Lavender Days and Cherry Farms

Perhaps it is the romantic in me that wants to run wild and free, barefoot through a sea of scented flowers, but I've actually really wanted to go pick lavender for a while. Back in Oklahoma they had a few farms that I could have visited, but when I called the season had already finished. So to live out my dream I visited Young Living Farms.
This place is quite impressive. As you are driving down the highway all of a sudden there is a sea of VIBRANT purple. A good amount of acreage devoted to the raising and production of lavender and essential oils.

Apparently they have farms not just in Utah, but in Idaho, Ecuador, and France too.

So I pulled up to the quaint farm home/visitor center and asked the lady if I could go out to the fields and pick lavender. $15 later, I was given a pair of shears and a VERY large plastic sleeve to put my cuttings in.

There were a lot of bees. Once I figured out that the bees were more interested in the flowers than bugging me, I started looking for a good bunch. I hope that they are making honey, lavender honey...I mean...I would buy it.

It smelled so good! It oddly reminded me of this jasmine tea that I drank while I was in China, it is still one of my favorites.

I was the only one out in the field, which I found a bit strange, but relaxing as I tried to stuff as many cuttings into my sleeve as humanly possible.
I wanted to see the distillery but they said that they were too busy getting ready for their annual 5K event to do a tour just for one person. *shrugs* I guess I'll just have to come back. I do love lavender.

So instead I bought some lavender lemonade, walked around and drew the farm. Let me just say this about the lemonade. It was okay. To be honest I think they just used Country Time powder and then let lavender soak in it and even then not for very long, it wasn't even pink. Les Madeleines makes a much better version if you ask me. I actually have made lavender lemonade before and it was delicious! Hopefully I'll make another batch with these cuttings and post it sometime.

As I was driving home I noticed that there was a cherry farm off the side of the highway. I pulled a U and went to investigate. Unfortunately my investigations were literally, fruitless. Har Har. They didn't allow for people to go out and pick cherries on their own. Though they did offer a mean, fresh raspberry shake.

Why they don't let people go out and pick is beyond me. The girl said liability, which I can somewhat understand, but still...I just wanted some cherries! Not to swing from the trees and break my neck. So what did I do? Luckily the trees were not fenced off and were 10 steps away from my car. I went and sampled a few as I walked through the rows of trees.

These are not your regular eating cherries that you can get at the store. These are pie cherries. They have smaller pits and size , are slightly tarter, and more mushy than usual. I loved them! :)

Happy Farming!

Bienvenido a Mexico!...en Utah...

Ever since I've started dating a Mexican, I've been opened up to the world of "actual" Mexican food. Authentic dishes that I've never heard of or seen before. Why didn't I date him sooner?! I now have the constant stream of full blooded, Mexican food, I've become a snob toward "tex-mex" cuisine. Nothing tastes the same. I don't even think that I can look at The Bell the same way I did back in my freshman years. Oh the naïveté.

The one food I crave the most from my new palate, is Tacos al Pastor. Tacos al pastor was said to originate in Puebla back in the 1800's from Lebanese immigrants. This dish is a spicy marinated blend that is left to soak up flavor for several days, then layered on spits.

The al pastor cooks on a charcoal brazier while a man slivers off slices of meat and warm pineapple from the top of the spit. Other condiments are served like: cilantro, onion, and a special sauce that if you're not used to heat, will give you a kick in the pants.

My world was changed when I tasted these beauties for the first time. I even out ate the boyfriend, eating 8 pastors in one sitting...I've never been so miserably happy in my life.

When I moved to Utah I thought my days of good authentic Mexican food were over. Oh how wrong I was. This place is more Latino than Oklahoma! Thank goodness I can get my fix.

I decided to do an al pastor run and picked two places that I think are pretty darn good.

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Chunga's

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Al pastor at Chunga's is good. Really good. However a bit different from the norm. It's been Utahized slightly, making the meat sweeter. Go try it! It's worth the look!

Chunga's also makes a great sope with ALL SORTS of traditional fillings like chicarron, barrbacoa, nopales, and my favorite...and also not so traditional: bistek.

You can also put al Pastor meat on the sopes (awesome!). These are definitely filling and worth the $4.75/sope. If they have the fresh squeezed orange juice. Get it. You'll never want Tropicana again.

These sopes remind me of what my boyfriend's mom makes. *sighs* Layers are as follows: Chewy thick tortilla, beans, meat, lettuce, onions, crema, and queso.

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Pastorero

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This was actually my first al pastor place to visit here in Provo. I was practically jumping up and down in my car when I saw their sign. Trust me it is worth the excitement.

Seven different types of sauces, telanovelas in the background, a rainbow of Mexican sodas displayed up front, Valentina on every table, and a menu full of tasty concoctions.

Nothing beats the original though. I like mine with the tomatillo salsa and lime juice.

My brother ordered the quesadilla. It has a thinner tortilla than most Americans are used to. I absolutely love that. You are able to taste more of the filling and less of the bread. He liked the avocado-lime salsa.

This is Horchata. It is amazing that something so simple can taste so good. Horchata is basically like a rice milk drink flavored with cinnamon. Served cold, thick and creamy. You can get a BIG glass here and enjoy it alongside your meal.

Provecho!

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Chunga's
Where: 664 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo, UT
Phone: (801) 607-1570

Pastoreo
Where: 1774 N. University Pkwy., Provo, UT
Phone: (801) 373-1689

Living Traditions Festival

Welcome to the Living Traditions Festival in SLC. I engorged myself here and got to hear/see some amazing cultural things...but I'll let the pictures to the most of the talking. Here we go!

Right outside City Hall is where this takes place.

Tibetian food booth: their decorations were interesting.

My first taste of the day: Sudanese kebob

You know what this truffle needs? Booze. These rum balls were good, creamy, and chocolaty without being overpowerfully sweet. I had no idea that this was something that I could get in Scotland. In the background there is black currant juice. Currants are an odd tasting fruit. A good fruit but an odd one. At first your brain tells you its a grape, then a berry, then an odd mixture of both flavors. I need to find these puppies fresh.

Pizelles are lacy cookies that are native to Italy. Thin and crispy but not crunchy enough to bite on, these just melt in your mouth as you eat them. I could eat a whole batch of them easy. I'm not a big fan of anise and this pizelle had them...but you know what, they grow on you.

The best orange soda in the world. When I was little I used to drink juice like it was going out of style. Now that I'm older my taste buds can handle pure juice very often. This carbonated water/soda is the perfect balence of soda water and juice. It comes with a foil top so you know it's clean...always a plus.

Tortilla de elote con crema: This was an El Salvadorian dish. It's a tamale made with fresh juicy corn topped with crema. I liked it; much different than your normal tamale. A bit bland but what tamale bread isn't.

Puaka Halu and Moa Tuna: This was a Tongan dish that was DELICIOUS. A sweet, savory barbeque chicken covered in a soy based glaze and a pulled marinated pork that was like I've never had before. My theory on food is that if you need to get your fingers messy: it's GOOD!!

Otai: Another Tongan dish. This was a watermelon juice/coconut milk based drink with small chunks of pineapple, watermelon, and coconut meat....I ended up going back for seconds.