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we had an abnormally long summer here in georgia, with temperatures in the upper eighties until late september. i think it confused our plants a little bit, but regardless, it made for a beautiful time in the garden.
photographs by kristin karch
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
i drove by this old italianate home when i was visiting rural illinois this summer. even though it was rough around the edges, it's beauty made me pull over for a closer look.
photographs and words by kristin karch
photo by kristen bach
outside carlton, ga off of a dirt road, there is this abandoned rock quarry. i love the colors and shapes of the stone reflecting in the water..
photographs and words by kristin karch
photo by kristen bach
Every fall our family heads North to go apple picking. We try to choose a different orchard and location each year. This year we went to an apple area outside of Asheville, NC.
Naturally the next couple of weeks are filled with lots of apple eating and baking. stay tuned for some apple recipes!!
photos and words by kristen bach
photo by kristen bach
i have been having so much fun experimenting with kudzu. this kudzu recipe was by far my favorite things that I made. the color is magical and the sweet floral and grape essence is lovely. but really.... the bright magenta color won my heart right away! have fun!
Kudzu sorbet
2 cups of kudzu flowers
2 1/2 cup water,cool
the Simple syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
juice from 2 lemons
-soak kudzu flowers the cool 2 1/2 cup water, in a non reactive bowl
-put a plate on top of flowers to act as a weight and soak overnight
-strain the kudzu water through cheese cloth or a coffee filter to sift out any impurities
-make the simple syrup by heating up the water
-remove from heat and add the sugar
-stir until sugar is dissolved
-cool for 15 minutes and add lemon juice
-cool until room temp and add the kudzu water
-combine and pour into a non reactive container and put in the freezer
-check every few hours and break up the sorbet
-when frozen, place in a blender to create the sorbet consistency and put back in the freezer to chill
-enjoy!!
photos and recipe by kristen bach
photo by kristen bach
this weekend we got to enjoy some fall-like days due to the hurricane working it's way through. saturday we went out hiking and hunted for chanterelles. on our hike we happened upon a hill, covered in golden chanterelles! we cooked up a feast of them for dinner.
my favorite way to eat chanterelles is simple. saute them in olive oil or butter and salt them. simple is the way to go with these flavorful mushrooms!!
photos and words by kristen bach
photograph by kristin karch
this past weekend, our friend and helper, kristin karch, attended wildwood revival in arnoldsville, ga. the small music festival brings together people and artists from all over the country to celebrate country, folk, and rock n' roll all while having a sweaty good time on an 1850's farm. there was beer from terrapin, tintypes from nashville photographer giles clement, local artists booths, and incredible music by gillian welch, athens cowboy choir, susto, and more.
photographs by kristin karch
photograph by kristin karch
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!
photograph by kristin karch
photograph by kristin karch
I recently had the privilege of staying in this amazing treehouse with some friends outside of chattanooga, tn. there was a lot of wine, food, and nature time.
photographs and words by kristin karch
photo by kristen bach
over the past few weeks i have been patiently watching garden's jalepeno peppers turn red. this weekend i picked them all and decided to make some hot sauce. while researching all of the different varieties and methods to making hot sauce i became a little overwhelmed , obsessed and wished i had more peppers! i ended up making this fermented sriracha sauce but came up with a wish list for the next year's pepper bounty.
next year i will be planting more peppers so i can try out these recipes:
lacto-fermented hot sauce
master hot sauce
chile vinegar sauce
photos by kristen bach
