Conservation! From the publisher Winter 2017

Edible Houston celebrates, is inspired by and loves our culturally rich city filled with people from all walks of life. Houston is a food destination because of our diversity, and diversity is what makes Houston a wonderful place to live. No walls here, just tables for us to sit down together to share good food and stories.

The stories in this issue highlight an extremely important topic: conservation. Many of you know that I was a conservation biologist prior to moving to Houston and becoming publisher of Edible Houston. When I told Francine Spiering, our managing editor, that I wanted an issue connecting conservation and food, she was on it! As a board member of Slow Food Houston, Francine knows that food and conservation are intimately tied. I hope you love the stories she curated as much as I do.

Each of us leaves a footprint on Earth that we can limit with small changes: Reduce waste. Buy and eat local; it decreases shipping costs and our carbon footprint. Know your farmer. Farming practices impact the health of our soil and biodiversity: It does matter how your veggies were grown and how your meat was raised. Using chemicals to combat problems from weeds to nutrients to pests is easy but it is not good for you or the planet. Let Glen Miracle of Laughing Frog Farm inspire with his story of thoughtful, sustainable farming.

The City of Houston needs to do more recycling, not less. The amount of glass in our collective kitchens is immense, and throwing it out as garbage is unacceptable. Houston, as the fourth-largest (or third-largest, depending on your source) city in the country, needs to be a leader in finding innovative ways to decrease waste.

And, in this issue we kick off a feature “Story of a Dish” with Chef Antoine Ware, who shares his commitment to using every part of the lamb grown by the Barry Farm in a dish served up at Harold’s in the Heights. After reading the story, check out our website for the accompanying video.

Getting back to the table, when you sit at Edible Houston’s table you are sure to get thoughtful stories to read, dishes to create and people to celebrate. I hope this issue inspires conversations around your table and encourages you to make small changes in your habits that will have a big impact on the city we love. We are better together, and everyone is welcome at our table.

Cheers,