glass chards + bullets

photo by Kristen Bach

old depot in Talbotton

when we have the option to take the backroads we always do.  the backroads give my eyes a chance to wander and explore and find gems like this.  we were heading through the middle of georgia (talbotton) and pulled over to admire this beauty.  i bet it's lovely in the summertime when the vines are covered in green!

photos and words by Kristen Bach

tiny green

photograph by rinne allen

amanda and bain's family home

our friends amanda and bain live in a sweet little mill house in the boulevard neighborhood of athens with their two children, ages 5 & 7. they moved in 8 years ago after renovating the house themselves. they did such a good job of opening up the house by removing a few walls and raising the door heights throughout to make it feel open and airy. it is a sunny, well-loved home, full of color from art made by friends and their kids. thank you for letting us into your home, amanda & bain!

words and photographs by rinne allen

studio floor

photograph by rinne allen

azalea beauty

it is azalea time around here. we have many different kinds in our garden...and they all are beautiful, and smell great too...

photographs by rinne allen

amanda's fermentation part 1: kombucha

our friend amanda kapousouz does many things well; one thing we really love is how she cooks for her family. her two young children drink this kombucha everyday and love it. i spent a day in her kitchen a few weeks back learning how to make it, and a few other things too (which we will share soon!).

amanda adds dried lavender and blueberries to this batch:

we ended the day with a drink of the kombucha with some grapefruit bitters...yum!

kombucha
makes 1 gallon

- 1 gallon filtered water
- 2 TBSP loose black tea (8 teabags) **do not use flavored teas-they contain oils which will affect fermentation
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 SCOBY  (this is the 'mother' ; SCOBY stands for 'symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast')
- 1-2 cups plain kombucha 'starter' (can be store bought)

- bring water to a boil. then turn off heat and add sugar; stir to dissolve. add teabags / loose tea in bag and let steep until tea cools to room temp. discard tea bag, and pour sweet tea into a large glass brewing vessel. only when tea is at room temperature, add the SCOBY and 1-2 cups of kombucha starter. place a handkerchief or napkin over the opening and secure with a rubber band. be sure that the opening is wide enough to be able to remove the SCOBY after fermentation. (note, you can get a SCOBY from a friend, if you know someone who is making their own kombucha...).

-place in a warm-ish spot (on top of a refrigerator or in a pantry) and check back in a couple of weeks. a new SCOBY 'baby' should form on the surface of the tea. in the cooler seasons, it may take a little longer to ferment, and in the warmer seasons, fermentation will speed up, but 2 weeks is generally a good amount of time.

-when you are satisfied with the taste (it should be a little tangy and have a slight fizz), brew a new batch of tea to repeat the process, and now is when you can flavor your first batch in a 'second fermentation'! you may use the new 'baby' SCOBY in your new batch or the original mother. SCOBYs will last a long time; you may share your new SCOBY with a friend, compost it, or start a SCOBY 'hotel' --- look it up! SCOBYs should not be kept in a refrigerator.

-how to do a 2nd ferment: divide the kombucha into grolsch style bottles and add a few slivers of ginger, blueberries, or a splash of your favorite fruit juice. seal the bottles and let them sit an additional day or two. this will create a flavor and a stronger fizz, so be sure to be careful when opening bottles!!

* a tip from amanda: for ideas, how to videos, and other recommendations, i use  http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kombucha#beginner

thank you, amanda!

recipe by amanda kapousouz, photographs by rinne allen

canola fields

the canola fields are starting to flower around here...over the next few weeks they will be in bloom...go explore!

farming this time of year

we have a lot of friends who are farmers. here are some photographs from some of the farms we have visited lately...showing tilled fields, seedlings, and little things pushing up through the soil...to help get you inspired for growing season!

photographs by rinne allen

chinking

photograph by rinne allen

foxfire

most folks around here have heard of foxfire and their popular books, but if you aren't familiar with them, you should take a moment and learn about their work. based in the north georgia mountains, foxfire began in the 60's and now, 40 years later, holds a vast archive of oral histories, photographs, and knowledge of appalachian folkways, all gathered by local high school students.

foxfire began when a young teacher moved the area in the 1960's to teach in a local high school. he wanted to engage the students in something that really interested them, so after alot of brainstorming, the idea of producing a magazine was born; the teacher and his students went out in the community and interviewed local everyday people and made photographs of them. many of these interviews were bound in book form, but the magazine itself still exists today too. not only did the magazine help to preserve the traditions of the area, it also helped the students explore and learn about about their community.

i recently visited the foxfire museum in mountain city, georgia where over 20 buildings stand on a hillside; all were moved here to the site and put back together by the students, using traditional methods.

images of some of foxfire's subjects hang on a wall in the museum, alongside quotes from each subject:

words & photographs by rinne allen

seedlings

photograph by rinne allen

anna belle & ty's baby shower!

rebecca's daughter anna belle is expecting her first baby this summer...our friend nancy hosted a beautiful baby shower this past weekend at her house, one of our favorite places. rebecca did all the flowers using cuttings from her garden and the side of the road...it was a sweet day!

arrangements by rebecca wood, photographs by rinne allen

spring buds

photo by kristen bach

kohlrabi and kale cakes

i recently made these for supper and we devoured them outside on the back porch.....enjoying the lovely spring eve.  It was a great spring meal!

kholrabi and kale cakes

-pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

-shred 1 large potato and 2 medium sized kholrabi (removing skin from both) with a cheese grater

-finely dice the whites of 5 spring onions and a small bunch of kale (roughly 3/4 cup when diced)

-in a mixing bowl, combine kohlrabi, potato, kale, and onions

-mix in 1/2 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper

-mix in 2 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup flour until all ingredients are combined

-line a cooking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with olive oil

-using an ice cream scoop, carefully scoop out your mixture and flatten a bit

-bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping midway through

i served these up with a simple sauce that i made by adding cucumber, salt, and fresh herbs to some plain greek yogurt

photos and recipe by kristen bach

pruned peach tree

photograph by rinne allen

in the studio

i always get a little bit of spring fever...i try to be outside as much as i can and walk my garden daily and take photographs of different things as they come up in the garden or bloom...and, often, i bring these things into my studio. sometime i photograph them, or make flower arrangements or light drawings, but sometimes i like what is leftover from these tinkerings best...the petals, stamens, leaves...especially the colors of everything...

photographs by rinne allen