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Amy Jo Ehman: Author of short-listed "Prairie Feast"
Amy Jo Ehman, author of the short-listed title Prairie Feast, grew up in Craik, Saskatchewan surrounded by big gardens and vast fields of wheat. She left the farm for university, studying first at the University of Saskatchewan then completing a BA in Journalism at the University of Regina.
Today she is a freelance writer based in Saskatoon. A regular contributor to CBC’s “Blue Sky” and Prairies North magazine, Ehman also has a monthly column for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and has written for Harrowsmith Country Living. Her blog, Home for Dinner, chronicled her “year of eating locally” and continues to showcase the local food scene.
An accomplished speaker, Ehman is invited to local food festivals across the province to speak on the advantage of local eating.
What was the inspiration for Prairie Feast?
In early 2005, my husband John and I decided to eat off the local bounty for one year. Saskatchewan is a powerhouse of food production, but even so, it was almost impossible to find the label “Product of Saskatchewan” in the local grocery store. It was a year of sleuthing, discovering, eating and celebrating. When the year was up, I decided to capture that culinary adventure in a book.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing/publishing this title?
Finding the time to write for me while making a living as a freelance writer.
What aspect of the book are you most proud?
I wanted to write a book that makes people smile. While we may live in different parts of the country (or the world), there are universal experiences in the connection to food, family and the land. Readers, no matter where they live, will find something familiar and funny that inspires their own adventures into the local bounty.
What do you wish you knew before starting the project?
How to make mustard. Saskatchewan produces an ocean of mustard seed and, I’m embarrassed to say, I still can’t make a decent jar of homemade mustard!
What advice would you give aspiring culinary authors?
Writing about food can fall into clichés, but if you follow your heart, it will stay fresh and appetizing.
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