In Our Spring 2021 Issue

Writing about spring always gives me a warm feeling, which is particularly welcome after hours of shoveling snow in freezing temperatures. (OK, I will confess part of that time was spent making a snowman.) The production cycle of Edible Columbus requires us to write about each season before it actually arrives, so my mind is focused on spring even if the rest of me is still dealing with winter.

After a year of turmoil and uncertainty, we can count on this, at least: Spring will arrive with the vernal equinox at 5:37am on March 20. We will soon start to see more birds, bees and butterflies. Budding green leaves will appear on the bare tree branches. It’s a welcome season of new growth.

For most of us, the winter—and the whole past year—was a time of staying at home more, not always by choice. We progressed through a series of pandemic shutdowns, stay-at-home orders, curfews and mask mandates. (Aside from Halloween, I had never worn a face mask in my entire life until 2020, and now I have quite a collection of them.)

The stories in our Spring issue show how the food community, and all of us, have adapted to this reality of spending more time around the house. If you’re among the many who began growing your own food, garden coach Annie Chubbuck has great advice for the coming season. If you’re more interested in having your food delivered, we’ll introduce you to an entrepreneur who will bring his fresh “ooey-gooey” cookies to your door.

For those who are cooking at home more often, we take you to an acclaimed local butcher shop and introduce you to a knife-sharpening service gone mobile. You’ll also find a collection of seasonal recipes that make use of fresh springtime ingredients—and some words of encouragement for when your kitchen adventures don’t turn out as you planned.

Spring is a season of hope, this year more than ever. The new year brought us the COVID-19 vaccines, and millions of our most vulnerable people—by age or health or occupation—already have been vaccinated. Just as spring promises to bring the warmth to melt the ice and snow, the vaccines give us the hope that we will again be able to enjoy gatherings with family and friends and other experiences we once relished.

Columbus poet Maggie Smith published a book last year that seemed perfectly timed to the pandemic, although it came out of the breakup of her marriage. Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity and Change is an inspiring guidebook for difficult times and a favorite in our house. This passage could describe where we are today:

Trust that everything will be okay, but that doesn’t mean everything will be restored. Start making yourself at home in your life as it is. Look around and look ahead.

As we go through this change of seasons, I hope that you are able to stay safe and look ahead—to spring, to new growth and to better days.

—Gary Kiefer

gary@ediblecolumbus.com