Did you know that the largest pecan growers in the world are based in the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico? The Stahmann family planted 4,000 acres of pecan orchards here in the 1920s, and these days they also have another 2,000 acres in Australia. Even though Georgia and Texas are better known for these native Southwestern nuts, Doña Ana County produces more pecans than any other county in the country. But you didn't know that, did you? Because most New Mexico nut growers pass their edible jewels on to "nut handlers" for processing, few bother to market their crops themselves. Instead, our pecans often turn up unnamed in pies and our peanuts in the bottles of national brands.
The fact that our nuts fly under the radar frustrates Chris Goblet, a former organizer of wine festivals for the New Mexico Winegrowers Association. After leaving the NMWGA, Goblet turned his interest toward planning an event that would pair local wines with locally grown foods. But he had trouble finding a signature crop that was also wine-friendly, so he turned his attention to a different classic pairing: beer and nuts. New Mexico has plenty of successful and popular microbreweries and a huge, if relatively unknown, nut industry. And, Goblet says, "I drink more local beer than I do New Mexico wine any day of the week."
He thinks it's unfair that New Mexico wines get so much more attention than our breweries. "We've got these mediocre wineries that we're heralding all the time, but nobody's talking about any of these really established microbreweries," he says. "I mean, Santa Fe Brewing Company has been around 20 years! Beer is becoming a heritage industry here."
Goblet's efforts will culminate in the New Mexico Beer and Nut Festival at the Santa Fe Horse Park (directions at right) this Saturday, Oct. 21, from noon until 6 pm. About a dozen microbreweries will be on hand, including Santa Fe Brewing, Second Street Brewery, Odell's, Steamworks, Sierra Blanca, Tractor, Isotopes, Turtle Mountain, Kelly's, Il Vicino and Blue Corn/Chama River. Each ticket for the festival ($12 at the gate or $10 in advance) will get you a sample card to take to each of the breweries' booths. They'll punch the card and you'll get to sample their beers.
Also at the festival will be representatives of the "big four" nuts: peanuts, pecans, piñons and pistachios. Chuck's Nuts, L'il Reds, Ritch's Pecan Shop, Fred Montez Pecans, and Bartz Peanuts and Pistachios will out there giving samples and hawking their wares.
Next year, Goblet hopes to add more nut growers as opposed to "nut handlers" to the festival. (Goblet says he prefers to call them "nut processors" but that the nut guys insist on using the phrase "nut handlers." Who says farmers don't have a sense of humor?) Goblet says it's been a real challenge trying to convince nut growers and handlers of the marketing potential of an event like his. At first, the organizer reached out to the Department of Agriculture for help, figuring that they'd be eager to push New Mexico nuts. Not so much. "I know squirrels that could market nuts better than the Department of Agriculture," he says. "It's the same problem we have in a lot of local industries. We have a lot of products here that are unique, but we don't know how to get the word out." Beer and nuts, he says, are two industries that lack a cheerleader here. Goblet is happy to be that cheerleader (minus the short skirt and bloomers).
Goblet is quick to point out that the festival has nothing to do with Oktoberfest. "I lived in Germany and I've been to Oktoberfest, but I came up with this idea because it's really different." The focus here may be on local beer and nuts, but you'll still be able to indulge your cravings for a cold beer, a handful of nuts and a big, hot sausage. Chef Richard Agee will be cooking up five different kinds of German sausage from Albuquerque's Alpine Sausage Kitchen. He'll have bratwurst, green chile turkey bratwurst (which, by the way, does have pork in it), knockwurst (like a short, fat, highly seasoned hot dog), smoked German sausage (Agee's favorite) and Vienna sausage (read: hot dog). And you can get all of them slathered with the chef's special sauerkraut.
More familiar fare will be available from the beloved Roque's Carnitas folks, Back Road Pizza, the Santa Fe Chile Company and Tara's Organic Ice Cream. Ritch's Pecan Shop will feature pies made by Bernice Ritch, a 70-something Cuchillo resident and one of the founders of the Cuchillo Pecan Festival held each February. Goblet says Bernice Ritch makes the best pecan pie in the world.
Seriously, does it get any better than standing around on a gorgeous fall day in Santa Fe, drinking a bunch of beer, chomping on freshly roasted nuts, eating grilled sausages and then topping it all off with pecan pie and fresh ice cream? I'll answer for you: No, it doesn't.
New Mexico Beer and Nut Festival
Saturday, Oct. 21, noon-6 pm
Santa Fe Horse Park, 100 S. Polo Drive (
), off Airport Road, west of Highway 599
Tickets available at Liquor Barn and participating breweries
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
