Writing for the Epi-log...

Well, I'm two weeks into writing for the epicurious.com "epi-log". It was a pretty cool opportunity that became available to me around a month ago and I decided to grab onto it and see what happens. If you missed my first post let me give you a quick description of the "epi-log". Basically epicurious.com is the online home of Gourmet and Bon Appetit Magazines and the "epi-log" is their blog. Their staff writes for the blog and so do a handful of guest bloggers (mostly chefs, food lovers, and food writers). I fall into the category of "guest bloggers", but not so much because I'm a chef (I do make a mean corn casserole though). They wanted a blogger with a farmers perspective ... kind of me ...

But, the reason I bring this up again (it has only been a little while since I first mentioned it) is because it has been an interesting experience. I have received some interesting comments and feedback on posts ranging from calving to the NAIS from people genuinely interested in understanding more about farming and the farmers who provide the food that they eat. It has been great to see non-farmers thoughts on some of the issues that farmers face and to just share some of the joys of farming.

The more I think about the people who are reading the "epi-log" the more I realize that these are the people that are potentially customers (maybe not mine, but possibly customers of their local farmers). These are people that love good food! They love to prepare it, they love to talk about it, they love to write about it, and they love to eat it (as do I). But, for whatever reason ... maybe because of where they live or where they were born, possibly because there is an agricultural stigma, or even because farmers have become isolated from their customers ... these readers and writers have not had too many opportunities to connect with their food providers.

My hope is that in writing about my joys, concerns, hardships, day-to-day chores, and all that is farming they will be able to find a connection with farmers in their area ... wherever their area is! So, make sure you go and check out the "epi-log". Read through the posts (they have some great thoughts and topics) and make sure to check out the recipe section (if you like to eat good food).

And finally, spread the word (not about the blog, but you can if you want) about the need for a connection between farmers and the people that eat the food the farmers raise and grow!

**The above picture was from the "photo shoot" we did when we were trying to get a picture for my bio. As you can tell from the picture it is very easy to make fun of me from time to time because I do silly things like that! Oh, and in case you are wondering I have gloves on because it is COLD, not because I'm afraid of chickens. I've had about five people comment on that when they saw the picture!**

**You can check out my by looking on the left column of the "epi-log". If you want a direct link to my posts you can always click the red link on the right side of this blog.**