summer dominoe

photograph by rinne allen

pokeberry

photograph by kristen bach

river grass shapes

photograph by kristen bach

begonias & zinnias

photographs by rinne allen

prayer chapel

on the grounds of the old presbyterian church on edisto island, there is a little prayer chapel under an immense oak. there are two benches inside and a little place to write a prayer request and thumb tack it to a bulletin board. the air is hot and still. the light is beautiful

photographs and words by rebecca wood

mimosa watertower

photograph by kristin karch

queen anne's lace

photograph by rebecca wood

gate and field

photograph by rinne allen

seed saving

photographs by rinne allen

butterflies

photograph by rinne allen

waterlillies

photograph by rinne allen

edisto

time for my annual visit to edisto island. i always make a trip out to botany bay, a 4800 acre park. it's the combined remnants of two old plantations, 'sea cloud' and 'bleak house'. finally there was one man living there that had inherited it all. he ended up donating to the DNR. it's a half mile walk to the beach, over expanses of marsh grass. once you're there, it's 2 miles of undisturbed natural beauty.

 the shoreline is changing, and the salt water is encroaching on the woods by the beach. the oaks and palms aregradually dying. they fall over into the surf and are sanded clean in no time, becoming bleached bones on the beach, becoming endless stark beauty.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

mossy

photograph by rinne allen

viburnum

photograph by rinne allen

fresh blueberry crisp

i know the south is all about their cobblers and i do love them but growing up in the north,  i have a soft spot for a good crisp too.  i grew up enjoying crisps and they always remind me of home.  yesterday i taught my daughter how to make a crisp, just like my grandma taught me.

blueberry crisp
1 cup oats
1 cup AP flour  plus 2 Tbsp for berries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup cold butter, unsalted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
salt to taste
5 cups blueberries

instructions
-pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
-dice butter into small pieces
-combine all ingredients except 2 Tbsp flour and berries
-in a casserole dish, combine your blueberries with 2 Tbsp flour
-pour your topping mixture over your berries and softly pack down into the berries
-bake for about 40 minutes or until berries are bubbling
-enjoy with vanilla ice cream
 

recipe and photographs by kristen bach

mimosas

photograph by rebecca wood

blueberry sorbet

with georgia blueberry bushes producing at their peak, we have gotten creative on ways to enjoy the delicious berries. this week we made blueberry sorbet from the berries we handpicked ourselves. 

blueberry sorbet
3 cups of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener like honey
1 cup coconut milk, you may not use all of this
herbs, add fresh herbs like basil, thyme, or mint to your mixture

-place berries in your blender, a vitamix if you have one
-start blending adding a little bit of water, slowly just to help blend
-blend until mixed all of the way through, you may need to scrape
sides of blender several times
-eat right away or place in freezer for later

recipe and photographs by kristen bach

flowering dill

photograph by kristen bach

wisteria cello cocktail

one of my favorite summer past times is drinking a good cocktail on the porch. i still have a little wisteria cello from our spring beauty day, so i decided to incorporate it into this yummy drink.

ingredients:
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce wisteria cello
1 ounce grapefruit juice
3 ounces soda water
sprig of rosemary
one ice cube
then stir!

recipe and photographs by kristin karch

white peacock

photograph by rinne allen