Pantry Portraits: Julia Sforza of Half-Pint Preserves

Earlier this summer, I was fortunate to find a home for Pantry Portraits - a series of profiles on people who grow and preserve a lot of their own food that I've been wanting to write for some time.

Edible Hudson Valley was kind enough to publish the inaugural Pantry Portrait featuring my friend, Julia Sforza of Half-Pint Preserves in their Fall issue that hit the stands this week.

Julia holding a bushel of apricots. Photo by Jennifer May, courtesy of Edible Hudson Valley.

I wanted to write about Julia because she's warm and unpretentious and honest, a gifted writer and a dab hand at preserving all manner of foods. Plus she's got her own little cottage industry making gorgeous, pectin-free, locally-grown preserves which I find interesting.

Earlier this summer, I visited Julia at her home in Ulster Park. She walked me all around her gardens - a hodgepodge of beds spread throughout her yard, gave me a tour of her preserve-stocked basement, and fed me the most delightful homemade lunch.

In return, I wrote about her brilliant preserves, her lyrical, earthy writing and her delicious food. And my photographer friend, Jennifer May took some lovely photos to accompany my words. One of them even ended up on the cover which is always a nice plus :)

You can read it here or, if you're in the Hudson Valley, pick up a copy of the magazine (it's free).

I hope to be able to share the next Pantry Portrait with you sometime this winter (but let's just pretend that winter is not coming, shall we?)

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