Back in October I went out to interview the Jensen family at Golden Glen Creamery for the Nov/Dec issue of Grow Northwest magazine. You can read the original article here, but I thought it would be fun to post some of the other photos I took.

The Jensens don’t actually own the creamery any more, but the family is still very much involved in running the place. All the folks I talked to were exceedingly proud of their milk, the quality of their cheese, and their rather snazzy cheese room. When Vic opened the door and let me peek in, a vast waft of garlic hit me in the face from the fresh wheels of dill-garlic cheese resting on the racks. If you’ve ever had that stuff as fresh cheese curds, you may agree with me that it’s one of the more addictive dairy products out there. I also got a glimpse of the aging room, which happened to be a trailer parked behind the farm store.

I did not get to meet any cows. I was informed that they were off being milked (something they spend quite a bit of their day at). No cheese samples, either. But  I got to have a large dog lean against my legs while I took notes, and the view from the farm was nice.

I used my trip out to the dairy as an excuse to drive around on the Skagit flats at dawn and take pictures of the autumn fields in the morning mist.

(There are, by the way, calendars of my photographs for sale over at Qoop. Just thought I’d mention it.)

For the last two months I’ve been taking a course at PCNW in studio lighting. Except for the portrait assignment, we’ve been able to choose our own subjects, so I’ve mostly been going into the studio with a bag of produce. Vegetables sit still and don’t twitch while you’re moving lights around.

It’s been a lot of fun, and great to see how studio light can mimic daylight or look very different depending how you use it. I’ve come up with a few images that I really like while doing homework for this class.

Some of them, like the squash and citrus shots above, are framed and hanging up at Chuckanut Brewery in Bellingham. They’ll be there through March 19th if you want to stop by and take a look, or you can meet me on Wednesday the 9th when I go in for “Art Night”. Let’s drink beer and talk about photography!

Here’s to a fun and safe Halloween evening – what’s everyone dressing up as? We’re doing something piratical, but details are still getting ironed out.

You may be interested to know that I have once again lost my mind and signed up for NaBloPoMo, so I will be posting every single day for a month, starting tomorrow. Stay tuned!

For the past few years, I’ve put together a calendar of my photos  – sometimes food, sometimes flowers, or whatever struck my fancy at the time – and given them as gifts. This year, I’ve decided to make it more widely available for anyone who’s interested. I now have a store page on Qoop, and you can order any of the various items directly from them and they’ll print them to order. I’ve used calendars from Qoop myself and they’re very nice quality, wire-bound with heavy paper. One is all food photos, all from this blog in the last year. One is scenery from around Skagit Valley (no tulips, sorry, but there is a shot of daffodil fields) and the last is a self-indulgent selection of kitty cats. Check them out and let me know what you think, or if you’d like to see a different collection – I can put together other designs if there’s interest.

Also, in case you’re in an art shopping mood this Christmas, remember you can buy prints of many of my photos over at my main website, or order them framed directly from me. They make great kitchen art!

I’m really, really excited, and equally terrified, to tell you that I’ve truly, officially as of today quit my day job. This may prove to be a ghastly mistake, but I’ve been ready for some time to devote more of my energy to photography (not to mention cooking, writing, gardening and weaving) and this turned out to be the year to go for it.

What will I be doing? I’m not sure yet, but here’s what I’d love to do: photos of food (I know, you’re shocked). Photos of farms, and farmers, and chefs doing what they do best. Wine tastings, potlucks, farm dinners. Restaurants. I want to share all the wonderful things that are going on in the Northwest, and especially Skagit Valley, with food and cooking and farming.

This blog will continue, definitely. I have no idea whether I’ll spend more time here, or less, but I’m hoping more. I found out recently that a popular food blog roundup website rejected Food on the Brain for membership, presumably because I don’t include enough recipes. I felt miffed at first, but honestly, I’m not all about recipes. In fact, I’m frequently entirely not about recipes. And that’s OK. I hope, if you read this site, you also enjoy simply talking about food, and reading about food, and looking at pretty pictures of food, just because you like it. I see this blog as a way to share what I’ve been eating, what I’ve tried, and how it worked for me. If you’ve made the same sort of thing, I hope you’ll feel free to comment and tell me how it worked for you. We’re eating, not sitting for an exam.

So…here we go, wish me luck! And if you’re passing through the Wenatchee Valley any time during August, stop by my first solo photography show hanging at the Peshastin Creek Gallery. The opening reception’s on Sunday the 8th, I’d love to see you there!

Greetings to all of you that have made it here from Food52 (there’s a lovely review of this site here).

Make yourself at home, leave a comment, tell me what you think!