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Dear Kitchen Gardener,

Political scientists talk about the United States as a closely fought battle between red and blue.  From a climatologist's perspective, though, the red is clearly winning. 

The map above recently released by the National Arbor  Day Foundation shows changes in US Hardiness Zones over the course of the past 16 years.  While there are a few pockets of bluish gardeners who have actually lost a zone, the vast majority of the country has seen its climate slip into the red. 

I am located in the southern tip of coastal Maine which has gone from Zone 5 to a Zone 6.  I can't deny that there is a selfish and opportunistic side of me that fantasizes about what these few extra degrees will do for the grape vines and peach tree I planted last spring.  But then I wake up and remember that climate change is not simply a few extra vineyards here and a few less sugar maple groves there.  We are talking about an extreme global makeover, the impacts of which no one can accurately predict.  What is clear is that we all need to do what we can - as individuals, communities and countries - to reduce and offset our global warming causing activities. 

This will not come as much of a surprise, but I am convinced that we kitchen gardeners have an important role to play in this challenge.  The highly industrialized food and agriculture systems of North America, Europe and Japan do not run on compost, sweat and hope,  but on fossil fuels.  According to Richard Heinberg, author of the highly acclaimed book "Powerdown", over 400 gallons of oil equivalent are expended to feed each American each year.  Clearly, we can and must bring that number down by increasing the amount of food produced locally. 

Who is more qualified than we  - the "localest" eaters of all - to the lead the way towards this delicious new food system?