We're Out of Hibernation
It’s been a while, but Sunshine + Microbes is back baby! 🕺🕺🕺
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Hello again friends.
We’ve fallen off the Sunshine + Microbes wagon for the last few months, and oh how I’ve missed it! To be fair, things got super super busy. Otto’s Bread Club has become a very full time gig, and much of my spare time has gone towards completing the mountain of paperwork required to begin the next phase of my life — becoming a mom through adoption!
Not writing has reminded me how much I value this space. It’s a real joy to be able to share with you all my thoughts on food and the way it connects us culturally, socially, and environmentally.
Matt and I really want to keep doing the newsletter, but we’re going to move forward with a less rigid structure. Some issues might feature an original recipe, some might muse about a recent kitchen adventure, some might link to a captivating food story or a hilarious TikTok. If things get busy, we might go silent for a while (but hopefully not!). We love our subscribers and hope you get something out of reading this. If you ever enjoy something in here, definitely drop us a line.
So hello again. Looking forward to continuing the conversation with you all!
love,
Jackie
FRESH LINKS
🍌 Banana Craze
Check out this virtual contemporary art exhibit hosted by the University of the Andes in Colombia, all about how the banana has shaped Latin America. Curated by Juanita Solano and Blanca Serrano and featuring 100 works by Latin American artists, the exhibit explores the banana’s impact through three main themes: ecosystem, identity, and violence.
🍟How the Air Fryer Crisped Its Way Into America’s Heart | NYTimes
My mother recently offered me an air fryer, to which I declined with not an unnoticeable hint of disdain. I considered the air fryer to be the latest stupid kitchen gadget to be forcefully marketed at us, only to grow dusty from lack of use in the bottom cabinet, before eventually finding its way to the thrift store, where the cycle can begin anew.
But then I read this ode to the air fryer in the New York Times and thought, perhaps I am a mistaken snob. People seem to truly love their air fryers and the crispy, crunchy textures they can produce with relative ease. As someone who recently spent a long time and an obscene amount of oil frying latkes for dinner, I can attest that getting that crispy crunchy texture we love about fried foods does not come easy with just a pan on the stove. But a whole army of influencers and true believers have made the air fryer an ubiquitous part of their kitchen, not just by making french fries at home, which is what the contraption was designed for, but with recipes for cookie pie, mock Krispy Kreme donuts, and Mexican jollof rice. Maybe if I’m lucky enough to get gifted another air fryer (wink, wink), I won’t turn it down again.
JUST DESSERTS
My friend Amanda sent me this unbelievable recipe review, and very few things have brought me more joy in the new year than reading it over and over again.
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Sunshine + Microbes team
Jackie Vitale is a cook and kitchen educator based in Stuart, Fla . She runs Otto’s Bread Club and is co-founder of the Florida Ferment Fest. Her newsletter explores the intersection of food, culture, environment and community.
Matt Levin is a communications strategist at the ACLU of Texas. He edits Sunshine + Microbes and contributes other scraps to each issue.