Winter 2012

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The Heirloom Issue

Welcome to The Heirloom Issue. Focusing our winter issue on food culture, tradition and heritage foodways is not new to us. Last winter, for example, we featured a short history of sugar in Texas, a recipe for Southern Hospitality Punch and a story on the origins of the Texas pecan-growing industry in San Saba. The winter months are a good time for preserving the bounty of the late fall and winter harvests, preparing holiday meals in a warm kitchen and remembering things past. There may not be snowflakes on our windowpanes, but we can relax a bit from the grip of drought and summer heat.

Since we have begun giving our seasonal issues a special theme as an extra layer of focus, it just seemed natural to call the winter book The Heirloom Issue.

What is it about pondering our past that gives such comfort? History informs and gives context and meaning to our lives. We learn from past mistakes, creating collective workbooks with outcomes and dividends. We might perfect a family recipe by repetition over one year or across generations, but we don’t let them slip away.