Wow! Look at us! We’ve been together for one year.
I kind of can’t believe that I did it! My writing style has gotten more refined since my first post, and the practice of writing weekly has been really meditative and good for my brain. I loved the collaboration with
and the shares and recommendations from and . One of my favorite times of my week has been sitting on the couch with my husband who is also a writer and co-writing together on weekend mornings. I have appreciated all the texts, calls, comments, and messages about specific posts that helped you learn something and gave you a meal idea. It has been a very fun and fulfilling first year together!Most Popular Posts
Here’s what you loved to read this last year! These are the posts with the most likes from the last 52 weeks, linked in case you missed one or want to revisit a fave!
Reflections on the Last Year & What To Expect
This newsletter was always an experiment. The plan was that I was going to try it out and see how I liked it. I didn’t know if I had the stamina to put out consistent content for a whole year, and yet, I did. I have a list of topics I want to write about, but not as many as in the beginning. My ideas mostly come from friends texting me to ask questions like:
What’s the difference between stock and broth?
Are jam, jelly, and preserves the same thing?
What other foods are essential to a Midwest funeral besides ‘funeral potatoes’?
Can I send you a picture of my cabinet so you can help me with my meal plan? ALWAYS YES.
A lot of my inspiration for posts also comes from my own thoughts about what food and cooking mean to me, noticing how I eat or cook or meal plan that is different from other people, and revisiting nostalgic foods from growing up in the Deep North.
It is so affirming to get a text or a comment from someone saying that they used a soup recipe I linked, or that they made Grandma Dip for an event and it was a hit, or that they too had a weird snack obsession in middle school. I know that much of what I write is helpful and/or resonates with so many of you. It’s helped you store your produce more effectively, and has inspired some of you to embrace winter, prioritize local veggies, and make smart use of your freezer.
This is encouraging as a writer who just barfs what they hope will be good and useful into the world every week.
As is so often the case, early on in this newsletter writing journey, my family and friends subscribed to support and my open rates (the percentage of people who open the newsletter) were in the 90% range. With gaining more subscribers (seriously, thank you for subscribing!), my open rates predictably went down. This is to be expected! People got used to seeing me in their inboxes on Sunday evenings and probably have been slower to open the newsletter or they might delete it altogether if it’s a topic they don’t care to read about. This is all normal newsletter reader behavior and I am so grateful to those who have read even a single piece of my writing!
I have to admit though that it is hard seeing my open rate drop so much over time, and it’s confusing why some posts do so much better than others. It’s been a challenge to think of things to write that people will consistently want to read and to use a Midwestern term: It feels a little like a crapshoot. With only a little over half of subscribers opening the post from last week, it’s pushed me to think about how I want to spend my time in the coming year.
Each week I spend between two and five hours writing, researching, reflecting and hunting down photos of food or me as a child (a huge feat tbh). While I’m not doing this to get views or to earn income (this newsletter will always be free), it is disheartening to spend so much time pouring into something that people just don’t care about some weeks. I know that this is a part of producing content and writing. I know that people are busy and burned out. I know that it can be hard to keep up with email. But as a strategic and intentional person, I have to consider what this space looks like for me moving forward.
I always want to be able to have a place to talk and write about food. In the past, that has been my blog, my Instagram, and now, my Substack. I believe that I have valuable tips, tricks, and reflections on food and eating. But I have some irons in the fire that are going to need more of my attention in the coming year, so this substack will be shifting a bit! I’m still going to be writing newsletters about the food of the Deep North, and my own musings on it all, but the newsletter is now going to be an every other week publication. I can’t justify the time spent on this every week anymore. So now I’m going to be focusing on publishing twice a month, still on Sunday nights! I hope that this will be frequent enough for me to get my thoughts into the world and to still help you all in the kitchen, but it will buy back some of my time for a different project I have been working on for nearly a year.
An extremely smart and thoughtful friend of mine recently shared about how she was feeling so bummed by people who see her and her various projects’ Instagram stories or videos or TikToks, and don’t even do the bare minimum to interact with it. I understand that feeling so much - being the creator who is putting so much effort into their work and passions, and then getting “viewed” by people who just keep moving past without any sort of affirmation, hype, or encouragement.
It also really did the job of “calling me in” as a follower, consumer, and friend. It has helped me be more intentional with leaving a supportive comment, hitting that like button, and saving posts online. Reading my friend’s newsletter and leaving a comment, or letting a friend’s band run all day on my Spotify, or purchasing things from people I know instead of from a larger company will always be more meaningful both to me and to the other person.
These kinds of actions are the ones I want in my ideal world. I want my loved ones and people I know to be able to sustain themselves doing what they love, and to feel affirmed doing it. If you are someone who values someone or something, I think you should do everything you can to engage with their thing, no matter what it is. We all deserve that I think.
There won’t be an email in your newsletter next Sunday 3/31/24, but there will be one you won’t want to miss on 4/7/24. If you need or want some spring content, you can check out An Ode to Eggs, Pickle Devotee, and Bar Culture posts from last year! I’m really looking forward to the next year with you all!
While we are here, would you leave a comment with something you’d like me to write about between now and next March? I’ll use these as a list of topics for the upcoming year!
Things I Like
This artist I discovered via Soundwoven Goods! I love her colorful speckled pieces most!
The beet salad I made this week was so good! It had a base of spring greens, sliced red onions, cucumbers, blue cheese, homemade honey mustard dressing, and cubed beets I thawed that I had stored in the freezer. On a kitchen project day I peeled, chopped and roasted them in the oven. Then I let them cool on the counter and stored them in a zip top bag in the freezer. A lot of work early on paid off for a quick, easy weeknight dinner!
Creative chef Sophia Roe
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣
Im so thankful to have collaborated with you on a few posts but im really excited for what you’ve quietly been working on. I’ll always be eager to read what you write (admittedly, even if it’s a few days after you’ve published).
Happy one year! I love each of your posts and find them to be the very best kitchen inspiration. Rooting for what's next!