Sunday, August 10, 2008

Saturdays In Hastings

We have been busy getting our next issue out. As our issues get bigger, the work involved in putting them out gets tougher. But we hang in not only because we all truly love our work in publishing (like any industry, you have to love it to stay) but we like the fact that what we are doing is helpful for people who need help.

That’s why I’m here in the office on a beautiful August Saturday morning sitting at my desk and figuring out what to do next. I tell you that not to suggest you get your violins out and play sorrowful music, but so I can follow up with two things.

The first is what’s in the next issue. You’ll find information on cutting costs on the gluten-free diet, nutrition for GF children (and adults, too) and, get this, using an iron pan to make quick, easy, economical cornbread and a few other bread varieties.

There are the usual columns/departments: In On your plate, we answer your ingredient questions. In reality CD, we cover the modern gluten-free world (which trust me is a whole different ball game than the world that existed when I was diagnosed 15 years ago). Every issue includes a Last Word, which is a grab bag slice of life this time penned by our summer intern who has been a delight to have around. New for you tells you about new products and places to buy them not to mention GF bakeries! As someone who has been GF for 15 years, I find that astonishing and think I’ll talk about them in a future blog.

The second thing is that before I came here, I went to the Saturday farmer’s market here in Hastings, so it was a plus to travel down here (five minutes from my home so it’s no sacrifice at all) and get there early.

As you probably know, at farmer’s markets you can buy food that almost literally comes right out of the ground, onto a truck and down to Hastings. Some of the items I bought were likely picked yesterday. You can’t really get any fresher than that unless you grow things yourself.

I don’t have to tell you that fresh fruits and vegetables are a plus on the GF diet –or any diet for that matter. In this respect, they are worth whatever they cost for people who need to eat well and for our planet that needs to be sustained.

I’ll go home soon and start off my weekend. I hope all of you have a great weekend as the summer winds down.

Ann Whelan