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Rita Reaves

@rita.reaves

1.6K

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free spirited & storyteller
🥯Meshing my 💛for sourdough
🍃Living purposefully
🧺Homemaker•Mama•Wife
👩🏻‍🌾Homestead
🪴Gardener
Bussiness: Rita Reaves 📸

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Little hands, autumn harvests, and memories in the making.

There’s something special about capturing childhood just as it is — curious little minds, tiny adventures, and the moments in between.

The kind of memories that only grow sweeter with time.

Book your persimmons session with me, before time flies by!

#fallphotography #virginiabeachphotographer #hamptonroadsphotographer #lifestylephotography #childhoodunplugged by @rita.reaves

Want the harvest without the picking? We’ve got you! 🧺✨ For our very first Reaves Harvest, you can simply visit and buy by the pound. We’ll gladly handpick the best ones for you to take home!

Thank you @sarah_bouldin_photography for capturing these golden moments for our sweet family.
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#persimmon
#persimmonpicking🍅
#TheReaveshomeharvest
#slowliving by @rita.reaves

Persimmon picking season is one of the true highlights of autumn, and the two major varieties: Fuyu and Hachiya. Lucky for you we have them both 😍
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#persimmon
#slowliving
#Virginiabeach
#persimmonpicking
#thereaveshomeharvest by @rita.reaves

We are blown away by opening week at Reaves Persimmon Harvest! From persimmon picking to mini sessions, thank you for such an amazing start to our Grand Foray Year.

🗓️ Now through mid-November!

🧺 📸Haven’t booked your mini yet? It’s a whole way of life, the kids absolutely love playing in the washing station after picking, and some even try (and love!) fresh persimmons for the first time.

📷 Red Mill Photographers: Reach out if you’d like to host your mini sessions in our garden space!

🗓️ Need a photographer? If you want minis here but don’t have a photographer, we have a list of wonderful local photographers to pick from, including myself! by @rita.reaves

🚨 THE GIVEAWAY: FIRST 10 PEOPLE TO SHARE THIS POST! 🚨(comment ✅ so I know my top 10)
Get ready to pick 3 pounds completely FREE! As we proudly celebrate our very first annual persimmon picking at our new home, we want to reward the first 10 people who share this post with our grand first harvest.

As Reaves Home Harvest celebrates this exciting new gorgeous chapter, our backyard persimmon trees are bursting with abundance and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you! Pickings are open between October 10 through October 25.

Come explore our two distinct varieties:

➡️ To the right: Discover our sweet Fuyu persimmon tree (featuring crisp, apple-looking fruits).

⬅️ To the left: Find our luscious Hachiya persimmon tree (featuring rich, pear-looking fruits).

Special Invitation for Photographers:
Looking for the ultimate autumnal backdrop? Photographers are warmly welcome at no cost on our property throughout the month of October to photograph clients while they pick or to host seasonal persimmon mini-sessions among the gorgeous laden branches!

The Harvest Offer: 3 lbs for $10 (Cash Only)
Pick Up Location: Red Mill Home Harvest, (private) Virginia Beach, VA 23454

We are so thrilled to kick off this new tradition as we settle into this gorgeous new home, and we cannot wait to welcome you. For any questions, orders, or photography inquiries, please reach out to ritareavesphotography@gmail.com. by @rita.reaves

Persimmon season and watching sisterhood take root in the garden. Some moments are pure gold. 🍊✨ by @rita.reaves

Something pure, wholesome, and untouched is on its way.

For those who find joy in the rustle of leaves, the warmth of the soil, and the simple magic of a backyard harvest, this is for you.😍

Zero chemicals. Pure sunshine and infinite love.🫶 by @rita.reaves

Lena Gail. My last baby, and yet, an old soul wearing the face of tomorrow.

Today we celebrate the magic of your very first year.

Born on the 29th of August, at the very turning of the season, just as the heavy, sun-drenched air of summer begins to whisper of the cool, amber hush of autumn. You arrived bearing the heat of the earth and the deep, abiding stillness of one who has lived a thousand lives before. They call you the youngest, but the way you look into the corners of a room with your knowing eyes tells me you remember when the stars were younger.

To watch you grow over these past twelve months has been like watching a seedling break through rich, dark earth torward the light.

You are my lava girl, born of a quiet, molten fire that runs deep beneath the surface. Unshakable, fierce, and entirely your own. You didn't just join this lineage; you anchored it. You are the final knot in a long, unbroken braid of mothers, dreamers, and survivors, tying the roots of our past straight into the blossoming future.

When I hold you, I am holding the culmination of every prayer my grandmothers muttered over their kitchens, every resilience my ancestors forged in quiet endurance, and every wild dream that refused to die. You are the quiet resting place of our wandering history, and the bright, blazing dawn of everything we are yet to become.

May your first birthday be filled with all the sweetness you bring to us, and may you always know how deeply loved, fiercely protected, and endlessly celebrated you are.
Happy 1st birthday, my lava Lena girl. Here is to the first of many beautiful years dancing in your light.
Sissy Big, Sissy Little, Daddyyyy & I love you so much.

A message of love and gratitude to my sister, our Mimi, and my mother. 📝
To witness Lena's grandmothers bathe their granddaughter is to watch the ancient river of our lineage flow unbroken, a breathtaking vision of love echoing across generations.
Thank you, Veronica, for coming to celebrate with us on this beautiful day. AKA Teddy Boo loves you so much! by @rita.reaves

I blinked…🥺From leading you by the hand on day one to watching you step into your sophomore year with such confidence and beauty, my heart is overflowing with pride.
Doug and I are so incredibly grateful we get to love you through it all. Sophomore 🐬 year is yours for the taking go shine Layne Bug.

We love you so much, Layne Bug. ✨📝
Elayna was so happy to have her Titi Lolo & Mama here for school drop-off!

She even got to chat with her cousin Manny to kick the day off in the sweetest way! You were here in spirits Manny. ❤️ by @rita.reaves

Nature’s little rustic treasures.
Save this one for when this sweet era hits your kitchen
Fresh Harvest Lemon-Vanilla Fresh Fig Jam:
Ingredients
• 2 pounds fresh figs (stems trimmed and quartered )
• 1/2 cups brown
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (adjust depending on how sweet your figs are & preference)
• Freshly squeezed juice and finely chopped zest of 1 large lemons
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the scraped seeds of 1 whole vanilla bean)
• ¼ cup water (to help jumpstart the simmer)
Instructions
1. Macerate the Fruit:
Combine the quartered figs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and in a deep saucepan. Toss gently to coat. Let the mixture sit (macerate) at room temperature for 30 minutes so the sugar begins to draw out the natural juices.
2. Bring to a Boil:
Add the water and vanilla extract (or vanilla bean pod and seeds) to the pot. Set the burner to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring frequently to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Simmer and Thicken:
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low so the mixture maintains a gentle, steady bubble. Cook uncovered for roughly 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up larger chunks of fruit with a fork or potato masher if you prefer a smoother texture. The jam is ready when it turns glossy, darkens a few shades, and thickens into a spreadable consistency.
4. Test for Doneness:
To check if the jam is set, place a small plate in the freezer beforehand. Spoon a tiny drop of hot jam onto the chilled plate, let it sit for 30 seconds, and push it gently with your finger. If it wrinkles slightly and doesn’t run like liquid, it’s done.
5. Cool and Store:
Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean pod if you used one. Let the jam cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into clean glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
Storage
• Refrigerator: Keeps fresh for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
• Freezer Shelf Life: Homemade fig jam will easily last for 6 to 12 months in the freezer without losing its flavor or vibrant color. by @rita.reaves

It is hard to believe it was just a little over two years ago that we first started our journey into making homemade linguine, fettuccine, and pasta from scratch. Looking back, it is such a beautiful path, one I truly wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
You will never, and I mean ever, go back once you experience it.

My dream would be to pair with a business to allow me to come in, make, and sell pasta once a month so more people can experience that magic. If you have ever tasted homemade pasta and want to learn, I am looking into holding another class soon. I would love to share this craft with you!
To add if my daughter been doing it since she was 3, so can you. 🥰
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#homepasta
#livingpurposefully by @rita.reaves