leaves on the water

unloading the kiln

it’s a long process to produce wood fired pots.  first, there’s cutting and hauling and stacking all the wood.  then there’s the making and glazing, then the loading, bricking up the doors, then 6 days of firing around the clock.  but the hardest week of all is the week after the firing is over,when you have to WAIT for the kilns to cool off so you can see the results!  finally the doors are taken down and we can see inside.  everyone is anxious to see how it all turned out.  there’s winners and losers, surprises and failures.  it’s all a continual learning process.   luckily for me, i made out like a bandit with lots of good surprises and great textures and colors.   yeah![gallery link="file"]

ahhh it's ginko time,

fire in the hole

nothing is as fun as woodfiring- quiet times out in the country.  just you and the crackling fire.  just keep throwing the wood in there to keep it hot.  all that ash is landing on the pots as it makes its way through the kiln, leaving its mark on each pot.  high hopes for the results, but since there’s no predicting the outcome, try not to get your expectations too high!

fall flora

last week,

design*sponge

was in town for their book tour.

it was fitting to welcome them with a southern flora sampler:

while some may think the ingredients weedy, to us they are the prettiest things to be found right now:

sweetgum, chinaberry, and ligustrum...along with beauties like hydrangea, maple leaves, and viburnum.

puttin' it up- saurkraut!

i  love spending an entire day in the kitchen;  putting up food, making  jellies, sauces, and butters.  there is a feeling of satisfaction that you get when you seal the jar and put it on the shelf.

now after having a child and a business;  my to-do list seems to keep getting longer....and longer.  those days where i can play in the kitchen are few and far between and i have been craving that satisfaction.

the other day i got this huge green cabbage from a local farm and thought that i would make some saurkraut.  there was

this

article in the october issue of Martha Stewart Living that showed me all of the steps.

really- all you need is cabbage, salt, water, some jars, and then patience.  it is a pretty simple and fascinating process, a perfect canning activity for kids!

i tested out a few variations in each of the jars.  i made some plain, roasted jalapenos, garlic, and some apple varieties.  just enough to get us through the winter months!