Six Acres of Sunflowers

We had tentative plans to attend a lasagna cook-off in Hernando County this afternoon. But I wanted... no, I needed... to go somewhere interesting to take photos even more. I looked through the Happenings section of yesterday's Chronicle and couldn't find anything. Then I thought Hmm, let me look for Facebook events near here and see if I can find anything interesting. Look what I found!

This sounded perfect! Because it was in Hernando County, we  could look at sunflowers and then eat lasagna! Off we went.

Sweetfields Farm was a little bit further away than I imagined in my mind, but it wasn't too bad a ride. It was very easy to find. I realized once we got here that I had no idea how much this event was going to cost. Relief washed over me when I realized we didn't have to pay. The entrance fee was $9.50 plus tax for adults and $5 per child. Having no idea what to expect, I had no sense of whether this was a good price or not. There was a reasonable crowd - and I love taking photos of sunflowers. Seemed reasonable enough.

Very easy to find!

This was the view from the "parking lot."

Once you're thru the entrance, you need to walk through a market to get to the rest of the farm. The market was very quaint. They sold produce and sunflowers that was grown on the farm. Yellow squash, cucumbers and green beans were available for u-pick. They sometimes have u-pick blackberries but that was suspended since the ripe berries had been mostly picked over already.

Once we were outside, WOW! 

The sunflowers were amazing!

After taking some photos of sunflowers, we started walking towards the sunflower maze. 

Lots of rules and instructions before we walked in.

We'd been given this list of numbered questions. The idea was to find the numbers along the path, answer the question and then go in the direction written next to the correct response.

Okay, that didn't work! We got to number 1 - and quickly got lost. We tried backtracking and quickly ended up at the location for the final question. Yes, we skipped questions 2 through 6 and were at question 7. We made a wrong guess there, walked towards a dead end, then turned around and walked the other way. And in less than 20 minutes, we were out of the maze! We seriously did plan to walk through the entire maze, but once we found ourselves outside, I took it as a sign that we should be doing something else!

Outside the maze, we explored what else was available. And there was lots! Lots for kids but plenty for adults!

There was a rubber ducky race with water pumps propelling the duckies.
The kids whose hand is in the lower left cornerof the photo
was a master! He had those duckies flying!

Rosie Moo Moo
Kids & adults had the opportunity to feed her and her pal.

Huge tree house

Snacks
Besides kettle korn, there was wood fire
pizza and ice cream.

And lots of sunflowers!

 Against beautiful blue skies!

In addition to the maze, the animals (cows, pigs, goats, chicken, turkey) and the tree house, there were pedal tractors, pig races, arts & crafts and much, much more. We only had about 2 hours to spend here but you could easily spend 3 to 4 hours at the farm if you're without children and many more hours if you're there with children.

Included in the admission was a hayride. It wasn't the most exciting hayride but we were able to get a better sense of how large the farm is (19 acres), how much space is devoted to sunflowers, and what types of things they had growing.

The building where produce is sold as seen from the hayride over the
blackberry bushes.

I would have loved to pick blackberries.
But as you can see, not too many were ripe!

The u-pick fields

We picked green beans. 

This is the final weekend of the Sunflower Maze. The first weekend was in late April. This is something I'd definitely go back to again.

In the fall, there is a hay maze and special activities for Halloween. There's a pumpkin patch... but I think the pumpkins might be brought in as I believe it's too warm to grow pumpkins down here.

Sweetfields Farm is a small, family-run organic farm. The owners are a young family so lots of what is available to do at the farm is geared towards other young families. I highly recommend visiting this farm when you want something a little different to do.

Fruity Day with Friends

I promise. I really do go on a lot of interesting adventures. But with the recent death in the family, our adventures are few and far between right now.

On Thursday of this week, we did a repeat of my fruity adventure that I've already written about. This time we did it a little differently - and we brought along some friends.

We drove to Yalaha, a little less than an hour away. Since it was still early, we headed to Green Acres Farm first. I really had no idea if there would still be peaches or we'd have to be satisfied with only late blueberries. We parked the car, were handed our buckets and headed over to the peaches. If the peaches were delicious two weeks earlier, they were super delicious on Thursday. The trees weren't as full as they'd been earlier, but there were plenty of peaches for the 4 of us... and many more. We went and got our peaches weighed. I'd forgotten to tell our friends that only cash and check are accepted as payment so they were wiped out by the peaches. In addition, we were told that the late blueberries hadn't yet ripened and that better blueberry picking would be in two weeks.

Next stop was Yalaha Bakery. Oh, did I mention that our friends are from Germany? They were very anxious to see how authentic this bakery was. Sadly, I have no photos from our visit to the bakery because there was major reorganization going on at the time we were there.

It was super crowded when we arrived. My husband spotted the one loaf of rye bread that he really wanted to buy so we got in line at the bakery to make sure that bread was coming home with us. Our friends bought a whole grain loaf of bread. Once we had our breads, we were ready for lunch. We walked into the deli area only to find that while we had to look at the lunch menu in the deli area, we had to go back to the bakery to place our order. Back in line again. The folks working behind the counter seemed overwhelmed by the crowds. I wondered if Memorial Day weekend was a big baked goods consumption day. I really couldn't figure out why all the crowds.

We ordered our lunch and a bee sting, the dessert they are most known for, and headed outside to find a shady spot in which to eat. Lunch came out a few minutes later. I had a reuben with potato salad and sauerkraut on a pretzel roll. My husband had his reuben on a basler roll. One friend had the white bratwurst and for the life of me, I can't remember what our other friend ate. Was it authentically German? No, they didn't believe it was. Yes, bee sting is the signature dessert of Germany. But that wasn't similar to what they would eat in Germany. Even still, they said that lunch  was good and they enjoyed it. (For more authentic German food, they recommended Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe in Sanford. I've been there twice since January and while I had no idea if the food was authentic or not, it was very good, as was the live entertainment on a Friday night.)

Somehow over lunch we got back to talking about blueberries and we asked if they'd been to the blueberry winery. No, they hadn't. We told them about Whispering Oaks Winery in Oxford which was practically on the way home. A glass of wine was sounding pretty good to them about that time. Additionally, they were intrigued with the idea of wine made of blueberries. That was our next stop.

They loved the setting of the winery. We saw cows, sheep and goats once we drove through the gates. These are happy goats. (I'm not sure if they are still feed the mash from the wine, but that was the story we heard when the winery first opened and there's still a sign that reads Happy Goat Crossing along the driveway.

Our companions are lovers of dry red wine so they each ordered a glass of Delightfully Dry. (When we've introduced the winery to friends in the past, we've always recommended trying one of the samplers but since these friends expressed a strong preference for dry wine, it didn't make sense for them to be tasting some of the sweeter wines that would have been included in either the 7- or 4- flight samplers.) My husband had his favorite, Wildly Mild, and I opted for Sassy Sangria.

Since the last time we'd been to Whispering Oaks, they've enlarged their menu tremendously. A couple at the bar was enjoying Smokey Dogs Fish & Crackers, a smoked fish dip served with crackers, along with their wine. Our friends and I agreed that if we hadn't just eaten at Yalaha, we would have ordered the Happy Goat Cheese Plate.

Sitting outside, we shared what we learned about the winery on our first visit a few years back. We stumbled across the winery on our way to The Villages on what turned out to be opening weekend. One of our friends enjoyed the wine. The other, not so much so. They enjoyed the atmosphere though and were impressed by the menu. The winery now serves beer. too. That was the clincher for the friend who prefers grape wines. They'll be back. As will we. 

A bit of fresh air

Have I mentioned that I love being outside? Have I mentioned that I love taking photographs outside?

Last week I experienced the death of a person very near and dear to me. While most days were spent with loved ones, in the morning before connecting with the family, I needed to get out in the fresh air.

Sunday morning, on my way to Spring Hill, I took a detour and headed to Fort Island Beach in Crystal River. It's our one teeny tiny Gulf beach. I'm used to big long stretches of beach, whether on the Atlantic or on the Gulf of Mexico. But walking through the surf is my happy place so off to the beach I went.

You need to understand that Citrus County is part of Florida's Nature Coast. Our shore is basically a bunch of mangroves, inlets and winding rivers. Fort Island Beach is manmade. And did I say that it is very small? I walked from one end of the shore to the other and back - and then back again - and hadn't even covered 3/4 of a mile. That's okay, though. It really felt great to have my toes in the sand - and in the warm water of the Gulf.

The drive to the beach from Hwy 19 is pretty enough. You get the sense that you're driving towards the Gulf very early on. The beach is small and perfect for small children during the day. There are clean bathrooms and picnic tables. In the evening, the beach is perfect for romantics and those who love witnessing the glory of a beautiful sunset.

Just a short walk from the beach is a fishing pier. Another great place to watch the sunset. During the day, you might just be lucky enough to see dolphins frolicking from the pier.

There's one concession truck that sells everything you
might need for a day at the beach. They have snacks, too.

Perfect for small children, the water is very shallow and very
gradually gets deeper. No big drop off.

A fruity kind of day

My husband loves fruit. Love isn't even a strong enough word for what he feels about fruit. While visiting his cousins in Italy this past fall, I learned that it might possibly be a family thing. Or a Sicilian thing. Maybe not just his thing.

Two years ago, he and my cousin discovered peach picking at Green Acres Farm and after that first trip, it's now something that we do annually. Yesterday was our 2016 peach picking adventure.

There might be closer places to pick peaches than Green Acres Farm in Yalaha, Florida. If so, we haven't heard of any. This makes for a really nice half day outing. It's a little over an hour away from home. We drove to Green Acres the quicker way which is down the Florida Turnpike to exit 314 and then east to Yalaha.

The fellow who greeted us as we pulled up gave us a bucket each for peaches and a bucket each for blueberries. (We'd already gone blueberry picking once this season, closer to home, at Misty Meadows Farm. I'll mention here that we passed lots of signs for many different u-pick blueberry farms during our travels yesterday.) We ended up picking 3 buckets of peaches and not quite one of blueberries. You pay by the pound. Yesterday blueberries were $4 per pound and peaches were $3 per pound. Cash is the method of payment accepted so be prepared. Also, I'd advise you to check online to make sure that these farms - or any u-pick farms - before heading out just to make sure they have crops available for picking.

Green Acres told me that their blackberries are running late this year - and that their crop is going to be really small. Another reason why it makes sense to call ahead and check before getting in your car.

Since it's a bit later in the season (by one week), the blueberries we got yesterday were on the larger side in comparison to what we picked two weeks ago. But the peaches. Oh, man, the peaches. Heavenly. They were firm and sweet and tree ripened and wonderful! If you're not familiar with Florida peaches, they are slightly smaller than Georgia peaches. I guess it has to do with the fact that we don't get as many chill hours down here.

If you've never gone picking before, here are some picking tips.

Normally, our next stop would be at the nearby famous Yalaha Bakery. This is a destination on its own. It's an authentic German bakery that sells amazing breads and pastries and cookies. It also has a deli counter using genuine German recipes open for breakfast and lunch. There are tables for eating both inside and outside so don't let weather deter you from venturing out to the bakery. They used to have a grill outside on the weekends serving all kinds of wursts. I haven't been there on a weekend in a long time so I'm not sure if that's still the case. Most Saturdays and rare Sundays have bands performing on the stage outside. If the weather is fine, there's no better place to go for a picnic lunch. A picnic lunch that you don't have to pack for yourself!

Yesterday, though, following along with our fruit theme, we drove over to A Natural Farm in Howey-in-the-Hills to look at fruit trees and to learn about growing fruit trees in Central Florida. It's very tricky growing many things in our part of Central Florida. We're above the frost line (meaning we do go below freezing during the winter). Unlike northern gardeners who go to great lengths to winterize their fruit trees, we don't need to. Because we can have a nice mild winter. But it can get mighty cold. We need special varieties of trees that are cold hardy to at least 18 degrees F, if not a little colder. Even then, our fruit trees need to be carefully protected when there's a risk of freezing temperatures overnight. Luc spent time with us making recommendations of what might best grow in Citrus County. Even though Howey-in-the-Hills is just a little more than an hour away, they don't get the freezing cold nights that we get here. And then there's also the required chill hours for any type of tree. (All this is material for another blog on gardening in Citrus County, one that I'm not qualified to write!)

After our visit to A Natural Farm, we headed home on a longer more scenic route. We followed SR48 back into Citrus County (Floral City). There's a historical market on SR 48 that I've always been curious about. Yesterday, I decided to stop and check it out. What I found was a historical marker for The Battle of Wahoo Swamp. I correctly guessed that this was part of one of the Seminole Wars.

If you're interested, the inscription reads as follows:

 The Battle of Wahoo Swamp occurred nearby on November 21, 1836.

 The 2d Seminole War, a seven-year clash caused by rivalry between 

 Indians and settlers over central Florida lands, had begun almost a year

 before. By November, Indian forces had converged on Wahoo Swamp

 to fight General (and Territorial Governor) R.K. Call's army. On 

 November 21, about 2500 Tennessee Volunteers, regular army artillery, 

  Florida militiamen, and hundreds of Creek Indians advanced on a  

  one-mile front. In the wild melee that ensued,the Americans pushed 

  their foes across the slough south of this marker. Indian return fire 

  killed Major David Moniac, a Creek regular army officer, who had 

   led a charge across the swamp. Army commanders halted the pursuit 

  at nightfall due to the seemingly impassable terrain and lack of supplies. 

  Army casualties were low; Indian losses remain unknown.

I don't think I've lived in Florida for a long enough time to fully understand all the implications of the two Seminole wars. But it is pretty cool that there are historical markers pretty close to where I live. The more interesting thing that I saw on the spot of this historic marker was the sign for Primitive Camp Grounds. I plan to do more research on what exactly this means and will report back once I have some answers. (As an FYI, most camping to me is pretty primitive.)

An Insider's View of the Daily Newspaper

My intention when I started this blog was to write about my adventures that others might want to consider experiencing. Today's adventure, however, was by invitation only. I was invited with 8 other women to the offices of The Citrus County Chronicle at Meadowcrest in Crystal River for lunch and a tour. The Chronicle is a daily local newspaper. There's no better source for local news than The Chronicle. What makes the 9 of us at the paper today so special? We all contribute articles regularly to the monthly community newspaper, The Pinnacle. Citrus County is divided into several local communities and these communities each have a monthly local. It's helpful for advertisers to really target their ads to the locales where they'd like to do work. I live within the area of The Pinnacle. I write articles as the head of a community book club and as the publicity director for my club, Citrus  Newcomers Club. (Visit the Citrus Newcomers website for more information about the club.)

We had the opportunity to meet our main contact, Rochelle, and the two women who manage the Community Desk. It was so much fun.

Some history about the paper can be read at The Chronicle's website.

The main offices of The Chronicle

I am sure there's a story behind the decorated newspaper
boxes outside the offices.

Unfortunately, very little printing goes on on Mondays during the day. The daily papers get printed overnight. Monthlies and all of the other "special edition" papers are printed during the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday. It would have been fun to see the press in action. We joked that it would have been fun for someone to yell out, "Stop the press!"

Lindsey was the fellow who gave us our tour. After the material is gathered and edited and laid out, everything goes to the room where the plates are created. That was the first stop on our tour. There was absolutely nothing going on in the plate room on a Monday. There wasn't even a plate that we could look at! At first glance, I thought that the machine that creates the plates looks like an overly large home printer. I was told it's kind of like that.

From there we went to the room where the paper is printed. Massive numbers of pages can be printed in an hour. We saw where the paper was loaded and where the colors are applied. We learned about the sizes of the different papers and about the weight of the paper used to print newspapers.

This is the printing press.

Usually about a month's worth of paper is stored at the
paper at any time. This way if there's a problem at the
paper mill, the paper can still be printed.

Lindsey giving us information about the size
and weight of the paper. The pink paper is special
ordered for breast cancer awareness. Lindsey told
us that the entire paper is printed one day on the
pink paper. I might be wrong but I think that the
pink paper is also used for some special advertisements
in the newspaper. At least that's what I think.

These are some big ink cartridges!

The last stop on our tour was in the room where inserts are placed into each copy of the paper prior to stacking, tying and getting the papers ready for delivery. Lindsey told us that the machines that handle this are so smart. They can tell if an insert was omitted or if more than one particular insert was placed in more than once. If so, the paper stays in the machine and goes around a second time to get the inserts placed in just right. Human hands don't touch the papers - or the inserts - until the papers are ready to be loaded onto the trucks.

Inserts get placed into the paper here.

A sneaky peak at this coming Sunday's Comics.

The parent company is called Citrus Publishing and they print over 20 papers on a regular basis. Papers are distributed in Citrus County, Sumter County and north.

Just some of the papers published in Citrus County.

The few hours spent at The Chronicle today were interesting and informative. It was also nice to meet other women who are doing the same thing that I'm doing on a regular basis.

I hope that the next adventure that I write about will be something that others might easily be able to experience. Stay tuned.

So where the heck is Citrus County?

You need to understand where Citrus County is located before any of what comes after will make any sense.

When people first heard I was moving to Florida, I'd frequently get, "Oh, yeah, my cousin has a house in Florida. In Boca. How far are you from Boca?"

Light years away.

"I was just in South Beach. I love South Beach. You are so lucky."

Hmm, I'm no where near Miami.

So where am I? If you look at the map above, I'm the brownish county on the west coast that's under a purple county and next to a fairly large blue county. Can you see me now?
 
I had to lose all my preconceived notions about Florida when I built my house in Citrus County. Well, not all of them. While growing up, I spent nearly every school vacation in Miami. To me, Florida was Miami. In 1980, my cousin moved from Miami up to Hernando County (which is the yellow county below Citrus County). I quickly learned that Miami wasn't necessarily representative of all of Florida. Not even close. Florida was really rural. In 1980, you could count the traffic signals in Hernando County on one hand. You had to drive far to get anywhere. In the intervening years, Hernando County has grown by leaps and bounds. Citrus County has grown, too, but it is still a pretty quiet little place. While both Hernando County and Citrus County sit right on the Gulf of Mexico, neither has any natural beaches. Each county has one little man-made beach, nothing like the beaches I was used to from either Miami - or up north in New York. Citrus County is part of Florida's Nature Coast.

In the late 1980s, my brother started working at the Club Med in Port St. Lucie. That was a different type of Florida, too. We used to make fun of the Europeans who would come to Club Med, take the bus excursion to Walt Disney World and then go home and tell their friends all about what Florida is like. 

Another thing you need to know is that Florida has the distinction of being the only state in which the south is the north and the north is the south. Let me explain. Once you're up above Orlando, up in Citrus County, you're in the deep south. Those who think they know Florida because they've visited family or friends in Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach or even Naples... well, south Florida resembles northeast United States neighborhoods, just with better weather. 

Citrus County is nothing like that. We're not sandy white beaches and bagel bakeries and year round warm weather. We're the Nature Coast, you have to look carefully in order to find something delicious to eat, and we're above the freeze line meaning that it can get pretty cold here in the winter. We don't get cold for too terribly long. The longest cold streak since I've lived here full time has been only about 4 days. But these fluctuations allow us to feel like we have three distinct seasons: summer (which is our longest season usually running from late May until late October), winter (which is nothing like winter up north but runs from late December through early March) and then our glorious in-between season which consists of November, April and May.

I'll save some history lessons about Citrus County for a later date. There is lots of history here.

I'm going to start blogging about my adventures going forward. Although when I first sat down to write this evening, I did consider writing about some adventures we've enjoyed over the past few weeks. That doesn't make sense, though. Moving forward... Care to come along for the ride?