The sun is shining. It is in the high 70s. Life is good. At least that is how I feel on the surface—but if I think back to conversations I’ve had this week my mood changes.

Blight has hit the tomato crops of New England and people are comparing it to the potato famine. How can this be? Talking with a baker at the farmers market I learn that each rainy day, of which we’ve had many this summer, she is down $500 in sales, a large percentage of her market income. Who shops at farmers markets in the rain?

At Edible Boston our mission is to “celebrate the abundance of local foods, season by season.” This is a tough job to do when many of our local foods are not abundant for reasons out of everyone’s control.

So like the farmers we write about, I felt a needto shift gears a little. The time has come to also talk about the problems we are having with our local food. Not just to complain but to help consumers understand. As I reflect on the articles in this issue, I realize many are serious and thought-provoking.

This reflects the times we are in. There is a lot of important information to pass along to you.

Knowledge is a good thing when it is used properly. I hope that our stories and the information you gain from them gives you the knowledge, inspiration and power to help make changes in our local food system.

Change is needed and we all have the ability to bring it about. So, please read on, enjoy and help make a difference.