edisto botanicals

photograph by rebecca wood

along the etowah river

photographs and words by kristen bach

coastal beauty

photograph by rebecca wood

clematis, persimmon and friends

in the garden right now, there are clematis, salvia, morning glory vines, and ripening persimmons...

horse country

photograph by kristin karch

kudzu in the kitchen

if you live in the south you are most likely very familiar with kudzu.  at this point in the summer kudzu is covering just about everything. this week the sweet smell of it's flowers started to breeze through the air, it rivals the sweet smell of wisteria blossoms.

the other day i was chatting with our chef friend mimi maumus or home.made. she was talking about how excited she was that the kudzu was blooming. something that i love about mimi's food is that she draws inspiration from the past and the area that we live in. kudzu is a huge resource in the south, an untapped one at that.  mimi has found several ways to work it into her food and bring an inventive angle to her cuisine.

mimi spent the morning with me, showing me some her kudzu experiments and concoctions with kudzu. this week, i plan to do some experimenting of my own. here are some photos from my morning with mimi, documenting her kudzu flower lemonade.  enjoy!

riverbed

photograph by kristen bach

river clay pots

i recently went on a trip with a group of high schoolers and instructors through an awesome organization called fall line south field institute.  i was one of two art instructors and we lead nature based art lessons for a week while paddling down the etowah river.

one of my favorite things that we did the entire week was harvesting river clay and making small beads, pots, and sculptures. we  made an epic fire and nestled our pots in the fire, unveiling our creations in the morning. it was a project enjoyed by everyone!  

photographs and words by kristen bach

vines on charred wall

photograph by kristen bach

community room

next to christ church on edisto, there is a wonderful community building, equipped for cooking or meetings. i love a red roof faded by the hot hot sun.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

an old collection

photograph by rebecca wood

presbyterian church, edisto

this church is still in its original location, which dates to 1685. it is one of the oldest presbyterian congregations in america. the present church was built in 1831. proud and stately, it has a large, moss-draped cemetery where many of the original plantation owners are buried with names like seabrook and whaley. there is also a small prayer chapel under a live oak.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

summer, cicada

photograph by kristin karch

color blast: zinnias

sometimes flowers do not even need to go in a vase...they are just beautiful on their own...

arrangement & photographs by rinne allen

summer golden hour

photograph by kristin karch

spiced peach cobbler

during peach season i love to experiment with different ways to use peaches in our food.  i love them grilled and in salads but at the end of the day my favorite peach dish is a cobbler. here is my favorite way to make a cobbler.... with just a little spice. 

Ingredients

8-9 fresh southern peaches
2 cups AP flour
1/3 cup cane sugar
1Tbsp baking powder
1 stick of butter frozen or very cold
1/2 cup whole milk
2 farm fresh eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon

Directions 

-pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- slice all peaches and place in your baking dish. You can use a smaller baking dish for a deep cobbler.
- using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter
- combine all ingredients in a bowl minus the peaches
-sprinkle the cobbler topping over your peaches
- bake uncovered until your cobbler topping is browned, about 40 minutes

recipe and words by kristen bach

mushroom field

photograph by kristin karch

skeletons

photographs by kristen bach

summer dominoe

photograph by rinne allen

chris autocare

couldn't resist the color schemes here. a bight blue summer sky fading everything in sight. more diebenkorn inspirations in olar, sc.

photographs and words by rebecca wood