While my parents were visiting from Houston last month I put out a spread of healthy snacks for everyone to graze on—cherry tomatoes stuffed with carrot top pesto, baked sweet potato rounds and some hummus with rainbow carrots. Thrown off by the color and flavor, my mom bit into a carrot and asked what it was. When I told her, she said, “But they’re so sweet!” I explained that that is how organic carrots taste when they’re fresh from the farm.

It’s true—locally and sustainably grown produce just tastes better. It wasn’t until we moved to Baldwin County (about 12 years ago) that I started getting to know the people who grow much of the food we eat. Currently, Will Mastin and the Local Appetite team supply our weekly produce delivery, including those rainbow carrots my mom fell in love with, and eggs from the Perkins family at Nature Nine Farms in the Magnolia Springs area. I enjoy garnishing my meals with microgreens grown by Roselyn Spaan of Garden Variety in Fairhope, and we love the local honey we get from Becka Hargraves of B’s Bees and Cheryl Kittrell of Kittrell’s Apiary. At our house, fresh herbs, satsumas and blueberries often have the shortest distance to travel because they are growing right outside our door.

In this month’s article, “Down to Earth: The Promise of Regenerative Organic Farming”, we learn how sustainable farming methods are not only better for the planet, but they also produce more nutritious food. Mobile resident Leevones G. Fisher knows the value of accessible, healthy food, and in “Cultivating Communities and Wellness”, we spotlight her efforts to have a garden on each of the 29 streets in her neighborhood. If her story doesn’t inspire you to learn how to grow your own food, “Indoor Edible Gardening” might, as writer April Thompson shares ideas for growing vegetables, sprouts and microgreens inside, year-round.

Who’s growing your food? If you don’t know, consider shopping at farmers’ markets, signing up for a local produce delivery service or planting a few easy-to-grow crops. Not only will you taste the difference, you’ll feel a new sense of connection to the food you consume and the people who grew it.

With gratitude,

Meredith Montgomery, Publisher