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Publisher's Note

ELEMENTS OF HEALTH

“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
— Mary Oliver

Here we are. It’s winter again, and the cool, moist air feels so good. I’m sure you’ve also said or heard someone marvel at how time seems to be moving faster these days. For a few minutes, let’s agree to slow down and savor.

While taking a bite or sip of something, have you ever paused to think of the living soil, water, and hands that brought it to you? Doing so places us squarely in the midst of the most magnificent, intricate living world, which merits more awe and gratitude the closer we look. We usually forget what happens after we swallow, but what we call digestion is part of a dance where the outside world enters our bodies for a while, is partly repurposed to fuel our energy, and then rejoins the outside world. Over and over again. What does this thought exercise bring to mind for you?

In our 15th anniversary year, we’ve continued to take a regenerative lens to our local land, water, and human changemakers here in San Diego County. In the process, everything can look different, and we ourselves can change too.

This issue zooms in close on the tiny elements, creatures, and processes on, in, and all around us. We get acquainted with microbes—yeast, bacteria, and more—that make some of our favorite foods and drinks possible. Who knew that beans and mushrooms could teach us so much about heroic bacteria, micronutrients, and health at all earthly scales? To put all this good learning into action, we’ve gathered key tips for gardening in SoCal’s winter months and our favorite cool-weather recipes.

We’d like to congratulate our 15 contributors who won first, second, and third place awards with the San Diego Press Club this fall (that’s 65 awards in the last five years). We’re honored when colleagues and readers like you appreciate the heart, soul, and rigor that people (no AI here) put into every page. If you can support this local food journalism, please join our free email community, buy a gift subscription for a loved one, or invite your favorite local business to advertise with us.

With thanks and hopes that this winter season is filled to the brim with all that warms your heart,
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Katie Stokes
Publisher and Editor in Chief
Edible San Diego

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