I have become a big fan of Austin Kleon's work. His book, Show Your Work, has motivated me to share a little bit of what I do with others.
Besides writing, I use my creativity to "Put up" small batch canning. I work with my own organically grown fruits, vegetables and herbs or I buy locally-grown. I concoct recipes, produce them, and then try to photograph them--another creative skill. I mostly work with using the most advantageous lighting when I take pix. I don't have any fancy apps or photoshop programs for my Nikon Coolpix camera. I always marvel that there are so many great photos out there that are taken with cell phones!
My latest work: Hot and Sweet Organic Peach & Pepper Jam. I got the idea from a Peach & Pepper Preserves I saw for sale at a Lincoln Village kitchen shop, Best Wishes. I looked online to get some recipe ideas, found one to use as a template. I tweaked the original recipe quite a bit, as I like to change things up radically. Of course, I used three times as many jalapeno peppers, exchanged the bell peppers the recipe called for with my own Anaheim chiles, and cut the sugar way back.
I used my own organically-grown Elberta peaches to make this jam.
These pretty jams are tasty on crackers with cream cheese, on biscuits, cornbread, and toast, or served as a condiment with fish, poultry, or any kind of meat.
Not to brag (well, yes I do have to toot my own horn!), but my daughter, Amber, and my youngest grandson, Anthony, tried my Hot & Sweet Peach and Pepper Jam on plain buttered toast this morning, and Amber told me, "This is so good you will be sold out right away!"
