It’s time to grab your garden seeds or starters and mix up some nourishing soil, pull out the garden tools, dust off your favorite big-brimmed hat and start thinking about planting. This year I hope to graduate from last season’s container gardening to planting some small raised beds and maybe even a few fruit trees with thoughts of future seasons.  

Today more Americans are rediscovering the wisdom of cultivating their own gardens and shopping regularly for organic foods at local farmers’ markets, co-ops and health food stores. More families are embracing healthier food choices and doing their best to eat and buy fresh while saving on weekly food bills. We are even seeing similarly encouraging changes in menu planning for our public schools, hospitals and colleges.

Be assured that every conscious choice counts; our small and steady steps are what lead the way to a healthier today and a brighter tomorrow for all life on the planet. We start by taking a look at our own kitchen and daily choosing to shift away from processed products to fresh foods for meals and snacks. 

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Natural Awakenings’ March issue is chock-full of food-related information and insights. In our feature article, food trends expert Melinda Hemmelgarn explains how together we are “Changing the Way America Eats,” on page 30. People in more urban settings will enjoy “Unconventional Gardens,” on page 36. You’ll also find healthful tips to help us all eat nutritiously on a budget (page 34). Yes, it is possible!

As always, we are pleased to share excellent insights and advise by local experts on topics relevant to this special Food & Garden issue. Our Community Spotlight focuses on David Winston, a world renown Herbalist who teaches using his collection of 9,000 globally-sourced herbal texts from his base in Washington, New Jersey. Geri Guidetti, the biologist responsible for uncovering the terminator and traitor genes in Monsanto’s genetically modified organisms patents, lends her 40 years of knowledge in growing non-hybrid, non-GMO vegetable gardens. Her current mission is storing endangered food seeds and developing The Ark Institute as a resource for disappearing varieties.   

We all need to be aware that eating cheap, mass-produced foods comes with a multitude of hidden costs. From environmental toxins that affect everyone, from farm workers to fetuses; inhumane treatment of animals mass-produced for a meat-based diet; and soaring health care costs—we cannot afford to ignore the devastating impacts of modern agricultural practices. These are exciting times for families everywhere as we reclaim our right to access clean, ethically raised whole foods.

Feel good, live simply and laugh more,  Reid Boyer, Publisher