Happy New Year! I think that 2012 is going to be a really good year. Sure, the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012, but I’m inclined to think that they just ran out of space at that point and called it good. In my mind, there is no way 2012 can be anything less than awesome. We’re off to a great start here at Ingredients, with the successful launch of the new design! It took a lot of work to get here, and I think it looks awesome. Kudos to our design team for making it happen! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

So, what’s in store for Ingredients Magazine in 2012? Well, aside from the new design of the magazine, we are moving to a quarterly publishing schedule. As a quarterly we feel that Ingredients Magazine can give more space to our awesome local writers for getting the word out about the great local businesses that make up such a large and important part of Utah’s economy. Our commitment to the local food scene is more solid than ever, and we intend to work even harder this year than last to support Utah food businesses.

As always, I learned a lot from the production of this issue, and I really hope that I’ve done a good job of sharing my new knowledge with you. We are featuring the humble culinary giant, the egg, in this issue, and in particular free range eggs that are more easily accessible than you think. I had the great pleasure of meeting with Shayn and Kristen Bowler of Utah Natural Meat to discuss the benefits of free range eggs and the all-natural farming techniques that they employ to raise beef, pork, chicken and turkey.

Also featured this month are two of my favorite ingredients: honey and ginger. We all know the pickled ginger slices they serve along with sushi, but did you know that humans have been using ginger for over 4,000 years? The Chinese still utilize its medicinal properties to treat all kinds of (mainly stomach) ailments. Honey, too, has a very long history of use throughout the world. Honey has no “shelf life,” and it is made effectively and efficiently by a highly organized hive society of sibling insects run by their mother queen. Learn all about it in this issue!

I am very excited about the upcoming year and what it means for us here at Ingredients Magazine. I hope you have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy our efforts to bring you the scoop on Salt Lake’s local food scene. Want to see something (or someone) featured soon? Send your ideas to youringredients@ingredientsmagazineslc.com.