blooms a bustin'
the anxiously watched buds are starting to unfurl. it's been like waiting for christmas, but it's finally happening! hydrangeas,dahlias,and echinaceas are all starting to bloom. in a week or two,it'll be a riot of color,making all the hard prep work worthwhile.
ornate wall. fennel
foxfire
the term "foxfire" is a name commonly applied to several species of bioluminescent fungi that grow on rotting wood in damp forests (like the Southern Appalachians) during the warmer months. These fungi typically produce a dim blue-green glow that can be seen only in dark, starlit areas, away from any artificial lights or moonlight. Other names associated with these glowing fungi include "faerie fire" and "will o' the wisp." (an excerpt from foxfire.org)
the other day, we headed up to rabun county to visit foxfire. foxfire was started in 1966, by a local high school english teacher who sought the importance of educating students about appalachia history, self-sufficiency, living on the land and at the seasons' demands. over the years the students have published several books and magazines that talk about such topics. you can find them here.
walking around the foxfire land, it was easy to imagine life in a much simpler time, no phones, running water, computers, electricity, plumbing, or modern conveniences. i oftentimes think how nice it might be to escape to those times...for a little while. when people worked to live and enjoy life.
fallen blooms. amaranth
mahonia berries
pathway. thyme
simple spring veg plate
yesterday afternoon i was paging through my
cookbook, "
". it inspired me to think simple, seasonal, and fresh. using only ingredients from our CSA box,
, and farmers market, we made a delicious spring plate.
we roasted some baby potatoes and tossed them with some salt and fresh dill. we braised some savoy cabbage and spring onions and boiled some beets and then tossed them in butter with some salt and pepper. and lastly we quickly steamed the beans and left them a little crisp.
brick and mortar. pink blooms
magnolia inspiration
our friend yvonne sent this over to me the other day. i thought it was so lovely!
watch how to train your dragon full movie
One of my favorite photographs of all time is Magnolia by Imogene Cunningham. That served as inspriation for photographing this magnolia. Farther along in its life cycle but full of colour and beauty.
moss. purple blooms
herbicide hay... a rant
out in our part of the country, it's nothing but beautiful pastures with cows and horses peacefully grazing. pastoral beauty at its finest. we bought 4 rolls of old hay from the farmer up the way and were so excited to have so much good mulch for our expanded garden this year. we piled it on,with visions of happy plants and less weeding. after we got it all on, i noticed some flowers and vegetables has weird,pale,ferny looking new growth. i had the county extension agent out and got the scary diagnoses - herbicides! turns out, those green pastures are mostly all sprayed with herbicides to kill weeds that make cows and horses sick, thus saving farmers much needed time and money. trouble is, the herbicides persist in the hay and in the cow manure of cows that eat it for up to 3-4 years,causing stunted growth and cupped and ferny leaves. the hay we got is 2-3 years old, and still toxic. so - if you get hay or cow manure from a farmer, first find out what, if any herbicides were sprayed on it! here's some pics of normal and affected black eyed susan tops, and a pic of cupped sunflower leaves and messed up cosmos. we got all the mulch off, but have had to replant some things that were too messed up.
moss. spring leaves
grown for the people, by the people
last year we stumbled upon this community garden in a nearby neighborhood. i wrote a little story on it last year but it deserves another shout out again this year. unlike many community gardens, which rent out plots for the community to plant, this one is planted and entirely maintained by the community. i decided to take a little walk through it this year and see what was going on. this year they have added a couple of plots for people to plant their own personal gardens, but it is mostly community space.
let me just say, this place is so amazing! the garden itself is so beautifully designed and immaculate, not a weed in sight! oh....what a few helping hands can do. check out what i saw...
what this ravine looked like covered in kudzu
looking down
beans...growing up!
compost piles
filled with rainwater...for watering
a museum of artifacts found while digging.... hand cuffs..marbles..plastic scissors..frying pan..records....
brick wall. pink blooms
first rose
rustic barn. dew
spring root gratin
in the r.wood garden we have many root vegetables ready to eat right now. i harvested some turnips and radishes and had some kohlrabi from our CSA box. all of these spring roots inspired me to make a gratin.
i had to show how pretty the radish layer was!
recipe follows
ingredients
about 3 pounds root vegetables such as: kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, potatoes, celeriac
3 leeks
3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
8 oz heavy cream
1 cup cheese, i used half gruyere and 1/2 parmesan
salt and pepper
about 1 cup bread crumbs
directions
-pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
-simmer heavy cream and the whites of the leaks for 20 minutes, add the parsley
-peel the root vegetables if needed and thinly slice
-put one layer of vegetables on the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan, i used an r.wood studio casserole
*i used each vegetable on a separate layer
-spoon 1/3 of the milk mixture over the layer
-sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese
-salt and pepper the layer
-repeat until layers are complete
-top with bread crumbs
-heat in oven, uncovered for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender
treelight. white blooms
DIY kitchen flowers
since i'm growing so many flowers this year, i'm trying to figure out where i can display them all! i spend a good deal of time at the kitchen sink, so that's a natural place. i got one of the old jars i collect, and got a piece of wire i found out in the yard and made this really cute wall vase. i hang it next to the kitchen window. try making your own.