Blog Spotlight: Smoke Signals Baking
At Storyware, we love food, so naturally we enjoy following Tumblr sites who blog about food. One of the most mouth-water Tumblr sites we follow is smokesignalsbaking, founded by Tara Jensen in 2012. We were able to pull Tara away from baking and farming for a Q&A about her Tumblr, which uses our Mallow theme.
Where does your passion for baking come from?
My passion for baking stems from a love of working with my hands and watching things transform in the oven. Prior to embarking full time on Smoke Signals I juggled a day job in a bakery, moonlighting as an artist. Although I considered baking a definite craft, I was hesitant to call it an art. When I started my own bakery the two naturally combined in interesting and informative ways. The process of making breads and pastries is an outlet for my self expression and documenting it through media, like Tumblr, adds a strictly visual component. I think of the artist as a mirror for society and chronicling my journey with food is a way of presenting the subject in a reflective and exposing light.
What’s your favorite thing to bake? (Please say pie… please say pie… )
Pie IS my favorite thing to bake. From the moment I realized I could cut pie dough like paper I was hooked on making elaborate crusts. I began putting pie tops on pies that are traditionally open faced just because I like experimenting with the dough so much. It brings me true joy to have my favorite music on and an expanse of crust rolled and ready to be carved into different shapes and sizes. Sweet Potato pie is my favorite to make. I operate a farm with my sweetheart (Paper Crane Farm) and there’s nothing like roasting a freshly harvested sweet potato. They’re wildly creamy, earthy and delicious.
Also, There’s an element of quickness to making a pie that I find gratifying. The breads I bake contain naturally leavened cultures and require long, slow fermentation times. They are much more alive and dynamic than a pie or tart, but often come with their own agendas and demands. When I pull a perfect loaf out of the oven (which doesn’t happen often / we’re our own worst critics) it’s the result of several days labor and attention. A pie doesn’t ask for much more an afternoon filled with love, butter and imagination.
Besides making our mouths water and develop sudden cravings for bread and pie, what do you want people to take away from your Tumblr?
I hope that by seeing my life through the lens of baking others will be inspired to make something to eat! Lol. Really though, it’s that simple. Unfortunately we live in a busy world and most of us lead pretty hectic lives. I bake and farm for a living and even I have difficulty stopping to create a healthy, home cooked meal. We’re seeing increasingly more and more health problems linked to what we eat and are losing plant diversity every time we blink. It’s crucial to block out some time, even if it’s just once a week, to make a meal where you have a relationship to the ingredients. A dinner that has a story, a snack with a childhood history, a sweet treat to share with your neighbor. Making food and sharing it is preservation of culture in action.
Of all the blogging platforms in all the world, why Tumblr?
I chose Tumblr a few years back on the recommendation of a friend. She worked at the local record store and we would go out dancing together. I liked her style and I knew if she thought Tumblr was onto something it must be true. I was immediately grabbed by the simple interface and sleek themes. It looked fresh to me then and still does today.
Why did you pick our Mallow theme for your Tumblr?
My blog is heavily photo driven and I like the way Mallow presents visual content in an organized and professional format. I also highly enjoy the customizable sidebar that allows followers to quickly access important information and social media links. I feel like I get the best of both worlds: a blog that can act as a website and a website that has an immediate and active presence. I think of it as a live business portfolio. On top of all the easy-to-use features, I also value the classic tone of Mallow. It remains both visually current without falling victim to media trends. It’s exactly what I look for in a good loaf of bread: craftsmanship, timelessness and creativity.
Check out Tara’s blog here.
Our demo blog for Mallow is available here.
