In Our Fall 2021 Issue

Cover photography by Reilly Wright

At my house, the coming of fall is announced each year by the drumbeat of falling acorns hitting my garage roof. Our old oak tree is letting us know that, even if the weather is still warm, summer is over. Nature’s seasonal signs were especially important last year when the normal human signals of the fall season were missing. There were no football games because the season was delayed. No school buses were on the street because classes were online. Signature fall gatherings, from the Columbus Italian Festival to the Circleville Pumpkin Show, had been canceled due to the pandemic. Nature was not deterred, however, so we still had leaves to rake and acorns to sweep up.

This year, if life is not quite back to normal, at least we see signs of progress. The Ohio State Fair returned in part after scrubbing the 2020 event. This summer the fair held its agricultural competitions for exhibitors and their families, while remaining closed to the public. For the fall, football, school classes and festivals are back on schedule, even as we proceed with caution.

For farmers, the pandemic disrupted suppliers and customers, but the crops kept growing. Last year, some farms cut back on their fall activities for the public and put new safeguards in place. But 2021 is seeing a return to nearly normal here as well. We spent a lot of time visiting farms for this issue of Edible Columbus, and we spoke with families who have been farming for multiple generations. During harvest season, we’re glad to be able to share with you the stories of these families, their farms and their talents—woodcarving included, in one case. As one farmer told me, “Fall is an excellent time for people to see the fruits of our labor—even though they have no clue how much labor it was.”

We also introduce you to noted chef and cookbook author Sara Bir, who has been busy figuring out ways to make use of Ohio’s official native fruit, the pawpaw. The Chambers family shares with us how the pandemic brought new customers for their Little Ladies Soft Serve ice cream business, named for their daughters. You’ll meet some of the people helping barley to make a comeback as a grain crop in Ohio. We also discuss what makes a good recipe, and we have some new ones for you to try for fall.

I hope this fall you will have a chance to visit one of the many farms in our area. While urban growth has chewed up some former farmland, we still have more than 6,000 farms just in Franklin County and the six surrounding counties. In this harvest season, they offer us an opportunity to connect to our agricultural roots—and to build some memories with those we love.

—Gary Kiefer
gary@ediblecolumbus.com