No. 31 • Leftovers
In our eighth (eighth!) year of publishing Edible Ohio Valley, the time seems right to step up and out of our typical focus on local food to explore larger issues. While we love featuring profiles of the farmers, artisans, chefs, and purveyors who bring local products to our tables, in this edition we’re taking a more far-sighted look.
Because capital-F Food is about more than food. What we eat impacts our planet, our community, our fellow humans, and the animals that walk the earth alongside us. And what we’re finding in the stories we’ve gathered here is that everything is pretty much interconnected.
Cedric Rose’s enthusiastic Garden column about the benefits of backyard composting makes even more sense in the context of Amy Leibrock’s feature story about food waste. (And if anything we publish changes your cooking and eating habits, I hope it’s Amy’s piece—along with this issue’s recipes for making delicious use of your leftovers.) You’ll see how local water issues influence not just what comes out of your tap, but also businesses like farms and breweries. Reading about how water is sourced primarily from the Ohio River, you recognize that many local farmers’ sustainable growing practices help keep contaminants out of streams.
During my conversation with surgeon and community activist Dr. Victor Garcia (a polymath the likes of whom I’ve never met), he noted that our food choices are about more than what we put in our mouths. How do those choices affect soil health, water quality, and global warming? Animal welfare and farmworker rights? Shouldn’t we all, regardless of socioeconomic status or neighborhood, have equal access to the same kinds of food? Why do these things matter?
I don’t have all the answers. But I think that asking the questions is a meaningful start.
Bryn Mooth, Editor
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Bryn’s long career in publishing took a left turn sometime around 2010, when she discovered the joy of food writing. Since then, she’s found professional nirvana as the editor of Edible Ohio Valley, author of The Findlay Market Cookbook, and occasional instructor at The Cooking School at Jungle Jim’s. Find her seasonal recipes at writes4food.com.
