In Our Spring 2017 Edition

Wicked tulips by Mae Gammino

Dear Reader,

We are marking several significant milestones in our spring issue. It has been 10 years since we printed the first edition of Edible Rhody in the spring of 2007. While it’s hard to deny that so much has happened in our little state since we launched the magazine, publisher John Schenck and I can scarcely believe 10 years have passed since we began chronicling the local foods movement here in Rhode Island.

In that time Rhode Island has made enormous strides towards connecting eaters with food that is grown, raised, produced and caught here. Nationally, that trend is still growing but I am proud to say that Rhode Island is the leader in direct sales from farms to consumers!

Thinking back to where we were 10 years ago, with just 29 summer farmers’ markets—we now shop at 47 across the state, including seven indoor winter markets, plus our many farm stands. With efforts being made to preserve working farmland and to address its high cost, growth in aquaculture, the rising number of chefs using local product and the increase in local food businesses, to name a few, I remain optimistic that Rhode Island will continue to be a national leader in the advancement of local food systems.

In addition to our 10-year milestone, our publishing group, Edible Communities, is celebrating an anniversary as well. Though we own and operate Edible Rhody locally, we are part of an award-winning international network of mission-driven publications run by likeminded advocates who focus on our local food communities. It has been 15 years since the first Edible magazine was published in Ojai, California, and since then the number has grown to nearly 100 across the United States and Canada.

In recognition of 15 years—and our 10—in print, in this issue we have included an Edible Nation article written by renowned food systems advocate, author and professor Marion Nestle on the impact of Edible Communities and the broader topic of the local food movement with respect to its successes and challenges.

We also sit down with Sue AnderBois, Rhode Island’s—and the nation’s—first governor-appointed director of food strategy, to learn more about the five-year food strategy and discuss goals for Rhode Island’s food economy.

We meet up with Farm Fresh Rhode Island, which is marking its own milestone this year—10 years of the Wintertime Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket, the biggest indoor market in New England. We take a closer look at the multifaceted local food advocacy nonprofit, its growth and what’s in store for its future.

Sharing the stories of the hardworking people who bring us our food and drink and advocate for a better, more edible, Rhode Island has truly been an honor for us. However, Edible Rhody would not exist without our supporting advertisers and our talented and enthusiastic writers, photographers and contributors—those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have joined us along the journey. To all of them, and to all of you, our dedicated readers, a heartfelt thank you for 10 years!

Dig in!