I have finished the taxing marathon/sprint combination that was creating and testing the recipes and writing the manuscript, but there is still work to be done! The photos will be done by the amazing Courtney Apple, and I’ll be at the shoot for a week. I’m currently in the process of remaking the bulk of the recipes in the book for said photo shoot. I have to do another big round of edits after my editor does hers. My cookbook-writing friends tell me that can be one of the most stressful parts of the process. After that, I know there will be back and forth on design details, edits and a whole host of little things that I probably have never heard of yet! In theory, though, no more all-nighters and I get to have a renewed focus here, with you!
Ferment Your Vegetables will be published this fall, and then I hope to hit the road with it and meet more of you face to face!
In the meantime, I have loads of recipes that I’m very excited to share with you in the coming weeks, I’ll be demo-ing it up at the PA Farm Show with Fillmore Container next week and my teaching schedule will be ramping back up in February.
Before we get to all that, though, I thought it would be fun to share with you what the last few months have looked like for me, in numbers:
3 cookbook deadlines (kind of) met
1 finished manuscript (that still needs to be edited)
430+ recipes tested, plus variations
90+ recipes selected
3 interviews of fermentation professionals
4 farmers who sold me the bulk goods to test with
22 recipe tasters
9 recipe testers
4 all-nighters (take that, 35-year-old body and brain!)
2 weeks planned and taken off work
2 weeks unplanned, very abbreviated work schedule (thank you, client!)
1 Thanksgiving spent alone with computer and pit bull
17,000* Shot Tower Coffee cafes au lait
1 massive caffeine addiction relapse
1 life savings spent on groceries
22 trips to Fante’s Kitchen Shop five minutes before they closed
3,005 times I felt intensely grateful to live 15 seconds from the Italian Market
1 organic and local stand on the Italian Market (thanks, Ginger!)
14 workouts skipped or abbreviated
1 skipped dog walk
6,010* times I felt intensely grateful for the love and support of my husband
73 meals I ate that were prepared with love by aforementioned husband, although he didn’t have time to make them either
3 times I googled accupressure treatments for anxiety
2 times I meditated to work through writing issues
14 times I tried to meditate to work through writing issues
1 gratitude journal started to remind me to let go of frustration and appreciate all the things
9 reams of paper (front and back) used in the final 2 weeks before the manuscript was turned in (sorry, trees)
2 premature, celebratory meals with friends
1 enormous sense of relief and accomplishment
In short, it was a trip. I am immensely grateful to all the folks who have pulled me through and to have had this opportunity. It has been (and will continue to be, I’m sure) an education and the process fired up my fermentation soul. I’m so excited to share the final product with you in the fall. Thanks for reading!
*Estimation. Could be artificially low.
Heather says
Girl!!!! You did it! As a fellow crazy fermenter I CANNOT wait to get my hands on your book 🙂 you rocked it and I know it’s going to be amazing! P.s. thank you for your recommendation to High Street on Market, hands down our favourite breakfast place!!
Kelly says
I can’t wait to get my hands on this!! Congrats on finishing! I struggled enough with two term papers this semester, never mind a whole book, haha.
Marian@Apricot Tart says
Wow! What an effort! Do take a little time to step back and enjoy your achievement! Congratulations on a job well done!
Ali says
Congrats and great job! Awesome achievement! I can’t wait for what I know will be an awesome book.
Steph says
Wow! That’s a terrifying amount of caffeine. Congratulations!!! Totally looking forward to the book!
Ann says
Congratulations! I look forward to it’s release!