Editor's Letter

  • Editor’s Letter

    Do you dream of a lush edible garden right outside the door, brimming with your favorite fruits and vegetables? Itโ€™s so fulfilling to pluck from your own vines of fresh grapes; trees full of apples, plums, cherries, and peaches; and vessels of veggies and herbs. Of course, itโ€™s not all roses. Each year, we run into gardening challenges. A freeze kills the fruit tree blooms, birds eat the grapes, squirrels find the snap peas, and insects (especially those pesky aphids) decimate the rest.

  • Editor’s Letter

    When did you begin drinking coffee?

    Reports show that many Gen Zers start sipping it at age 15, Millennials began between ages 18 and 20, and in some countries (such as Brazil, Mexico, and Columbia), itโ€™s common for children to take their first drink of coffee at a young age.

  • Editor’s Letter

    Thereโ€™s no greater gift than the one you make yourself. Whether itโ€™s a scarf you knitted, a necklace you beaded, a bowl you crafted, hand towels you embroidered, or a body scrub you mixed, bottled, and tied with a pretty bow, the receiver is rewarded with a creative present that comes from the heart.

  • Editor’s Letter

    Iโ€™m a mycophile; I marvel at mushrooms. When Iโ€™m in the garden or on a walk and see them sprouting out of the ground, I wonder what type of species they are and what their fungal systems look like underground. One of the highlights of our Italy food-and-drink tour this fall will be a fabulous adventure hunting for truffles with dogs.

  • Editor’s Letter

    Todayโ€™s young people are our future food leaders. And, in this issue, since fall is back-to-school time, we are focusing on local youthsโ€™ involvement in the food community, from cooking and growing food to making healthy eating choices.

  • Editor’s Letter

    My first job was in a pizza place. In my early teens, I was visiting Dad in Ouray, Colo., for the summer and responded to a flyer in a window for a cookโ€™s assistant. I made dough, cut veggies, and cleaned the kitchen. When I came home each day, I reeked of pizza.

  • Editor’s Letter

    In the early 1970s, my mom published a cookbook. She compiled her favorite original recipes and gathered some from loved ones and other sources. She included photos of friends and family (including the one of me to the right) and quirky, humorous, food-related illustrations and images. She handed the books out to a lucky few.

  • Editor’s Letter

    In my youth, I grew up running around my Santa Barbara neighborhood on the weekends and in the evenings, picking fresh kumquats, pomegranates, blackberries, and sourgrass from yards and along roads. Back then, I didnโ€™t eat a lot; I was too busy. Those foraged treats fueled my adventures in the wild.

  • Editor’s Letter

    In the early 1970s, my mom published a cookbook. She compiled her favorite original recipes and gathered some from loved ones and other sources. She included photos of friends and family (including the one of me to the right) and quirky, humorous, food-related illustrations and images. She handed the books out to a lucky few.