Audubon Magazine's Food Issue

I believe it’s always best to look at the bright side of life.  Take for instance the other day; I went for my usual walk along the Hudson. It was a beautiful morning - birds chirping, flowers blooming.  I came home, got ready for work and had a lovely bowl of crunchy farmers market granola.
  

Thinking I had a little stuck in my teeth, I had a look in the mirror and sure enough…part of my tooth and filling were gone. Charming...but not the end of the world.  An emergency visit to my dentist’s office was in order, which is not traumatic for me because I love my dentist.

So what does this depressing news have to do with looking at the bright side of life?  I’ll tell you….I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting to spend a cool, unexpected $1,000 when I picked up the latest edition of Audubon magazine.  I’m sure I’ve lost you at this point – there is nothing cool about Audubon magazine and why would that ease the blow of spending spring shopping money on a porcelain and steel crown?  Because the issue is all about food, of course!

I know, I know…it’s still a stretch but hang with me….

First of all, the Audubon Society is so uncool it is cool (I love when that happens).  Their mission is:

To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

As a result, their magazine is filled with ads for binoculars, birding vacations, and even something called a BirdCam.  While the Audubon’s image may be of fusty birders and stunning but old-fashioned John James Audubon drawings, their message is absolutely up to date with today’s locavore movement. 

The current issue covers “The eternal food loop – Harvest, Prepare, Savor, Cleanup” with well-researched and beautifully photographed articles about topics many of us foodies are interested in:  organic farming, seafood conservation, artisanal food makers, GMOs (boo hiss), chemical-free wines, and composting.  I read about rooftop farming at Brooklyn Grange Farm in NYC, bird-friendly chocolate making at Theo in Seattle, and cheese making at Dancing Cow Farm in Vermont, to name just a few things.

It’s not the easiest magazine to find but I persevered and got the last copy at my local Barnes and Noble.  It’s still on the stands for another week or two and I suggest you try to find it not only because the Audubon is a worthwhile organization to support but because it’s filled with fun stuff.  If you strike out and can’t find it, many of the magazine articles are on their website.

As for the tooth, the only thing that hurt was the $1,000 I would have liked to have spent on, oh, a million and one other things, but whatever - it’s only money, right?  And actually, I ended up being out of pocket $1,000 + $12 because I signed up for a subscription of Audubon magazine, too.