fall morning

photograph by rinne allen

fall morning

photograph by rinne allen

fall grasses

photo by rebecca wood

fall light

photograph by kristen bach

fall light

photograph by kristen bach

mexican sunflowers

there is not much color left in the garden, between fall and the 60+ dry days we have had. the brightest pop in the garden right now are these mexican sunflowers with their rich orange and velvety petals.

arrangement and photographs by rinne allen

a glimpse of fall

photo by kristen bach

fall leaves

photograph by kristen bach

remnants

photograph by rinne allen

weeds as ingredients

late fall...time to pull weeds, but they are so, so pretty!

arrangement and photographs by rinne allen

bourbon and pear upsidedown cake

ingredients
the fruit
1/3 cup butter, browned
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP or a glug of bourbon
6-8 pears, peeled (hard country pears work great)
a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon

the cake
2 cups unbleached AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
a sprinkle of cinnamon

directions
pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

the fruit
-in a cast iron skillet, melt the 1/3 cup butter, cook for 15 minutes on med /low to brown it. pay close attention and make sure you do not burn it
-stir in the brown sugar and stir until combined
-stir in the bourbonand cinnamon and stir, remove from heat
-slice the pears as thin and uniform as possible and layer nicely in the butter and sugar mixture
-let sit while you are making your cake batter

the cake
-mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar together
-add the wet ingredients and mix, only until all ingredients are combined
-spoon mixture over the pears and place cast iron in oven
-bake for 40 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and the cake is slightly browned
-remove from oven and let it rest for a few minutes
-take a butter knife and run along the edges of the cake
-using a cake plate or any large plate but over the top of the cast iron to flip,
flip the cake and re-arrange any fruit that may have come loose during the flip
-enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream. 

this is the dish that i brought to share at the flower social at 3 porch farm. if you haven't caught up on our last few posts about you you should!  it was a magical day!   i promised many of the attendees that i would share this recipe....so here is another pear delight!

it's a perfect fall treat!

photo and recipe by kristen bach

fall ground

photo by kristen bach

fall pear cider

this weekend we actually had some fall weather!  we decided to fill our house with the the aroma of fall and make some pear cider.  this recipe is such a great way to enjoy the country pears that many of us have growing in our yards.  the pears that never seem to ripen, but are actually quite tasty!

here is a recipe for fall pear cider that is so simple and will have your house smelling like fall for days!

-fill a crock pot with pears, washed and quartered (seeds and stems are fine)
-add 1 orange, peeled
-add 6 cinnamon sticks
-pour water over pears and fill to the top of the crock pot leaving 1 1/2 inches
-let cook all day or overnight
-mash the pears with a potato masher
-drain juice through cheese cloth or a fine colander 
-enjoy....outside on the porch is best!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

arrow apple festival

for the last six years, arrow has hosted an annual apple festival, celebrating apple harvest time, and the fall season, for our community...

this year's festival was this past saturday and we had a beautiful fall day and saw lots of friends!

each year, arrow sells mountain apples from ellijay, georgia as a fundraiser, as well as fresh cider. there is also an apple pie contest where many restaurants and friends bake pies...yum! this year ken manring from white tiger helped judge the apple pie contest, and friend bird smith (age 10) cuts an apple themed block for us to print from...!

it is such a fun day... !

photographs by kristin karch, words by rinne allen

morning dew

photograph by kristen bach

end of summer garden frittata

our summer garden is looking like a wild jungle right now.  i always have a hard pulling out our summer plants that are still growing tomatoes and peppers.  so we are still harvesting the plants bit by bit until the first frost comes. 
when we need a quick dinner on the fly, frittatas are my go to dish.  we usually always have eggs on hand and you can throw in mostly any vegetable.  so last night we harvested some cherry tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and cilantro from the garden and made this yummy dinner....in just a handful of minutes!
ingredients
8 eggs
1/4 cup of whole milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
spring onions
potatoes (cooked)
sweet peppers
cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves of garlic
a small handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
directions
-pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
-boil the potatoes until al dente
-in a cast iron pan add olive oil and heat to medium high heat
-add the diced onion and diced potatoes
-cook them until they begin to show some color
-add peppers and garlic and cook for a few minutes
-remove from heat
-in a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, salt and pepper to taste
-pour egg mixture over the vegetables
-evenly sprinkle the tomatoes, cilantro, and spring onions
-return to medium high heat for 2 minutes
-place pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, watch carefully!
-top with fresh herbs or microgreens and serve with a baguette and a side of fresh salad to complete the meal!
 

photo and recipe by kristen bach

fall greens

it is that time of year when things are transitioning...the garden is coming off its summer run and things are dying back or newly emerging...we don't have a lot in flower at the moment- just some straggling green mophead hydrangeas. but, what we do have is a lot of green texture: hosta, fatsia, ferns, redbud leaves, mexican sunflower seedbeds, sea oats, etc.

together they combine to make a portrait of the garden this time of year.

words & photographs by rinne allen

beauty berry soda

beauty berries, what a good name right?  the beauty berry bush has always been a favorite of mine, i love it when fall comes and the beauty berry bushes start to show their colors.  over the past couple of weeks, the berries have been ripening to their deep purple and their branches are weighted down with their heavy fruit.  beauty berries are not all that sweet or tart but have more of a fragrant medicinal flavor.  making this beauty berry soda would be a great addition to a fall drink.

beauty berry soda

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup beauty berries, fully ripe, washed
20 peppercorns
a splash of balsalmic vinegar
soda water

directions:

simple syrup:
-boil the water
-lower to a simmer and add the sugar
-stir until dissolved
-add the beauty berries and peppercorns
-remove from heat and cool
-strain the berries and peppercorns
-chill the simple syrup

soda:

-add some simple syrup
-pour in some soda water
-add a splash of balsalmic vinegar and stir
-use this soda in your favorite drink
-enjoy!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

butterfly & joe pye weed

photograph by rinne allen