Publisher’s Note
Everyone needs to eat, and the quality of the food we put in our bodies has a big impact on the quality of the lives we live. Here at Word of Mouth, we focus on local food and farms—the food resources that are right on our doorstep, in contrast to those that arrive via container truck.
That local food can be found at farm stands and farmers markets across the county, as well as in grocery stores that stock their products. It is often both better quality and safer (no mysterious mega outbreak on the lettuce, for example). It has a smaller carbon footprint because it has less far to travel, and your purchase keeps dollars in our community.
But local food is still a tiny fraction of the food bought and consumed in our remote corner of California. We are still dependent on those container trucks to keep grocery shelves stocked and the people of this county fed. But there’s a vulnerability inherent in that dependence, one that is feeling increasingly precarious as food prices hit record highs. Grocery bills are up 33% from 2019. 80% of Americans are trying to cut back on their spending, with 28% looking to their food budgets to do so. Drastic changes to the national SNAP (Supple- mental Nutrition Assistance Program) have forced many clients from the rolls, burying them in bureaucratic paperwork and causing some people to skip meals when their benefits have been canceled. Food banks are overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of the food insecure and our vulnerable neighbors.
In this issue, we have an excerpt from a piece originally printed on the excellent Civil Eats website in which social media influencers teach their fans how to cook low cost meals at home (p 13). Writer and former Anderson Valley resident Stephanie Gold shares her favorite affordable food spots in her new home of New York City (p 21). I’m tempted to take a special trip to the Big Apple just to taste the chicken kebab and pumpkin curry at Ariana Afghan Kebab House. Our feature on Turtle Island Tacos (p 7) highlights a deliciously affordable local food truck option.
If burgers are your thing, the value-priced menu at Jumbo’s Win-Win (p 43) in Philo has a great one, and you can squeeze in a game of Buck Hunter on their vintage arcade machine while you’re there. Or, if you’d rather make it yourself, stop by Willowside outside of Santa Rosa for an impressive variety of excellent meat at good prices (p 45).
Looking forward into fall, this may be the season you decide to can your own tomatoes from your neighbor’s garden or to plant a late summer batch of potatoes to store for winter months. Improving one’s own personal food security is always a good idea, and can help to soften the hit to your pocketbook.
A crisis has a way of revealing opportunities and forcing attention onto what really matters. If you’re struggling with the cost of groceries right now, know you are not alone. And if your pantry stocks are healthy, consider supporting your neighbors by donating to the Mendo Food Network at Mendofood.org or another program near you. We all want full bellies and full hearts.
Holly Madrigal
Founder & Publisher
