Holiday Treats
Photography by Megan Wylie Ruffing and Christy Ruth

With the holidays here, our minds — and our recipe books — are open to traditions. Managing Editor Katie Mavrich shares with us her Christmas custom of making pizzelles with her grandmother, with a cool vintage iron (we even have the sweet lady’s handwritten recipe card on page 15). We’ve also got tips and tricks from some of our culinary friends for how to give this classic cookie a festive twist. And, Art Director MacKenzie Hoops was so inspired by our treatmaking session that she festooned the goodies with bows and started fastening them to trees in an early decorating spirit. The result is our cover, a sweet salute to the season. (Thank you, MacKenzie, for always making everything so beautiful. We love you.)

This is also the season for CSA subscriptions. I have been a fanatic for community supported agriculture for three years now, reveling in the season where farm goods are delivered weekly in a box, challenging me to play my own version of Iron Chef with their ingredients. The share lasts from April to November, but January is the time to sign up (and to sign up friends, as well). We think subscriptions make great holiday gifts.

For a peek at the camaraderie of the co-op, check out the “Farm Share” feature on page 18. I had the pleasure of attending Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance’s year-end potluck. I brought my favorite recipes back for you to try.

I’m also so pleased to announce the winners of the Best Coffee Awards in this issue. The contest and the competition were hot, literally, and we loved sipping around town with you, sampling the best lattes, meeting the best baristas, and nipping on the best fair trade brews. Check on the winners on page 24.

Keep flipping, and you’ll unlock the mysteries of the disappearing American Chestnut tree (page 22).

As always, we’ve broken down what’s in season (even in the wintertime!) with lots of fun facts and cool recipe ideas in our “Glossary” (page 8). And don’t miss a chance to sit down with The New York Times’ famous columnist, Mark Bittman (page 12)