The Ripe Tomato Awards: 15 Blogs Very Nearly Almost Always Worth Reading

Welcome to Blog Salad’s First Ripe Tomato Awards for Blogging Excellence.

The following fifteen blogs are like juicy, red-ripe tomatos straight from the vine—delicious, nutritious, sometimes a little seedy—and always fresh!

I know, blogging about other blogs isn’t exactly a new trend—bloggers love to blog about each other and say the word blog. Blog, blog, bloggity, blog. Blogarinoroony, blogathon, blogorama. You get the idea.

But this is different. Sharing Blog Awards was started by A Traveler’s Library as a way to acknowledge bloggers who have acknowledged your blog and then pay it forward to 15 other bloggers. And the magical number 15 is involved. Don’t ask why it’s magic—asking why is like asking a magician for his secrets—just trust in the mystery, be grateful, and pay it forward.

Have you stopped listening yet? That’s fine, I expected as much. I just wanted to say “pay it forward” so you would think about Pay It Forward, that film with Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment, who apparently looks so much like me that people approach me on the street to ask if I “see dead people”:

Frankly, I don’t see it.  I mean, what’s with that floppy hair?

Alright, without further ado, here are 15 (or so) blogs I read every chance I get:

Art

• Floating Ink. Color and creativity burst from this blog’s understated black background.  When I don’t have time to unpack the watercolor pencils or oil pastels, I just scroll through Nancy Hall’s blog and daydream.

Bicycling

• BikeSnob NYC. There are countless reasons why BikeSnob should fail: he writes exceedingly long posts, he intentionally includes typos, he’s still writing on a free Blogger site, and he still writes anonymously, even at his gig with Bicycling Magazine.  But I read this blog every day, and without fail, I laugh, laugh, laugh, vomit a little, then laugh some more.

• 303 Cycling. When I started Cyclorati, I hoped to offer Denver an insider’s blog to relevant cycling news, complete with a calendar of events and occasional philosophical musings into the world of two-wheeled enthusiasts. Then I found 303 Cycling doing all of the above—only better.

• BIKE with Jackie. Initially I was duped by fellow freelance writer Jackie Dishner’s Twitter handle, @bikelady.  I was dumb enough to think that “bike” was short for bicycle.  Actually, Jackie’s B.I.K.E. stands for Best self, Inner strength, Killer instinct and Expressive voice—all of which she shows in her compelling blog about overcoming obstacles.

Parenting/Family

• Blogging ‘Bout Boys. On the surface, Jennifer L. Fink is the quintessential mommy blogger; she even blogs about (gasp!) motherhood.  Yes, I read to remind myself how lucky I am to have two girls instead of four boys, but I also read because there’s a social poignancy beneath Fink’s blog—it chronicles the developmental stages of the dominant world of men—and her attempts to raise them differently than generations past.

• Parenting by Trial and Error.  Sarah Ludwig blends solid parenting advice with wonderfully mushy tributes to her four children and readers.  This blog is engaging, entertaining, and generous—and most of all, enlightening for anyone who’s taken the procreation plunge.

Travel

• World Hum: Travel Dispatches from a Shrinking Planet. When I’m desperately seeking an imaginary geographic escape, I always turn to the eclectic characters who contribute to World Hum, and indeed the world feels a little smaller, or at least within my grasp.

Humor

• Wrecking Ball Report. The wrecking ball doesn’t swing that often, but when it does, I’m there to watch.  When it’s on top of its game, this blog can make The Onion look less funny than C-SPAN.

Technology

• OhGizmo! In addition to fulfilling my needs to examine all things geek, I turn to OhGizmo! for headlines like “Girl Falls into Open Manhole while Texting.” You simply can’t avoid clicking on that link.

Lifestyle

• Poor Girl Eats Well. Kimberly Morales teaches the secrets to finding decadence on a dime.  With the price per serving listed for every recipe, Morales inspires me to keep ignoring the recipe without ignoring my budget.

• 5280 Magazine’s Cheap Thrills. Washing your hair with vinegar and baking soda? That’s dedication to a blog.  Jennie Dorris and Ashley Pierce take a light-hearted look at living frugally in the Mile High City.

• Martha and Me. Brette Sember is on a mission: a 365 day long Martha Stewart makeover.  Every day, she does something Martha would do—and every day I lose a little of my love-to-hate-Martha edge. Yes, I know what I should say here: it’s a good thing.

Freelancing

• Anti 9-to-5 Guide. A true champion of giganomics, Michelle Goodman brings levity and experience to the world of freelancing—whether you walk dogs for a living or teach pole-dancing classes.  Since I wear many freelance hats, Goodman’s wit is priceless.

• The Renegade Writer’s Blog. The freelance lightbulb in my brain didn’t switch on until I first cracked open the book by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell that birthed this brilliant blog.  I made my first sale within two weeks of reading the book—and I haven’t looked back since.

• WordCount: Freelancing in the Digital Age. When I want to cut through the fluff and get straight to the good stuff, I turn to Michelle Rafter’s blog about mastering your freelance life and getting the most out of yourself.

• The Social Writer. According to the Blog Award rules, I’m supposed to give fellow Denver writer Tim Beyers a shout out simply for listing The Blog Salad on his site.  I’m listing him on my top 15, however, because I do actually read Tim’s smart, sometimes sassy and always innovative posts about experiments in social media.