The mid-August view from my office window: a lovely meadow that’s still dotted with Black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s Lace, and fading clusters of pink wild bee balm. But I can see the riot of gold coming. By the time this issue is in your hands, the goldenrod, patiently waiting all summer for its solo performance, will be center stage. I know that many of us in the Berkshires live for summer, but I’m a fall kind of girl. I love the balmy business of July and August, but toward the end of summer I find myself watching the meadow and waiting for the gold. Indian summer? Not for me. When it’s over, it’s over and I’m ready for jeans, boots, big sweaters, and apple picking.

And this year, I am really keeping my fingers crossed for the apples, because it’s been a pretty devastating year for our Berkshire orchards. The trees bloomed early with an exceptionally warm spring, only to be cruelly decimated by a late frost. Orchards up and down the county reported that they expected to lose anywhere from 60% to 90% of their crop. That cold snap, yet another reminder of our increasingly volatile climate, underscored the perils of farming. So don’t be surprised if apples at your favorite orchard are far less bountiful, and a bit pricier, than you’re accustomed to. Some orchards may not be offering “pick your own” at all. Our suggestion: Be grateful for every piece of fruit that managed to survive and to the people who grew it; pay what they ask without complaint; savor every bite. And hope that next year will be a year of plenty once again.

In this issue, we give you an insider’s view of two orchards: Hilltop in Richmond, and Riiska Brook in Sandisfield. Both are stories of optimism and hope with very different narratives. But there’s a common theme: Both are intimately connected with their respective communities as dedicated stewards of the land. At Riiska Brook, a young family takes on the responsibility of preserving a local treasure that might have easily fallen into the hands of developers. At Hilltop, longtime managers oversee the 200-acre property, which is home to one of the oldest and largest cideries in New England. They understand that growth and innovation are the keys to success and that connection to the community and other businesses—such as Berkshire Cider Project in North Adams—is what keeps them learning and evolving.

That’s true for all of us. In our fall issue, we offer you plenty of opportunities to learn and grow (it’s back-to-school time, after all!). Whether you are choosing wine for tonight’s dinner (Grape Adventures), deciding on fall plantings (Plant an Edible Landscape), eager to do a little foraging (The Mushroom Hunter), or looking for ways to minimize food waste (Waste Not, Want Not), we’ve got you covered. As always, we rely on expert contributors who are an integral part of our community and who are willing to share their knowledge with us, and with you. For my part, I am going to dive into the Duck Confit and Butternut Squash Ravioli recipe, created especially for Edible Berkshires by Alta’s executive chef, Louis Coradetti. It’ll be new territory for me, but I know it will be worth every second I spend wrestling with that pasta dough!

In closing, I want to share with you the loveliest compliment I received about our summer re-launch issue. “It just feels so warm,” a gentleman who works at Taft Farms told me. It was not a word I would have used to describe Edible Berkshires but, wow, it really resonated. “Warm” is inviting, accessible, and authentic—everything I hoped our first issue would be. So that’s the bar now. I want every issue to make our readers, and our valued community of advertisers, feel that they’re a part of something that is uniquely Berkshire and exceptionally warm. That’s pure gold.

Happy fall!