Idaho is known for agriculture—particularly potatoes—across the world. In a state with plenty of land for farms, ranches and dairies, there is also an abundance of water. Without water to sustain Idaho’s most famous crops, the state would not rank first in the nation for the production of potatoes, trout, barley or peppermint.

However, ongoing droughts are affecting the amount of water Idaho has available to put toward agriculture. Growers and residents alike are looking at a future where they must prioritize how and where they use water.

A generation of Basque Idahoans sought a renewed connection with the Basque Country through the traditional recipes brought with their grandparents to America. In the Basque American hub of Boise, Idaho’s Basque cuisine fuses traditional flavors and methods with culture, ingredients and innovation picked up in the new world.

Countless beds of fresh herbs, wandering chickens and a greenhouse bursting with bright red tomatoes take habitat in Angelo Brunson's backyard. It's the kind of small operation that makes Angelo's Ristorante in Coeur d'Alene, one of the city's standout farm-to-fork establishments. 

Executive chef and owner Brunson's European heritage and passion for organic ingredients guide his business model as well as his personal mantra: To eat good quality food and know where it's coming from.  

There is little debate that farmers markets, despite having existed for centuries, are one of the bright spots in contemporary American culture. But they’re not limited to the middle class like it may seem today. Markets around Idaho are coming up with innovative ways to help get food to people who need it most.

Rising land prices have put the cost of farming outside the reach of many young farmers, but a program taking root in Idaho is helping.

Idaho farms—including Peaceful Belly Farm in Canyon County and Full Circle Farm and Nedrow Farm in Teton County—are using conservation land easements that can reduce the cost of permanently preserving farmland by up to half. Here’s how an easement works.

Spring is the season for celebrating fantastic local beer and the people who make it: April is Idaho Craft Beer Month, and May 16-22 is American Craft Beer Week.

At Project FARE, we love telling the stories behind the things you love to eat and drink, so we’re honoring the hoppy, malty, sour season for the next six weeks with a virtual tour of breweries across Idaho.

Keeping farmworkers safe from heat-related illnesses is getting harder every year. 

Without serious action on climate change, reports state, extreme heat and weather may make it impossible to grow food — or work outside safely to harvest it.

Idahoans saw signs of this future in the brutal summer of 2021. Now, as the 2022 harvest season approaches, farmers, farmworkers and the organizations that advocate for them are gearing up for another heat wave. 

In Idaho, cottage baking laws allow entrepreneurial home bakers to sell goods made in their own kitchens directly to consumers, as long as they adhere to a few basic guidelines. Whether as a part-time side gig for a little extra cash or as a full-time business, with a little finesse and some word-of-mouth marketing, bakers like Rizzuto often find cottage baking pays off quite sweetly. 

For many Mexican families, pozole is a Thanksgiving staple served in place of turkey. Sal Alamilla, co-owner of the restaurant Amano in Caldwell, has enjoyed just such a feast. It inspired Amano’s 2020 Thanksgiving community event: Pozole for Familias.

All afternoon on Turkey Day, Alamilla’s team handed free bowls of house-made pozole to everyone who stopped by the restaurant. Ladled from a single pot, the stew alleviated loneliness, banished hunger, and brought food-insecure families and business executives together at one steamy table.

This year, Pozole for Familias is back! Amano will serve free stew from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 25. The pay-what-you-want bowls of pozole will benefit Inclusive Idaho (II) — a local nonprofit that builds inclusion for historically excluded groups in the Gem State, like people of color and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Written by Lex Nelson