Spring is the perfect season to jumpstart a plan of action for eating locally this year. If you plan early enough, you can join a CSA, subscribe to a home-box delivery service, plant your own garden or enlist a service to plant one for you (my chosen route this spring). For the rest of you — I’ll see you at the farmers’ markets!

In this issue, we’ll inspire you to join the local-food movement, as we feature Dava Parr, who helped pioneer home produce delivery in the Roaring Fork Valley, on page 32.  The dynamo behind Fresh & Wyld Farmhouse Inn and Gardens has literally changed the way many of us eat, think about and champion local foods.  We also welcome Jimmy Yeager, owner of Jimmy’s: An American Restaurant and Bar, in Aspen, as a contributor. He has meticulously compiled photographs, along with a personal narrative, of his recent journey to the Oaxacan Sierra, where single-village mezcals are made the old-fashioned way. Share the journey on page 36, as Jimmy walks us through the process of making mezcal.

The votes are in, and it’s time to congratulate the winners of our third annual Local Hero Awards. The quantity of online votes set a record this year, and we are thrilled to announce the results on page 10. Please help us honor these five Local Heroes for their exceptional contributions to the local-food movement by supporting their businesses.  If you haven’t lately, check out our website, www.edibleaspen.com. Searching for recipes and past stories is easy with our new and improved format. You can also connect directly with our advertisers, who help grow and sustain edibleASP EN.  Looking ahead to our summer issue, you’ll find a complete farmers’ market listing with the locations and dates of summer and fall markets from Aspen to Vail to Durango.  You will also find our 2010 Summer Source Guide, a comprehensive listing of local food and beverage sources. If you would like to submit your business for a complimentary listing in our guide, go to www.edibleaspen.com.

Savor the season!
Lisa Houston
Publisher