Blackberry Farm in Pictures

June 19th, 2011 § 12 Comments

I’m spending this summer in Nashville, Tennessee, helping the new Commissioner of Education to create a three-year strategic plan to improve educational outcomes for all K-12 students in the state. Although the work will be intense and I’m away from my San Francisco garden, I’m soaking up what I can of the food culture here in the Volunteer State.

First up: Blackberry Farm near Knoxville, a celebration of locally-produced food, where the hubby, our friends, Jim and Katie, and I ate an enormous amount of Benton’s bacon, gorgeous tomatoes and other fresh produce grown on-site, and as you likely guessed, the best BLT I’ve ever sunk my teeth into. For you, our time in pictures…

The barn, where we indulged in many dinners and bourbons

The garden where the produce begins

What's the chicken thinkin'? Will my eggs be breakfast or will I be brunch?

Beautiful beans

John, Master Gardener, picking chard for our next meal

Volunteer sunflowers in the Volunteer State

Oregano and bachelor's buttons, whose petals will be tweezed for garnish

Serious tools for serious meals

Charming, unique and lovely

Life Lessons From Food Blogger Camp 2011

January 14th, 2011 § 52 Comments

Guacamole makings

I’ve been reflecting a lot on the Food Blogger Camp I attended at the lovely Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Mexico last week. I’ve been connecting with the new friends I made and remembering the generously candid stories everyone told. And then I realized that the biggest lessons I learned from Food Blogger Camp (aside from the fact that I still really like tequila) weren’t about blogging.

Well, of course, they all apply to blogging. And, I do have pages and pages of notes on the technical and strategic aspects of blogging and food photography. But, to be honest with you, the three biggest things I took away from Food Blogger Camp apply just as well to any other vocation or avocation.

Beautiful Mayan light

LESSON 1: KNOW, AT YOUR CORE, WHO YOU ARE.

I was intrigued by how many people had come seeking direction for their blogs (myself included). And I was equally struck by those who had figured it out; they exuded a sense of conviction about the path they’d chosen. They know that they’re meeting a need that they, uniquely, can fill. For instance, some know they want to be useful or entertaining to their readers; some know they want to delight viewers with their food images; still others know they want to publish cookbooks and were using their blogs as platforms.

In other words, these folks are operating with a sense of purpose derived from knowing, at their core, who they are and what they stand for.

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” — Lao Tzu

Diane of White on Rice Couple teaching

LESSON 2: DO WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY.

My grandpa always told me to do what I loved and the rest would follow. Sometimes, that sounds easier said than done. But it seemed true at Food Blogger Camp. A number of people had found joy in writing about or photographing food and, as a result, had truly changed their lives. They halted the stress of working in kitchens or in tech to build blogs that became their businesses; they discovered new passions and worked (and are working) their butts off to build those passions into careers; they overcame seemingly insurmountable health problems through better food and are fired up to teach others how to do the same.

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal; instead pursue the things you love doing. Then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou

Elise Bauer & David Lebovitz. And me, drinking tequila*

LESSON 3: BE A GOOD CITIZEN.

I was humbled by how openly my fellow bloggers taught, shared and inspired; in short, they modeled what it is to be good citizens and build community. Diane Cu of White On Rice Couple patiently taught me, shot by shot, how to adjust my shutter speed and aperture to capture this image just the way I wanted it…

The cherry shot

…and then came up to me at lunch afterward to offer more help. Her partner, Todd Porter, geeked out with me about citrus trees and growing our own food. Carrie Vitt of Deliciously Organic schooled me on how to replace white flour and sugar with more wholesome alternatives without making it feel like a lesson (being on the beach didn’t hurt!). Robin Cherry, Elana Horwich, Diana Johnson and Susan Salzman encouraged me to combine my passions for sustainable food and education, and Nancy Singleton Hachisu — after inspiring me with her life stories — is helping me do just that. Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes somehow read me in an instant, offering this motivation:

“The only limit to what you can do is your own creativity.”

David Lebovitz shooting Elise Bauer

Thank you to Kerrygold Butter for sponsoring, and to the session leaders (Matt Armendariz, Elise Bauer, Diane Cu, Jaden Hair, David Lebovitz, Adam Pearson and Todd Porter) and the other participants for a life-changing experience!

Salsas!

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*Thanks to Carrie Vitt of Deliciously Organic for this photo. I’m glad somebody snapped me with one of my favorite drinks in hand!

Here’s a round-up of other participants’ posts:

Session leaders’ posts / blogs:

Food Blogger Camp photos:

Organizer and P.R. contact:

 

How To Create Standout Moments in 2011

January 5th, 2011 § 13 Comments

A standout moment in Lanai

In December, 60 Minutes did a piece on the six people identified so far who have autobiographical memories. These are people who can recall every single moment of their lives, eventful or mundane: the day they had to switch from a beloved to a new school at the age of 13, including reliving the emotions experienced that day; what they did the day they broke up with a girlfriend 15 years ago; what the weather was like on May 3, 1975; or the score of the Redskins-Steelers game on November 10, 1991.

The piece discussed whether this endless memory was a gift or a curse. But in the end, one of the six said:

“…Sure, there are times when it’s difficult. But I feel like it makes me live my life with so much more intention and so much more joy. Because I know that I’m gonna remember whatever happens today, it’s like, all right, what can I do to make today significant? What can I do that is gonna make today stand out?”

Now is a popular time for folks to make New Year’s resolutions, to set personal and professional goals for the coming year or to update their bucket lists. In the last few days of 2010, I reflected on what I’d wanted to do that year, noted what I actually did and updated my bucket list.

But after reading this 60 Minutes piece, I realized something. Life isn’t just about grinding through goals or a list of activities. And you never know what life is going to throw at you.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t continue to set goals or update your bucket list; I certainly have specific things I want to learn and do in 2011 (which I’ve shared below).

But what I am saying is that setting the goals and updating the lists don’t mean anything if you’re not living the life you want every day. And I’ve come to believe over the past year that “every day” is a crucial part of that sentence. It’s not that we all have to accomplish something prize-worthy on a daily basis. Rather, it’s realizing that what we have is this life, and making it count means making every day count, even if — or maybe, especially if — it’s because of one, small moment.

So instead of making New Year’s resolutions, setting specific goals for myself or seeing my list as the only things I need to do to feel satisfied about 2011, here’s what I’m committing to:

I commit to experiencing appreciating a standout moment, every day.

It hit me when writing the statement that “experiencing” wasn’t enough. The point of this commitment is to:

  • Be attuned to what makes me happy and passionate so I can create those moments
  • Be present enough to see and feel those moments each day
  • Then take them in and be grateful for what they’ve added to my life

These moments could be anything, and they could be good or bad: noticing the beauty of the sun illuminating leaves in the garden; getting the plum jam completely wrong — but then just right; learning something for the first time and allowing the delight and frustration that come along with that.

Of course, as I mentioned above, there are specific things I want to learn and do in 2011. I’m guessing these will provide lots of standout moments for me this year! To keep myself accountable and give you a preview of some of the things you’ll likely read about on this blog, here’s the list. Most are related to homegrown, homemade food, but I’m sharing the others too:

HOMEGROWN / HOMEMADE FOOD STUFF

  • See how much produce I can grow vs. have to buy
  • Learn to butcher a hog
  • Learn to make various Japanese and American pickles to carry on old recipes
  • Learn my grandma’s Indonesian recipes before it’s too late
  • Make my own bacon
  • Make egg nog from scratch
  • Get better at canning
  • Get better at jam-making
  • Become proficient at making homemade cheese
  • Build a small repertoire of holiday sweets that keep various traditions alive
  • Visit two to three organic farms/vineyards/orchards to learn what it takes to run them
  • Practice shooting guns (because one day, I’d like to hunt my own food, at least once)
  • Grow more dahlias to have around the garden and house (okay, this isn’t food, but it’s nice to have the colorful inspiration while one cooks!)

Summer dahlias

TRAVEL

  • See wildlife in the snow in Yellowstone
  • Eat my way through and take another cooking class in Italy
  • Taste locally-made wine or spirits where they’re crafted in a place I’ve never been (e.g., Oregon wine country; bourbon in Kentucky)

CREATIVE & PHYSICAL

  • Improve my photography
  • Be able to easily play at least two fun songs on the piano, anywhere, anytime
  • Rock climb (inside on a climbing wall) at least once, to see if I can manage my fear of heights

What can you do to create standout moments for yourself this year?

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Click here for the 60 Minutes story on autobiographical memory; it’s quite a piece.

Thanks to David Romanelli for sharing the 60 Minutes piece and helping to inspire this post. You can find out more about David’s yoga and chocolate classes here.

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