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this past weekend we went hiking at one of our favorite places, . the brush is so thick and the floors of the forest are covered in moss, this park reminds me of northern california. we were hunting for chantrelle mushrooms and found a bunch of beautiful other mushrooms.
are there any mushroom experts out there that know what any of these are?
our tomato season is peaking right now. we have been busily picking cherry tomatoes to keep up with all of the new ripe ones that appear each day.
for dinner the other night, i made some patatas bravas to feature some of our heirloom tomatoes. the sweet sauce would be good on just about anything.
recipe follows
tomato sauce
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 very large or 2 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 small onion
1 cayenne pepper or other spicy variety
1 Tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener
1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper
-pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
-slice 1 cup of cherry tomatoes in half and toss them in olive oil. sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
-place on a baking sheet (i line mine with parchment paper)
-heat them in the oven for about 30 minutes, leave oven on for roasting the potatoes
*while the tomatoes are roasting...
-dice 1 small onion
-saute in olive oil for about 4 minutes
-dice heirloom tomato(s) and hot pepper and add to onion mixuture
-add vinegar and sweetener
-add the roasted tomatoes and simmer until ready to serve
-season with salt and pepper
roast potatoes
*while the tomato sauce is simmering, roast the potatoes
-dice some red potatoes and toss in olive oil
-place on a baking sheet (i line mine with parchment paper)
-roast them in the pre-heated oven until brown
serve potatoes with sauce as a tapa or a side, enjoy!
i just went to one of the sweetest weddings ever! everything was home grown, handmade, and locally sourced.
click to see the lovely flowers from their wedding
sharing some details......
i smitten over these flower garlands that were handmade by the bride's mom.
mandy spent a year making these glasses for each guest to take with them. they are made from wine bottles which have been cut and sanded.
reuseable napkins were made from fabric, the locally made cheeses were yummy!
these sweet hand painted numbers were tied to local milk jugs and marked each table.
i love the cupcake holder that was made from reclaimed wood and tin platters.
welcome bags for each guest were hand painted and included handmade items such as 'love butter' made by mandy.
i love black eyed susans. i kind of let them come up where they want to because they add so much charm. something about that deep yellow and rich brown just gets me, not to mention their cheerfulness! here's some recent pics.
about 30 miles east of athens- in the little city of elberton, is home to the georgia guidestones. elberton is world's capital of granite so it makes perfect sense that it be the home to this extraordinary granite monument. the guidestones were erected in 1980 and rest on the highest point of the city. the architect of the sculpture is unknown as he presented himself with the ficticious name of R.C. Christian and still to this day it remains a mystery.
the arrangement of blocks of granite have been thoughtfully composed and weigh in at over 240,000 pounds. the 18 feet high sculptures are inscribed in 8 different languages; english, spanish, russian, swahilli, hindi, hebrew, chinese, and arabic.
the inscriptions:
-maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
-guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
-unite humanity with a living new language.
-rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
-protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
-let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
-avoid petty laws and useless officials.
-balance personal rights with social duties.
-prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
-be not a cancer on the earth - leave room for nature - leave room for nature.
oh the south continuously amazes me with it's vast array of beauty.....
the north star can be seen through this hole, anytime of the day or year.
the slot in the capstone is aligned with the sun's solstices and equinoxes.
there is a time capsule that rests on the ground adjacent to the guidestones
over the years the monument has been vandalized, the city now installed security cameras to protect it.
our dear friends mandy and steve just got married. mandy grew mostly all of the flowers in her garden and the rest were gathered wild flowers. she also collected feathers, gourds, vases, jars, pods, seeds, nuts, and other natural beauty and scattered the objects on the tables. this wedding was filled with rustic and southern beauty-enjoy!
a couple of years ago
had a volunteer blackberry bush pop up. over time it has become more and more plentiful with the sweetest and juiciest. i had intended to make some jam this year but the heat index was 107 the day i was picking. i settled for the shortcake.
for the berries
simmer 1 pint blackberries in 2 tbsp sugar or honey until tender and cool
ingredients for the shortcakes
2 cups AP flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold
2/3 cup buttermilk
directions
-pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
-sift together the dry ingredients
-freeze the butter for 20 minutes
-using a cheese grater, grate butter
-with a fork, combine all ingredients
-split the dough into 2 balls
-with a rolling pin, roll dough, fold in half and repeat, sprinkling flour to avoid sticking
-using a biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits and place on a baking pan
-sprinkle with sugar
-bake for 10-12 minutes
serve berries and shortcake with freshly whipped cream
while we were in san francisco, we had a poem written for maypop. there is a group called the poetry store that has a handful of poets scattered across the country. you give them a subject and they create a poem. i am so in love with the concept. when we read our poem about 'maypop' we all had tears in our eyes...it is so beautiful!
Gentle flowers decorating the ground
as we discover forest together as now you
rise and decorate our floor moving giggling
More beautiful than the forest we love you
more everyday as now is only the beginning you'll decorate
the forest someday and open in the sun
bright with blue eyes make happy everyone
written by lynn gentry, june 6, 2010
wouldn't this be a great activity to have at a wedding?
the garden vision i had all spring as i was planting and transplanting is finally starting to happen. sparsely planted baby plants are now crowding each other out. things are recovering from the herbicide hay mulch with healthy new growth. now it's time to just sit back and watch it grow. too hot to do any yard work anyway!
