dill flower

photograph by rinne allen

seed life skills

our friend chef hugh acheson recently started a non-profit called seed life skills , and i recently spent time with them in the classroom and in the teaching garden at clarke middle school here in athens, as they learned to make pickles with hugh and almeta tuloss, director of seed life skills.

as they write on their website, "Seed Life Skills is a living curriculum dedicated to empowering youth to be sustainable stewards of food and financial resources; while emphasizing innovative and handcrafted approaches to core and community lessons."

go check out their good work!

words and photographs by rinne allen

shining through

photograph by rebecca wood

a favorite place

we spend alot of time at a place in the mountains....there is an amazing old gym there that spans a creek. i just love it so much.

summer weeds

photograph by rebecca wood

carl sandburg's home

i've always loved carl sandburg's poetry, so on the way to the mountains i stopped at connemara, his home in hendersonville, nc. for the last 22 years of his life. he and his wife moved from michigan to the 248 acre homeplace in 1945, because his wife, paula, was a champion goat breeder, and she longed for greener pastures and longer summers.
the house sits high on a hill, surrounded by pastures and fir trees. there is no air conditioning, so all the shades are drawn to keep it cool. in the basement is the 'summer kitchen'. it's underground and feels like air conditioning! there is a lovely old sink under the window.
paula and his two daughters ran the goat farm, raised fruits and vegetables, raised rabbits and geese, had honeybees and a dairy going. they did all the manual work, leaving carl to write till all houses, and leaving him a cup of hot coffee with goat's milk and honey on their way out to work.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

hibiscus

photograph by rinne allen

amaranth

i love the drama of amaranth...

arrangement and photograph by rinne allen

baby pokes

photo by kristen bach

pickled soft boiled eggs

in our house, eggs seem to be one of our favorite ingredients.  my husband loves to make deviled eggs and we usually have some hard boiled eggs on hand.  he recently started making soft boiled eggs for sandwiches and salads.  the other day i was just about to toss some brine from some fermented cukes we had just polished off and i decided to try to 'pickle' the eggs in the delicious, salty and herb filled brine.  i let them marinate for just a day or maybe two and the result was amazing!  a perfectly salted egg that had absorbed the flavors from the fresh herbs in the brine.  

pickled soft boiled eggs

-boil a pan full of salted water, just as you would do for hard boiled eggs

-when the water is boiling, carefully drop your eggs into the water

-keep it on heat for 6 minutes, 50 seconds (that's what my hubs says)

-remove the eggs and put them directly in a bowl of ice water and let rest and cool for 5 minutes

-peel

-carefully drop into a jar of pickle juice or brine

-enjoy on toast, salad, or just eat as is!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

goslings and mama

Photograph by Rinne Allen

holiday!

Have a great holiday, everyone! 

photographs by rinne allen

symmetry

photograph by rebecca wood

connemara

the property in hendersonville, n.c. that carl sandburg and his wife bought in 1945 consisted of 248 rolling acres. his wife, paula, raised champion goats, and there are many lovely red outbuildings and barns all over the property, including a creamery onsite in a little stone house on a hill.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

growing over

photograph by rebecca wood

tiny house

in north carolina, near marshall, i had a great time going around hairpin turns among green hills searching for old tobacco barns and deserted houses. our last stop was to visit suzy and todd in their handmade house. it's only 10 x 15 feet,but has a huge yard and gardens,and old barn,an outdoor shower and an outhouse. it's a mini paradise.

photographs and words by rebecca wood