EDITOR’S LETTER “There can be no life without soil and no soil without life…” —Charles E. Kellogg, soil scientist
O
ne of my favorite things about spring in Ventura County has always been the two or three months of lush green hills surrounding each city. It is an extended moment of forgetting that our rainfall average is less than half of the United States’ annual rainfall and our sunny days outnumber the national average by half. Last year, around this time, while walking through those gorgeous slopes, my mom said to me, “I am storing the green in my heart to keep me through the brown.” It stuck with me. Spring is a time of awakenings: fresh buds in the garden; new exciting vegetables and fruits at the markets; Ojai Pixies everywhere, even here (see page 16); loads of eggs (see page 11); and lots of adorable baby animals. It is a season of fun holidays: Earth Day; Passover and Easter; Mother’s Day; International Women’s Day; Holi Festival and April Fool’s Day. And it is time to be outside connecting with the earth, with the true sources of our food and with each other. Our stories in this issue reflect the connections we all need. From a local Chumash Elder, we hear about how we can reconnect with Mother Earth and have a small taste of a slower life (page 18). From a local farm, we learn about how regenerative practices of connecting agriculture back into a cycle of symbiosis can heal the land (page 28). From hemp farmers, we see how it really does take the whole community to move forward toward economic possibilities (page 24). In this fresh season, my hope is that we can all embrace the beautiful things that surround us, especially those delightful shared meals, and store them up to keep us through the brown. Happy eating,
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Edible Ojai & Ventura County 2470 Stearns St. #142 Simi Valley, CA 93063 805-622-9355 info@edibleventuracounty.com Founded 2002 by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, Edible Ojai & Ventura County is published seasonally, four times a year. We are an advertising- and subscriber-supported publication, locally and independently owned and operated and a member of Edible Communities, Inc. Distribution is throughout Ventura County and by subscription for $28 per year. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and let us know.
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spring 2020
Edible Ojai & Ventura County
