WHEN SLOW ADVENTURES NEED A DAY ON THE HOMESTEAD

​Like most people, we adore a great trip. Whether camping at a favorite State Park, kayaking down one of Florida’s crystal clear spring-fed rivers, or a simple day trip with great food, we love to explore! But…sometimes…when slow adventures need a day on the homestead, we emerge refreshed and energized ready to take off again.

A TRAVEL BLOGGER HAS A HOMESTEAD!? 

It’s kinda funny when you think about it… we live on and maintain a 1-acre homestead complete with chickens, a garden, and a sourdough starter. I know…crazy right!? Why not just blog about that? Simple. That’s what we do every day and quite honestly, it’s just life… until… a new perspective crept in. In between being “weekend warriors” and running a landscape business, we tend a 1-acre homestead that feeds us physically and spiritually. It is a lot of work!  So, this past weekend, with the gorgeous Florida sunshine warming our skin and the sweet scent of the orange blossoms wafting in the air, we took a slow adventure holiday to hang out on the homestead and truly enjoy the fruits of all our hard labor.

Flanked in decades-old oak trees and oozing Southern charm, smack in the middle of Central Florida, our little slice of heaven offers the perfect refuge at a slow pace. This precious free time offered us a chance to enjoy everything we have cultivated and often take for granted due to busy schedules- a chance to slow down and relax without having to leave. Instead of doing a day trip to a cool destination or camping at a favorite State Park, our travel itinerary would take place here.

HANGIN’ ON THE HOMESTEAD

Our home base is also our homestead. What could be better!? It allowed a golden opportunity to watch our bees and experience all the different areas we have created over the years. Always in search of where to explore next or on the prowl for “the best seafood” on the coast, (we will share that later), the idea of enjoying the day preparing and breaking bread together had us a bit giddy!

Let’s be honest for a sec., we always cook simply and quickly. Except today…today was different. Today, we would fix our own food, and linger a bit longer with a glass of bourbon and a great cigar. Today we wouldn’t discuss trip types but rather explore our property in a new light. Today…the mundane daily tasks of a functioning homestead would be met with a significant change in our attitudes.

SLOW TRAVEL MEETS A HOPEFUL GARDENER

​A lot of time is spent planting seeds, up potting. and harvesting the fruits of our labor. All worthy causes for most days. But today we wanted something a bit different. Our goal was to slow down and “travel” our property. Florida has some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. When we experience them, there is always a kind of excitement. New plants, a new variety of tomatoes, or the interesting native flora. That’s the experience we wanted today as we hung out in the garden. To have the same wonder and thrill we get when we travel and visit these places.

How many times does our day afford us to just stroll our vegetable gardens? Seriously!? To go out and not do one task. It’s hard I know! Homesteaders are creatures of habit that always have to be “busy.” Why is that? I feel something gets lost in translation when all we do is stay in constant motion. I get it. Honestly, I do. Some tasks can’t wait. But, for us, at the core of when slow adventures need a day on the homestead, any task done was going to be for pure pleasure and not out of need. We needed to smell the roses, literally. So we did!

LET’S KICK BACK AND SMELL THE ORANGE BLOSSOMS

One of the great things about having a landscaper for a spouse is our property is always evolving. Plants are in constant states of blooming whether perennial, annual, or shrub. Our climate affords us the luxury of always having something pretty or fantastic smelling at all times. Running around getting chores done every day, I am ashamed to say, that I do not take the time to sit in one of the many areas designed for this purpose. Why is that!? I love watching Lisa from Farmhouse On Boone. The pure pleasure she gets strolling and cutting flowers for arrangements barefoot is awe-inspiring! Ya’ll, she is like my Yoda! Check her out for yourself! My point is, today we stroll…barefoot…picking roses…

​FOODIES ON A HOMESTEAD ADVENTURE

We love our groceries! In a former life, there was a chef and a dabbling pastry chef. We know our way around great food. Cooking and eating it! The problem is, that we keep our lives so busy that at the end of the day, our meals are quick and simple just to get nourishment in. Even our scratch-made meals can get a wee bit boring. Sourdough in everything! Just sayin’… guilty! Today was a new day dawning! There would be no boring quick meals. Let the culinary festivities begin!

EMBRACING THE OLD WAYS…

I remember the first time I experienced slow food. We were just married and I had zero cooking game!  We lived adjacent To Philip’s Granny and Pappa and ate there quite a bit. They were simple country folk from Georgia who never ate out and cooked every day. Simple, nourishing meals that always left you with your belly full and satisfied. I can’t explain it. Sweet tea tasted better there, grits were the bomb, and Lord help us with his cracklin’ cornbread!

After dinner, we would stroll the garden checking out tomatoes, if the okra is ready, or digging up a mess of creamer potatoes for tomorrow. This was a state of pure bliss. Today we cook like this! We cook our meals with love and passion. Taking time to savor the experience, feeling the pie dough as it’s rolled out, and stuffing the inside of a chicken with fresh lemons and herbs that we have cultivated and grown. Our slow adventure on the homestead would fancy our culinary itch. Then…we stroll..just like Pappa.

As we went about our day, enjoying each other’s company and our staycation, we reflected on what shaped our food, who taught us the passion and need for a garden, and then how to put up ’cause you always need a reserve according to Granny. They shared their love of making a good southern biscuit and making a delicious peach jam to smother on it. We still cook simple yet humble food, but, we were craving a “come to Sunday Dinner” kinda meal!  It did not disappoint. 

A SLOW ADVENTURER’S FINAL THOUGHTS

We are explorers at heart. The feeling we get out on a hike or paddling a new location is bar none. Discovering an off-the-beaten path food dive will on most occasions bring tears to our eyes. Yet, we often forget just how amazing our home base is. We have worked extremely hard to make it relaxing and beautiful all while still nourishing us. When slow adventurers need a day on the homestead, it allowed us to re-discover how blessed we truly are. My final thoughts to you are this…take the time to linger, take an after-dinner stroll through your garden, and lastly, kick off those shoes and walk barefoot to pick those roses! Happy wandering Friends!