Letter from Publisher

The sun is bright in the sky, the days are still long, garden blooms and fresh produce are abundant, and we’re in the height of summer here in the Midwest. While the start of a new school year is just around the corner, we still have opportunities this month to slow down from our busy-365 and focus on the details of the seasonal tapestry that will linger and weave themselves into our future memories of once-upon-a-summer.

Tomatoes are reaching their zenith in the garden and what I like to call “peak tomato” occurs in late August and September as markets, farm stands, CSAs, independent grocery stores and our home and community gardens are filled with all sizes and varieties of this well-loved fruit. To me, their very essence and appearance are an inseparable part of my mental image of summer. They form some of my oldest summer memories and earliest garden lessons; bridging the years while serving as a constant of learning and enjoyment. I eagerly await that very first garden tomato—the one that I’ve anticipated through the long winter months—the one that tastes like no other in the coming season.

This month’s cover reminds me of slow August days, and I can almost smell the aroma of fresh dill, the pungent garlic and the unique fragrance of just-off-the-vine tomatoes that seems to combine sunshine, soil and plant into one sensory experience. On first sight, this image brought memories of childhood summers, of helping my grandparents with their large garden in Antioch, of the smell of crushed dill in homemade pickles marinating on the kitchen counter, and harvested onions and garlic hanging to dry in their neighbor’s old, wooden garage. I recalled  bowls of salted tomato and vinegar salad, with fresh rye bread (caraway seeds, of course) accompanying just-picked green beans, cukes and sour cream, Grams’ pickled beets from the big jar in the fridge, leaf lettuce and whatever else the garden offered that day.

As I learned from those gardens of the past and the simple summer meals I grew up with, so I continue to learn something new every day from my garden and the natural world that I encourage you to seek out and enjoy each month. Our theme in this August issue of Natural Awakenings Chicago is Lifelong Learning, and it seems an appropriate topic as we navigate the transition from lazy summer to more formal fall. Rather than a typical back-to-school edition, we’re focused this month on the benefits of being an ongoing student. From taking a new class to learning a language, exploring a new modality of natural health, taking a deep dive into a prairie ecosystem or exploring the power of group exercise in reaching fitness goals, we explore how engaging our minds at any age can lead to myriad health, emotional, physical, spiritual, social and professional benefits… and be fun and rewarding, as well.

Again, I encourage you to step outside, enjoy the sunshine, savor the summer, and embrace and expand your innate desire to learn and nurture your inner student. Follow your curiosity, set out on a new exploration, stretch your boundaries and embark on a fresh chapter of lifelong learning this August. Teach others your knowledge and skills, share your talents, your passion for learning and your unique skills with the young and the young-at-heart.

Here’s to an August of enjoyment, personal growth, new discoveries and additional chapters in your lifelong summer tapestry of memories.

 

Happy Summer!