traveling the countryside

I haven't been doing much of anything but traveling this month, in fact 3 of the last 4 weekends have been spent away from home. It has been a joy to experience fall in several different regions. First stop - the Pocono Mountains of PA - see posts below. Next trip was to the mountains of West Virginia. We actually drive over 5 different mountain ranges on this trip. Interestingly enough, the colors were gorgeous on the west side (below) of the mountains but not so much as we traveled east. (picture above)

in the meadow at our friends farm


at the river

The biggest disappointment on this trip was the reality of "you break - you buy." Yes friends - it is true - they really do make you buy it - especially if it is a $200 antique rootbeer canteen that you never even saw before it crashed into pieces at your feet. Ugh! I still feel sick thinking about it. One minute I am admiring a teapot and the next minute I am looking at ceramics by my feet. I won't tell you what I really thought at the time but I will tell you I cried - but it made no difference and yes it is true - I am now banned from antique stores by my husband. It's a shame but there's no use crying over spilt milk as my momma used to say. But it will take a while to get over this one!

A walk in the woods alphabet

D is for decay, H is for hemlock, and X (it was laying in the path just like this which brought a squeal of joy from me. Do you know how hard X is to find?)

One of my current art projects is an alphabet from walking in the woods on the farm. I have photographs and sketches of almost every letter which i will post when it is completed but I found a few more this weekend in the Poconos that I thought to share. I haven't decided if I can use them since they aren't in "my" woods. What do you think?

and look what else I found:

K is for Kathy. What I wouldn't give to find her in my woods more often!

fall in the mountains

I went away for the weekend with girlfriends from high school. We met up at a halfway point in the Pocono Mts of PA where we stayed in the charming log cottage of my friend Linda. So fun to stay in a place that is so close to our own dream of a log home. We hiked in the woods, got a kayak out on the water, and chatted about life over the last 30 years until we were hoarse. So much fun to reconnect and reenergize in the beautiful creation. I can't wait until our own place is really up and running and I can entertain friends and family in our own retreat.

a new cottage industry

feeling inspired today to get caught up with the creative side of my life and wanted to introduce you to a new project that might be in our future. Lynnette wanted her daddy to make these two items for her wedding (candle holders and arbor). So he went down to the farm, got down some oak trees and proceeded to make her dreams come true, with the help of her brother - what a great dad and an awesome brother! Surprising two other brides saw them at the venue that day and both expressed an interest in having them, so we set a price and proceeded to discuss ways to market them. The venue has expressed an interest in showing them as well. They sell on etsy...We haven't put much time into them....yet, but possibly a new cottage industry has been born.

csa today

What is better than a crisp breeze, the warm sun (well maybe hot is a closer description), new friends and beautiful fresh vegetables? A membership in the CSA of course, so you can experience all of the above AND take the veggies home. Today was a good day with lots of color. I am not sure why I like to take pictures of food but it's become an addictive habit of mine over the summer. The richness of the colors, the contrast of the vivid shapes and capturing the textures and personalities (work with me here) is all part of the fun of being a harvest helper. And of course the best benefit is the eating of the freshest, organic veggies available with just a little effort from all of us. I've been keeping a journal of my weekly treats and the recipes that I have tried with them and am starting to get a nice collection. Part of the fun of being a harvest helper is listening to what others do with the same veggies. It is with some regret that I realize that the end of the summer project is almost here, and to add insult to injury my second favorite place during the summer, the farmer's market, will soon close its doors as well. What will I do with my Wednesday and Thursday mornings? Perhaps I will just look at my pictures and think of all the possibilities for next year, or else I will put my baker's hat on and get ready for the holidays. After all there is a lot of zuchinni in the freezer that needs to be made into cakes and bars. A short list of the new things we've tried this summer:

fennel...not too crazy about it but made a fennel parmesan gratin

swiss chard..I like it but the rest will pass so I hide it in things, there's lots in the freezer, I did make swiss chard gnocchi which was marked w/ passing grades by the family. They haven't noticed it in stuffed zuchinni or in soups

bok choy...also in the freezer

golden beets...i could eat any kind of beet and these are delicious roasted

okra...new today, thinking about gumbo

pattypan squash...stuffing it tonight with a ricotta and sausage filling

a summer squash soup - next time take out the lemon

zucchini oatmeal bars...went over quite well

squash blossoms, yes I stuffed and fried them and they passed

made 2 pints of pickled peppers - always wanted to try that

and certainly not new - but a new method for processing tomatoes was oven roasted tomato sauce - added Merlot and garlic to the recipe and we have a winner

and refrigerator pickles - new recipe, made lots

eggplant...roasted with a touch of spices, interesting

YUM! hungry yet?

and if I don't feel like cooking, I can always use them in an art project - why yes, yes I did! My photo book Summer's Bounty came last week and I am using another picture for my green ATC project with my art group - Christian Paper Artists. So delicious and inspiring are the benefits of being a farmgirl.

apple sauce, apple pie, apple bread, apple fritters...it's that time again

This picture says it all. It was past time to pick apples! Butterflies, bees, worms and obviously the deer have been having their fill of delicious appleness and before everything hits the ground it was time to get our share in. We picked 5 big contractor's pails and a large recycling bin full and now have them sorted for usefulness in the garage. Three batches of applesauce, 2 pies and some delicious fritters later we haven't made a dent. We plan to attend the Apple Festival once again at Albemarle Ciderworks in November and have decided that this year we will plant 3 more trees. Maybe a few more if work picks up - smiles. At least this time we will know what kind of apple we are planting - if even we can't pick them for three years. We have come to think that currently we have Pippins, Arkansas Black and perhaps a Rome or McIntosh of some sort. We also need to get up to speed on organic pesticides and see if we can't make "prettier" apples. But in the meantime, Bon Apetit!

Simplicity: a picture is worth a thousand words

One of my favorites from the wedding so far. What one word describes this picture?