Goodbye, Daylight Savings

The last tomatoes

When Daylight Savings Time ends this coming weekend, we’ll be plunged into darkness earlier at 5:30pm… although it’ll be light at 6am instead of 7am. It’s always jarring when this happens. Then again, we have it easier than the birds that have to migrate each winter, and the bears and groundhogs that have to hibernate. Canadian geese began heading south in October, and are expected to stay until February. They say there are a lot of young geese on the move this year because the nesting season in Canada had ideal moisture and weather.

At the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, it’s the end of the season for tomatoes, apples, marigolds, and roasted green chiles. This week, dried apples and dried apricots appeared. I bought some great Hickory Almond Mustard from Glorieta (www.oldpecosfoods.com), and a wonderful moisturizing lotion bar made from local beeswax and almond oil infused with calendula flowers (www.MilkandHoneyLotion.com). The Saturday market is continuing into winter. Some crops are still going strong—carrots, grapes, broccoli, and escarole.

If you’re having lunch this winter in Santa Fe, you’ll want to consider Back Street Bistro (505.982.3500), with six homemade soups each day. I just had the pumpkin soup: it’s a gorgeous yellow-orange, with tiny, diced onions and I think some sprinkled nutmeg.

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