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Why is Everything on Pinterest so Beige?

by Anne Maxfield on September 24, 2012

Accidental Locavore Corn on the Cob

What general categories do you follow on Pinterest? The Accidental Locavore  naturally follows a lot of food categories. Recently I’ve noticed a distressing trend, so much of what people are pinning is beige…golden brown if you insist, but actually beige. This is especially perplexing at a time of year when there are so many beautiful, colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables! When I posted a photo of corn (in the husk), it really stood out.

When I was checking out some of the boards where my stuff has been re-pinned, same thing, the first twenty-six pins were of beige or brown food, the twenty-seventh was a photo of (green) Brussels sprouts with bacon and avocado (an interesting idea to try in the fall, right?). Now, you can look at this in a number of different ways. The cynical, social media marketers can see it as an opportunity to stand out by posting brightly colored food shots. The food police can get on their soapboxes and shake their fingers, rallying against fried food, processed food, carbohydrates…whatever the evil food-of-the week is. The mompreneurs can continue posting beige food photos, it’s what’s popular–for dinner.

Accidental Locavore Molten Chocolate CakeIf you’ve looked at my boards on Pinterest (to follow, just click here), you will have noticed one food board that is definitely beige, but even that celebrates an almost infinite variety of beiges, tans and creams. That board? Cheese!

My most re-pinned? Yes, it’s brown and yes it’s sweet…a molten chocolate cake. What’s fascinating is that in one day, it just gained traction and was re-pinned all over the place. What’s disconcerting is that it’s pinned on boards next to all kinds of processed foods. Or (and do you think this is worse?) they’re on boards that give you recipes to make homemade versions of processed foods, using more processed foods. If you want to know why there’s an obesity problem in this country, just click on food & drink and see how many cute cupcakes or “Meatballs Wrapped In Garlic Bread Topped With Cheese And Dipped In Spaghetti Sauce” there are.

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep posting and searching out a variety of things. While my inner geek may make sure that most of what goes up is bright, colorful and delicious, the ruthless marketer might be looking for the next molten chocolate cake! What do you pin?

 

 

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Accidental Locavore Shops New York Mouth: Local Artisanal Products

by Anne Maxfield on March 26, 2012

Accidental Locavore NY Mouth Photos

Don’t you often wonder how you discover certain things? The Accidental Locavore has no idea where she heard of New York Mouth, however, it’s a great site, devoted to artisanal, small-batch and generally local purveyors.

For a project, the Locavore has been exploring food-related websites – comparing them for gastro-porn (how tempting the photography is), amusing copy, interesting product mixes and ease of ordering and, when the boxes arrive, how well the packages promote the brand and how the food is wrapped. Most often there is lots of room for improvement, but with New York Mouth, they pretty much scored a home run!

First of all, the site is beautiful. It’s clean and all the food looks enticing (gastro-porn box: check). Then, I believe what they say – that they love food, love beautiful packaging, love tasting things on little wooden spoons, etc. (amusing copy: check). Even though the site is fairly young, the product mix is intriguing with a lot of hard-to-find items. And there are some great combinations they’ve turned into gift boxes (interesting product mixes: check).

Accidental Locavore BoxStrictly in the interest of research, the Locavore decided to order a couple of things, specifically a bourbon-smoked black pepper and an artisanal soy sauce I’d heard a lot about. It was super easy to fill up my shopping bag and I was especially grateful for a little blurb that popped up from the get-go, explaining what the shipping charges were and how far I was from getting free shipping (ease of ordering: check). Since shipping charges are often an expensive part of ordering food online, especially when you live in a place where most of it can be found for the cost of a couple of subway rides, it was great to not have it be an unpleasant surprise at the end!

Accidental Locavore NY MouthThe site also had another smart disclaimer on it, saying that because they were new, it might be a few days before the order shipped, so nothing was expected for at least a week. Imagine my surprise when two days later the box with my goodies showed up! The box itself was your basic brown cardboard box, with New York Mouth stamped all over it and printed packing tape saying “open wide!” (packages promoting the brand: check, but there is room for improvement there…bolder logo, white box?). Inside, a canvas sack with my purchases beautifully rolled in corrugated cardboard, bumpy side out, and sealed with an orange band. Even more impressive, was a handwritten note, thanking me by name for my order, secured with a matching orange paper clip to my packing list.

Accidental Locavore Smoked PepperSo how was the food? The bourbon-smoked pepper was good. I used it in a salad, where the coarseness of the grain was a tiny bit overpowering for the tender greens, but it had a lot of flavor. Don’t you think it would be great on a steak or in steak tartare, where it would really have a chance to sing? As for the soy sauce, it’s happily waiting its turn.

 

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How to Pick Herbs: Rosemary, Mint, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Thyme

by Anne Maxfield on March 16, 2011

Even in the dead of winter, fresh herbs will add tons of flavor to what ever you’re cooking. For a locavore touch, you can grow them on a sunny windowsill, or when the weather is better, outside in your garden. Here are some of the Accidental Locavore’s favorite herbs, and what to look for:

Accidental Locavore RosemaryRosemary: Rosemary has silvery-green leaves, and looks a little like pine, but it’s part of the mint family. Rosemary should be healthy looking, green, with a distinct scent. Avoid brown tipped leaves, dry or wilted looking rosemary. Strip the leaves off the stem and it works wonderfully with lamb, potatoes, chicken and veal and is often paired with garlic. If you have big stalks of it, you can use them as skewers for grilling.

Accidental Locavore SpearmintMint: Mint is in the same family as oregano, sage and basil. There are more than 30 different varieties of mint, the best known being peppermint and spearmint. Mint leaves should be brightly colored with no signs of deterioration (like slimy black leaves). When cutting mint or basil, you need a really sharp knife, otherwise you just bruise the leaves. The best way to cut mint is to strip the leaves from the stem, stack them up, roll them into a tight cylinder, and thinly slice them (a chiffonade). I love it in salads, especially tabbouleh, and it’s one of the secret ingredients that make albondigas or Mexican meatballs taste so good.

Accidental Locavore CilantroCilantro: Cilantro looks a lot like Italian flat leaf parsley, but one sniff of it, and you know it’s not parsley! Cilantro is one of those love it or hate it herbs, and since the first time the Accidental Locavore tasted it, I’ve loved cilantro! It’s the key to my amazing guacamole, and salsa verde. If you don’t like it, you probably think it tastes like soap, right? Cilantro will slime quickly so choose it carefully and look for fresh looking bunches, with no wilted or slimy stems. You will often find it sold with the roots on, as Thai and other cultures use the entire plant. If you get a bunch with roots, you can leave them on or cut them off, just make sure to really clean it well, as it tends to be gritty. Storing it in a damp paper towel will help it keep longer.

Accidental Locavore DillDill: Dill is most commonly used as the flavoring in pickles. It’s a light, feathery herb with a distinctive smell. Dill is great with fish, especially salmon, and it also works well with lamb. Dill should be light and feathery, with no signs of wilting. Wrapping it in damp paper towels will help preserve it’s life. Dill can be chopped like parsley. It’s great in these little meatballs and egg-lemon soup.

Accidental Locavore Flat Leaf ParsleyParsley: Parsley comes both curly and flat leaf. While it’s often dismissed as a garnish, parsley, especially the flat leaf variety has a nice green subtle flavor. It’s great in salads, and as a critical component of a bouquet garni, used to season soups and other hearty dishes. Look for firm, dark green leaves in both varieties, and avoid any wilted looking parsley. Wash it well too, as it may be gritty.

Accidental Locavore ThymeThyme: Thyme has small almost round leaves on a delicate stem. The aroma should be assertive and bright. There are different varieties of thyme, such as lemon, orange or creeping which is used as a ground cover. For most recipes, the leaves are removed from the stem, however for some soups and bouquet garni, the whole stem is used and removed before serving. Thyme goes well with chicken, fish, and vegetables.

 

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10 Lessons Learned in 2010 Before Jumping into 2011

by Anne Maxfield on January 3, 2011

Accidental Locavore 2011

There were lots of lessons learned in 2010, and rather than beating myself up for what didn’t get accomplished, I’m going to salute the high points, feel good about what I did, what I learned, who I met, and use it as a jumping off point for 2011. Don’t you think that’s better than the usual New Year’s resolutions? In no particular order…

  • Lesson 1: worked with Mark on making two great videos for Accidental Locavore. If you haven’t seen them, here’s the link. Goal: when the weather gets warmer, hope he’s done with his screenplay and we can develop some more episodes.
  • Lesson 2: I’ve shot some simple videos with my flip camera, and learned to edit them. Sometimes it can get a little nit-picky, but it’s always fun to see how much I can do with simple tools. Goal: to see if I can add some more camera angles to them, so my friend who makes Lester & Charlie won’t call them the headless videos anymore.
  • Lesson 3: built the site for Accidental Locavore with the help of genius Gary. Goal: Start adding some ads from people like my friends 2 Chicks with Chocolate, and NYCH20 who are building local businesses using sustainable products, and make the site revenue positive. Goal 2: Start spreading the word, and you can help!
  • Lesson 4: created a vision statement. Maybe better than a business plan, it keeps my eye on the prize. Goal: make it all happen!
  • Lesson 5: started cooking “out of the box“, in other words, making things we all think come in packages. Now I routinely make yogurt, granola, mayo, and my first batch of bacon. Goal: start making cheese and sausages, beef jerky, and my own sriracha hot sauce.
  • Lesson 6: conquered my fear of canning. Goal: to move beyond simple pickles. Kimchi anyone?
  • Lesson 7: I’ve always been a great idea person, and have become a really good networker. Goal: develop pitch for Accidental Locavore, and the new competition cooking show, and network my way to a top production company to make it happen.
  • Lesson 8: gotten so much from my amazing accountability group. An amazing bunch of women who have been immensely helpful! Goal: make this the best year ever!
  • Lesson 9: Do what you’re passionate about. Life is too short to be miserable. Goal: follow my passions and wherever I end up, I’ll be happy!
  • Lesson 10: Talk to those who love you, and listen carefully to what they have to say. My husband put a lot into perspective for me earlier this year, and I’m really grateful. Goal: Always remember who loves you.

What about you? What are your lessons learned for 2010? And where will they take you?

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