Neighbors Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Tomorrow, I will be at Neighbors General Store in Arroyo Grande, California for their End-of-Summer Canning Party.
Neighbors Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Tomorrow, I will be at Neighbors General Store in Arroyo Grande, California for their End-of-Summer Canning Party. I will be there alongside Christiana Christian, our first-ever interviewee for The Wiley Subscription. Christiana will be serving her incredible jams, and I will be signing cookbooks and photographic prints, shown below, in the beautiful space that is Neighbors.
Details are below.
When: Saturday, September 09, 2023
Time: 1:00—4:00pm ET
Where: Neighbors General Store | 119 E Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
View details on Instagram here. I hope to see you soon!
Ode to Satsumas
Bastion Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
On Monday, July 31, Bastion will welcome Wiley Canning Company in celebration of our third birthday.
Bastion Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
This Monday, July 31, I will be at Bastion in Wedgewood Houston celebrating Wiley Canning Company’s third birthday. I am making recipes from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook to pair with Bastion nachos, such as Simple Pickled Onions, Pickled Jalapeño Peppers, Pineapple Coconut Jam, and more. Nachos, as well as your first drink, are on us! I would love for you to join us!
Space is limited, so if you wish to come, please RVSP by emailing hello@wileycanningcompany.com.
Wiley subscribers have first access.
Details are below.
When: Monday, July 31, 2023
Time: 5:00—7:00pm CST
Where: Bastion | 434 Houston Street, STE 110, Nashville, TN 37203
View details on Instagram here. See you soon!
A Collaboration with Duende
It is with deep inspiration that I share our newest collaboration with you: Duende x Wiley.
A Collaboration with Duende
It is with deep inspiration that I share our newest collaboration with you: Duende x Wiley.
This collection was curated by Elise Joseph and inspired by Wiley Canning Company. It includes an alabaster fruit set, striking serveware intended to store your farmers’ market finds, earth-toned glassware, and vintage doilies. You may recognize the vintage doilies from our event at The Well Lived Woman in May.
Finally, an exclusive print, entitled Golden Day, is a part of this collaboration. My artist’s statement about this print, photographed in Nashville, Tennessee, is below.
Golden Day was photographed in Nashville, Tennessee. It is 8 inches x 10 inches and was created exclusively for Duende in limited quantities.
All prints are signed, dated, and numbered. They ship separately from Nashville, Tennessee.
My artist’s statement can be found below.
When I think of Elise Joseph, I think of true friendship. When I think of true friendship, I think of attention and care.
Ease and plasticity.
Curiosity and warmth.
When I envision a golden day with Elise, we are having lunch in the courtyard of Gjusta, driving through the lush canyons of Topanga, and drilling deep, through conversation and comfort, into the pride and ache of our hearts.
What makes us human is our ability to perceive—to celebrate and to grieve—the nuance of our everyday lives. Living, loving, and creating throughout our highly nuanced—sometimes unbearably nuanced—lifetime requires true friendships such as mine with Elise: a community of kindred spirits, curious minds, and forgiving hearts.
If I could wish a single wish for my closest friends this July, it is to experience a golden day: a blip of one’s waking life feeling the sun on their forearms and hearing the harmonious echo of birds, a sound only made when they feel wholly safe to make their presence known. It is to have a delicious, nourishing meal while sitting in the complexity of their beautiful, difficult, and hopeful lives, as they take comfort in the gift it is to experience friendship.
It is in this spirit I have named this print, Golden Day, as I gave myself this very gift to create it. I brought it to life in connection with Elise, a playlist humming through my speakers, and in the driveway of a home I adore, one that holds space for each and every friend that loves and supports the multiple facets of my dreams, personality, and being.
Duende’s new mixtape on Spotify, Duende Ritual Sounds, Vol. III, was created for this collaboration and encourages quieting the mind and savoring the little moments.
All vintage items were photographed by Elise Joseph in Los Angeles, California. The photographic print, Golden Day, was photographed by Chelsea J. O’Leary in Nashville, Tennessee. The collage was created by Meg Towle.
Plumfield Books Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Today, I will be at Plumfield Books in Ada, Michigan.
Plumfield Books Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Today, I will be at Plumfield Books in Ada, Michigan. Nonna’s Pantry, which I hear is next-level incredible, is making Blueberry Mint Mini Tarts using my first-ever public recipe, Blueberry Mint Jam. Join us!
Details are below.
When: Saturday, July 01, 2023
Time: 11:00am—12:00pm EST
Where: Plumfield Books | 574 Ada Dr SE, Ada, MI 49301
View details on Instagram here. See you soon!
Milk Street Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
This evening, I am teaching a class through Milk Street’s Online Cooking School.
Milk Street Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
It is a huge joy to teach at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street this evening!
Join us at 5:00pm CST to learn to make Blueberry Jam.
How exactly do fresh blueberries transform into flavorful jam?
How can you safely personalize it?
How can you create jars of jam that are shelf-stable for months (and years!) to come?
We will dive into every detail during class. This is a virtual class taught through Milk Street’s Live Online Cooking School.
For 15% off, use code: YESYOUCAN.
This is the only virtual class I’m teaching this month. Virtual classes taught via Wiley will resume in July. If you would like to learn more about how to make jam, I hope you’ll join us!
When: Wednesday, June 28th
Time: 5:00pm CST
Where: Zoom | You can register here.
See you this evening!
Porter Flea Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Tomorrow, I will be at Porter Flea’s Preview Market Night signing copies of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
Porter Flea Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Tomorrow, I will be at Porter Flea’s Preview Market Night signing copies of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, as well as giving away a beautiful vintage vessel full of Wiley items: a signed cookbook, a jar of freshly-made jam, a set of napkins, a photographic print, and my favorite journal. I am so grateful to join The Bookshop and be a small part of this wonderful event.
Porter Flea has supported independent business owners for years (11 years this year!), and in many cases, it not only supports these businesses, but it also launches them into a new realm of exposure, sales, and audience size. Porter Flea is a huge deal. It truly is an excellent event, and we Nashville-based artists are so lucky it takes place here.
Any time I take part in an event, I want to know who is at the helm. Katie Vance and Matt Alexander, two incredibly talented humans, founded, and now lead, nurture, and grow this event. Thank you so very much to Katie, Matt, and the Porter Flea team for putting this together, twice a year.
Porter Flea and giveaway details are below!
When: Friday, June 16th (Preview Market Night)
Time: 6:00—9:00pm
Where: Nashville Fairgrounds | 1813 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37210
Parking: $5.00 cash is required for parking.
I hope to see you!
Giveaway Items
White's Mercantile Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
This evening, I will be at White's Mercantile Belle Meade signing copies of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
White's Mercantile Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
This evening, I will be at White's Mercantile Belle Meade in celebration of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. This will be a casual, come-and-go book signing. You can explore and shop the beautiful Belle Meade location of White's Mercantile, as well as pick up a copy of my cookbook and have it signed. If you received or purchased a cookbook for Mother’s Day, this would be a wonderful opportunity to have it personalized.
Details are below!
When: Tuesday, May 16th
Time: 5:00—7:00pm
Where: White’s Mercantile Belle Meade | 108 Page Rd, Nashville, TN 37205
I hope to see you there!
Wiley on the West Coast
One week ago today, on May 05, The Well Lived Woman welcomed Wiley Canning Company into their beautiful space for a tasting, dialogue, and book signing.
Wiley on the West Coast
One week ago today, on Friday, May 05, The Well Lived Woman welcomed Wiley Canning Company into their beautiful space for a tasting, dialogue, and book signing. With endless thanks to Elise Joseph and The Well Lived Woman team, Jaimi Brooks and Robin Raab Olascoaga, we gathered to celebrate The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, as we enjoyed recipes found within it, with an intimate group of wonderful humans.
At the core of Wiley Canning Company exists a steadfast intention to gather curious humans around delicious ingredients. Each time this happens, I witness the best of us.
When I say I witness “the best of us”, I mean I witness a palpable desire to acquire new knowledge and genuine connection with one another. These two things—the acquisition of new knowledge and the choice to meet someone new—are difficult to do because they are often uncomfortable. But, the result is a greater understanding of the way we ourselves, and others, feel valued and interpret the complex world around us.
The day after our event at The Well Lived Woman, I went to Huntington Gardens and stumbled upon this quote:
“It is vital for us to remember that we are on an unknown arc toward an unknown future. There is still a great deal to be discovered and perhaps a number of current understandings to be overturned.”
Canning, pickling, and preserving practices have existed for over a century. But, there is still so much to learn. Humanity? Much, much longer. We have so much to learn about home food preservation, and we have so much to learn about each other. My greatest hope is that Wiley can tap into the pursuit of both.
The moments above and below were captured at The Well Lived Woman by Zachary Gray.
Upcoming events can be found here.
The Well Lived Woman Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Seats are now available to reserve for an afternoon at The Well Lived Woman in celebration of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
The Well Lived Woman Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
It is with endless excitement that I share…
Seats are now available to reserve for an afternoon at The Well Lived Woman in Los Angeles, California in celebration of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
Our event is on Friday, May 05 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Attendance is free. You can reserve a seat here.
We will gather at The Well Lived Woman to taste recipes from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook and engage in meaningful dialogue.
When you arrive, you will be greeted with homemade jams from my cookbook, fresh breads and butter from Gjusta, and recipe cards for three featured jams. The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook will also be available to purchase.
After we have enjoyed jams and breads, we will move into a dialogue, beginning with a Question and Answer session moderated by Elise Joseph.
You can view more details on Instagram here, here, here, and here.
I hope to see you there!
The photos of The Well Lived Woman space were taken by Jessica J. Alexander.
Pub Week
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook is now alive in the world. I started Wiley Canning Company in July 2020 with a goal to gather those I love through delicious ingredients.
Pub Week
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook is now alive in the world.
I started Wiley Canning Company in July 2020 with a goal to gather those I love through delicious ingredients. Canned, pickled, and preserved fruits and vegetables, inspired by my family and upbringing, are at the core of Wiley.
On March 27, 2023, fifty of my closest friends, relatives, and members of the Wiley community gathered at June to enjoy creative dishes that incorporated several recipes from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. This evening was one of the most special moments of my life, one I might describe as personally holy. It was an absolute dream come true, and I will be sustained by the gratitude I feel for years to come.
Together, we pursued and brought forth great meaning throughout Pub Week.
The Wiley community raised funds for The Covenant School through every purchase of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook through our website.
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook became a #1 New Release on Amazon.
Author Margaret Littman wrote a beautiful piece for Nashville Scene: The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook Updates the How-Tos of Preserving.
Nashville put their arms around Wiley Canning Company as Parnassus, The Bookshop, and White’s Mercantile began carrying the cookbook in their stores.
Many of you shared moments privately and publicly as you began to experience the cookbook.
The moments above and below were captured at June by Zachary Gray as we honored the birth of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. In this room sat my husband, my parents, their partners, my sisters, their partners, and several of my closest friends who make me want to love and live better and bigger, including my out-of-town loves ones who were there in spirit.
Candles for Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, and Mike Hill
Chef Sean Brock slicing aged ham to pair with fresh bread, cultured butter, and jams from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook
Chef Sean’s and my Q&A
A celebration of recipes from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, including Pickled Eggs, Pickled Shrimp with Chef Sean Brock, Pineapple Coconut Jam, Pickled Radicchio, and Pickled Onions
Chef Michael Werrell
Chef Michael
Chef Sean’s and my Q&A
Chef Michael and Chef Sam Jett
Chef Sean Brock
Fried green tomatoes with Pickled Garlic, Pickled Banana Peppers, Pickled Radishes, Pickled Sweet Peppers, and Pickled Onions from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook
Chef Colin Shane
Caroline Randall Williams moments after she read her foreword
Upcoming events can be found here.
June Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
Tickets are now available to purchase for an evening at June in celebration of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
June Welcomes Wiley Canning Company
It is with head-to-toe excitement that I share…
Tickets are now available to purchase for an evening at June in celebration of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
You can purchase tickets on Resy here.
On Monday, March 27, the eve of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook’s Publication Day, Chef Sean Brock and the ever-inspiring June team will welcome us into their beautifully-designed space to celebrate.
When you arrive at June, you will be welcomed by a long, beautiful table of homemade Wiley jams and fresh breads. Every bite of jam you enjoy will have been made by me in the weeks leading up to our time together. What a gift it will be to prepare this element of the evening for you.
The incredible June team will also prepare five to seven small plates, all of which will incorporate recipes from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. There will be a thoughtful offering of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy alongside your small plates. The evening will have a very “reception-like” feel, so come as you are, ready to eat, drink, and experience Wiley publicly for the very first time.
To close the evening, there will be a Question and Answer session moderated by Chef Sean Brock. This is the only seated portion of the evening. Our time leading up to the Q&A is standing and free-flowing.
Every ounce of love poured into me, in this way and in countless others, has been viscerally felt and digested. I will make my mission to pour it back into you.
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook will soon be alive in the world. I began this book when I was five months pregnant with my son, Sullivan, and it feels as though this book and my son have hearts that beat in rhythm. When I first became a mother, I tried so desperately to keep my work separate from my son. I clung onto the compartmentalization I practiced in my pre-motherhood life and felt nearly suffocated by the push and pull, the pressure and guilt, of wanting to be two places at once: with my book and with my son. It wasn’t until I surrendered the desire to separate and fully embraced the privilege to integrate that I was able to write the book that was always meant to be: a book written by a mother Sullivan James O’Leary created. This book could not have been written by a different version of me. It had to be written as I was transforming into a woman whose highest purpose was to raise a child who will know the marvel of an ordinary moment: the taste of a juicy peach, the sight of sunlight traveling through trees, and the sounds of your closest friends’ voices bouncing off of your kitchen walls as you eat and drink and laugh and cry. Looking back, every experience of “push and pull”, pressure, and guilt was simply an opportunity for my mind and heart to be stripped down to their foundations. Only then could I build a book from a new, truly humble, and loving place.
No matter how this book is received by the world, I am so deeply proud to be its author. I gave it my all with the energy and time that I had. This is my knowing. I promised myself I would treat it like I treat Sullivan: with love, forgiveness, humility, and from a position of, “What do I have to learn, or unlearn, from you today? I stand by you.”
Our art takes on a life of its own once it’s born. We cannot stop this. We suffer when we resist this. What life will The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook take on? How will it grow? What mistakes will it make? Who will it love?
It is the gift of my life to write. It is the gift of my life to mother. It is the gift of my life to share each with you. Thank you so very much for being here.
You can purchase tickets on Resy here.
Peace-of-Mind Acts
Jared and I recently found a small lump on the top of Sullivan’s head. We discovered it because he had fallen, but Jared and I only heard his fall; we didn’t see it because we were turned away from him.
Peace-of-Mind Acts
Jared and I recently found a small lump on the top of Sullivan’s head. We discovered it because he had fallen, but Jared and I only heard his fall; we didn’t see it because we were turned away from him.
For several days, we assumed this lump was a result of his fall. We assumed it would decrease in size as it healed, as well. But, after several weeks, it hadn’t gone away or decreased in size. We began to worry.
We decided to call Sullivan’s pediatrician to express our worry. She asked us to come in for a visit the same day we called. She said, “Let’s call this a ‘peace-of-mind visit’”.
Her words alone brought me immediate comfort. When she said, “Let’s call this a ‘peace-of-mind visit’”, I heard, “Sullivan is likely healthy and well, but let’s connect in person to bring ourselves peace.”
We went to our appointment and heard what any parent would hope to hear. The small lump on Sullivan’s head is very normal, and we can free ourselves of any worry. It is very likely a part of his skull, or his suture, and we simply discovered it for the first time when he fell.
When we left his pediatrician’s office, we went to music class where he danced and sang more expressively and loudly than ever before. I sat back and watched as I filled with gratitude for my healthy and well baby boy. A “peace-of-mind visit” was exactly what we needed.
Since our visit, I’ve felt inspired to pay attention to small action steps that may simply bring me peace of mind.
Is there a cookbook recipe I might want to retest for peace of mind?
Is there a text message I might want to send for peace of mind?
Is there a question I might want to ask for peace of mind?
Is there an appointment I might want to schedule for peace of mind?
Sometimes, we need a “peace-of-mind visit”, don’t we? I hope we each follow through on them when they call to us.
Throughout this new year ahead, I wish you thin slices of peace and small action steps that lead to them.
Peace-Of-Mind Acts was written on October 21, 2022. It is the final of five essays from 2022 being shared December 22, 2022 and New Year’s Day. You can read the first, The Pursuit of Complexity, the second, A Cumulative Mindset, the third, Pin It Down, and the fourth, The First Try, on our New Feed here.
Each essay was first available to Wiley Subscribers. You can subscribe to The Wiley Subscription for first access to all essays here.
Portrait by: Zachary Gray
The First Try
When you start something on a good note, it feels difficult in the moment, nearly impossible perhaps, but you’re much more likely to remain on a good note than you are to recalibrate after starting on a tough note.
The First Try
Recently, I was speaking with a close friend about her divorced parents. We are both children of divorced parents, and we often lean on each other when navigating the dynamics of blended families. Multiple active text threads, full schedules at Christmastime, and the steadfast prioritization of our own healthy marriages come with their own sets of joys, and they come with their own sets of heartaches, especially for this close friend and me who wear our hearts on our sleeves.
Her parents have been divorced for several years, and not much has changed about their relationship. But, so much has changed within their family. They’ve welcomed sons-in-law, grandchildren, career moves, and more. Yet, their relationship has remained the same; it is one of tension and heaviness. It lacks softness and ease.
I asked her, “Has it always been this way? Did they begin their divorced relationship with tension and heaviness?” She answered, “Yes. It’s always been this way. Things began on a tough note, and they’ve never really found their new footing.”
This led us to a discussion about the beginning of something new.
We agreed on this point: when you begin something on a tough note, it’s very difficult to recalibrate. It’s difficult to reel it in. Your idea of a better-case scenario gets further and further away from you; it feels further and further out of reach. And, the more time that passes, the harder and harder it becomes to begin again.
On the contrary, when you start something on a good note, it feels difficult in the moment, nearly impossible perhaps, but you’re much more likely to remain on a good note than you are to recalibrate after starting on a tough note.
In other words, beginning well is hard, but the act of re-doing is harder.
I believe this lesson can be applied to many things in my life.
Beginning my day on a good note (an early wake-up, physical movement, and a brief writing session) motivates me to have a good rest of my day. Beginning my day on a tough note (a late wake-up, no physical movement, and a lack of direction) creates a flustered feeling that really lasts throughout my day.
Beginning a new friendship in a way that feels open and flexible motivates me to maintain space within and around the friendship. Beginning a new friendship with expectations and plans creates a more pressurized feeling, is unsustainable, and will ultimately require recalibration.
This list continues.
Beginning a recipe…
Beginning a trip to the farmers’ market with Sullivan…
Beginning a vacation…
We do not always find ourselves at the starting line of a new habit, relationship, or practice. We more often find ourselves in the middle of the race, feeling at peace or feeling a desire for change. But, when we do find ourselves at the startling line, what if we tried to begin really well? Healthily? Honestly? What might that look like for us? How might that last?
So, I leave us with this question this week:
Is there something I will begin soon? How can I begin well? How might I get it right on the first try?
The First Try was written on May 27, 2022. It is the fourth of five essays from 2022 being shared December 22, 2022 and New Year’s Day. You can read the first, The Pursuit of Complexity, the second, A Cumulative Mindset, and the third, Pin It Down, on our New Feed here.
Each essay was first available to Wiley Subscribers. You can subscribe to The Wiley Subscription for first access to all essays here.
Pin It Down
Our experiences of the world around us change, and our desire and ability to articulate them change. Our work is of us, and therefore, it may never be finished because we are never finished.
Pin It Down
Leonardo da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
As I near the completion of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, his words feel true. I could work on this book for the rest of my life. Choosing to set it free evokes a complex set of emotions. As I edit, I look at the pages before me and say, “I want to keep you to myself forever, but it’s time to share you.”
I believe in what this book has become. I respect what this book has become. Most importantly, I honor what this book has become.
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook is a snapshot of my knowledge and heart, right now. Is it possible that our work is never finished because we are ever-evolving? Our minds grow, and our hearts grow. Our capacity to love expands, and our capacity to grieve expands. Our experiences of the world around us change, and our desire and ability to articulate them change. Our work is of us, and therefore, it may never feel finished because we are never finished.
About his work, poet Ocean Vuong said, “It’s never done. If I had a chance now with every book I wrote, every page would be a little different. Commas would be moved, words. And I think that’s beautiful, actually. That’s a good thing. It reminds us that the artist and the mind and the poem still grow. The poem is like a tree, and the book is a photograph of the tree. You take a photograph of the tree, but the next day, the tree has new cells. The next year, it has new branches. We have to make peace with the fact that a book is actually just a photo album, and that the organic, psychic life of the poem is already growing somewhere else, somewhere inside you. And we pin it down.”
As artists, writers, and creators, we pin down a moment in time. We hold on tightly. We bravely share it. We continue to grow and expand and change, and we honor, we must honor, what our work was and has become.
Pin It Down was written on August 12, 2022. It is the third of five essays from 2022 being shared December 22, 2022 and New Year’s Day. You can read the first, The Pursuit of Complexity, and the second, A Cumulative Mindset, on our New Feed here.
Each essay was first available to Wiley Subscribers. You can subscribe to The Wiley Subscription for first access to all essays here.
A Cumulative Mindset
If at the end of a day, I look at how I invested my energy and think, “…, but I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked,” how might I feel at the end of a week? At the end of a life?
A Cumulative Mindset
Each day, Jared asks, “How was your day?” I respond with a variety of honest answers. Almost always, though, my answer includes, “…, but I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked.”
I have no shortage of new ideas and actionable to-dos. Each day is an opportunity to see as many of them through as possible, and I do my best to remain disciplined. I have bought into the idea that a disciplined hour leads to a disciplined day, and a disciplined day leads to a disciplined week. A disciplined week, ultimately, leads to a disciplined life.
The truth is, though, this idea of accumulation—an hour leads to a day leads to a week leads to a life—applies to far more than discipline. If discipline accumulates, then mindset, for example, must accumulate as well.
If at the end of a day, I look at how I invested my energy and think, “…, but I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked,” how might I feel at the end of a week? At the end of a life?
If this is the mindset I cultivate each day, why would I expect to find myself in a different one at the end of my life?
So, I feel strongly it is time to challenge my daily mindset. I cannot simply flip a switch, but I can certainly begin to consciously honor the abundance of my day each day. I plan to start by writing down three thin slices of abundance in my notebook to end the workday. The more days that pass, the more this practice will cultivate a new mindset—a mindset I wish to find myself in at the end of my life.
“How was your day?”
“…, but I noticed thin slices of abundance.”
“How was your week?”
“…, but I noticed thin slices of abundance.”
“…and your life?”
“…, and it was full of abundance.”
How can we honor the abundance of our lives on a daily basis?
The follow-up below was written two weeks after the essay above.
Two weeks ago, I shared my desire to better cultivate a mindset of abundance in my daily life. Each day, Jared asks, “How was your day?” Until two weeks ago, my answer, almost always, included the phrase, “…, but I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked.” I have very consciously tried to shift this mindset to, “…, but I noticed thin slices of abundance.”
Oh my goodness!
This small shift in the way I describe my day aloud to Jared is already making a difference in how I feel, in how I experience my daily life. I notice and honor what I do move forward. Yesterday, I even told Sullivan what I accomplished, and the day ended on a hopeful and high note. Very little about my day to day has changed throughout the past two weeks. My focus has simply shifted. Mindset alone is so incredibly powerful.
A Cumulative Mindset was written on January 24, 2022. It is the second of five essays from 2022 being shared December 22, 2022 and New Year’s Day. You can read the first, The Pursuit of Complexity, here.
Each essay was first available to Wiley Subscribers. You can subscribe to The Wiley Subscription for first access to all essays here.
The Pursuit of Complexity
The complexity of our lives tests our humanity at times, and it celebrates our humanity at others.
The Pursuit of Complexity
Galisteo, New Mexico
I write my best work when I’m confined to a single seat in a Boeing 737. This setting, unfailingly, helps me access the mind with which I write. It is not the mind with which I parent, and it is not the mind with which I cook or teach or run. It is the mind behind a locked door on the top floor of a secluded house, and I attempt to access it each day to write as if my life depends on it.
When I open that door, I might find a cold, bare room. Or, I might find a warm, inviting room, one filled with complete sentences that acutely describe my specific emotion or experience. No matter what I find, I write. Traveling in an airplane, thirty thousand feet above Earth, helps me unlock this door more quickly than any other setting. I know this to be true. I sit still. There is little distraction. Cellular service is unavailable.
I faced this truth when I found myself three weeks away from my final deadline for The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook with a mountain of pages yet to create. As a new mother, I had not yet learned how to best prioritize my day. I had not yet learned how to live and create well despite my exhaustion. I had not yet learned how to quiet my mind as it buzzed with excitement, worry, and curiosity about my infant son. Day by day, I let my work slip through my fingers, and time was running out. With only three weeks left, I knew I had to make a serious change. I needed to sit still, reduce distraction, and restrict my phone use. I had to access the mind behind a locked door on the top floor of a secluded house, the mind with which I write. To do so, I had to overcome the fear and vulnerability I felt to be apart from my son.
“I can do this,” I repeatedly said. “And I must.”
I boarded a Boeing 737 to Albuquerque, New Mexico and traveled to a small village named Galisteo. For five days, I found myself alone in the golden desert in a one-bedroom casita. There was a small desk, a single chair, and limited cellular service.
There, I wrote. I wrote. And I wrote.
For this brief moment in time, I successfully compartmentalized my fear and vulnerability, and I poured my mind and heart into my work. The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook mattered entirely to me. I created that mountain of pages. I felt relieved. I felt proud.
Now, it was time to travel home to my son. I needed to see him, hold him, and allow my mind to, once again, buzz about him. As I sat at my gate in Albuquerque to travel home, I continued to write. It was, after all, my goal to make the most of my time away.
My work was suddenly interrupted when the gate attendant began an announcement with trepidation in her voice. She said, “I have a very unfortunate announcement. Please remember I am only the person communicating this decision to you. I have no control over the decision itself.”
“What in the world could this be?” I wondered.
“All remaining flights out of Albuquerque have been canceled. There are currently no available flights for three days. In addition, all hotels in Albuquerque are sold out due to our annual International Balloon Festival. We will do our absolute best to ensure you have a place to sleep and eat until we are able to find a flight for you.”
Gulp.
I sat in sheer disbelief as I watched hundreds of panicked travelers form a rapidly growing line. I could not remain apart from my son for three additional days. Not only would it have been difficult emotionally, but it also would have been difficult logistically due to childcare needs. The day before, I wrote as if my life depended on it. Now, I had to problem solve as if my life depended on it.
Luckily, there was a rental car available. I needed to quickly reserve it, map my route, and ensure I had a full charge on my phone. I had to access the mind with which I endure, the same mind with which I run. To do so, I had to overcome the fear and vulnerability I felt to complete a cross-country drive through the black of night.
“I can do this,” I repeatedly said. “And I must.”
I rented a Nissan Kick and traveled toward Nashville, Tennessee as the western sun met the horizon behind me. For eighteen hours, I found myself alone on the highways of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. There were wind farms, plains, and dark, infinite skies.
There, I focused. I focused. And I focused.
For this brief moment in time, I successfully compartmentalized my fear and vulnerability, and I poured my mind and energy into the drive. Traveling home to my son mattered entirely to me. I completed that cross-country drive through the black of night. I felt relieved. I was home.
In a span of five days alone, my work mattered entirely to me, and my son mattered entirely to me. In one moment, I chose to board a Boeing 737 to Albuquerque, New Mexico and write as if my life depended on it, and in the next moment, I chose to rent a Nissan Kick and drive as if my life depended on it. As human beings, we pursue one instinctual experience after another. We make one careful decision after another. We grapple with one thought-provoking paradox after another. We do so much more than choose to board a Boeing 737, despite the fear and vulnerability we feel to be apart from our children. We do so much more than rent a Nissan Kick, despite the fear and vulnerability we feel to complete a cross-country drive through the black of night.
We pursue our first 5k because we believe it will bring us a tremendous sense of pride, despite feeling nervous, even unqualified, to step into running shoes. We decide to call our dying grandmother to tell her how much we love her because this might be our final chance, despite the excruciating heartbreak of that call. We find heroic strength in the profound love we have for our children, despite being brought to our knees by exhaustion and overwhelm. We begin to write our first book, despite an endless list of unknowns and quiet insecurities.
We break, and we rebuild. We second-guess, and we fully commit. We give away our love, and it finds its way back to us. We pursue and accept the complexity of our lives, and we do the best we can.
This is not easy. This is not comfortable. This is not predictable or tidy. The complexity of our lives tests our humanity at times, and it celebrates our humanity at others. It allows us to create a mountain of pages, and it allows us to complete a cross-country drive. It is what makes us authors, and it is what makes us mothers.
My wish for each of us is to know, without a shadow of doubt, that our work matters entirely when it matters most. My wish for each of us is to know, without a shadow of doubt, that our people—our children, partners, parents, grandparents, friends, and colleagues—matter entirely when they matter most. We must board the Boeing 737 when our work matters most, and we must rent the Nissan Kick when our people matter most. We must pursue our first 5k. We must call our grandmother. We must fall to our knees, and we must begin our first book.
We must pursue and accept the complexity of our lives, and we must do the best we can. In doing so, we honor every single ingredient that makes our miraculous lives so beautifully ordinary and so very delicious.
The essay above is from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. It is the first of five essays from 2022 being shared between today, December 22, 2022, and New Year’s Day.
It was first available to Wiley Subscribers. You can subscribe to The Wiley Subscription for first access to all essays here. You can also pre-order the cookbook The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook here.
The Pre-order
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook will be available to pre-order on Friday, November 18!
The Pre-Order
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook will be available to pre-order next Friday, November 18.
To the Wiley Canning Company community,
My appreciation for you is as present and deep as Earth’s oceans. The closer I get to releasing The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook into the world, the more certain I am of this truth: we do not and cannot walk alone.
Every ounce of energy poured into The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook was mixed with your support and nourished by your kindness. I could not have written this book alone. It required a community. It required a village. It required you.
Through The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, it is a gift and deep honor to soon share my knowledge and recipes with you. I wholly believe it will give rise to new perspective, appreciation, and practices related to food, specifically fruits and vegetables, in your welcoming home. In turn, I believe it will add value and meaning to your extraordinary life.
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook focuses on delicious ingredients that ultimately lead to delicious meals. A jar of Canned Tomatoes brings forth a bowl of homemade chili, one that will warm your body and expand a readied heart. Creating this book was one of my life’s greatest joys, and to soon share it with you will be one of my life’s greatest fortunes.
Everything you need to know about the pre-order
When:
Friday, November 18, 2022
Where:
You can pre-order The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook through Wiley Canning Company and Blue Hills Press.
Signed Copies:
Signed pre-order copies are available only through Wiley Canning Company and Blue Hills Press.
Pre-order Options:
One:
You can simply pre-order The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook.
Two:
You can pre-order an exclusive bundle, including The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, a PDF preview of the book, and a 5x7 photographic print.
Publication Day:
March 28, 2023
Today, I will leave you with an essay from The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. This is a personal note I offer near the beginning of the book with an intention to spark thought about your heart and life.
The good news is, simply by reading these words at this very moment, you already know so much about me. Who and what I value, and how I wish to live, brought us here. These truths are the result of my upbringing, lessons learned, and countless thin slices of luck.
I was born and raised by my mother and father in central Ohio alongside two sisters, two sets of grandparents, miles of green land, and endless, unobstructed sky. My maternal grandparents were both raised by agrarian families and were farmers themselves. This heritage significantly impacted how I grew up. Of course, we would live in the Ohio countryside. Of course, we would eat strawberries every spring, savor sweet corn every summer, and make the majority of our meals at home. Of course, my first job would be on my grandparents’ farm. An agricultural path had been forged by many before me with whom I share my blood, and my family did not stray from this lifestyle as each generation was born anew.
There was, however, one exception. My mother was the first of her immediate family to veer from familial farming customs when she bravely chose to become a teacher instead. She remained rooted in our family’s history, traditions, and values as she carried forward all she personally treasured: an unmoving commitment to hard work, the prioritization of delicious, homemade food, and the care and regeneration of the land upon which we lived. She tweaked what she noticed needed improvement and left behind what she saw as no longer needed at all. In doing so, she left the world—her world—better than she found it. By living each day in a way that left her world better than she found it, she pursued a life of generational improvement, progression, and aliveness.
I, too, wish to be brave. I, too, wish to leave the world—my world—better than I found it. To me, this also means studying my family history through a present-day lens and choosing wisely what to carry forward, what to tweak, and what to leave behind. As a granddaughter, daughter, and now mother, I, too, must pursue a life of generational improvement, progression, and aliveness.
“What makes me come alive?” I ask.
There is one thing I know for certain. Wiley Canning Company highlights what I treasure most about my family’s history, traditions, and values. Through Wiley, I, too, will carry forward an unmoving commitment to hard work, the prioritization of delicious, homemade food, and the care and regeneration of the land upon which I live—just like my mother, her mother, and all the mothers and fathers who came before us with whom we share our blood. The practice of canning, pickling, and preserving is what fills my lungs. The practice of canning, pickling, and preserving is what makes me come alive.
The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook may serve as a reminder to wake up each day, plant two feet on the ground, and pursue that which fills your lungs, that which makes you come alive.
Let us create ingredients that lead to delicious meals alongside one another. And as we do, let us feel more alive than ever.
Portrait by: Zachary Gray
Our Time vs. Our Work
If no one was around to see the work you create, would you still create it?
Our Time vs. Our Work
If no one was around to see the work you create, would you still create it?
As I’m working on my first book, The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, I can’t help but wonder who might see it. Who might read this book? How many people might read this book? A few? A few hundred? A few thousand? This curiosity isn’t necessarily vain. I’m writing a book that others might read, and from time to time, I can’t help but wonder if their reading will lead to a feeling, a yearning for a newfound relationship with their food, pantries, and tables. Regardless of its success, I take great comfort in the following truth: no matter the success of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, I want to continue to spend my time the same way I do right now. I want to write, create photographs, and develop canning, pickling, and preserving recipes using fruits and vegetables. I want to be at my computer. I want to be in my studio. I want to be in my kitchen. My work is the result of how I spend my time, and the way I spend my time is what nourishes me. It is vital to remember this. It is vital to know this. The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook is the result of spending my time writing, creating photographs, and developing canning, pickling, and preserving recipes using fruits and vegetables.
Before I gave birth to Sullivan, I spent much of my free time training for half-marathons, marathons, and my first Ironman 70.3. Oftentimes, someone would ask, “Why do you like half-marathons?” “Why are you training for a marathon?” “What’s driving you to complete an Ironman?” My answer was always the same. As simple as it sounds, I would respond, “I like half-marathons because I love to run.” I loved to spend my time running. The result of spending my time running was the completion of half-marathons, marathons, and an Ironman.
If no one was around to read The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, would I still complete it? My answer is a resounding, “Yes.” I would still complete it because I love to spend my time writing, creating photographs, and developing canning, pickling, and preserving recipes using fruits and vegetables. If no one was around to see me cross the finish line of a race, would I still complete it? My answer, again, is a resounding, “Yes.” I would still complete it because I love to spend my time running.
Of course, community is a huge part of what makes our work so enjoyable and rewarding. As human beings, we need community. We need accountability. We, I believe, need validation. When I envision you reading The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, I feel butterflies. When I see my family cheering for me during a race, I feel immediately boosted. But, community cannot be what primarily drives us. We must first be driven by how we wish to spend our time. We must first feel confident in where we invest our unique minds, tender hearts, and precious energy. Then, we have the great fortune of welcoming community into this time and work.
Our work is the result of how we spend our time. If we envision a specific result—specific work—we must first focus on how we spend our time. Then, we may cherish and care for the community that begins to grow and surround us.
A Cookbook Update
My cookbook will now be published in Spring 2023.
A Cookbook Update
Let’s start with a clear and direct update.
My cookbook, The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, will now be published in Spring 2023.
When I first began writing my book, my publisher and I planned to release it in Spring 2022. We fully believed this was possible. We moved forward with discipline, excitement, and optimism. I was so optimistic, in fact, that I announced a publication date on our website and Instagram before completing my book and having a real-time understanding of our editing, printing, and distribution timelines. The truth is my publication date could change again. There are many factors within our control, and there are many factors outside of our control—factors that can, overnight, affect a book’s birthday, or “pub day”, such as accessibility to the supplies needed to physically create a book. Today, though, and always, I want to focus on factors that are within our control, or rather, my control: my commitment, perspective, and actions.
Commitment
I became a mother the same year I began writing The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. When I learned I was pregnant with our son, Sullivan, I was in complete disbelief. I was also deeply grateful and so excited. Though, as I approached my son’s birth, uncertainty filled my bones. Am I capable of this? Will our bond be immediate? Will I know when he’s hungry and when he’s full? Amidst this uncertainty, there was one ever-present certainty: I was all in. I was fully committed. I was fully committed to my role as a mother. I was fully committed to my son—his personhood, his well being, his everything.
When I began Wiley Canning Company, I knew, one day, I would write a book of recipes, a book to honor all who came before me. I did not know if this book would ever be published or known outside of my immediate family, but I knew I would write it. In August 2020, one month after launching Wiley Canning Company, I met my publisher, Matthew Teague of Blue Hills Press. He wrote to me via email, and in the subject line, he typed, “Wiley Book Possibilities”. When I read this subject line, I was in complete disbelief. I was also deeply grateful and so excited. Though, as I wrote my book proposal, uncertainty, again, filled my bones. Am I capable of this? How will I manage my work as a first-time mother? Will I know when the book is truly complete? Amidst this uncertainty, there was one ever-present certainty: I was all in. I was fully committed. I was fully committed to my role as a writer. I was fully committed to my book—its development, its message, its everything.
Sullivan was born on December 07, 2020. Every day since then, I have fully committed to him. Every day, I hold him closely. Every day, I make him breakfast. Every day, he is reminded he is worthy and loved. Every day is imperfect, and we often lose our rhythm, but nevertheless, I am fully committed to him.
The same is true for The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook. Every day, I write. Every day, I create notes about how to make my message clearer and more me. Every day, I treat my book as if it’s worthy of my love because it undoubtedly is. Every day is imperfect, and I often write very little, but nevertheless, I am fully committed to it.
It is paramount to fully commit to what we cherish most. We must sew our commitments—our identity—into a coat we wear every day with honor and conviction. Every day, I wear mother. Every day, I wear writer. Every day, I clothe myself in my commitments—my identity—knowing each day will be imperfect and filled with uncertainty.
Perspective
Throughout my book writing process, there was one major factor unexpectedly at odds with my commitment: my optimism.
Optimism, oftentimes, is an asset. Our assets each have a shadow, though, and the shadow of my optimism can be a lack of realism. One lesson I learned as I wrote The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook is this: it’s critical to prevent optimism from overriding realism. One way this manifested is improperly planning for upcoming deadlines.
My writing timeline was guided by three major deadlines. Matthew provided a date for my largest and final deadline, and I assured him it was possible. Remember, I was committed. I immediately thought, “I can do this!” But, I failed to take a realistic picture of my life as a new mother and consistently account for a huge addition to my life: Sullivan. I was drawing on my experience of personal output from my pre-motherhood life, and this was unwise. I ultimately asked to adjust my largest and final deadline, and when I did, I very consciously tried to be acutely honest with Matthew, and myself, in order to meet him with realism, not optimism.
As an eternal optimist who was truly born this way, I can now see how realism can, sometimes, be more valuable than optimism. Realism can bring us relief, efficiency, and most importantly, honesty, in the long run.
This remains true in an equal and opposite direction. It’s critical to stop pessimism from overriding realism. When I ultimately asked to adjust my largest and final deadline, it crushed me. I felt naive, ashamed, and embarrassed. When I realized I could not meet this particular deadline, I wondered, “Can I do this at all?”
Of course, the answer was, “Yes.” I did not need to surrender the entire dream; I simply needed to allow it additional time.
In the name of complete transparency, my largest and final deadline was November 01, 2021. This would have set us up for publication in Spring 2022. We ultimately adjusted this deadline to April 01, 2022—exactly four months later. This, then, set us up for publication in Fall 2022. Here, Matthew and I took a realistic picture of The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, and we agreed this book is meant to be released into the world in the springtime—a coveted season filled with farmers’ markets, bright red strawberries, and canning, pickling, and preserving. Together, we chose to commit to Spring 2023. This now gives us ample space to further edit, print, and distribute—space I sincerely appreciate. Now, I am both optimistic and realistic about our timeline, and I’m holding it softly.
Actions
In my most committed and realistic state, my dreams—dreams that carry me, dreams that bring me deep meaning and purpose—can still feel out of reach at times. When they do, I must remember my only job is to do the next most important thing. One dream may be reached tomorrow. One may be reached in a year. Five years. Ten. No matter the case, I can always do the next most important thing. I can always climb a single step. The more I do, the more I find the next most important thing—a single step—is what actually carries me. It is what actually holds me. The bite-size, consistent pursuit is what brings me deep meaning and purpose.
Every day, I can do the next most important thing. Every day, I can climb a single step. Every day, I can pursue my dreams knowing each day will require commitment, uncertainty, optimism, realism, and everything in between.
The graphic above was sourced from Pinterest.
Ask Me Anything
Ask me anything!
Ask Me Anything
Last week on Instagram and through my newsletter, I invited you to ask me anything. Thank you for asking wonderful questions! I have answered them below and on Instagram here. I sincerely wish to be a resource for you at any time. If you have a future question, no matter how big or small, please ask away.
When is your cookbook being released?
My cookbook, The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, will be released in Spring ’23. When I first began writing my book, my publisher and I planned to release it in Spring ’22. We fully believed this was possible, and we moved forward with excitement, optimism, and discipline. Our timeline has changed, and it is truly for the best. Next week, I will share a detailed essay about why this has changed. Mostly, this essay will explore my relationship with flexibility, the lessons I learned as a first-time parent who deeply values her career, and the mindset needed to climb a single step when the ladder itself feels too tall.
Where can I buy your cookbook?
When my cookbook is released, you will be able to purchase it at select independent bookstores and international retailers. I will publish a list of bookstores and retailers once we have concrete knowledge about this. I will also have signed copies available to purchase here on our website and at all in-person events. (Is this real life? I’m so excited!)
Who is your publisher?
I’m thrilled and honored to work with Blue Hills Press, a Nashville-based publisher. I cannot speak highly enough of Matthew Teague of Blue Hills Press. He wishes the very best for his writers, and this is evidenced by the way he treats our creativity, work, and day-to-day juggle.
Are you teaching workshops this year?
Absolutely! Wiley Workshops fill me to the brim! New workshops will re-open this summer. (You can schedule a private lesson at any time.) My newsletter subscribers will be the first to know about new workshops. If you haven’t already, I invite you to join my newsletter community at the bottom of this page. Every Friday, I personally write and send a weekly newsletter, and it is where I first share news about The WCC Cookbook, Wiley Recipes, Wiley Workshops, and more.
Jams include so much sugar! Is there a way to make them with less sugar?
Yes! In this case, a question about sugar is a question about science. Sugar is not only an important flavor element, but it is also an important scientific element. You can indeed decrease the amount of added sugar, but you must compensate for this decrease in another key way.
Can I buy your canned goods somewhere?
One day soon! We do not currently have canned goods for sale, but a curated line is in our future. I would love to create a small line of canned, pickled, and preserved fruits and vegetables to sell at farmers’ markets and local grocery stores.
What is inspiring you lately?
The opening of farmers’ markets! I am so excited it’s farmers’ market season here in Nashville. Sullivan and I had a blast at Richland Park Farmers’ Market last weekend. We will be there again tomorrow, and we will be at 12 South Farmers’ Market this Tuesday evening. I love the energy of farmers’ markets. I know each person there shares an important value with me: a value of sourcing food from nearby growers. The energy feels similar to that of a half-marathon or marathon. When I’m in my corral at the starting line, I know each person there shares an important value with me: a value of physical movement and endurance. It is an indescribable feeling of togetherness and commitment.
I am also very inspired by Christiana of Christiana’s Preserves. I consulted her this week about upcoming goals for Wiley Canning Company, and I was blown away from her huge wealth of knowledge. Christiana is also incredibly supportive, hard working, and generous.
What is your love language? How does that show up in friendships and marriage?
Words of affirmation! Hearing an encouraging observation, receiving a thoughtful text, or reading a handwritten card makes me feel so loved and valued. Words sustain me.
What hair products to you use?
I have no hair secrets or fancy routines. In fact, I may treat my hair in a way that directly contradicts mainstream advice. I wash and condition my hair every day, and I use Herbal Essences® shampoo and conditioner most of the time. (If I’m not using Herbal Essences®, I’m using an alternative inexpensive brand.) One way I intentionally keep my hair healthy is I rarely use a hair dryer.