A letter from the editor.

The last bowl of black-eyed peas devoured a few days into this new year were especially delicious. A good-luck food in the South, said to bring fortune when eaten on January 1, black-eyed peas are an annual tradition in my house. Usually it's my husband, Steve, who soaks them all night and then simmers them with a melange of spices that fill the house with what has come to be our New Year's Day aroma. Then he serves them either straight or over rice—sometimes with chunks of spicy sausage, cooked in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. We've been known to lap it up for breakfast, just to get an early start on the good luck.

This food tradition is just one of many in our family throughout the year. Working on this magazine—meeting the farmers and food artisans and tasting the many treasures Central Virginia has to offer—has revealed wonderful opportunities for more food traditions on various holidays, or even any day: luscious locally made chocolates for Valentine's Day; a short stack of pancakes from our favorite diner on weekends; molasses spice cookies and a loaf of sourdough bread from BreadWorks in Charlottesville every Tuesday. The occasion needn't be special, but by doing this, we make it so.

Now that 2010 is under way, we reflect on the year that has already passed: 2009 was the first year of Edible Blue Ridge—the issue in your hands marks our first anniversary. But the milestone also prompts a look to the future, a new decade. With that in mind, we explore what lies ahead for farmers  by talking with two in the area: one of whom has been farming in Nelson County for 32 years; the other, a graduate of UVA who started farming in Keswick in 2005. Through their conversation, we all get a glimpse of where local farming has been and where it is headed.

As for what we'll be up to the next year? Our goal is to continue bringing you even more of the in-depth stories you tell us you love. (We love hearing from you, by the way.) So keep reading, Central Virginia. The future looks bright...and, from our vantage point, immensely delicious.

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