our tomatoes are turning red. we are very excited! our corn is also getting pretty big and we have baby bell and jalapeño peppers. we love our garden!

– ryan & gub

according to nasa, there will be a lunar eclipse tomorrow morning and it should be a big one for most of america. npr said it would be visible in atlanta from around 6:15 am until after 9 am. you’ll need to get up early though if you want to catch the eclipse, our sunrise is around 6:30 am. tomorrow also brings a full moon.

– ryan

it’s been a little while since i’ve brewed beer but i am still a big fan, especially of hoppy IPAs. i love when fall approaches and breweries begin to release their fresh/wet hop ales. these tasty treats are brewed with wet hops that are delivered to the brewery the same day they are harvested. the brewers are waiting on hand to add the wet hops to the kettle while at the peak of their freshness. the result is one of the hoppiest, most flavorful beers around. it’s the equivalent of cooking with fresh herbs rather then dried ones.

one of my favorite wet hop ales during the fall is sierra nevada’s northern hemisphere harvest. this was actually the first beer brewed with fresh hops back in 1996. since then, wet hop ales have swept the american craft brewing movement by storm. there is an annual fresh hop ale festival held in washington state and even the brick store pub in atlanta started hosting a fall hop harvest festival with many fresh hop ales on tap.

there are various options for wet hop ales in the fall. i’ve never had a bad one, so don’t be afraid to try different breweries. keep your eye out for local brewery options as well, i know sweetwater started brewing one in atlanta last year.

sierra nevada also brews a tasty summertime fresh hop ale called southern hemisphere harvest. you can find this delicious treat in stores right now, i’m actually drinking one as i write this article! to brew such a style during the summertime, sierra nevada overnights fresh hops from new zealand during their fall harvest, which happens to be america’s springtime. thanks to their efforts, we can enjoy a fresh hoppy beer during our wet hot american summers.

– ryan

sierra nevada

1075 east 20th street
chico, ca 95928
530-893-3520

ps…this is our 50th blog post!!!

we are not wine connoisseurs by any means, but we do enjoy drinking it, especially whites. we’ve been trying to sample unique white wines from various regions of the world. after a recent splendid table episode, we decided to try an albariño. this refreshing white wine is made from albariño grapes and is mostly produced in the rías baixas region of spain.

we tried a bottle of 2007 fillaboa albariño. it was crisp with hints of peach and apricot, but not sweet like riesling or muscat. it paired well with seafood and fresh veggies from our garden.

if you’re a fan of white wines, this unique variety is definitely worth checking out. we thoroughly enjoyed our 2007 fillaboa albariño and have been able to find it at toco hills giant wines in atlanta.

– ryan & gub

we made fried green tomato BLTs for dinner last night and they were delicious! we used a tomato from our garden and had sautéed zucchini as a side, which was also from our garden.

to prepare, slice a green tomato and place on a plate or splatter guard. sprinkle salt on top and let the slices sit for a couple of hours. this will cause the water to drain out of the tomatoes for a better frying experience. pour off any excess water as it builds. when ready to fry, just dip a slice in egg wash and batter before frying in oil at medium heat. we used corn meal in our batter, but feel free to use flour.

– ryan & gub

fried green tomato recipe:

ingredients:
1-2 large green tomatoes sliced
bread, mayonnaise, lettuce & bacon (if BLTs are desired)

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean tomatoes and slice
– place on a splatter guard and sprinkle with salt, let sit for a couple of hours
– pour off any excess water as it builds
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip tomato slices in egg wash and then in the batter
– gently place battered tomatoes in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– place on splash guard to let cool and drain the oil
– serve on toasted bread with mayonnaise, lettuce and bacon or with a dipping sauce

i recently visited oak grove plantation & gardens, which is about 45 minutes south of atlanta. it’s this beautiful 1830s plantation home nestled on 20 acres of land, 4 of which have themed gardens. the plantation features a bed & breakfast as well as acres of gardens for touring. if you’re looking for an atlanta getaway, oak grove plantation & gardens is a relaxing option for an afternoon visit or an overnight stay.

– ryan

oak grove plantation & gardens

4537 north highway 29
newnan, georgia 30265

we stopped by the east lake farmers market this morning. it’s at the corner of 2nd ave. and hosea williams drive. the market is fairly small but has numerous farmers with local fruit, vegetables, eggs, chickens, salsas and more. we picked up some local peaches, blueberries, and salsa. the market is open on saturdays from may through october from 9am to 1pm.

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market

2nd ave. and hosea l. williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317

saturdays
9am – 1pm
may – october

have you seen the pbr murals around atlanta?

we just started noticing them and we like the old-fashioned feel of this new advertising campaign. so far, we’ve spotted them in east atlanta, little 5 points, and in the highlands on the back of manuel’s tavern. each painting is unique and features the artist’s name and city. most of them appear to be georgia artists, although we’ve seen out of state artists as well.

– ryan & gub

did you know atlanta has a replica of the white house?

you can find it on briarcliff road just north of clairmont. from what we’ve heard, a gentleman from iran built it after moving to america and making lots of money. to show his appreciation for democracy and the usa, he decided to build the three-quarter size replica. it’s pretty awesome/weird. if you’ve never seen it before you should check it out.

here are some interior photos.

– ryan & gub

atlanta white house

3687 briarcliff rd ne
atlanta, georgia 30345

we recently made some fried squash blossoms from our garden that were delicious! we were getting frustrated over the amount of flowers falling off our plants but it turns out they were male flowers that don’t grow fruit. gub remembered having fried squash blossoms in italy so we found a recipe and did some frying.

to make these tasty treats, first gather and clean some squash flowers. next dip the flowers in egg and batter before frying them up in some oil at medium heat. it’s the same as frying anything, you’ll just want to use a light batter since the flowers are so delicate. we went with corn meal and loved it!

– ryan & gub

fried squash blossom recipe:

ingredients:
fresh squash flowers
whipped cream cheese for stuffing (if desired)

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean squash flowers
– stuff squash flowers with a little whipped cream cheese if desired
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip squash flowers into egg wash and then batter
– gently place battered squash flowers in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– place fried flowers on splatter guard to let cool and drain the excess oil
– serve hot