A word from edible San Luis Obispo®

Another season. Lots of rain, much abundance of green all around me as I prepare this issue.

There so many exciting things happening in this county that I would love to be able to come out bimonthly. It’s as if this force of energy has descended upon us not only in our appreciation of Nature, of which we are a part, but of the nourishment we feed our bodies.  More and more people desire good food, healthy food, local food. We want to support the local and often the smaller businesses that are working with nature, with farmers, with various food outlets that are becoming more conscious. Very interesting times indeed.

And I love hearing and reading stories of the people doing creative projects with food, whether it’s producing it, distributing it, educating people about it or preparing it for our consumption. And we have a wealth of writers who have the talent to convey their stories, to explain the passion and inspiration and hard work that these people embody to make us all the more healthy and conscious.

We have new farmers expanding their CSA’s, farmers who have markets on their land, wine guys who love winemaking, coffee people concerned about social justice, people starting a café not only to prepare wholesome meals with local and organic sources but to build a loving and conscious community as well. We have a new enterprise in SLO that includes learning how to cook with spontaneity, and infuses food with love and community. We need to support these movements/forces that come along in the time we are here on this precious planet, so they grow and prosper.  We have people who are doing glorious things with teas, with oil, with cakes, with our own bees, and with our own local grains.

To learn some history of how all this came about, we focus on Farmers Markets, often the main festive place for all this to happen. And let’s not forget the festivals that bring farmers, food producers, restaurants and consumers together with wine and beer and music, along with learning more about sustainable practices.

What’s exciting about all this is that these people are not centered on money. These projects are their passion, their commitment, their newly found purpose to GIVE what they feel is so important, as well as their livelihood. It is the love that I feel in all these pages, the joy and fun and pride in these stories that await your eyes.

Bob Banner, Publisher