I receive quite a few emails each day. In fact, one of my biggest internal debates is how to read everything (I’ve given up on responding) and still maintain life outside computerland.
You see, I don’t think computers are necessarily the best thing for my health. And yet. They are so much fun. And so very efficient. It is an ambivalent love affair that I have with the lovely little laptop that sits upon my desk. So, I make it a priority to live real (in 3-D) and not invest any more energy than necessary in life online. Still, I spend an inordinate amount of time in the virtual world and have practically made my peace with it.
Along those lines, in order to give you a teeny tiny glimpse into my wild cyber world, I would like to share a couple of messages from readers. And keep in mind, the only constant in messages from readers is that nothing is constant; this online life is full of the unexpected –one of the many things I love about it.
Here is one message that was sent to me via email by way of my contact form:
Please contact me at 303-555-5555.
I would like to know where you are buying your almond flour? After checking into it myself I have found that the price of the flour is off the charts!!!!! The most expensive flour I have ever heard of. Whole foods does not carry it in bulk and neither does the Vitamin Cottage aka, Natural Grocers. You can buy it pre-packed in either store for a whopping $7.00 per cup which is 16 oz. Not very cost effective.
-Linda
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When I receive something such as the above, I wonder what I am doing wrong and how I could better help. Although I do have a list of several vendors that sell more cost effective brands of almond flour on my site (see the ingredients page), I question what I need to do differently to get information to people. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in a comment below!
Then there are ones such as this:
I’m interested in using coconut flour, but if the taste is very coconutty I’m worried I wouldn’t like it, your thoughts?
-Elizabeth
I’m at a bit of a loss when I receive this type of question because I think taste is such a subjective thing. I don’t think that the items I make with coconut flour taste like coconut, however, I could be wrong. Again, I would love to hear from readers what your thoughts are on the taste of coconut flour.
Then there is this one that I received yesterday in the form of a comment from a reader about my vegan eggnog post:
…I think it should be called “vegnog” :-)
-ML
Now that’s fabulous! I read the above and the only thing that comes to mind is –why didn’t I think of that!
And finally, there is this totally outrageous card that I received from another reader:
This is one of the nicest things I have ever received. Some absolutely amazing person (Cindi!), took photos of her child eating one of my recipes at his birthday and went out of her way to send me a card. In the mail!
This made my day, no make that month.
Thank you Cindi, you are incredible and I totally appreciate your hunting down my snail mail address and sending me this gorgeous card with your adorable child. What could be better?!
So there you have it. An ever so small glimpse into the missives I receive on a daily basis.
Never a dull moment; loving every minute of it,
Elana
Kalynskitchen says
Very interesting. Nice to know I’m not the only one who gets e-mails and I’m stumped on how to respond. That last one is great though! Makes it all worthwhile, huh?
Diana@Spain in Iowa says
Hi Elana, Just wanted to share and encourage your readers to take a loot at azurestandard.com. They are an organic/natural food coop. Their prices are great and you just need to join a group in your area, order and pickup once a month. Saves me TONS of money! I think your site is great and your recipes have not yet failed me! Thank you!!
Emily says
Funny timing! I sent something off by snail-mail to you yesterday!!! :-)
I think you have made a smart choice to try and balance your time to what fits with your enjoyment but also health. I can only imagine all the crazy messages you receive. Unfortunately I do not have any tips for helping people to locate the helpful ingredients/info you have provided. I guess you just have to remember that some people are on the computer/blogs a lot more than others and some may not understand fully how they work or how to locate different pages? I don’t know! Giving them the benefit of the doubt! …. Just know you are helping so many people!
p.s. How sweet is that letter and photo? Thanks for sharing their delightful story!
xo Emily
Marsha says
To Linda,
About the almond flour issue. Yes, it is expensive. I make my own almond flour. It is very easy and the recipes usually come out the same. I haven’t had a problem yet. Buying whole almonds in bulk will cost less or about the same depending where you live. And you can get many recipes out of two or three pounds of almonds. I use a coffe grinder to make the flour. Some pieces do remain, but I usually sift the flour and re-grind the chunks. You don’t want to grind too long or it will stick too much together. I hope this helps.
Marsha
mandy says
Elana,
I would just like to say that I’m glad you’ve placed a value on your time, and boundaries for yourself. I think it’s so hard to learn to say no (although I’m sure it gets easier once you start getting as many emails as you get)!
I agree with what some people have said, it takes time for a reader to become familiar with your site. They find your page, get excited that someone out in internet-land is an “expert,” and email immediately…not taking the time to go through the links on your site or read the informative parts of the blog. i think people are looking for a human connection sometimes too.
Keep up all that you’re doing and to all the Brooklyn peeps – Sahadi’s on Atlantic Ave. sells blanched almond flour in bulk :)
jennifer says
I purchase my almond flour and coconut flour from the Gluten Free Mama at http://www.glutenfreemama.com . Thanks for all you’re doing Elana! I love your blog and your cookbook! Thanks again from Idaho!
Lillian Mara says
Elana,
(In response to Linda, the person upset about the price of almond flour.)
Hopefully you can buy it in bulk from Honeyville. They just had a sale and everything was 15% off. Making each lb of flour around $4.50. Do some searching and you can find things much cheaper. I also bought agave nectar in bulk from Amazon. The shipping was free and it worked out to 5$ a bottle. Which saved me about 3$ a bottle. Besides porn, this is what the internet is for.
Elana, you are doing nothing wrong. You are providing clear, thorough information which is a great service. I am healthier and happier since discovering your recipes. Paying a little more for food is a sacrifice I am willing to make for good health. (And it is cheaper than buying those gluten free baked goods at whole foods…) I feel healthier than I have in ten years. I love your cookbook. So, thank you for all that you do.
judy dembrow says
I find that there are 3 sites to buy almond flour at a reasonable price. One is amazon.com which sells in bulk. Another is the glutenfreemall.com They often have specials and you get points for what you buy which can accumulate to money on future orders. The third place is Bob’s red mill. It is fine for baking, though it may not be the best almond flour around. They do sell it in bulk. Judy
johanna says
Re the Honeyville Almond Flour cost… yes I gasped initially at the cost but… I consider what I make with the almond flour not just a baked good but almost a meal! All the fibre, vitamins, and protein all packed into my food now. No more white, devoid of anything, gluten-filled flour filler! I feel good eating baked goods now…how can you put a cost on that?!
ps LOVE LOVE LOVE the cookbook Elana, GREAT job!!! and Thank you!!!
C says
Reading this made me chuckle…I recently made the coconut flour zucchini muffins, which were out of this world, and did not taste like coconut. I gave my husband one to try, and asked him what he thought. He replied, “They were really good, except for the zucchini.” I laughed until I cried!