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Natural Awakenings Milwaukee Magazine

March 2014 Publisher Letter

Imagining that spring is just around the corner and yearning to make the most of this year’s seemingly endless winter, I decided to partake in some new outdoor activities. In my first-ever venture snowshoeing into the woods, my son, Yonatan, and Aunt Norma and I headed out for a delightful hour sliding through the powdery  soft snowfall. We bundled up well and found it exhilarating to glide through the trees and across bridges over frozen creeks. We returned home energized, refreshed and ready to go again at the next opportunity.

This modest outing reminded me how, rather than complaining about extreme weather patterns, it is vital and relatively effortless to find joy and fulfillment daily in just about any situation. Imagine the adventures warmer weather will bring!

This month’s special Food & Garden issue has me eager to play outside in the dirt. Gardening, harvesting and cooking my own veggies and herbs are some of my great delights. This year, the process presents more of a challenge than in the past because my move to an apartment required me to bid adieu to my beloved, raised-bed vegetable gardens. Container gardening, here I come. With the help of Bradley Blaeser, who tells his story in this month’s Community Spotlight, and The Green Team, I hope to put together a worthy patio garden. I know you’ll enjoy reading more about this innovative company.

Fortunately, today we see so much creativity with urban gardening in small spaces that anyone can glean doable ideas for growing at least some of their own food. Perhaps we can even incorporate foraging for wild edibles into a new, joyful routine of simple adventures. Shannon Francis gets us excited about the idea in her article, “Foraging for Greens: Garlic Mustard.”

Happy planting to all,

Gabrielle Buchnik Natural Awakenings Milwaukee

Gabriella Buchnik, Publisher