Grist for the Mill
Dear Reader,
Whether it’s sharing a meal or just talking about your favorite cuisine, cooking experience or food story, food brings us together. In particular, the appreciation for fresh local food that we share brings us closer as a community—what I like to call our food community. I see it every week at the farmers market: veritable strangers sharing recipe tips over the Swiss chard, regular customers reporting back to their farmer on their latest kitchen masterpiece or friends meeting to shop together and catch up.
That idea of community building through the enjoyment of good food is explored in the story on page 40 with the growing number of library cookbook clubs sprouting up around Rhode Island.
Members share cooking experiences and explore new cuisines through different titles each month as they gather to sample recipes each one has prepared for the enjoyment of the group at large. That’s nourishment for the body and soul indeed.
On page 44 we learn from farmers in our food community who are taking a greener approach to energy use, aided by the Rhode Island Farm Energy Program, a multi-agency program designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels on the farm. It’s part of a cooperative regional approach, from New England to the mid-Atlantic, by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector.
We’ve got so much potential in Rhode Island to grow our green economy and support our regional foodshed at the same time. Getting to the ballot box and supporting the Green Economy and Clean Water Bond this fall is just one of the important things you can do to steer a course to a greener future for Rhode Island—one that’s good for our community.
Just as I hope you will get out and vote in our local and national elections, I hope you will also take a few minutes to vote for your local food heroes.
Each fall we ask our readers to vote for the people who bring us our food and drink as a way to honor our hardworking farmers, chefs, food and beverage artisans, our food, wine and retail stores and the nonprofits that effect change in our food community. Watch our e-newsletter, homepage, and social media channels for your opportunity to vote for the 2019 Local Hero Awards—it’s a wonderful way to express your gratitude for the important work they do. We announce the winners though our e-newsletter in February (sign up when you vote), followed by our spring print edition in late March.
We’ve got plenty of other stories to keep you salivating. Like our cover story: It’s not often you find a locally raised pastrami on rye! We’ve got delicious seasonal recipes for every day and a few you’ll want on your holiday table, too. I hope you enjoy the best of the high harvest season and all of its delicious flavor.
