The farmers’ markets have returned! It’s an exciting time for everyone that appreciates the superb tastes of fresh-from-the-fields local food. Increasing demand has new market locations springing up every year. We have made an honest attempt to include all of them in our Buy Fresh ~ Buy Local section. We especially look to support those providing organic products, sponsoring educational offerings and participating in Community Supported Agriculture co-ops. Please patronize the good folks that are literally growing our way to a more sustainable future.

Home and community gardening, like family farms, have healthy benefits that go beyond the obvious. It seems to stir our ancestral DNA in therapeutic ways.  It’s why gardening is now employed across the country as a lifestyle enhancer for city kids, the elderly and the physically or mentally impaired at resident and rehabilitation centers. The act of nurturing plant life grounds us, connects us to ourselves as part of Mother Nature and rewards our efforts with wholesome nourishment.

My sons’ garden is expanding again this year. Fascinating heirloom varieties are now seeding freshly tilled garden plots in the yard. The whole family pitches in to this annual project, anticipating how the summer sun and rains will make the greens, peppers, squash, beans, peas and tomatoes grow in leaps and bounds. My clever grandsons have figured out what makes the best eating right from the garden. The snap peas rarely make it to the kitchen.

As a proud father of two good sons, I am pleased to share Natural Awakenings’ celebration of fatherhood. It is hard to articulate the grand effect that raising children has had on my life, but I know I am a better person for it, and am exceedingly grateful. “The Fatherhood Factor,”  shines a light on what it means to become a father for those newly considering this step.

Part of being a Dad is bringing precision and finesse to my role as grillmeister. There’s just something about the primal act of controlling fire and cooking in the great outdoors… it brings a bone-deep satisfaction that guys find hard to describe. How stellar it is that grilling has become a social occasion as much as a culinary event; an altogether fun reason to meet new neighbors, throw a graduation party and catch up with friends. I can heartily recommend the recipes in this month’s Conscious Eating department.

To celebrating summer,

Don Moore, Publisher