Bloom.

A week after we got back from Rome, Adam and I attended the wedding of one of his good, childhood friends.  

At the reception I got to talking with one of the bridesmaids, a girl I am acquaintances with through the bride and a few nights out together.  She mentioned that she reads “the blog” and she complimented me saying that she thought all the stuff we are doing with our garden and chickens is really neat.

I thanked her and sighed saying, “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.  I think there are days that I am pretty sure people who knew me before I started dating Adam just don’t get me.”

She stared at me with a confused look on her face.

I went on, “You know… because it’s so different…”

Still nothing.

“…different than where I grew up.”

“Wait.  Where did you grow up?” she asked.

“Well, I was born in downtown Chicago, but went to high school in a suburb of-”

“Oh, my gosh!” she exclaimed with a big laugh, “That is crazy.  I seriously thought you were a small town Indiana girl.  I thought you knew about this stuff from 4-H or something.”

… um, not quite.

I admitted to her that no, it’s not from 4-H, and that I actually have never been to a State Fair only to watch her jaw drop to the floor.

... And, that is pretty much the normal response of most people that I have shared this fun fact about myself with since moving to Indiana…!

But, that is changing this year.  

This year, as the Indiana State Fair celebrates the Year of the Farmer, I will be there.

It actually makes great sense that the Year of the Farmer is the first year that I attend, because without farmer’s, there wouldn’t be a Fair.

State Fairs began over a century ago, when farming made up much of America’s industry, to promote agriculture, to preview new equipment and for competitive exhibitions of livestock.  Over the years, American industry has evolved and so has the fair. Now, it also includes concerts, amusement rides and games to continue to reach a broader audience.

In June, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the Farmers who will be honored at this summer’s Indiana State Fair, Mike Shuter, of Shuter Sunset Farms.  

On that rainy morning, we had a great conversation about the changes his family’s fourth generation farm has seen over the years, the influence of showing animals to their day to day life, and the appreciation of their traditions that will carry them into the future generations.

When I explained to Mike that I had never been to a State Fair and that I actually was born in downtown Chicago he didn’t hesitate to find a connection to agriculture: The Stockyards.

As a young man, Mike and his father took home many Grand Champion titles at the International Chicago Stockyard Expo and throughout the mid sixties to early seventies he won a handful of other Grand Champion titles in Louisville and at the Indiana State Fair.

He looked back on his time showing cattle saying that it was always great family time and didn’t deny that prize winning was fun too.   He has many memories of working with cows as a young man from being on the cover of Red Poll Magazine and recalls a fun photo of himself laying on a one ton bull around age five.

Mike’s now grown sons were also involved in 4-H showing cattle, sheep and pigs.  And, today, his grandchildren are just getting involved in”mini 4-H” showing calves and pigs.

Mike explained to me that the education a young person gets through showing animals is something that they can’t get anywhere else.  He saw huge value in his sons managing their own checkbooks with money that they earned and understanding the costs involved with showing animals.  He also explained that the responsibility to care for a living thing at a young age is invaluable.

“We have to treat our animals right” is a lesson that is taught and lived, not just when working with a show animal, but also with the day to day operations of Shuter Sunset Farms.

Mike and his sons, Brian and Patrick, work together at the farm that Mike’s father started in 1941 where they care for about 70 head of cattle, 8,000 pigs and manage nearly 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans.

The pigs are contracted to the Shuter Sunset Farm thanks to a relationship with a farm out of Holland, Michigan.  While the meat from the cattle heard, for years, was sold to members of the community thanks to word of mouth.  

However, this spring, an idea ten years in the making came to life.  

The Market in Pendleton opened thanks to the Shuter family and two other local farming families, the Smith’s and Marsh’s.  Offering what any home cook could find at a grocery store, The Market also helps to meet the growing demand for home-grown meat.

Patrick’s wife is very involved with The Market.  She makes an effort to include all local products for consumers and speaks highly of the flavor of grass-fed beef in a recent article in the Herald Bulletin.  Shuter Sunset Farm’s plans to evolve it’s practices in order to supply a constant supply of beef to the Market versus having everything ready for butcher at the same time each year.

But, innovation isn’t new to Shuter Sunset Farms.  Mike set a great standard for his sons and the farm has been recognized through the years for conservation efforts and being on the cutting edge of agriculture operations.  

This is how I discovered that Shuter Sunset Farm is connected to another important place in my life: Purdue University.

Mike explained that in the early 1970s he studied Agriculture Economics at Purdue, finishing his degree in three and a half years and coming back home to the family farm to assist with crop production, a role he still enjoys today.

His sons followed in his footsteps, studying at Purdue and joining the same agriculture fraternity as my husband, Adam.  (Adam is just a few years younger than Brian and Patrick.)  

Brian majored in Animal Agribusiness and specializes in managing the cow herd after returning to the farm in early 2014.  He previously worked for Indiana Beef Association and was name Indiana Cattleman of The Year this past spring.  Patrick, who majored in Ag Econ, assists with nearly every aspect of the farm from crop production to cow herd and pig care.

I smiled as Mike spoke about Purdue.  He was a member of Fairway Cooperative and understood the deep relationships that are built on campus.

“Half of the Purdue experience are the friendships that you develop,” noting that he and his boys have friends all over the nation and many within the agriculture industry.

It was at Purdue and early in his career that Mike realized, “my lot in life is to produce food to feed the world.”

And, today he is enjoying his role in agriculture more than ever thanks to his sons.

“We roll the dice on everything we own and there is stress because of things like low prices and rain,” he said, looking out of the rain drop splattered window, “But, it’s still enjoyable.  It is a joy to watch them carry on the farm’s traditions.”

Indiana’s State Fair runs from August 7-23, 2015
More information can be found at http://in.gov/statefair/fair/index.html

Note: This post was sponsored by Indiana Family of Farmers. The thoughts are my own.

Now that we have been home for just about two weeks, many of our close friends and family have asked about our trip and have gotten a bit of the low down.  One of the more popular questions proposed to us has been, “So, where would you go again?”

I field this one to Adam because I had already been to three of the five cities we visited.  Obviously, I don’t mind going back to anywhere.  

If being totally honest, he had to think about it because we really liked everywhere we went.  But, if the question was followed with “What city was your favorite?”

Florence was the response that came to his lips more and more quickly.

Florence is quintessentially “Italy.”

  
It’s a beautiful city, full of art, history, impressive architecture, really good food and great wines.  While it is a large city in Italy, it isn’t overwhelming.  

Instead, it’s almost simple.  It’s relaxing and romantic.  It felt like every street we turned down, church we wondered through or view of the city took our breath away. 

It was a perfect home for three great days.

Getting there and Getting Around:

As I mentioned, Florence isn’t overwhelming.  In fact, it’s very walk-able, measuring only a couple miles from edge to edge.  Cabs are available only at specified stations and can’t be “flagged down” throughout the city.  But, the only time we used one needed one was as we came into the city from the airport.

We flew into Florence (FLR) from London City Airport.  The flight was quick (less than four hours) and had us on the ground in Italy around noon.  Customs was a breeze.  The line for the cabs was short and rates to any hotel in the city center was 20 Euros a car.  

Buses and trains are available at the airport as well, but the cab was reasonable and didn’t take long. The drivers took all six of us right to the steps of our hotel so there was no lugging bags down old, stone roads.

It was easy.

It all was easy.

… Too easy.

Where to Stay:

Feeling relieved and excited after our painless flight, no lost luggage, great cab rides to a hotel with amazing proximity to huge Florence landmarks, such as the Duomo, all three couples headed to the lobby to check into Hotel Perseo.  

The hotel was recommended by my great friend from grade school, Laura.  Laura Honeymooned in Italy with her husband Jay at the very end of 2012.  They actually spent Christmas in Florence and used Hotel Perseo as their home base.

Laura took great notes of her trip and told me that the rooms were comfortable and clean.  She also mentioned that the hotel had a great location and a fabulous breakfast that was included in the price.  I was sold, and after Kylie and Kristen agreed that it looked good, we didn’t research anything else in Florence for accommodations.

Adam and I were the last of the three couples to check in only to find out that we did not have a reservation and the place was sold out for the rest of the week.

My heart sank.

Turns out that the hotel had run a pre-authorization on my credit card in May that didn’t go through due to security reasons.  The kind women, who fortunately spoke great English, said that she had tried to email me.  But, unfortunately for me, the only thing that showed up in my email was a confirmation from my booking in February.

With a little anger, disappointment and desperation brewing, my imagination started running.  I could picture Adam and I at either, A.  A dirty hostel boarded up in a room full of bunk beds with travelers from God knows where.  Or, B. Blowing our budget for the trip at the Ritz for 1000 Euro a night.

I am pretty sure Adam imagined us at option C. On the street.

The front desk clerk at Hotel Perseo was helpful and hopped on booking.com to try to see what was available nearby.  She pulled up a place that looked clean, in our price range, just around the corner near San Lorenzo.  Only one room was available so we booked it right away.

The planner in me slowly died.  I had no clue what this place was like.  I had not Trip Advisor’ed it…!  I didn’t feel good at all.

Soon, Adam and I were in front of a door that we thought had to be the right place based on the address: Via dell’Ariento 3 Rosso.

We easily found Via dell’Ariento, just around the corner.  What “rosso” meant, I didn’t know.  But, we were at #3 on Via dell’Ariento.

And… there was a sink in front of the door.

… An old, rusty, sink.

This was so not good.

After a little sweat and help back at Hotel Perseo, we learned that roads in Florence have black numbers and red, or “rosso,” numbers.

We had been at 3 Black.

3 Red turned out to be the Residence La Medicea, a great, clean apartment complex, complete with excellent sinks (…!) and a beautiful terrace area looking over San Lorenzo.  

  
It was perfect. The owner, Eva, was incredibly helpful and kind to us.  There was free Wi-Fi and we had a ton of space.  We even had a full kitchen!  Which of course meant, after an afternoon like ours, we needed to get some prosecco in the fridge…

ASAP.

Where to Eat:

Just around the corner from our new, great (phew!) accommodations was a Mercato Centrale.  Markets are abundant in Florence featuring leather, clothing, and Italy souvenirs.  Mercato Central is a must see food market.  

It is home to many food shops full of Italian ingredients such as meat, vegetables, pasta, mushrooms and wine.  On the second floor we found a variety of restaurants similar to North Market in Columbus, Ohio or City Market in Indianapolis.  The wide array of restaurants showcased Italian favorites like pizza and pasta while others were a little more “unique” (at least by American’s in Italy standards) like a burger and steak place.

  
It was our first meal in Italy so Adam and I both had to go for the brick oven margarita pizza.

The pizza pros had it all down to a science from the rising dough to applying toppings.  It was impressive and a great first taste of the country that is so influential on our cooking style at home.

We also were attracted to the truffle restaurant.  Plates of prepared antipastos were arranged to get one final shaving of large truffle mushrooms before they were passed onto the customer.  (They also had truffle mushrooms for sale in a clear cooler… the largest and most expensive?  500 Euro!)

We had to have one to split.

… Antipasto… not 500 Euro truffle.

And, speaking of things to split… Florence is famous for Steak Florentine, a T-Bone steak with a filet as large as possible.  It is a bit under the radar, but grilled steak is super popular in the Florence/Tuscany area.

The men in our group were very interested in finding the most authentic Steak Florentine and the helpful front desk women at Hotel Perseo helped us get reservations for our group at Club Culinario.  There, the Steak Florentine was exceptionally cooked with a very simple seasoning of just salt and pepper and just one order of the Steak Florentine fed four people.

The staff was accommodating and helpful despite a bit of a language barrier at the more local hangout.  They encouraged us to order the table wine and brought over shots of lemoncello at the end of the great meal.

We enjoyed another great, group meal at Fuori Porta a nice, authentic restaurant across the river from the City Center and closer to the base of the hill to get to the Piazzale Michelangelo.  (More on that later…)

As we walked in Adam and I both were making googly eyes at plates of burratta cheese with eggplant swiftly coming out of the kitchen.  It looked dreamy and decadent, but by the time we ordered the kitchen had sold out.  

It all worked out though.  I had a super-fresh panzenella salad that I need to recreate as soon as the tomatoes are ripe while Adam enjoyed salmon carpaccio.

Adam and I also had a couple spots that we liked so much that we visited them twice.  

The first was Giannino in San Lorenzo, a small restaurant on a side street in between the Duomo and San Lorenzo.  The first time we visited we were just looking for something to drink to kill an hour and, because of the location, we didn’t have any expectations.  It’s a bit of a touristy area, but at Giannino you couldn’t tell.  We sat at the tables on the curb and it was so quiet and relaxing.   

  
On our second stop here, we experienced the food.  We split a pizza and some caprese.  I also requested the “coldest wine you have” from a great waiter whose English was so good Adam and I both thought he was American at first.  He smiled and said he had something special for me.  He came back to the table with a crisp and cool bottle of rose.  Exactly what I was looking for after the hot afternoons in Italy.  

The second place was Lion Cafe, a late night bar right below our apartment on San Lorenzo square.  We went here for drinks, but came back for the people.  Every night we met really neat people from all around the world.  Our favorites may have been a sweet brother and sister in their late teens from Paris who were so eager to try out their English.

… oh, and the man who handed Adam his baby while he went in to the bar for about thirty minutes.  We are not in America anymore, kids!

What To Do:

So, I mentioned Piazzale Michelangelo.  It’s a must do in Florence.  

It is a square south east of the city, situated up high on a hill that boasts the best view of Florence.  

Our group decided to make the trek up the hill to watch the sunset.  After the 100 wide steps up the hill, it was a great time.  There were quite a bit of people there, but we expected it and everyone was there just to chill out.  

  
There was a woman playing guitar singing everything from Ed Sheeran to “Volare.”  (Which always makes me think of Italy…)  A couple vendors sold souvenirs alongside beers and bottles of wine to enjoy at the top of the hill.

Adam and I popped a bottle of prosecco and savored every moment as we watched sun dip towards the hills, adding a orangey-pink filter to the city

… leaving the confusion and all disillusion behind…

 Another must do is to visit the Duomo.  The Duomo is so impressive.  It’s a cathedral with a huge dome built during the Renaissance.  The facade is made of green, pink and white marble and in person it almost looks as if it was painted, not made of stone.  

  
In Florence, you can’t miss The Duomo because it towers over the other buildings.

We chose to rise early and climb up to the top first thing in the morning to beat the crowds, lines, and heat of the day.  It’s 463 steps to the top through narrow, short halls but the view is so worth it.

  
 When in Florence, we passed by the Duomo countless times throughout the day.  But, one of the best memories of the trip was when we decided to stop and have a bottle of prosecco on the steps late one evening.  

The protective gates had been taken down after the masses of people that come in for the day had left. It was a completely different area.  Sure, it was still touristy with every other vendor trying to get us to buy a selfie stick, but it was also really special to share that night with our great friends.

  
After seeing the “tourist” things in Florence like The Duomo and Statue of David, my favorite thing to do was just wonder.  It was so easy to follow the little side streets find a neat ceramics shop, a food store, a shop full of beautiful leather… or a trattoria for another glass of prosecco.  

Even before plans for our Europe trip became real, I knew that I wanted to experience a bit of Italy’s argitourismo, or agriculture tourism. I had heard so many great things about the slow food movement, the farms, the vineyards, and orchards.  I also knew that Adam would love it.

I thought a farm stay would be awesome.  

I wanted to wake up in a vineyard.  

I wanted to eat great, super fresh meals at long tables where wine was served straight from the cellar.  

I wanted to watch the sun set over the hills of vines each night. 

And, while that all sounds very Under the Tuscan Sun, I even wanted to go as far as to lend a hand.  To go pick grapes and olives or even tend to animals.  

… A major deal, for me.

What is cool is that these places do exist.  

The issue?  

Most of what I saw only offered week long stays.  

There were so many things we wanted to do and see while overseas to spend one full week in one place didn’t make sense. 

So, looking for Plan B., I hopped onto my favorite search engine: Pinterest.

Out of Florence, there are numerous daily wine tours that take visitors into Tuscany.  Some were through large charter buses (sounded crowded… and annoying), some were on bikes (sounded dangerous… and hot) and then finally one caught my eye.  

And, I am so glad it did.

Thanks to Tuscan Wine Tours and our awesome guide, Tom, we had a great day.

  
We met Tom on the south side of Florence in the morning.  He is a young British guy, about our age, and he immediately started sharing his huge passion for wine with us.  Tom went to hospitality school in England then came to Florence to earn his sommelier.  

He previously worked for a nice hotel in Florence and was really happy about his career move to Tuscan Wine Tours.  He said he loves the fun that he has with new people everyday.  He also said that in hotels, there can be a sense of pretentiousness around wine and he believes that wine shouldn’t be pretentious.  Instead, it should be about trying new things, learning and enjoying.  

He went on to say, “The best wine is the cheapest wine you like to drink.”

… Just five minutes in and I knew this was going to be great.  Wine should be fun?  He was speaking my language.  

Tom lead the six of us and one other couple, Honeymooner’s from St. Louis, into a nice, air conditioned van and we started our drive into the Chianti Region of Tuscany.  

The Chianti Region is one of Italy’s best-known wine zones.  It is situated south of Florence and north of Siena.  There are specific rules to call a wine “Chianti” and “Chianti Classico.”  These wines will be sealed with a “DOCG” label on the neck of the bottle and have to come from this region of Italy.

  
Both of the wineries we visited are considered “boutique” wineries as they produce less than 100,000 bottles annually.

They also implement all organic practices, but not for the trendy reasons that one might assume. These wineries do this because it’s the way it has always been done and it’s the way it should be done.  The grapes are all handpicked.  Nutrients are added to the soil from natural elements such as rocks (for minerals to give the wine an earthy taste), peas (for more nitrogen) and dead vines after pruning.  

After a windy drive up a large hill surrounded by grape vines, we stopped at Corazano e Paterno.  Here, they make 85,000 bottles of wine annually, olive oil and pecorino, a cheese made from sheep milk.

Tom took us up to some of the vines to show us how they are shaped into an “L” to ensure the grapes get plenty of sun.  He said that it should be a great year for the grapes because it’s been a wet spring and hot summer.

The olive orchards are having more trouble.  In 2014, a bug damaged the entire country’s crop and it did not get cold enough to kill the bug over the winter so they fear the same results for 2015.

Next, we were lead into the cellar to learn more about the fermentation and aging process.  The Chianti wines are aged in either French or Italian barrels and the air in the cellar is kept cool and moist.  

  
We walked up from the cellar to a beautiful patio where our tasting table was all set with cheese plates featuring the sheep milk cheeses Carazano e Paterno creates.  The tangy blue cheese was a favorite among our group.  

  
In addition to wine and cheese, we also tasted the house olive oil.  It seemed a little strange to smell and sip olive oil, but with a great olive oil it was actually really interesting.  Adam looked up mid sniff saying that it smelled like fresh garden peas or soybeans.  

After our first tasting we headed to the village, Panzano, for lunch at a local butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini.  As we pulled into the quiet, quint town I imagined a sweet, old butcher in a small provincial shop.  

Instead, we pulled up to a red and white striped building with ACDC blaring out of it.  We were greeted by a man holding a carafe of wine who encouraged us to head inside to try the appetizers like salami and prosciutto set out for us.  

  
Upon entering, sensory overload kicked in.  

Between the loud music, photos of celebrities who had visited such as Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Oliver, and the wide array of cool, modern, well read cook books, my original vision of the place was smashed.  

This isn’t the storybook butcher I imagined.  

This is an edgy butcher.  

A bad ass butcher.

As we eyed the appetizer options, Tom pointed to a tray of sliced baguettes topped with a white, herb flecked topping and cautioned that “That is cured fat.  Not cheese.”

Unfortunately for my waistline, the cured fat was delicious.

And, so was the rest of the meal.  

We enjoyed beef, just about anyway you could have it.  Raw, boiled, braised, and roasted.  My favorite was a spicy meat sauce served warm on Tuscan bread. 

As we ate, Tom let us know a little more about the butcher, Dario Cecchini.  Dario’s family has been in the business for 200 years. His philosophy towards food, meat in particular, is that the animal deserves to live a healthy, good life with plenty of free space.  As well as have a dignifying death and Dario works hard to ensure that “nothing of their meat goes to waste.”

After the filling lunch, a couple glasses of table wine and a shot of grapa (a liquor made from distilled grape skins… that I was not a fan of…) we hit the picturesque roads again.  

We were on our way to the second vineyard of the day, Poggio al Sole.

  
At, Poggio al Sole, they make 100,000 bottles of wine annually on 50 acres.  Despite the stunning views and rustic look to the home and cellar, they were very cutting edge.  In addition to the organic practices in growing and harvesting, the cellar’s temperature is kept cool and moist thanks to solar panels.  

  
We all took a seat at the small, shaded tasting area in old wine barrels that had been made into seats.  

  
The owner, a woman from Switzerland whose family purchased the vineyard in 1990, brought out three different wines for us to taste.  

The light, refreshing rose was my favorite of the bunch.  Rose is made from sangiovese grapes without their skins during the fermentation.  This gives the wine a pink color versus deep red and less tannins.

  
Our final stop of the day was in a small town called Greve.  Here, we had a little bit of free time to explore.  Adam and I had a great time wondering the shops in the quiet town.  

In Greve, we happened upon another really neat meat and cheese shop.  Dry aging ham hung from the ceiling throughout the entire floor plan.  It was really neat.

  
We also stopped into a beautiful ceramics store and picked up an ornament with the Chianti logo… a black chicken.

It was our only souvenir of the trip. (Besides wine.  I can’t count that.  It will be gone one day.) But, it is the perfect momento that, every Christmas, will make us smile and remember our amazing day in Tuscany.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to see many of the world’s most iconic, cosmopolitan, and populated cities. (… However, still no NYC.  Which is kind of weird considering places like Athens, Barcelona and Sydney are checked off my list.)

I have to say, of them all, I am pretty sure London is my favorite.

I first went to London when I was nineteen and I instantly fell in love.  I even pursued internships in the city and considered moving there after graduation.  That was until a blind date to a fraternity’s dance happened…

When planning this trip, I knew that between the pubs, the sports, the architecture and the history, Adam would love it too, despite its urban flair.    

I was right.  He loved it… and then some!  My country boy even surprised me by saying he wants to go back for a long weekend sometime.

#winning

The thing is, there is so much to do and see in London that every trip back could be completely different than the one before.  Here are a few of the highlights from our two days in town.

Where to Stay:

Kristen, one of the girls we were traveling with, had friends in London and was able to use their connections to get us rooms at The Mandeville Hotel.  The staff was magnificent.  Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and professional.  

The Mandeville mimicked the vibe you get when in London. It’s a perfect combination of classics yet very modern.  The rooms were very clean and chic while the exterior of the hotel was very elegant.  It was located near Oxford Street which full of shopping and entertainment. 

The Lancaster Gate Hotel, near Hyde Park, was a close runner up for our accommodations.  Adam’s sister had stayed there a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.

Getting Around:

London does public transportation very well.  Bus stops and the tube are around every corner and their routes are easy to understand.  Prices are reasonable and you can purchase tickets as you go. A day pass, a week pass or even an Oyster card can be purchased for more regular travel.  

We used our one day pass the day we arrived and found the tube system simple to use… with the exception of our first ride.  We had all our luggage and the tube was incredibly crowded.  We should have splurged for a cab.

What to Do:

Kylie lined up a bus tour for the group, and even though it was one of the more “tourist-y” things we did, the trip was really nice.  The tour was set up so we could get on and off the bus at any of the designated bus stops that day.  As we boarded the bus, we were handed head phones which plugged into the chair in front of us. During the trip an automated tour was played as we passed the city’s landmarks.

I learned so much on the bus.  From fun facts about the filming of Harry Potter; to notes about the Royal family; to history about the plague and great fire. I could have stayed on the bus all day.

It might have been the heat or the traffic, but we all made the executive decision to hop off the bus at the Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels, and explore by foot.

There,  we got on a boat (part of the bus tour package), which took us down the Thames River. On the boat, we had a hilarious guide that pointed out famous buildings like the replica of Globe Theater, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Parliament buildings with Big Ben.  

After a bit of time as a group, the girls and guys decided to break off to do our own things.  (A GREAT thing about traveling with friends.)

On one of the girls excursions we hit up Harrods, an iconic shopping center in London, chalk full of major brands.  We had fun eyeing shoes that cost as much as our plane tickets in Harrord’s famous “Shoe Heaven.”  

But, I had more fun in their food hall.  

The food hall is a complete, high end grocery store. However, the food hall is on the first floor, so it easily attracts tourists.  To escape the crowds, head down to the next floor for wine, an amazing truffle bar (Truffles: as in mushroom and chocolates…!) and the bathrooms… or loo.

And, while the guys visited the Churchill War Rooms, which Adam said is a “must see” for any history buff, the girls opted for High Tea.  Which I also believe is a “must do” in London.

But, the days we were in London the city was experiencing record temperatures… so it wasn’t hot tea that I was craving.  

Thank goodness the National Gallery’s Tea Room also offered afternoon champagne at Tea.  It paired great with the lemon drizzel cake, lemon meringue pie, and cheesecake pieces that Kristen, Kylie and I passed.

Where to Eat:

In London, you have to 1. Go to a pub and 2. Get fish and chips.

We learned very quickly that many pubs are chains and, though they have different names, many run the same menu.  However, chain pubs aren’t necessarily bad.  Many do serve great food and are typically pretty cheap. 

Fun Fact: Near the entrance to any pub you will see either “Tied” or “Free.”  This gives you a little insight on the beers available inside.  At a “Tied” pub you will see only a certain brand of beer, sometimes the pub’s own brews.  A “Free” pub offers many brands.

But, with our group, we were looking for the most authentic experience.  So one morning, Kendal began to ask around.  A security guard at Westminster Abbey told him that we had to check out Westminster Arms that was just right around the corner.  But, he told us to only get beers there, embrace the history and to not bother with the food.

Westminster Arms is where members of parliament would go drink before votes were turned in.  There is even the old bell that would ring when the men were called back to parliament.  

So, why not get fish and chips there?  Because the guard told us to get real, authentic fish and chips we had to go to The Laughing Halibut, just a short walk from Westminster Abbey.   

The Laughing Halibut was off the beaten path and was one of those places that you would walk right by if you weren’t looking for it.  Inside, it was quite small and had a takeout counter.  We managed to get a table and were blown away.  The fish was super fresh (never frozen), the batter was crispy, and the portions were huge!

We also had a great dinner with my Aunt’s brother, Oliver, at Jackson and Rye.  Jackson and Rye is actually an American restaurant complete with USDA steaks on the menu.  I think poor Olie felt pressure to “wow” us with something super fun and unique in SoHo, but after our day of traveling in from the country and getting acclimated to the city we were starving.  

And, turns out, it was a really great place!  It had a prohibition, speak easy vibe to it which is popular in the States, so that was fun to see.  I ordered chicken and Adam had a steak.  Olie had done brunch there before and said it was pretty good.

Our final dinner in London was fantastic.  Kristen made reservations at 28-50 which is where her friend used to be the manager.  28-50 felt cozy yet modern with it’s exposed brick walls and rustic wood. 

It was also home to great wines and really good food.  Our group split a charcuterie plate and fabulous duck spring rolls as appetizers.  I ordered prawns with a salad for my meal and learned that in Europe arugula is called “rocket.”  (Which is something I totally want to make a thing here.  “It’s like slang… from England.”)

Adam had a lamb dish that was seriously a work of art and the amazing night ended with champagne, by surprise, compliments of Kristen’s friend.  

A great way to complete our time in London and toast to the next leg of the adventure… Italia!

Geesh.  It has been a while…

But, I am going to give myself a bit of a pass because Adam and I took a little time off, which is rare.  Not to mention, during this time away, we were checking a major box off our Bucket List. 

Throughout dating and our first few years of marriage, travel and experiences have been things that we value.  And, its seems like since Day 1 Europe has been a goal of ours.  

Then New Years Eve 2014 happened.

As the clock flirted with midnight, a Champagne influenced conversation started between Adam, me, his fraternity brother, Kendal, and his wife, Kylie, about plans, dreams and goals for the next few years.  Turns out that Europe was a goal of theirs as well.

(Likely overly…) Excited, we decided that it would be a great trip to do together.

With our great friends Kendal and Kylie… pre-marriage for both of us.

So with an accountability partner, we finally started narrowing down where we wanted to go and began making plans.  The plans were so good that Kendal’s brother, Kory and wife, Kristen, asked to join us.

Thanks to a contact of Kendal’s and my love of London after a long weekend there while studying abroad, we knew that England was a great place for our group to start.

Kendal’s boss is good friends with a farmer from Norfolk, which is about two hours north of London, who kindly opened the doors to his farmhouse to us for a night.

Wait.  

Okay.  So, I am not telling the whole story.  

This farmer’s name is Sir John.  He has been knighted.  

And, his farmhouse?  Let’s just say that it was pretty different than farmhouses in Indiana in more ways than one.

Reason Number 1: Um.  Hello.

Take that Air BnB.

As we arrived at the Salle Farms and we were greeted by the very sweet house keeper, Hillary. After getting us settled in our rooms, Hillary led us to a large, formal dining room.  She had prepared a great lunch of quiche, potatoes, ham, and salad.  For dessert she had strawberries, meringue and cream.

Hillary really took care of us that weekend.  She and her husband chauffeured us to dinner in town to a great restaurant where we experienced our first English pub fare… and beers.  Of course.

Reason Number 2:  The home on the estate was built in the 1760’s. (Note: this was before America was a country…)

It is complete with two different wings, the main house and two gardens.  The first was a traditional, ornamental topiary garden that made for fun photo ops.

The second was tucked a little further away from the home behind walls ten feet high.  When we discovered it and opened its’ doors it felt like walking into The Secret Garden.

I was so in love.  There were huge beds of lettuce, great looking fruit trees and bushes, as well as a cold frame styled greenhouse that was home to tomatoes and grape vines.  It was amazing.

While in the garden, we ran into the estate’s gardener who let us know that the garden dates back to 1780. Today, it serves as a model of what was done then to ensure there was enough food to last the winter.

The tall walls help to break the wind and to keep the temperature warmer in the two acre space.  The walls also help the production of the garden as the fruit trees are shaped to grow right on the walls to provide the trees with more heat.

We asked how the food is used and, for the most part, it is used at the estate for guests and Sir John when he is in town.  The gardener mentioned that the new potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries are great right now.

We realized that we already knew that: We had had all of them in our great meals prepared by Hillary.

Reason Number 3: Farms in Indiana typically rotate two crops: Corn and Soybeans.

Salle Farms operated on a seven year crop rotation with many crops such as canola oil seed, sugar beets, beans, barley, and wheat.

Canola field

We received a tour of the farm ground and many barns by farm managers, Poul and James.  Both Adam and Kendal, who are in the agriculture industry, were in heaven.

They talked crops, weather, combines, grain equipment, and tractors. (Sir John actually collects antique tractors and has filled two barns with hundreds of them featuring brands like Case and John Deere from his travels to the US.)

I was super intrigued by just how innovative the farm was.  They went above and beyond on stewardship practices.  

Large rain barrels sat on the corners of multiple barns gathering run off rain fall creating a sustainable water source.  A relatively large leach field was utilized to catch any chemical run off.  And chemicals were used sparingly and, if needed, they would be sprayed at night so to protect the sleeping bees.

I was also very curious about the sugar beets crop.  Prior to this trip I had never seen a sugar beet but I had heard about them.  Sugar beets in the United States tend to have a bad reputation.  They are used as an alternative to sugar, but are GM, or genetically modified.  

Not one crop in the UK is GM.  In fact, Genetically Modified Organisms are illegal.  

The farm does use hybrids and conventional practices, and he did indicate that the introduction of GMO crops is being discussed.  

Both managers took a very neutral stance on this.  There is an invasive weed called Black Grass that is taking over some of the fields in the area and farmers are running out of options to combat it so there may become a need.  But, they also understood and were aware of its controversy.  If any moves were to be made it wouldn’t be for at least ten years.

In addition to the crops, Salle Farms also is home to 90 hectares of land just for Christmas Trees.  These trees are sold in local garden centers and at the estate’s own farm shop.  The photos of the shop decked out for the holiday’s are seriously everything you would think Christmas in the English countryside would be.

Like the farm shop, and even with Salle Farm’s grandeur, there was a relaxed, rustic, down to earth vibe to the estate that we were hoping for when we set up arrangements for our first night abroad.  And, as we took our last walk around the grounds our last morning, we talked about wanting to see more and said little prayers hoping to come back again someday… But, London was calling.

My current favorite song is Rachel Platten’s “This Is My Fight Song.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVxon65u3tA

Rachel is totally adorable. Her voice is so unique and strong.

And, while “pop-y,” Rachel is a bit off of the mainstream; I first heard of her a few years ago thanks to her single “1,000 Ships.” But, she came back on the scene with “This Is My Fight Song” and it’s is currently ranking high on music charts, being featured on promos for shows like Pretty Little Liars, Revenge, and Supergirl, and playing on repeat in my car.

I literally am sad when this song is over.

It’s a great windows down, belt it out, power ballad, not just for the strong beat, but the words.

The words are excellent.

I mean, haven’t you ever felt “like a small boat in the ocean?”

Everyone has. That’s life!

As a blogger, that’s also life on the internet. It’s noisy in this “blogger ocean” and sometime I feel like I am just a little peep.

But, as I approach Bloom’s Two Year Blogiversary at the end of May this line resonates with me:

It’s been two years, I miss my home
But, there’s a fire burning in my bones
I still believe
Yeah, I still believe

And, all those things I didn’t say
The wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

… Okay, so I don’t miss my home. I love my home!

But, it’s has been two years since I made my first post on Bloom. I didn’t even share it for another two months for fear of not keeping up with it.

I have barely kept a job for two years due to lack of interest, let alone kept up with a habit. (… Not proud of this; but, it is true.) But, in these two years I have learned that I really love writing… and, on good days, I am not too bad at it.

I have also learned that the more I write, the more I want to say. And, oh my gosh. Having thoughts like “wrecking balls inside my brain” is honestly all too real.

However, I know that not everyone would love to hear every single one of those wrecking balls, so I need your help.

Whether you have kept up with Bloom since the early days in 2013 or just started reading last week about my crazy girlfriends I would love your feedback.

Below is a SurveyMonkey link to a quick questionnaire to give me some insight on your feelings be it fears, challenges, frustrations or goals for gardening and cooking at home. As “Thank you” for your time, I am raffling off a $50 gift card to Amazon so share away and get more entries!

Armed with your feedback, I will work to grow Bloom around YOU.

As always, thank you so much for reading. I love you all.

… Here’s to the next two years!

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