuy
Photography by
At first glance, Elgin is one of those quaint small towns east of Austin with a historic district and a laid-back feel. And thanks to companies Meyer’s and Southside Market, it’s known as the sausage capital of Texas. Yet, if you look a little deeper, you’ll discover Elgin’s identity is deeply rooted in the soil as a vibrant farming community. With an ever-encroaching Austin skyline from the west, though, and developers eyeing the fertile landscape for suburban development, the potential threat to Elgin’s farming community grows palpable.
Tomato Sauce
When I think of tomato sauce, I think of a crimson pool speckled with green, orange and off-white flecks of herbs and aromatics; a savory, slightly acidic—with the insinuated suggestion of sweetness—and hearty yet sophisticated base for an infinite number of soul-pleasing meals.
Of course, tomato is the star of this show—anything added to the pot after or before is merely acting in a supporting role.
A Side of Fresh
The bevy of bars near 7th and Red River in downtown Austin may not be the first destination for a seasoned locavore, but revelers in search of a uniquely farm-to-glass cocktail should dive into the side bar. Behind its long, L-shaped bar, under a Bob Wills poster and next to the beer taps, sit two giant decanters filled with delectable vodkas infused with locally sourced, seasonal produce and spices, just waiting to delight the most discerning foodie’s taste buds.
Secrets of Salt
By Amy Reynolds
Photography by Jody Horton
Salt is the most universal condiment found on the planet. And not just the iodine-laden, burned-at-1,000-degrees-Fahrenheit shaker salt we all know, but the sun- and earth-baked, mineral-filled, rainbow-hued, sea and rock salts dotted across the globe now gaining in popularity. With an almost 5,000-year history of making and breaking the strongest of empires, inciting wars and causing the construction and destruction of countless cities, salt might be considered the most valuable treasure in human history.
Herbal Vinegars
By Lucinda Hutson
Photography by Lucinda Hutson
A generous splash of vinegar—with its tart and tangy essence and intense burst of pure flavor—can brighten and balance a recipe like nothing else. My kitchen shelves are laden with aromatic vinegars of every kind—from syrupy, aged balsamic to fruity pear, fig, raspberry and blood orange, to rice, sherry, champagne, red wine and, of course, my favorite homemade herbal vinegars.
On a sunny Saturday in March, when the heat hadn’t yet driven everyone inside, hundreds of gardeners and wannabes strolled under the oaks in Govalle Park for the third annual Passion for Plants event.
Sponsored by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association (TCMGA), the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, the Holistic Education and Health Network, Sustainable Food Center and Green Corn Project (GCP), the East Austin garden fair offered resources and free information on many gardening- and environment-related topics from double-digging, growing native plants and composting, to gardening for butterflies and more.
Wandering among the fairgoers, and collecting information for herself (because, as all gardeners know, there’s always something new to learn), was longtime Green Corn Project gardener Paula Gilbert. The curly-haired University of Texas employee was just another attendee until noon, when Gilbert was announced as an honored gardener.
Mike McKim
By David Ansel
Photography by Dustin Meyer
When Mike McKim, founder of Cuvée Coffee, prepares his morning cup, he’s meticulously exacting with his weights and measurements—like an engineer, alchemist or apothecary. It’s a fitting comparison, really, because McKim is actually equal parts of all of these. The scene opens with McKim heating filtered water to 200 degrees, then using it to rinse a paper filter that’s set inside a conical glass perched atop a Chemex (a sort of Erlenmeyer flask).
A+S
By Terrence Henry
Photography by Jody Horton
The adventures of A+S Farm began on a drizzly morning in the spring of 2008 with “The Great Chick Run,” as Amy and Shaun Jones—a newly married couple in their late twenties—set out from Houston to Fayette County to become sustainable farmers. In the car with them were 150 chicks in a cardboard box, kept warm by a heat lamp running off of the car battery—a move that resulted in a completely drained battery by the time they reached the farm.
Tomato Tying Time
Photography by Farmer John
We all like to be needed in some way, don’t we? Being an especially attentive spouse, say, or an exemplary parent, a trusted friend or a pillar of the community, not only nudges a person toward the guarantee of good karma, but also helps give a certain meaning to life. A reason to get up every morning, at the very least.
Herbal Vinegar Techniques
(Adapted from The Herb Garden Cookbook, University of Texas Press)
For best flavor, pick herbs in early morning before the heat has wilted them. Gently rinse herbs; shake out excess moisture and allow herbs to dry naturally for about an hour, or carefully pat them dry. Remove any damaged or discolored leaves and woody stems.
Fill a clean glass gallon jar 2/3 full of the herbs, gently twisting or "wringing" them to release their volatile oils. Add other flavorings as desired such as peeled garlic, dried red chiles, citrus peel cut in a continuous spiral, flower petals, ginger, and whole spices). Ginger and garlic should be peeled and gently mashed with the back of a wooden spoon. To prevent bitterness, take care not to include any white pith of citrus peel.
Use only high-quality vinegars such as white, red, or champagne wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is way too harsh!
Tea's Time
By Ruth Gardner-Loew
Photography by Candice Oneida
Austinites are becoming enchanted with tea—not only for the health benefits, but for the beauty, celebration and mystery of a drink that obliges us to slow down, reflect and connect. For centuries, tea has been the drink of preference in the Far East, notably China (where it originated) and Japan, as well as in parts of Europe. Yet aside from the ubiquitous iced variety enjoyed closer to home, tea—in her multitude of exotic varieties—has been a relative shadow-dweller.
David Bates
David Bates since 1982: From the Everyday to the Epic
823 Congress Avenue
November 21, 2009 – January 31, 2010
Eco Yard-Keeping
By Jeremy Walther
Illustration by Hillary Weber-Gale
Sustainability in the home landscape is more than just a set calendar of seasonal tasks, especially in variable-draped Central Texas, where some years see total rainfall measure below 20 inches followed by years with almost 60. This unpredictability might be nature’s hint to us that large monocultures of nonnative turfgrass lawns just aren’t the way to go. The hottest, sunniest areas of a lawn are better used for plants that do more than just drink water and look green, which explains the trend of larger vegetable gardens, wildlife-loving native plant beds and shrinking lawns.
My Gluten-Free Life
By Rebecca Saltsman
Photography by Jenna Noel
I love cooking, eating and talking about food, and I’m constantly thinking about my next meal even while enjoying the current one. Finding and preparing new foods and serving other people dishes they’ve never tried before are my passions. I also enjoy disproving preconceived notions about certain foods and what it means to eat well, healthfully…and with dietary restrictions. It’s true—I’m one of more than 20 million people in America living with gluten sensitivity, but it doesn’t define me or how I eat. Sometimes it’s challenging, but most of the time it’s very easy.
Unity Park Garden
By Helen Cordes
Photography courtesy of Lori Ferris
Round Rock has been bustin’ out all over in recent years, with folks flocking to the booming burg north of Austin at record rates. But while Austin’s growth has included the formation of many community gardens, bustling Round Rock had enjoyed not a single one—much to the chagrin of Lori and Jeff Ferris. When they found their backyard too shady to grow veggies, they looked for a community garden and found none. So they took matters—and garden tools—into their own hands.
Savoring Spring
By Kristi Willis
Photography by Carole Topalian
Many home chefs were taught to cook by first finding a recipe and then hunting down the ingredients at the store, without much thought as to whether the produce was at its peak. The ease of shipping foods across the world to the local grocery aisle has made popular produce available year-round, regardless of its freshness, and has resulted in ubiquitous grainy tomatoes and flavorless peaches.