Edible Blue Ridge Spring 2023

PUBLISHER+EDITOR Lisa Archer lisa@edibleblueridge.com BLUE RIDGE edible ®

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Editor’s Letter

T YPICALLY I WRITE this letter at the last moment, once all articles are turned in, photographs have been edited and we’ve begun to get the magazine into layout. It helps me to see the flow of articles as I write, to watch how one story might lead into the next or where we need a pause, a recipe or an image. Much like in reading sheet music, I read the rise and fall of notes/words and take my cues from what is on the page before me — finding where I can improvise a little as I describe what the next measure/article will reveal.

DESIGNER Jeremy Cohen

COPY EDITOR Michelle Acker

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jesse Feldberg ads@edibleblueridge.com

Pumpkin-Sage Sourdough is also means I write my letters before the season is in session. It’s February and I am attempting to write a letter to span all of spring until the summer issue arrives at your doorstep or at your favorite local establishment. Often this takes a little imagination and sifting through memories of seasons past. is February, I don’t have to imagine the arrival of spring because it feels as if it is already here. My daffodils have bloomed, I’ve been watching forsythia scatter their petals along greenways and roadsides and all week the temperature has risen past sixty degrees. e winter has been warm and decidedly wet and, though we may still have that last-minute frost or a random snowfall in March, it seems that we are steadily headed in a warmer direction. Climate change is an ongoing issue, reflected in our vineyards (such as the devastating frosts in spring of 2020), our fields (wet winters, dry summers) and our neighborhoods (it is February and the neighbor’s cherry tree is blossoming!). e facts have been before us for quite some time and we know changes must be made to our systems: agricultural, industrial, personal. In Harrisonburg, Jubilee Climate Farm experiments with a variety of growing practices in order to combat climate change. From silvopasture to carbon farming, discover how they strive to teach others the importance of carbon sequestration while, at the same time, learning from other cultures and past generations. Sometimes it takes a community rising together to meet a problem head on, while at other times change is instigated by an individual. Our resident columnist Christina Nifong is no stranger to implementing changes in order to preserve this world for future generations: often it is the small changes we make — such as choosing public transportation over driving our car every day, or saying no to styrofoam or plastic — that can strengthen our resolve and lead us to rise up and ask for widespread change at the local, state and national level. I saw this sentiment reflected when I visited House of Bread, a non-profit that teaches formerly incarcerated women new skills and helps them to start again, all the while championing the message that a person is more than a label assigned by society. When it comes to people in our communities who help others rise to their true potential, my mind turns to Antwon Brinson, founder of Culinary Concepts AB. ough he may be most famous for his appearance on the HBO hit e Big Brunch, his Charlottesville community knows him to be a born bridge-builder as he teaches cooking skills and partners with employers around the city to secure jobs for individuals who might otherwise have been overlooked. Spring, perhaps more than any other season, brings with it new beginnings. From seeds sprouting along the windowsill or garden row to new recipes, new practices, new relationships and adventures. I hope the articles in this issue inspire your own new beginnings this season. Happy Spring,

CONTRIBUTORS Janine Aquino Sarah Golibart Gorman Christina Nifong Sara Schober

Matthew Tolbert Jennifer Waldera

CONTACT US: Have a story you’d like to see featured in Edible Blue Ridge? Send us your ideas! info@edibleblueridge.com Edible Blue Ridge P.O. Box 3089 Roanoke, VA 24015 SUBSCRIBE Subscribe online at edibleblueridge.com or pay by check to the address above. Annual subscription rate (4 issues) is $28. No part of this publication may be used without written permission by the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you. © 2023 Edible Blue Ridge LLC. All rights reserved.

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