In Our Fall 2018 Issue

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Beginning with issue #30 (Fall 2016), we made what was likely a little-noticed change to Edible Nutmeg’s tag line. The line was altered from “Celebrating the Local Food Culture” of Connecticut to “Celebrating the Local Food Community,” and it has stayed that way since. It was a quite intentional change. The amendment was not meant to depreciate the value of Connecticut’s food culture and history – we still eagerly cover the state’s unique food institutions and cultural contributions – but rather to actively focus our attention on the broader sphere of Connecticut’s ever-growing (and increasingly intertwined) community of food growers, producers, preparers, and more.

My personal and professional experiences prior to Edible Nutmeg led me to put great value on community. I grew up primarily in Los Angeles, and amid the faceless hustle and bustle of that commuter-driven sprawl, genuine community relations were difficult to find. Connecticut, however, was always my second home – these days, my only home – and I recall how, during our seasonal visits to family here, my father was impressed by the fact that the local grocer always remembered his name. As a former farmer and food-worker in this state, familiar connections and camaraderie across industries within the state’s food trade have long struck me as an invaluable but difficult-to-quantify benefit. Perhaps the latter is why it is sometimes overlooked, despite the great need we all inherently have for community.

In this issue, both of our main features focus on community builders in our state. “The Seed Huntress” looks at Sefra Alexandra’s mission to revive an heirloom onion strain that was a vital part of Connecticut’s early history, and how its reintroduction offers not only an education on our historic food community, but also how it can afford our modern food community greater longevity and resilience. Chef Christina Hart is the subject of “Foodology,” which examines her educational work with some of our state’s youngest bakers and the contributions to those in need that come from it. In both cases, the success of the subjects’ missions has been predicated on the involvement of their community. Also, in both cases, the result of their work has been to further enrich the communities in which they are based.

Edible Nutmeg’s success is no less dependent on involvement with and contributions from our community. Every issue is built upon stories, recipes, and photographs by and about members of our community. Our supporting advertisers, too, constitute a broad swath of businesses from a multitude of industries in the state. Without them, neither this magazine nor our communities would prosper.

I often imagine an entirely self-sufficient Connecticut that is capable of internally supplying all of its citizens’ needs, not out of a desire for isolation, but rather for the enriched community connections that would necessarily result. I believe it is a goal we are already on our way to achieving. Connecticut was once dominated by farmers and ranchers. Later, it would turn its fortunes toward manufacturing. Today, however, the state is far less specialized. Our businesses, large and small, come from a great assortment of industries, and I believe that we are ultimately better for it. Rather than look to distant companies well outside our communities for our needs, Connecticut’s range of businesses means we can turn to local producers for all manner of goods and services. The interconnectedness that results from this provides our communities with hardiness, stability, and longevity. As Sefra Alexandra says in this issue, “diversity is resilience.” Edible Nutmeg’s mission is to provide, as best it can, a window into the great diversity of both persons and businesses that comprise Connecticut’s active and industrious communities. I hope that every issue helps our readers become more knowledgeable about and involved in all aspects of them, so that we can continue to celebrate Connecticut’s local food community for many years to come.

Dana Jackson, Editor & Publisher

Fall 2018 full digitial edition flipbook