I want to see your beautiful face! I am putting together a project on Pinterest. Here’s what it’s all about.

I was at a party at this year’s IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Conference, chatting with a gent from the NYC food community about our current projects. I was going on about home food preservation and he said to me, “Funny, you don’t look like a canner.” Admittedly, it was pretty late-heaven knows what I looked like at that point. But it got me to thinking, not just about the changing face of the typical canner, but about the face of sustainability in general.

Contrary to detractors, this movement isn’t just for the fringe-it’s not elitist, it’s not just for back-to-the-landers-real food is for everyone. We are all in this together and I’m really interested in seeing that represented visually.

I recently received a humbling letter from a lovely woman, Claire, who had traveled to Malawi to teach some home preserving basics. The Boiling Water Method allows eaters to even out the availability of highly seasonal crops such as tomatoes and store them at room temperature, particularly important in an area without access to refrigeration. I was honored that Claire chose “Put ‘em Up!” as the text for her workshops. And was thrilled to receive some pictures of her classes. (You can read her letter on
Storey’s blog.)

So here’s what I want to do. I am using these photos from Malawi to kick off a summer-long project on Pinterest. “I Can!” is “A yearbook of eaters and canners and the gorgeous things we create out of the 2012 harvest.” Send me a snap of you or your delicious creation to sbvinton@gmail.com and I will pin it to the “I Can” board. Let’s shine some light on the new face of sustainability-on everyone of us who is working to reclaim the food chain.

The Drink it Up! Cup is a hand-made (by me!), upcycled canning jar fitted with a stainless steel straw. Great for all of your sipping pleasure! It holds up to 16 ounces of your favorite beverage and is completely washable/reusable.  Buy one (or more!!) today! Click here to order online!

Available at:

Saraswati’s Yoga Joint

Kaia Yoga

Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe

Sport Hill Farm

Wholesale pricing available. Click here for details.

A not-hugely-successful-but-regularly-employed-food-writer’s 7 tips for becoming a food writer:

1. Don’t be so romantic—There are plenty of sexy food writers but food writing is not sexy. You will struggle for ideas, spend hours staring at a blank page, log days in steamy kitchens testing your failing recipes, argue with editors (who will always win) and beg for the chance to do it. If you picture anything more glamorous, please contact me for a sobering internship.
2. Eat, Write, Repeat—No one should try to become a food writer straight out of college. The journey from childhood home to the college cafeteria to your dorm kitchenette is full of experiences, but not the kind that will make you a good food writer. You just haven’t eaten enough, traveled enough, or cooked enough in those four years to have a strong POV. Eat more, then talk about it.
3. Fall in love—Good food writing is like good sex—neither side is faking it. If you want readers to respond to you passionately, you’ve got to be talking about something that really turns you on. Don’t bother writing about what you think might be cool, hip or trendy, write what you love and that will start trends.
4. Forget about the Food Network—If you think that food writing is going to lead you to the path of rock star status, you are on the wrong path.
5. Give good content—Don’t think of yourself as a food writer, think of yourself as a content provider. The world of publishing is shifting. Distribution channels are exploding and they will all need good content in the form of words, video, animation, apps, and probably platforms we haven’t even though of yet. Get skilled at reformatting your ideas to suit the growing list of publishing vehicles.
6. Get away from your desk—“Build your platform” is industry speak for doing all of the ancillary things—speaking, teaching, demoing, being active in the food community, maybe even rolling out a product—that help gain exposure so one can attract more book sales. Or, in other words, doing the things that someone who is passionate about their topic would be doing anyway and sometimes in really cool places, often with wonderful people and with an audience full of people who love the same stuff you do. No one can write all day everyday without some creative input, get out and do stuff.
7. Don’t get in it for the money–Yes, it is hard to make a living this way. But tell that to a farmer or a school teacher. Things are tough all over. I know a lot of people who have to use a little hustle to make ends meet these days and not just because they lost their expense accounts. Be prepared to have a humble, but delicious, life and you, too, can be a food writer.

Fat is not the enemy but it has been made the clown.  And that is what is at the heart of the recent push back against some celebrity chefs.  It’s not the use of butter—it’s the “deep-fried butter pie filled with cream and bacon and topped with chocolate sauce” mentality that chafes.   Many chefs use fat, and sometimes ample amounts of it—to delicious effect.  But guild the Lily too much and it becomes garish—so over the top that it seems like a joke.   Fat as an ingredient can be tasty and good for you, fat as a meal is a punch line.  Fine for a laugh but not for dinner.

The sad part is that this whole fiasco will be viewed by many as another vote against fat.  “That demon strikes again.  Beat it back with pills.”  But fat is not the culprit, just the fall guy.  It’s time to separate the stick from the schtick and give butter and other quality fats their proper place in the pantry.

~~~~

Want a fun project to do with the kids (or even on your own)? Make your own butter!  It’s easier than you think and will give you and your good quality fats a chance to spend some quality time together.  Add a cup of cream (preferably from grass-fed cows) to a pint sized jar (canning jars work very well).  Add a pinch of salt.  Close the lid tightly.  Now shake that puppy!  After about 10 minutes, the buttermilk will separate out, leaving behind a ball of nice creamy butter.  Remove it from the jar and, holding it over the sink, squeeze it tightly in your fist to remove any trapped moisture.  Enjoy (and I mean it—good food is good, savor every bite)!  Keeps, refrigerated, for at least a week.