To be clear, winter does have its charms. Pops of color as cardinals sit atop snow-crested pine boughs are quite delightful. What’s not so enchanting is the drone of generators and snow blowers as we on Cape Cod dug out from our once-a-decade blizzard that left large swaths of the Cape without power for up to five days. Mercifully, those hums have been replaced by the tweets and trills of returning songbirds.

A lot of lessons were learned (or relearned) this past winter. For some, there was the recognition of just how unpredictable life can sometimes be and how close we come to needing help. In the span of six days, Family Table Collaborative produced over 15,000 meals for those who needed help while the power was out. What does that look like? Who are the people making those meals? Whose hands are in the kitchen prepping, cooking, and packaging all the meals? We got a first-hand look at what it takes to produce weekly food distributions from this important organization in “A Seat at the Table, Always”.

Farm life is not an easy life. For John Bartlett, it’s what he’s known his whole life growing up and working on Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm on Nantucket (est. 1843). Now, he and his wife Sarah have staked their own claim here on Cape Cod with Bartlett’s Farm West Barnstable, and you’ll learn more as Nantucket native Susan Fernald caught up with the pair in “A Family Farm Hits Its Stride” with vibrant photographs by Todd Marcus chronicling moments from their first year.

Bill O’Neill returns with a look at those taking the necessary strides toward personal redemption and helping others in the process with “Filling the Knead”. Inmates in the Community Cooking Program at Barnstable County Correctional Facility are baking bread and rolls which are distributed to area food pantries. The bakers are learning new, marketable skills and a little bit more about themselves along the way.

We meet Chef Kevin Curtin of The Restaurant at Love Farms, who shares his recipe for stuffed flounder, and teaches us a new skill or two. The recipes don’t stop there, either. New voice to these pages, Chef Gavin Smith, sheds some light on his favorite types of cabbage. The little-used vegetable relegated to coleslaw and boiled dinners gets a new taste in his recipe featuring Chinese five spice and lime breadcrumbs.

Returning favorites John Carafoli and Becca Miller are back with their columns and tasty recipes as well. John will have you “Gathering Freshness” with spring greens, while Becca will send you searching for “Wild Asparagus”.

Edible Cape Cod’s spring issue has arrived and so have the songbirds. We hope you enjoy reading as their sweet music plays on.

-Larry

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