Summer 2017 Publisher’s Note

“Let’s do it,” I said to my wide-eyed husband, when I’d just informed him what time we had to wake to go seaweed harvesting. I had never gathered seaweed off the Mendocino Coast, despite the fact that I grew up her and spent many hours at the beach. So regardless of the ridiculous departure time and the one hour drive, the excursion would be worth it—seaweed harvesting would be a new adventure! Sure, we could sleep in and have a lazy morning at home … or we could try something new. And I am so glad we did. We saw the sun rise on the Pacific. We saw the shore birds skim over the soft waves of a super low tide. And we got to take home pounds of vitamin-rich, ocean-washed seaweed thanks to the guidance of Terry d’Selkie, founder of Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Company (p 18).

“Lets do it” got us out of bed on a dark morning and will be my motto for the rest of the summer. Join me in jumping into fresh experiences, like trying a new restaurant (see Wild Fish, p 20), or heading to a neighboring community to sample a different farmers market (or just recommitting to visiting your own more often—see p 6). Experiment with a new recipe, like Grilled Peaches with the famous summer gems from Langdon Farms (p 4). Or treat yourself to music, art, and an amazing burger in Boonville’s small town salon, Lauren’s (p 9). You can also taste what 75+ years of winemaking can produce over at Barra of Mendocino (p 16). This summer we can all move out of our comfort zones a little bit and have some new (and delicious) adventures.

Holly Madrigal, Publisher