akebia

photograph by rinne allen

green + purple

this time of year there are so many shades of green in the garden. we do not have alot of purple in our yard, but i always seem to notice the tiny bits this time of year: akebia, muscari, faded hellebores, redbud, and mahonia berries that are tinged with it....soon to come are one of my favorite purples, allium, but they are not quite here yet.

photographs by rinne allen

new growth

photograph by rinne allen

kale florets and green garlic

if you live in the south, you know first hand that our weather can't make up it's mind. just as it seems that spring is here, we get a frost.  last night embraced our confused weather and mixed up to bounty of winter and spring; kale florets and some spring green garlic.

the kale florets are harvested just before digging up your winter greens.  they have almost a broccoli flavor and the leaves are sweet and tender. 

directions

-thinly slice the whites of 5 green garlic stalks, if you don't have green garlic use 2 cloves of regular garlic

-in a frying pan, put 1 tsp olive oil and the garlic, 1/4 tsp of salt and 20 grinds of fresh pepper

-saute on medium heat for 10 minutes or until green garlic is tender

-while garlic is cooking, remove the kale leaves and florets from the stalk and wash

-add to garlic mixture and quickly saute on high heat for a couple of minutes. use metal tongs to keep the kale moving

-when the kale is done cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into the greens and add more salt and pepper if needed

photos and recipe by kristen bach

another japanese magnolia...

photograph by rinne allen

A Colorful Home

our friend susan of hable construction is releasing her first book next tuesday...it is called A Colorful Home and is published by chronicle books. (full-disclosure, i photographed the book and am happy to now see it out in the world!) books are a wonderful medium, but they take a long, long time. in fact, we have been working on this book for 4 or 5 years...but, it is because they take so long that i love them even more. in this day of fast-paced everything and immediate gratification, it is good to be reminded to be patient.

the book is filled to the brim with color inspiration- where susan finds it and where you can too, and how to weave it into your life. the fun part about the book is that some of our favorite spaces in athens are featured in it (and, it even includes a few images of drayton hall near charleston, because it is, well, so amazing...).

our longtime collaborator (and my sister) lucy helped write the book and our friend hope hilton helped with the production towards the end, as she jumped into her new roll as susan's studio manager. so, it was a group effort and we thank everyone who pitched it and lent a hand.

if you are in athens this weekend, there are book parties at hawthorne house on friday night and at avid bookshop on saturday night. you may pre-order a book through avid here...

enjoy!

words and photographs by rinne allen

oyster roast

photo by kristen bach

under the bridge

near 75 north and vinings is a wonderful river park,chattahoochee national park. there is a long walk along the river,as well as miles of woods walk. perfect for city folk to get in nature. when the trail went under 1-75,i was amazed at how it looked like a giant cathedral,the pillars 30 feet tall, with water running under and reflecting on all. what better cathedral than to have a river running through it!

photos and words by rebecca wood

geraniums

photograph by rinne allen

magnolia love

i can remember my first southern spring here so vividly.  i was driving to work and i passed a japanese magnolia tree that i could have sworn was bare the day before.  it was covered in magenta-colored magnolia blooms.  i recall pulling over to the side of the road and just staring at it like i had never seen anything like it before. 

ten years later, i still find magnolias to be just as beautiful as the first time i saw them and i continue to pull over to the side of the road.

photos and words by kristen bach

hellebore petals

photograph by rinne allen

hellebores & new growth

a simple cluster of hellebores with a touch of green from the new leaves of an oak leaf hydrangea.

photograph & arrangement by rinne allen

spring green

photo by kristen bach

balsamic roasted fennel and beets

we are on the cusp of the growing season right now.  spring veggies are getting planted and the winter ones are getting harvested. 

this past week we roasted up some of the hearty winter veggies that we love.  it was a simple side that even my 5 year old gobbled up.

pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

-wash your beets and fennel well and trim the tops of of both

-slice the beets and fennel into smaller pieces, mine were both small so I halved them

-in a bowl toss with salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp good balsamic vinegar

-line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange roasting veggies

-roast for 20 minutes or until your vegetables are cooked all of the way through

-return to bowl and quickly toss with a tiny bit of balsamic again

-enjoy!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

cloudy sky

photo by kristen bach

beach collecting

We spent the past week, camping at the beach.  We couldn't stop wandering the lovely white sand beaches and of course.....collecting!

photos and words by kristen bach

peach blossoms

photograph by rinne allen

musella gin

while driving through forsyth, georgia i spotted this treasure.  the gin was no longer being used but was a lovely building as is.  enjoy!  it always is good to keep your eyes peeled for beauties like these!

photos and words by kristen bach

spring branch

photograph by rinne allen

outside at fort pickens

we just returned from a camping trip to fort pickens which is just outside of pensacola, florida. fort pickens was a short jaunt from our campsite so we did a lot of exploring over there.  today i wanted to share some of the exterior of the fort and batteries.  it is so crazy to think of all of the masonry work that went into all of this!  enjoy!