Summertime, and living is easy. Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn’t, but summer is finally here. The long days stretch out before us, luxurious in their warmth and light. It’s the time of year where I will take any excuse to be outside—a morning walk to my community garden plot, taking video calls on my balcony, asking “Want to grab coffee in the park?” Meeting friends over a picnic blanket for a late, unplanned lunch of picky bits that stretches right into dinnertime is my idea of heaven. It’s worthwhile to savor the sweet things in our lives. All work and no play, as the saying goes.

It’s in this delicious spirit that we come to this issue—sharing the stories of folks living the sweet life, literally. Beekeepers, jam artisans, maple syrup makers—these are the people who make our lives more satisfying, giving us our prescribed spoonful of sugar.

Stirring that spoonful of sweetness into an afternoon cuppa, or scraping it over thick slices of toast, we’re not necessarily thinking of the steps taken to bring that product to our cupboards. It’s not always sunshine-warmed fruit and blooming flowers, and tapping tree sap directly into bottles. These producers are working hard and urgently to make the most of their short seasons—some only a few weeks long, as you’ll read in our piece about bigleaf maple syrup.

This summer, we want to savor living in the season. Come with us as we grow our gardens to fill our glasses, tap trees to make true PNW maple syrup, listen as bees hum away doing their important work. And then head to your local farmers market to support these artisans—we’ve made a helpful directory to lead you to your nearest market, thanks to the support of the American Farmland Trust.

We’re also here thanks to our advertisers, community partners and subscribers. If you happened upon one of our free copies, it’s thanks to their generosity. Please consider supporting local food stories by buying a subscription for you or a friend.

This tiny but mighty team is grateful for every single one of you.

Cheers to the sweet life,

Lindsay Kucera
Editor