Exploration list: The ephemeral and the durable
In cookbooks, pantry items, and more
I love ephemera. But as a former rare books curator and special collections librarian, I love the durable just as much (think early printed books, made on low acid rag paper, which are often in better condition than more acidic books that are centuries younger).
There is a dance between permanence and impermanence in my work as a historian: Not everything can be saved, not all stories from the past are available for us to access in the present. We’ve lost more than we have. But we still have a lot, too.
This has been an unintentional theme of the Spring for me, in my writing and media appearances: Just like taking a slate of college courses that end up unexpectedly dovetailing together, I love when this same unexpected sort of thematic undercurrent shows up for my writing, because it often exposes or underscores relationships and connections I had maybe overlooked.
In this case, it’s more an act of remembering: Of articulating to others the connections I see in the world around me every day (for example through play and idea generation, or play and the enjoyment of cooking, or all the different ways “preserving” can intersect with our lives).
Here are some recent pieces I’ve written, or been interviewed for, all related to the ephemeral and the durable:
Recent articles
I wrote about edible landscaping for Foodprint: With a focus on simple gardening practices that yield delicious results, and that can be tailored to your lifestyle (e.g. how often do you actually want to be outside tending to those plants? I love being in the garden for hours but alas, that’s not for everyone). There are some classic favorite plants and techniques in here, and some unexpected ones, too.
I wrote about the ephemeral and the durable in relationship to recipe writing for Mold Magazine: This series on wayfinding through the history of the cookbook (this one is part 3) scratches a lot of intellectual itches for me: history of food, book history, recipe writing, digging around in the archival boxes in my office to remind myself of the kinds of recipes my family held on to. I also got to talk about marginalia (a perennial favorite topic) and the complications of authorship.
Recent interviews
I was interviewed for The Ethel on reconnecting to joy in the kitchen, and offer some practical tips for how to cultivate your relationship to cooking if it’s lost its spark.
I (along with many friends and colleagues) was interviewed about how best to store various condiments and pantry staples for the New York Times: which scratches my itch to share best preserving practices with folks far and wide.
Recent awards
My book The Fermentation Oracle won two recent awards:
A gold medal in the Nautilus book awards
and is a nominee for Georgia Author of the Year (the finalists and winners are announced on the 30th, so cross your fingers!)
I used to be kind of shy about winning awards because so many authors have such a complicated relationship to them and award processes themselves can be convoluted, sometimes political, etc. But no longer.
Awards aren’t the reason I write, but I love it when my work is recognized. So I’m celebrating these two, AND ALSO especially celebrating because it’s a book in a niche category, and I was not really sure how people have received it (the response has been overwhelmingly positive, which makes me very happy).
P.S. the card I pulled on my birthday urged me to move fearlessly in the direction of my dreams so, let’s all take that energy into the rest of 2025!
Planting Seeds zine is ready
Thanks to everyone who was part of the food zine party on May 3rd! Our theme, planting seeds, was both generative and timely. A couple folks also made their pages in Canva this time around, so we have a wider variety of aesthetics in this zine.
(if you make your pages in Canva for a future gathering, just send me the edit link so I can be sure to size it right for our zine. As always, no GenAI).
Read the zine here.
Our next food zine party will be all about food stories. More details TBD!
What other topics do you want to include for future food zines?
