October 2025

.

For the Broth and Chicken: 1 bunch fresh cilantro 1 bunch fresh dill 1 garlic head, halved crosswise 2½-3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken legs 10 cups of water 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black peppercorns ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 1 3-inch cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves For the Soup: 1 pound carrots (about five medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups) 3 tablespoons salted butter ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup dry vermouth 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 6 large egg yolks ¼ cup lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons) Ground black pepper DIRECTIONS Tie the stems of the cilantro and dill into bundles, then trim off the leaves, reserving ¼ cup of each for garnish. In a large pot, combine both sets of stems, the chicken, and the remaining ingredients.

.

Last Christmas, I received the Milk Street Cookbook as a gift and discovered an intriguing recipe for chicken soup. I promised myself I’d make it once fall arrived. Now that the leaves are turning quickly, I thought I’d share it with you in case you’d like to try it too. If you don’t already own the Milk Street Cookbook, I highly recommend picking one up; it’s full of wonderfully savory recipes.

.

The federal government once again has shut down due to partisan disagreements, effectively “closing its doors” at midnight on September 30, according to the White House website. Despite the most recent shutdown, Big Bend National Park remains open with limited services.

Early voting for the upcoming November 4 constitutional amendment election is just two weeks away. Registered voters’ first chance to cast their ballots will be on October 20 at the Val Clark Beard Office Complex located at 203 N. 7th Street in Alpine.

The Alpine City Council preceded its regular meeting with a water workshop presented by Andy Vecellio, PE of Jacob and Martin Engineers. Vecellio presented the council with the current issues the city was facing in terms of critical issues, the top two being a supply issue to the western side of the city that falls into the Sunny Glen pressure plane, and the Skyway Gardens II project, currently underway, that would not pass TCEQ requirements for pressure due to low psi in the lower hill pressure plane where it currently resides.

As the owner of a five-acre desert parcel on Terlingua Ranch, I faced a landscape stripped of much of its native vitality: eroded bentonite dust, extreme aridity, and the legacy of past mismanagement. But instead of imposing outside solutions as per local suspicion, I brought my expertise in restoring indigenous ecology and applied permaculture to the site.

“Home is not a place … it’s a feeling.” —Uncredited bit of wisdom I picked up years ago “So, where’s home?” asked the man whose hand I was still shaking. A mutual friend had just introduced us as we met for lunch at a local restaurant.