Outside of my family, my friend Mollie is the biggest guinea pig for my culinary experiments, especially of the canned and pickled variety. So when she declares that Green Tomato Pickles are hands down, my best pickle, she would know. It wasn’t until this past summer when she asked for the recipe and started asking questions about the one I handed her that I realized I had sort of made up my own recipe for them. I know, I’m slow on the draw about that, as this is not the first time I’ve realized I’ve made up a recipe unintentionally, after the fact. I promised Mollie I’d get the recipe to her, so here it is.
Sentimental Gardening
My cousin Henry, like myself, was a bit of a sentimental gardener. I remember sitting on his back porch one day, noticing a pot of variegated sedum. When I questioned him about it, he said it came from our Granny’s yard, did I want some? I think I left it behind that visit, but I finally did grab it on a later one. When I couldn’t get the sedum to take in my yard, I grabbed another specimen. That one didn’t make it either. When he moved into the house with Julie, I once again asked about the sedum. He pointed to a pot in a corner of the yard, telling me he hadn’t put it in the dirt yet, but I could have some and could I please make an effort to not kill it this time?
Yeah, that one didn’t make it either. Continue reading
Pepper Jelly
One of the lingering after effects of the The Summer of Abigail is pepper jelly. Abigail turned Edie onto the wonders of an afternoon snack consisting of crackers, cream cheese & pepper jelly. When Edie realized I could make this for her, she immediately put it on my “to be canned” for her list, right behind pickled peaches. After sampling several versions of it, she further decided I needed to get Mollie’s recipe (which was actually her mother’s recipe). A quick email to Mollie’s mother Carla and I had it in my hands.
Modern love.
Another weekend, another wedding. I thought June was the high season for weddings, but as it turns out, so is September.
Well, this.
For a few months now, I’ve mentioned various projects I’ve been working on but haven’t explained here exactly what they all are. As the time has been right for each one, I’ve shared them. This particular one that I’m about to share is probably the biggest one I’ve been working on, but have been the quietest about in this space.
They did.
I got a message from my friend Winter last week, asking if I would come take pictures at her wedding. She was having a small ceremony on the property of the groom’s family and wanted someone who already knew at least part of the family to capture the day. Continue reading
All that, with shooting stars and rainbows.
There was this music festival down the road in Nelson County called Lockn’ this past weekend. Across the street from where the festival is held is a church, Trinity Episcopal. A small but rather sweet church, they host Sober Lockn’ as well as Waterlockn‘, embracing the festival as their neighbor. Pat’s employer, James River Association, was assisting with Waterlockn’, which offered rides to a private, local swimming hole on the Tye River, just a few minutes away from the festival site, with proceeds benefitting Kid Care. (The Tye is a tributary of the James River.) Continue reading
New in jars.
So I finally got around into digging into Preserving by the Pint. And by digging into, I mean, making a few things out of it. Continue reading
What to do with tomatoes.
I have two gardens this year, the usual one in the yard as well as an ‘off-site’ one in the community gardens. Both have tanked this year. Squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs and deer have feasted mightily. The deer took out both the taller netting we put up to stop them as well as kicking down the wooden fence on one side of the community garden. It’s become a free range buffet to those beasts. The on site garden hasn’t fared much better. Two gardens and all I have to show for it is a bowl full of cherry tomatoes and a handful of peppers. Even basil, supposedly so easy to grow anyone can do it, has been devastated by bugs. The Malabar Spinach I planted has failed to take off because it hasn’t been hot enough. (It did not get out of the 80’s once here the entire month of August.) Major garden fail on every level. I’m considering not having a garden next year, because the amount of work, not to mention money I’ve dumped into harvesting practically nothing is beyond frustrating. Continue reading
In the groove.
It’s been the first full week of school, which means the return of daily structure and routine. I know it’s good to have, I know Edie craves it, but after a summer of no structure, not only does it seem slightly overrated, it’s also slightly shocking to acclimate to. At least it is for me. Continue reading
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 