GRIST FOR THE MILL SPRING 2022

I just picked the first daffodil of the season and should be writing about spring, but I’ve been thinking about shopping. That probably has something to do with the fancy dress I need to buy for my son’s upcoming wedding. Supply chain issues and two years of dressing down have combined to make shopping for formal wear a nearly impossible task—but that’s a happy problem to have.

I’ve also been searching for a box of plain white dinner candles, which seem to have disappeared from the shelves of local stores. A quick look online shows boxed taper candles are still available at that behemoth web retailer, the name of which we will not mention and where I refuse to shop.

We believe it is possible to change our world for the better, one shopping decision at a time. Edible is all about buying local and supporting small local businesses and farms, so that our money stays in our community. While we may sometimes need to go out of network for clothing or candles, we are so lucky to live in a place where almost all our food and drink can be grown, produced and purchased right here.

The easiest place to start buying local foods is at the farmers’ markets—where the produce can’t get any fresher and you have a chance to speak directly with the farmer or people who work on the farm. There are 20 weekly farmers’ markets in the Monterey Bay area listed on our map in this issue, and if you live somewhere else, chances are there is a local market near you.

Supermarkets featured in this magazine are an equally good bet for buying local— Cornucopia, Elroy’s, Jerome’s, New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, Staff of Life, Star Market and Wild Roots—all love to stock delicious things to eat from nearby farms and food artisans.

When you are ready to take the next step, become a conscious consumer and check out the bulk food sections at many of these markets. As reporter Kathryn McKenzie writes in her story Bulking Up, buying products from the bulk bins not only eliminates excessive packaging and plastics, but it also allows the shopper to buy just what is needed and save money, while cutting down on food waste.

Also in this issue, Edible Communities—in partnership with Food Tank—aims to help readers vote their values with their forks by understanding what food labels in the supermarket really mean. Learn how to get to the bottom of certifications like those from Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, A Greener World, Agricultural Justice Project and more, so we can all do our part to support more sustainable and just food production.

There is so much more to read, cook, learn and digest in this fresh Spring issue of Edible Monterey Bay. Our wonderful writers and photographers have been working hard to put it all together and our much-appreciated advertisers have allowed us to keep paying the bills. We’d all be delighted if you pour your local beverage of choice, sit back and enjoy it. Happy spring!

Deborah Luhrman
Publisher