One sunny May afternoon I sat with my mom at the picnic table nestled between my tiny cottage and the cherry tree. We were discussing life as mothers and daughters do while our stained hands nimbly plucked the pits out of the plump cherries set before us. I told her I was going to start a blog and without raising her head or flinching an eyebrow she says “what are you going to write about?” I don’t know why this surprised me, but I didn’t imagine she knew what a blog was or why I would go through the foolishness of such a venture. Turns out she was an avid follower of “The Pioneer Woman” and completely acquainted with the concept of blogging from  “Julie and Julia”. You gotta love a cyber savvy seventy-something!

Mom, this first blog is for you!

So Mom, to answer your question, I am writing about two of my great loves, homesteading and traveling. Two polar opposites of my personality, the part that wants to put down roots and the part that wants to fly. I love both.  In every house that I have owned, I have immediately planted things. Yes, trees have been planted before couches are moved in.

I want to pick cherries and pit them with my own two hands. I desire to fill my home with the rich aroma of a freshly baked pie. I want to top it with the ice cream I made from scratch.  I want to crack the eggs I just gathered from the chickens I raise and call my name. I would milk the cow too but alas, this is a story about an Urban Homesteader not a homesteader with acres and acres. But to me, a Homesteader does not mean someone with lots of land but a philosophy of life. Someone who wants to plant and grow their own food, learn the processes of creating the items that are long lost to our generation: how to ferment food, roast your own coffee, make homemade ice cream and generally connect with our soil and food.

My other passion is travel. It’s hard to put down roots and at the same time, leave them to travel to the great beyond. But this is exactly what I will be blogging about. How to enjoy living, embrace life and thrive wherever you are planted. Much of the year we spend living in other countries, experiencing their cultures, trying their food and recipes and learning to cook with local foods. Some of the countries we have lived in are Nicaragua, Italy, Japan, Colombia, Jamaica and Thailand. I have learned to cook their food and adapted my own recipes to use with locally produced foods so I could enjoy a little taste of home while on foreign soil. I will attempt to share my past travel experiences with you in my Travel Archive section, released a little at a time.

Our next big adventure will be a return to Italy in August. It is our hope to live there for a year starting late August. Until then I will be enjoying the beautiful sunny Central Valley of California, reaping the benefits of the rich productive soil and long sun drenched days of summer. I will be writing all about the bountiful harvest and recipes that result. I welcome you to join us on the journey of friends, food and travel!

Love,

The Homestead Traveler

 

For Other Great “Homestead” stories see our Archives:

The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)

How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)

Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)

Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)

My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)

For other great travel articles about living in Italy try one from our Archives:

A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)

A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)

Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)

Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)

Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)

Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)

Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)

Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)

A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)

A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)

San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)

Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)

August in Sperlonga (Published August 30, 2018)

Recipe Index:

Desserts:

Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Cherry Pie (published May 20, 2017)

Homemade Berry Pie (published July 23, 2017)

Almond Roca (published February 22, 2018)

Homemade Banana Cream Pie (published May 10, 2018)

Cannoli (published August 3, 2017)

Easy Authentic Tiramasu (published May 3, 2018)

Ooey Gooey Blonde Brownies (published August 11, 2018)

Old Fashioned Peach Crisp (published August 1, 2018

Classic Canned Peaches (published August 8, 2018)

Noyaux (Almond Extract made from stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017

Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream (Published May 25, 2017

 

Breakfast:

Whole Wheat Waffles (published August 12, 2017)

Dutch Babies (published May 30, 2018)

 

Dinner Ideas from Around the World:

Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)

Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)

Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)

Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)

Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)

Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)

Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)

Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)

Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)

Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)

Kung Pao Chicken (Published August 23, 2018)

Eggplant Parmesan (Published August 29, 2018)

Gyoza (Potstickers or Chinese Dumplings) Published August 27,2018)

Cacio e Pepe (Published August 28, 2018)

Southern Fried Chicken (published September 11, 2018)

Side DIshes:

Festive Pineapple Sesame Coleslaw (published September 14, 2018)

Italian Roasted Vegetable Platter (published September 13, 2018)

Canning and Preserving:

Noyaux (French bitter almond extract from stone fruit) (Published Aug 7, 2017)

Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 6, 2017)

Canned Peaches (Published August 23, 2018)

Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)

Candied Orange Peel (Published September 12, 2018)