Editor’s Mixing Bowl
“Every living thing seeks to create a world in which it can thrive. It does this by creating systems of relationships where all members of the system benefit from their connections.”
—Margaret Wheatley, “Leader to Leader”
It’s been a hard winter in California—lots of keeping in touch with frightened friends in Southern California, lots of working to find equilibrium amid global uncertainty. But spring is coming, and even if things are going sideways, nature is doing its best at the annual rejuvenation. I sense a better-than-good chance that there will be strawberries at the farmers’ market, and in fact, I spotted some last week while on a quest for kumquats…or I should say that I caught their sweet aroma first….
If I’ve instilled that scent of strawberries in your yearnings, let me lead you to our writer Claire Bradley. Her story about growing strawberries at home came out of conversations with experts at five local nurseries. The pros gave her heaps of tips on which varieties to choose, how to plant them, and how to tend them for good results. I loved learning about how the plants send out runners that root down into the earth and sprout up new strawberry plants as artist Cathy Raingarden has illustrated above.
What else inspires me in this issue?
In her “What’s in Season” column, Barbara Kobsar introduces the hoary horseradish root, which might be a farmers’ market novelty for you as it is for me. Given how I will spoon half the little jar of horseradish sauce onto my steak and potatoes, it seems like a good idea to make my own. However, before processing the hot root, I’m going to get some goggles, a piece of equipment I have learned on several painful occasions can be quite useful in the kitchen.
Did you know why Monterey Bay squid are a sustainable choice for your table? Contributor Francine Spiering features the cephalopods in her enticing “culinary flirtation” with the French custard called sabayon. And with the help of cover photographer Raymond Franssen (Spiering’s husband), she teaches us how to clean whole squid on our own in order to save them the trip to Asia, where most are shipped to be processed and frozen for the return trip.
I’m also eager to tell you about contributor Anna Mindess’s story. As a writer myself, I was especially struck by how Ying Chang Compestine, a Lafayette-based author of 27 books, inadvertently trained her young imagination through creative play with friends while living under the oppression of China’s Cultural Revolution. When the kids found books that were censored, they wrote in the parts that were missing by applying their cleverness and logic around what the characters would think and do. It says a lot about the nature of resilience.
When I think about how friendships can nurture curiosity, I’m reminded of how those close connections became more vital during the crazy disruptions of 2020. That time came to mind while I was interviewing Saba Grocers Initiative founder Lina Ghanem for the story Transformation at the Corner Store. It was through her friendships with owners of corner stores in food apartheid–afflicted neighborhoods that Ghanem became inspired to enact changes that are now helping bring fresh produce to those stores.
Perhaps my favorite moment in this issue is the airborne opening of the Joe’s Honey story. Writer Rachel Trachten captures the joy that Joe’s entire family (there are 22 of them in Zach Pine’s opening photo) shares with the community each week at the Hayward Farmers’ Market.
May spring bring you joy and rejuvenation.
Cheryl Angelina Koehler
Editor
