The blossoming of the sustainable agriculture and local food community has been amazing to watch and to chronicle in the pages of Edible Chesapeake over the years. Farmers markets are proliferating and gaining customers; small-scale farms and community supported agriculture programs are prospering; retailers are embracing the idea of selling locally sourced products in their stores; consumers are actively seeking food they can trust from producers who are their neighbors. These developments and the fierce loyalty of Edible Chesapeake's readers, who regularly write to thank us for our work and to tell us how they jealously guard their back issues, bode well for the prospect of real change for the better in our region's food systems.
Against this hopeful background, I nevertheless have to share the difficult news that I will no longer be publishing Edible Chesapeake magazine. The decision is the result of much reflection on how best to balance the needs of my family and myself as a small business owner, with the needs of the local food community of which Edible Chesapeake has been an important part since 2005. The recently published Fall 2009 issue, with the incredibly scrumptious apple cider donuts on the cover, is the last of my tenure as publisher and editor. It is uncertain at this time whether Edible Chesapeake will return under a new publisher.
It's very hard to walk away from something I am so proud of, that I've been so passionate about and that has brought so many positive things to my life. It's been an honor to be associated with the Edible Communities brand and to be part of its pioneering work in creating publications that unite local food communities across the country. I am so thankful to all the businesses, organizations and subscribers who believed in and supported Edible Chesapeake. I sincerely thank everyone who contributed stories, photos and recipes to our pages, and all the folks who helped us in ways large and small along the way.
Most of all, I thank the extremely talented and dedicated editorial, marketing and sales staff of Edible Chesapeake, and my incredibly supportive family, all of whom were indispensable to the magazine's success.
All content of the Real People Eat Local website and the Local Mix email newsletter is original and the property of Renee Brooks Catacalos and Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen. We welcome your comments at feedback@realpeopleeatlocal.com.
