Meet our member of the month, Lauren Rudersdorf, the blogger behind The Leek & The Carrot.
What was your original motivation for your blog? What keeps you motivated?
I have always been a writer and got really into food and photography during college. A blog seemed like the natural place to showcase my talents and interests. I attempted a few blogs right out of college, but something didn’t click. When we started the farm in 2013 I began doing weekly newsletters for our members. The farm stories, photos and recipes full of vegetables filled my heart with so much joy that when winter came around after our second season, I decided I should begin another blog focused on our farm story and cooking seasonally. The rest is history I suppose.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That is HARD! What I crave and love to indulge in is very different than what my body needs. My immediate response is homemade deep dish pizza made in a cast-iron skillet (like this recipe) because I mean, pizza. But I know my cheese-hating gut would prefer I choose something healthier. Maybe the sweet potato wrap from the Good Food cart in Madison? Or this fried bagel fattoush salad? Can I choose all of them?
What has been your biggest cooking disaster?
I’m a bit of a klutz so I have more than my fair share of cooking disasters. Honestly, most often they involve tripping over lighting equipment or dropping my phone in my food. A couple weeks ago was probably my biggest disaster in recent memory. While attempting to make pudgie pies indoors, I started a dish towel on fire and then trying to hide the evidence decided to throw it in the garbage can…. If my hubby hadn’t smelled smoke I could have literally burned our house down.
It’s nearly farmer’s market season! What is the best food market you’ve ever been to?
Visiting farmer’s markets and food markets is literally my favorite thing to do when I travel so I have a long list of favorite markets. Some of the tiny ones in foreign countries are the most interesting, packed full of products I’ve never heard of. Number one on my list is still the North Market in Columbus, Ohio. It stole my heart way back in 2008 when I attended college outside Columbus. You can get a dynamite meal, do all your grocery shopping and indulge in Jeni’s frozen ice cream before even finishing one loop of the market. It’s hands down one of my favorite spots in America.
Spring break marks a season of cleansing and refreshing. Do you have any big goals or projects you plan to work on this spring?
Oh gosh, I wish!! Spring doesn’t mean for me when it means for most other people. Most springs I’m a chaotic mess of seeding in our greenhouse, meeting with chefs, interviewing potential employees and trying to sell all our CSA shares. It’s probably the messiest time of year in our house. But, I have always been tempted to turn my closet into a capsule wardrobe. Maybe I’ll try to be a regular person this spring and find some extra time to finally tackle my closet.