Food for Thought: Fall/Winter 2025
Winter Solstice is coming up and it’s no surprise how opposite it is to summer. Instead of having boundless energy to build floats and converge at Alameda Park for a weekend of music on the long days, the dwindling light and jarring time change makes our bodies rebel against the clocks.
Our urge to slumber is in conflict with responsibilities and requirements that don’t care about the shorter days. A bowl of something warm and a soft blanket are the new balm to soothe while we wait for the rain to come, hopefully gently and just enough to prepare the soil to regenerate.
During these dark months, I’ve convinced myself there’s a hack to creating more time in my day: I get up early and claim back, if you will, the time that darkness thought it had taken for itself. Those early hours are often devoid of distraction. No people, no traffic, no phone calls. Now that I’ve claimed this space as mine, I want to invest it: get ahead of chores, tidy things, write. But more simply: there is time to go outside for a couple of deep breaths, stare out the window to catch the sunrise, and let my mind wander down its own paths without guidance from a screen or algorithm.
Sometimes it only takes a minute to claim back a moment to invest in yourself. Here is one way to make that time count: observe your heart rate drop after a minute of gentle breathing. Can you give yourself a minute to do that? It’s a good place to start. And if you’ve given yourself a minute to pick up this final issue of 2025, you’ve chosen to connect to a slice of Santa Barbara County life that enjoys holding a printed magazine to read about our food, our stories, and our community that knows we are part of a local and dynamic ecosystem.
The theme of this issue is “Rituals.” Autumn turning to winter is rich in rituals. There is ritual in the harvest and preparing the fields for the next cycle. We as a nation have a ritual by giving thanks with family or having Friendsgiving with chosen family. We heed the call to hold a warm bowl of soup or prepare a roast with root vegetables and gravy, and—like clockwork in Santa Barbara—take photos of every stunning sunset. All of these are rituals.
In the spirit of rituals, there is gift-giving, feasting, and giving to yourself a moment to unwind or simply to breathe for a minute. The ritual of connection this season is holiday cards, the company party, mass at midnight, homemade cookies, or just showing up with nourishment for a bedridden friend. You have a choice: reiterate the routine or make it a fresh ritual.
Are you looking for a gift? Consider a subscription to Edible Santa Barbara. Chances are, most people on your gifting list love our local food scene as much as you do. Support small businesses, support farmers, support the hands that feed and fete you. A subscription delivers four love letters each year about these stories, shipped right to your door. See you in 2026!
