cosmos

photograph by rebecca wood

pearl's garden

a lady named pearl lived in this house from 1950 till she died in 1998. she gardened all the time. there's even a story about her visiting mt. vernon, and wrapping a pinched branch tip in a wet paper towel and putting it in her purse.

after she died, no one tended her gardens. plants got looted and depleted until all that was left was an old rose bush and a couple of phlox. i remember her front yard like it was yesterday. i remember seeing it in the early eighties and thinking it was my dream garden. her whole front yard was a riot of unruly flowers of all kinds, a mini meadow of chaotic, wild beauty.

 the idea of that yard inspired me my whole life, and guess what? now i live there! i've been here a year, and the front yard is a riot of blooms. i am so happy to revive this yard! what a dream come true.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

late summer colors

photograph by kristen bach

mandy and steve's pt. 2

last week, we visited mandy and steve's beautiful farm outside of athens to pick some flowers while they were out of town. we wandered all over their property and took in all the beauty...not only do they have rows and rows of cultivated flowers, they also have wonderful old perennials and large shrubs, as well as wooded areas with lots of native things to cut from, too. it is a flower arranger's dream!

here are some of the arrangements we created at the farm, and at later once we were at home. we all brought home buckets of flowers and made flower arrangements for days after our visit!

photographs by rinne allen, kristen bach, rebecca wood, and kristin karch

amaranth

photograph by kristen bach

warm radish and bean salad

we had a the first taste of fall this weekend.  the mornings were nice and cool and the days warmed up in the afternoon.  perfect weather if you ask me!  for supper last night we wanted something fresh but a little comforting and so this nice warm salad came about!

dressing
2 Tbsp white vinegar
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper

-put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. 
-this can be made by hand by putting all ingredients in a jar and shaking
-serve on top of salads, roasted or fresh vegatables, or noodles
-store in fridge for a week

vegetables
1 Tbsp olive oil
radishes
fresh green beans
salt and freshly ground pepper

-pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
-wash vegetables
-slice radishes in half
-in a medium size bowl add vegetables and toss with olive oil
-on a baking pan, line with parchment paper and arrange vegetables. cut vegetables can be placed cut side down
-sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper
-roast in oven for 20 minutes

-let the vegetables rest for 5 minutes before assembling your salad
-toss the vegetables with dressing and serve on top of a bed of greens, as a side, or on top of a grain or pasta

photos and recipe by kristen bach

dill

photograph by rinne allen

waiting on martha dinner

a few weeks ago, we helped decorate the shotgun house for an athens chef's dinner for waiting on martha. the dinner was hosted by our friends from the southern coterie and included beautiful handmade creations by r.wood studio and mespeak design, and incredible food by the national, seabear oyster bar, home.made, and condor chocolates.

we took our inspiration from one of our favorite plants, pokeberry, and dyed the linens to match. rebecca hung some of her pokeberry drawings on the walls, too.

photographs by rinne allen & kristen bach

pines rain

photograph by kristen bach

old white house

this one took my breath away, in the clinch valley, in tennessee. the foundation and chimneys were built of huge blocks of limestone. by the kitchen door, an old coal crate spilling its contents on the ground, the coal shovel still in it. some dying crabapples and a determined clump of peonies were all that remained of the plantings, but there was a good crop of wild burdock all around the foundation. an old shed and a barn on a nearby hill were all that remained of outbuildings.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

shake siding

photograph by kristen bach

'not responsible for accidents'

this is a place i've been wanting to revisit for years. it's on highway 25 east in white pine, tennessee. it was crowded a few years ago, but now it is more so. a bit dark inside, with piles on top of piles of collectibles of all kinds: cookie jars, blue glass, teapots, china patterns of all kinds and glass of all kinds. thank god like things are all grouped together. after i got done picking out a few things, i asked the guy if he had any glass frogs. he said 'yep'. i asked if he knew where they were and he said 'yep.' i said do you know where everything in here is?, and he said 'yep'. you have to hold your breath and go sideways down the aisles. a sign stenciled on the wall out front says 'not responsible for accidents". go there sometime. pretty sure they have whatever it is you're looking for!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

cosmos

photograph by rinne allen

mandy and steve's pt. 1

our friends steve and mandy of 3 porch farm were recently on vacation, and kindly allowed us to visit the farm and cut some flowers while they were away. here is some beauty from their farm, with photographs of the arranged bouquets coming the following week.

photographs by rinne allen, kristen bach, rebecca wood, and kristin karch

dahlias

photograph by kristin karch

fermented pasta sauce

we are at the tail end of our tomato season and my tomatoes are looking a bit rough.  this summer i have been on a fermentation kick.  i have a fridge full of goodies to last me though fall.  i made this pasta sauce last week and I love the way it turned out.  

ingredients

8 fresh summer tomatoes
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 cups of basil
3/4 cup of fresh parsley
1 1/2 TBSP sea salt

a few grinds of pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

directions

-wash your tomatoes and remove any splits or blemishes

-wash peppers and remove seeds and stems

-cut the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers into big pieces

-put all vegetables herbs, and salt +pepper in a food processor

-pulse 10 times or until there are little or few big pieces left

-add to bowl

-carefully spoon your pasta sauce into clean mason jars, leaving 3/4 inch of space at the top

-pour 1/4 inch olive oil on top so that it covers all of the sauce

-using plastic mason jar covers, secure lids on each jar

-place salsa out of direct sunlight for 2-3 days

-after the second day taste your ferments, it you would like it more tangy you can leave for another day or two

-when your sauce is done fermenting, store in refrigerator for up to 6months

-when using spoon over warm noodles. 

photos and recipe by kristen bach

treetops

photograph by kristin karch

wildwood revival

this past weekend, i had the pleasure of experiencing wildwood revival, a small music festival on the outskirts of athens. the festival describes itself as being 'a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll, and everything in between'. you could camp by car, tent, or trailer in the rolling countryside next door, so we chose to bring our dear little teardrop camper. upon walking up to the festival, you came upon a grand italianate plantation, and to the left was an open air market, wine truck, and the amazing barn with the glowing lights reading 'wildwood'. one thing for sure, I will be back next year. 

photographs and words by kristin karch

queen anne's lace

photograph by rinne allen

hilltop barn

this newer barn was perched on the top of a round, steep hill. beautiful proportions and silence all around...

photographs and words by rebecca wood