shadows

photograph by kristin karch

flower centerpiece

here's a fun idea for a table centerpiece or just for fun.

use any kind of shallow round container. i used one of my favorite geoff pickett wood fired casseroles. cut some oasis to fit and cover with water so the oasis will soak it up.

i used green hydrangea flowers and red and pink roses for mine. i put one light pink rose in the center, surrounded it with red roses,then put a ring of hydrangea blossoms on the outside. ,ames a lovely centerpiece that looks good from the side or the top!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

lathe and plaster walls remain

photograph by rebecca wood

wood fired pots

the giant wood kiln holds literally hundreds of pots. all the potters take turns tending to the fire, usually in either 6 or 8 hour shifts. every hour we write down the temperature in the log book. we load 6 foot slabs into the kiln all day and all night until we reach a temperature of 2300 degrees. salt is added into the kiln at intervals, where it instantly vaporizes and forms a glaze on the pots. the fire leaves it's mark also.

when finished, it will take a week to cool down. it feels like the longest week! finally, the doors come down and the potters gather round to see the results. each piece is unloaded and inspected, admired or questioned, mental notes are made, and we already thinking about the next firing.

wood firing is probably one of the most labor intensive arts you can imagine, with the most unpredictable results! lots of the time things turn out so differently than you had imagined, that it's hard to do anything but shake your head. it's a lot to process when you get 100 things out of the kiln!

with wood firing, all parts of the process are so fun that it's hard not to do it again.

my pots looked totally different than i imagined, but still good!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

light

photograph by kristin karch

old walls

i visited this little old house to take pictures before the new owner renovates. I was taken with not just the house, but also with the layered crumbling walls. I love seeing how many shades of paint and patterns of wallpaper were built up like memories over a lifetime. if it were up to me I would live in it just the way it is.

photographs by kristin karch

arrangements in woodfired vases

my front yard garden is set to do amazing things, so i cleaned and scrubbed the pollen off my front porch, bought shelves for all the vases starting to take over every surface in my house, and organized all my tools. now i have a proper flower arranging studio (except now the mosquitos have come out). this will be the summer of flower arrangements. i just woodfired about 85 new vases i made. they all have a dry look to the glaze that makes them perfect for japanese-y flower arranging. here's a few new vases at work.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

dandelion seeds

photo by kristen bach

spring herb potato salad

at our house we have been loving all the spring veggies and herbs that are growing in our garden and coming from our weekly CSA box.  we also have been really busy with end of school year activities so we have been whipping up many quick spring meals.  this spring herb potato salad is an easy side to make on the fly and is always a family favorite.  

spring herb potato salad
-boil some potatoes
-cube and cool
-stir in a couple of dollops of mayo and a spoonful of dijon mustard
-dice a mixture of fresh herbs such as thyme, tarragon, chives, basil, dill....or whatever you have growing
-add sea salt and pepper
this makes a great side dish for a bbq potluck!
 

mulberry

photograph by kristen bach

creating a paradise

i don't live in the country anymore. i moved to town for central heat and faster internet. i miss the ever present mind-blowing beauty of the country, but luckily i have some wildness of my own creation. last year i re-created the inspiring front yard garden that i remember used to be here. this year i just have to sit back and watch as the flowers have all gotten situated and settled themselves in. now i can just watch the wild beauty unfold right in front of me.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

bonfire

photograph by rinne allen

putting up the doors

this is the last step before starting the fire. the kiln has been carefully loaded, each pot in a spot where it has the best opportunity for the desired amount of salt and heat. now to seal it up.

wood kilns do not have a door. they have an opening, and it must be closed with brick and mortar. there is a lot of measuring, cutting shim pieces, and using the level to make sure it all fits tightly.

next comes the layers of mud and newspaper, which must cover all the gaps from the top of the kiln to the bottom. several layers.

next comes another layer of brick, but these are soft bricks, and can be sanded or cut to fit the door shape. after that, one more sloshing of mud and layers of newspaper over the top for good measure. 9 hours later, the work is finished, and the kiln ready to be lit….

photographs and words by rebecca wood

whirly gig

photograph by rinne allen

tupelo honey

on a recent trip to florida, we stopped and spent the afternoon with bee keeper ben of tupelo honey in wewahitchka.  the L.L. lanier family have been harvesting honey from their hives scattered throughout the apalachicola river swamps.  ben kindly showed us around some hives and we chatted about bee politics and how things have changed over they years.  he showed us his hives and we got to see some of the pests and molds that are affecting our current bee population.  what a devastating issue we have on our hands!

i could have spent days walking throughout the farm and admiring all of the textures and hearing the sweet sound of bees buzzing about!  thanks ben for the great day!

photographs and words by kristen bach

vetch

photograph by rinne allen

flower brigade: kat & susan's wedding

this past weekend, our good friends and owners of sweet olive farm, kat & susan, tied the knot. of course, the celebration wouldn't have been complete without bundles of flowers from mandy of 3 porch farm!

photographs and words by rinne allen

wildflower window

photograph by rinne allen

wild food zine!

our friends lindsay & erin of wild food made this great little zine for our spring beauty day workshop. through drawings and words, they share info about common wild spring edibles and recipes...it is great! {hint: look for more zines in our future...!}

words & photographs by rinne allen