Potsdamelf Creations

bird mugs

Sarah E. Lynch is an artist working in upstate New York (Potsdam to be exact, like the name of her etsy shop).  She works in many mediums including photography, painting and ceramics.  Her work is inspired mostly from animals. 

I met Sarah through Etsy where we talked about the connection she has between food and her ceramic creations.  She grew up going to the local food co-op with her parents and helping them in the garden. 

carrot eating bunny

"It wasn't till I went to school that I learned that many people are very disconnected from their food. Some people don't even have house plants let alone a garden!"  Sarah Lynch

Some of her pottery is created to raise awareness about food, the food chain and eating. "Many people don't want to think about where their food comes from. We support our neighbors and friends when we pick our own fruits and vegetables locally."

An example of Sarah's food and pottery relationship is her Gazpacho recipe that can be eaten out of her bird bowls. 

bird bowl

Gazpacho

modified from a Joy of Cooking recipe

3 large tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1 peeled and thinly sliced sweet onion (vidalia or purple)
1/2 cup or more of fresh chives, parsley, basil, chervil, and tarragon
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 cups chilled chicken stock, beef stock, or just plain water
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
salt to taste (apx 1 teaspoon) 

Many people use a food processor to puree this soup but I prefer to just finely chop all the ingredients. It's nice to see the individual parts and colors.

Seed and chop the tomatoes and cucumbers. ( I peel my cucumbers but not everyone does this) Put them in a large bowl. Seed and finely chop green peppers and add them to the bowl. Mice garlic and sweet onion. Add these to the bowl too. Wash, chop, and add the mixture of fresh herbs. Combine your choice of stock with olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, and salt. Mix everything all together and chill till it's time to eat. 

I find this goes really well with cheesy garlic bread and any type of grilled meat product. 

fish eating crane

Find out more about Sarah and her work from her website, etsy shop and facebook.