I am pleased to present our first featured member in the Food & Drink category - @AcadianDriftwood! Besides the yummy looking posts she has shared here, she’s also posted in a few other categories, like her Wifi Password LOTR style and her Lemon slice - playing with collage.
Here in Food & Drink she has shared this amazing looking Sesame garlic ginger salad dressing
and this Pickled carrot and daikon radish
Your profile says you farm. Tell us a little about that.
I’ve worked for the past 10 years at a lovely organic vegetable farm. I do a bit of everything - greenhouse work in the early spring, then it’s plant sales, then field work, planting, tractor driving, weeding, harvesting, and winter greenhouse planting. It gives me a fantastic connection to my environment, as well as all the delicious produce I can eat!
(Pictured - me in our big tomato greenhouse. We plant in these in early April to have the first ripe tomatoes in our area.)
You’re the member who requested a canning/preservation tag. How long have you been canning?
My first canning project was strawberry jam in 2014. We have a limited window for good strawberries here in Vermont and my freezer was getting very full.
Do you have any tips for someone who is interested in trying it?
Don’t be intimidated by supplies! You can do a lot without buying special equipment. The one thing that will make your life much easier is a jar lifter. And stick to the established recipes! Ratios of ingredients and processing times are established for safety, no need to risk your health.
What is your favorite thing to can?
I find pickles very satisfying. Packing the spears, spices, and a whole hot pepper in each jar is like a little puzzle. But really I love them all - there’s so much satisfaction in pulling out a jar in the middle of February and tasting the summer. This past season was my biggest year yet in terms of food preservation - I overflowed my canning cupboard and started storing jars in the mudroom.
(Pictured - pickled carrot & daikon radish, sweet corn relish, rotel tomatoes, dill pickles, yellow tomato puree, roasted crushed tomatoes, zesty roasted salsa, raspberry & ginger applesauce, plain applesauce, pickled jalapenos, spirited blueberries, no sugar blueberry spread, blueberry syrup, and maple spice apple butter.)
Do you use any other methods to put food away?
I freeze as much as I have room for, I air dry herbs for cooking and tea, and I’ve been getting more into fermentation recently. Kimchi is a favorite!
What is your favorite creation ever? (doesn’t need to be food related)
So hard to pick! There are a few embroideries that are high up there, but the top might be a painting of Peach, our farmcat. I wish I could play with paint more!
Do you have a crafty crush?
I’m in love with @appledainty’s tsumami creations. 
What are your favorite things about Lettuce Craft?
The vegetable theme.
Kidding! Really the spirit of kindness and creation here is irreplaceable. I feel like we all take strength from this place and bring that energy out into the world.
