local artisans...

a lovely collaboration between commoner films and milk bar magazine, featuring the process and inspiration behind melbourne-based 'pot black ceramics'...

i try to buy locally when possible, both food and handmade goods, and this year my sister and i also began to sell our prairie seed cloth goods (handmade from mostly recycled textiles, also found locally) at our neighborhood farmer's market.  

not only is it a wonderful experience to be surrounded by such a community, seeing and talking face to face with the people buying and using your pieces, but there is something so uniquely satisfying about making pieces with your own hands, seeing them lovingly used by your neighbors, and then putting your proceeds back into the community... 

by purchasing from local farmers and artisans - produce, bread, and cheese to give you sustenance for the coming week, soaps and cleaners for your home, or meaningful gifts for family and friends...  or by visiting the independent coffee shops and restaurants down the street.

happy tuesday 

east atlanta village farmer's market...

our labor day in atlanta?  pouring rain, and blowing winds, and darkened skies, with a dash of thunder claps and lighting flashes thrown in... and finally, FINALLY, cooler temperatures!

but here are some images of sun, and heat, and hula hooping, and goat milking, and cheese-making demoing... from the fall from summer festival, at the east atlanta village farmer's market

the hula hoops were courtesy of rebecca deshon (pictured above), of hoopessence...

my nephew is quite competitive (which may possibly be a family trait), and felt the need to attempt to master every possible hula hoop move in the span of ten minutes

we stayed to watch a cheese making tutorial, courtesy of decimal place farm (a.k.a. goat cheese deliciousness!)

and i picked up this sweet seagrass basket, to carry everything home...

happy monday

simple celebration...

on a whim yesterday afternoon, i put together a no-sew, ten minute banner, flung diagonally across the living room...  a banner bringing home a combination of a simple celebration of each new day/ a summer backyard picnic under a large swaying tree/ and a fluttering clothesline bathing in the sun.  each summer dream brings me a feeling of elation and warmth, and this string of pennants evokes, for me, all of these same feelings inside the room... and that is enough for me

this occurred after cleaning the dirt from under my nails... the result of a morning spent gardening... planting eggplant, tomato, and herb plants, procured from the local community garden plant sale  

a few heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, raveena eggplant, basil, rosemary, garlic chives, mint...

determined to grow some of my own food on my little garden deck (or to at least give it my best effort)... still in need of some stakes to hold the massive leafy, fruit-filled abundance that my mind envisions ;)  

in the interval, the herbs will flavor my appetite

an old, found, wooden chair, still in need of some care... but, for now, i will enjoy the touch of romantic whim it's lending to the garden

and, in other news, i recently gave an interview to 'blog interviewer' if you feel so inclined to check it out ;)

happy friday!

blackened salmon ~ a delicious mistake

here are a few meals made using ingredients from this week's trip to the decatur organic farmers market:

first up, one of my very favorite summertime meals (you'll find this one in my house at least once a week during the season) broiled salmon, green beans (deliciously combined with fresh tomatoes and onions), and red potatoes

i have to say, this week i had a blackened salmon... a delicious mistake! quite the drama in my kitchen as the aluminum foil the fish was cooking on somehow caught fire! of course, i naturally assumed it was simply one of my neighbors ("hmmm... someone must not be a very good cook!", i thought), only to open my oven to flames growing by the second! fortunately, i was able to keep my head (while screaming... with images of my charred apartment, gone up in flames, racing through my mind), and instead of whipping out the fire extinguisher and ruining the fish, i grabbed a cup of water and splashed the aluminum... after a few last bursts of flame, the fire went out with a hiss. the salmon was now a little blackened, but actually quite yummy. i may have to try my hand at blackened salmon again... but, perhaps without the fire next time ;)

the salmon was seasoned with fresh basil, rosemary, and garlic chives from my garden (oh how lovely it is to finally have a space for growing herbs!). these herbs were all purchased from my local community garden. the green beans and heirloom tomatoes are from the farmers market

tonight, i made a lovely eggplant casserole, made using this recipe (only substituting with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella) , with the gorgeous local purple japanese eggplant, also from the organic farmers market... no fire tonight ;) so yummy, and i think left overs will pair nicely with a bit of pasta

(oh, and the milk i scored this week is positively scrumptious!)

local food 9/9 ~ a season of change

summer was definitely shifting into autumn this week at the decatur farmer's market... apples, gourds, baked goods, and pumpkins are beginning to appear in abundance. autumn being one of my favorite times of year, the sight of harvest produce excites me greatly... makes me want to settle down with a warm drink in front of the fire (although i think the weather still has a ways to go before this becomes a reality)

it makes me sad, however, to see the summer crop coming to a close... the farmer from whom i bought these luscious heirloom tomatoes told me these were the last few of his crop. and, oh, the end of green beans! a vegetable i eat at least twice a week during the summer... i suppose i will have another good month before these beauties say goodbye for the season. instead it is time to begin focusing on pumpkins and mums, pies and savory stews (vegetarian for me). there was an absolutely gorgeous sage green pumpkin at the market this week... i'm regretting that i didn't take that one home. the farmer selling it told me it would make at least two large delicious pies... perhaps he'll have another next week. i did pick up a sweet little pumpkin... of the decorating variety... to get me started on my autumn adventure

and the milk hunt was a success this week! i knew immediately from the long line in front of the johnston family farms booth, that i would finally be in luck (these family farm tours look like such fun too!). can't wait to try the milk out... i was told by the farmer selling the pumpkins that his wife raves about this milk, although has had to adjust her baking measurements accordingly... tastes and cooks so differently from the grocery store variety

~ in shop news, i'm continuing to add to new autumn pieces to the shop this week, and am excited to see that i'm only one sale away from one hundred ;)

freshly roasted peanuts

today was peanut roasting day... these were the raw peanuts i picked up from the decatur organic farmers market this week. here they sit awaiting their oven roasting ;)

oh, that smell, that delicious aroma... the scent of autumn has entered my home!

i used this recipe i found (incredibly easy!)... i didn't have any peanut oil on hand, so i used olive oil instead, which worked really well

the deep purple color of the peanut is just gorgeous

i have another batch in the oven now, so i may make a bit of peanut butter... if i can keep from eating them all first!

*** one more reminder, tonight (sept. 6th) is the last night to enter for a chance to win the lovely handmadecharlotte skirt giveaway below! good luck everyone! i'm enjoying reading all the entries

local food - 9/2

another week at the decatur farmers market... another delicious crop of food!

my sister, niece, and nephew came along this week, making it all the more fun... the kids enjoyed some yummy honey sticks while we perused the selections. and who knew how helpful a six year old could be... my nephew had fun helping me select the produce, as well as handling the weighing and money... although, he did ask each time if he could keep the change, which one time came out to be sixteen dollars... it was worth a try ;)

found this lovely bunch of raw peanuts, which are delicious as they are (well, not apparently to my niece and nephew!), but i think i will try roasting them... looks super easy, here's a recipe i found. i may even try my hand at making peanut butter!

i'm also excited that i made it in time to pick up some eggs this week. so deliciously farm fresh... they even had a few chicken feathers still attached! i'll have to try again next week for the milk... they were sold out in the first half hour and were awaiting more!

i've also added a few new autumn pieces to the shop:

acorn wreath

acorn branch

*** don't forget to enter the lovely handmadecharlotte skirt giveaway below! goes through sunday, september 6th... good luck everyone! i'm enjoying reading all the entries

pizza with local organic toppings

since i so rudely ate all the beautiful green beans last night without taking a picture, i thought i should share my lunch meal today, a pizza prepared with the heirloom tomatoes and red peppers from the decatur organic farmer's market

can you even call it a pizza anymore, with fresh, beautiful ingredients like this? the word just doesn't seem to do justice to the deliciousness of such a meal

and how nice it is to pause and view the food your preparing through the eye of a camera... making it feel just that much more special when you take the time to appreciate the beauty of it all