if you have ever went foraging for chanterelles you may know how hard these firecracker chanterelles are to find. throughout the decade of foraging, I have only found them once and there were only 6 or so tiny shrooms! they are super small....and spicy. the other day my husband spotted these from a drive in the north georgia mountians. he pulled over and we found hundreds of them! an exciting find!
Kristen Bach
foraging for chanterelles
this year hasn't been a great year for foraging for chanterelles. we have had lots of heat and little rain, both not good climates for the golden beauties. we had spent many a days foraging around our favorite spots with no chanterelles in sight and before we knew it, our season was over.
my family and i recently spent some time in the mountains near ellijay, georgia. while we were there it rained, rained, and rained again. in between the rain spells we wandered through our lush surroundings. while on a hike we found a bounty of chanterelles!
we were spending the weekend with our friend mimi, from homemade. she was excited to have some freshly foraged ingredients and made a lovely side to accompany our meal.
mimi sauteed the chanterelles in some olive oil with salt, sherry vinegar, and some pine shoots. they were simple and delicious!
photos by kristen bach, recipe by mimi maumus
fermented summer salsa
our tomato plants have just started to give us some ripe tomatoes. in just one day, i harvested over a dozen from just the few plants that we have. i knew that there was more coming to me soon, so i decided to make some fermented salsa. now we have salsa for the next several months!
ingredients
about 8 summer ripened tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro, finely diced
3 jalapenos or other peppers , just depends how hot you want them
2 large cloves of garlic
12 spring onions, finely dice the whites and 4 inches of greens
juice of 4 lemons
1 1/2 TBSP sea salt
directions
-wash your tomatoes and remove any splits or blemishes
-cut the tomatoes into big pieces
-put all tomatoes in a food processor
-pulse 10 times or until there are little or few big pieces left
-put tomatoes in a smaller bowl
-finely dice the jalapenos, spring onions, garlic, cilantro
-add to bowl
-add the lemon juice and sea salt
-carefully spoon your salsa into clean mason jars, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top
-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, if you would like it more tangy you can leave for another day or two
-when your salsa is done fermenting, store in refrigerator for up to 6 months, if it will last that long
photos and recipe by kristen bach
cabbage & fennel slaw
we love making this fresh slaw. it is great on BBQ, tacos, or salads and is a perfect dish for a potluck.
ingredients
1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
3 heads of small fennel bulbs, or 1 large, thinly sliced
1 clove or diced garlic
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup of mayo (I used veganaise)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or juice from pickles)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
sea salt
fennel fronds, reserve some for sprinkling on top
directions
-thinly slice your cabbage and fennel
-in a small bowl mix together mayo, garlic, lemon juice, syrup, and vinegar to make your dressing
-in a large bowl, toss cabbage, fennel and some fennel fronds
-combine your dressing with the cabbage mix and salt to taste
-put in fridge for an hour to let flavors marinate
-just before serving sprinkle some fennel fronds on top for beauty
-bon appétit!
recipe and photos by kristen bach
granite + lichen
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
candlefish in charleston
on my recent trip to charleston, sc our friend stacey from perla anne told us to stop in to candlefish. they had me when i saw their windows covered in hand painted jasmine. the store was filled with mainly candles and they also had their own line (library) of candles in 100 or more different hand-crafted scents.
the shop didn't just have a great variety of candles, but they also hosted classes and made their own candles. overall it was a very well curated and designed shop. and i won't lie.... i like to splurge on a good candle! i picked up an amber and moss candle as well as a campfire scented candle that smells just like a campfire!
photos and words by kristen bach
micro greens
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
looking up at the stars
while we were camping in Florida, my daughter wanted to take a picture of the stars with her camera. it brought on a lesson of slow shutter speed..... here are some shots of us looking up...and slowly capturing the moment.
photos and words by kristen bach
brick + paint beatuy
in Daily Beauty
photo and words by kristen bach
closed up shop
in The Country
while driving home from florida we passed small town after small towns seeing hundreds of closed up shops. while driving by this one, i caught a glimpse of the interior color and had to turn around. this beauty of a building was aging with a lovely patina of peeling paint and great colors. a charming artist studio waiting to happen.
photos and words by kristen bach
woods
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
textile installation
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
Bulldog Inn Art Annual
athens is full of artists, musicians, and creative types of all sorts, that's what makes our city so magical. for the past 6 years; michael oliveri from MOS has been organizing a show at the bulldog inn called the bulldog inn annual biannual.
the bulldog inn is a mid century motel located on the outskirts of athens. you can rent it by the night, week, and even hour. the bulldog inn art show rents out the motel for one evening and fills each room with a different artist, collective, installation. performer, projection, or whatever. the show in it's entirety is completely insane. i think that much of the beauty of it is that the only rule is that you return your room to it's original condition.
it has become an event that brings artists of all kinds together and really shows how colorful our city is. while photographs cannot even begin to do justice, here are some that captured a bit of this year's event. until next year.....bulldog inn.
glass chards + bullets
in Daily Beauty
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
oyster roast
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
magnolia love
i can remember my first southern spring here so vividly. i was driving to work and i passed a japanese magnolia tree that i could have sworn was bare the day before. it was covered in magenta-colored magnolia blooms. i recall pulling over to the side of the road and just staring at it like i had never seen anything like it before.
ten years later, i still find magnolias to be just as beautiful as the first time i saw them and i continue to pull over to the side of the road.
photos and words by kristen bach
spring green
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach
balsamic roasted fennel and beets
we are on the cusp of the growing season right now. spring veggies are getting planted and the winter ones are getting harvested.
this past week we roasted up some of the hearty winter veggies that we love. it was a simple side that even my 5 year old gobbled up.
pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
-wash your beets and fennel well and trim the tops of of both
-slice the beets and fennel into smaller pieces, mine were both small so I halved them
-in a bowl toss with salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp good balsamic vinegar
-line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange roasting veggies
-roast for 20 minutes or until your vegetables are cooked all of the way through
-return to bowl and quickly toss with a tiny bit of balsamic again
-enjoy!
photos and recipe by kristen bach
cloudy sky
in Daily Beauty
photo by kristen bach