This is what the scenery mostly looks like as we travel from place to place here. We're currently staying in a suburb of Louisville (locally pronounced lua-vul) and I'm happy to report that the traffic hasn't been an issue at all. We can get from the house to downtown in about 15 minutes, which makes it fun to visit the local attractions without having to waste an entire day on travel time. The first place we try to visit no matter where we are is the local farmers market. If you've been following along, then you know how much I love a good farmers market! There's just something about meeting the people who grow your food that makes eating it that much more special.
The Douglass Loop Farmers Market is located in a neighborhood called the Highlands. It's an artistic community that's filled with restaurants, murals, and interesting shops. We immediately set to work exploring the booths to find foods that were new to us, and we were definitely rewarded for our efforts!
This was the majority of our haul. L-R: Freshly made Salted Herb Cheese, Sour Cherry Preserves, Beer Syrup, Lime Pickles, Blueberry/Green Tomato Jam, Raspberry Cake with Brown Sugar Icing, and Country Ham Quiche. Look at those cute little pig cutouts! Country Ham is very popular in the southern states, and especially in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It 's salty and complex and tastes like a hybrid of fresh ham and aged prosciutto.
At the Garey Farms booth, we had fun talking to the couple running it. Garey Farms is family owned and they know a lot about Kentucky. We bought some lime pickles from them, which are made with the same recipe used by the mamaw (grandmother) of that gentleman on the left. After trying them, I'd say they taste similar to sweet or bread and butter pickles. I'm not a fan of sweet pickles, but they weren't terrible. My husband likes sweet pickles and he liked them, so you can trust his judgement better than mine on that issue.
Makers are always proud of where they come from, and rightly so!
At the Quarles Farm booth, the kids chose different kinds of quick bread to snack on. My daughter was so impressed with her lemon poppy seed bread that she made us promise to return to the market this weekend for more. We also bought blueberry/green tomato jam and mixed berry jam. In the blueberry/green tomato jam, you can taste the blueberry but you can also taste cinnamon and nutmeg. The bits of green tomato add a slightly crunchy texture to it. I think it would be great with some gingerbread in the fall!
We've learned that Ale-8-One is a big deal here in Kentucky. Just as Mainers are enthusiastic about Moxie, Kentuckians are proud of their Ale-8, which is a ginger ale soda with citrus notes. Ale-8-One is short for "A late one," which means it's the latest thing. You know, it's all the rage! It's made nearby in Winchester, Kentucky, and you know a restaurant has Kentucky pride if they serve Ale-8-One. Kentuckians are also very proud of their drinking water supply, which is filtered through the limestone that covers much of the surface area here. This is one of the reasons their bourbon is prized around the world.
I don't care for beer but when I saw the sign for beer syrup I had to at least try it. Surprisingly, it was delicious! Think maple syrup infused with beer overtones, but non-alcoholic. The kids and I picked up a gift pack for my husband for Fathers Day. It came with a few recipe cards, roasted coffee, and pancake mix from Weisenburger Mill, which is also a local favorite. They make all kinds of mixes for things like hush puppies, spoon bread, and grits.
The kids and I drove out that way last week to explore Lexington and the surrounding areas. Here are a few things we saw. (Thank you to my little photographers for taking pictures as I drove!)
Did you know that both Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln were born in Kentucky? This is the Mary Todd Lincoln House in downtown Lexington.
We had lunch at Limestone Blue and I tried Pimento Cheese for the first time, which is a popular sandwich filling in the southern U.S. It's made of grated sharp cheddar cheese, diced bits of pimento (red cherry pepper), and is held together with a bit of mayonnaise. I don't know if I'll be making it at home anytime soon, but I liked it better than I thought I would. Limestone Blue is a local indy place that the kids chose. I'd definitely eat there again.
I love all the fun signs and murals in Kentucky cities!
Imperial Liquors used to be Bondurant's Pharmacy and was originally built the shape of a mortar and pestle. It has since been painted to look like a giant cocktail.
Martin Castle or Castle Post, depending on who you ask, can be seen from the road and is in close proximity to Keeneland Race Track. Plus, you can rent it out! Imagine being able to stay in a castle overnight....
Our oldest is a big aviation enthusiast, so we visited the Lexington Aviation Museum and learned about some interesting Kentucky history.
The museum is located in two hangars at the Blue Grass Airport. This is the first hangar. The second is where the older artifacts are located.
Willa Beatrice Brown was a famous aviator, lobbyist, teacher, and civil rights activist who was born in Glasgow, Kentucky. She was the first African-American woman to earn her pilots license in the United States.
Solomon Lee Van Meter, Jr. of Lexington, Kentucky was the inventor of the first successful backpack parachute.
Last weekend, we celebrated our launch anniversary by driving down to Mammoth Cave National Park in the Green River Valley. It was a beautiful, warm day and we took the self-guided tour of the cave where we learned about it's history and past uses.
The kids enjoyed exploring in the near-dark and we all laughed when our glasses fogged up as we emerged from the cool of the cave system into the warm humidity outside.
On our way home we visited Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. We got there just as a big group with lots of toddlers arrived. Now I love kids, but trying to navigate exhibits while people are standing in front of things to take selfies and kids are running around was a bit challenging. I managed to work my way around though.
This is an idea of what the lincoln home would have looked like.
These are his parents. He looked SO much like his mother!!
The landscape was gorgeous and it was nice walking from the visitors center to the symbolic cabin. The original was torn down but a new one has been built in it's place in honor of our 16th President.
The cabin is housed in this building.
We managed to get a few decent shots between kids running around and the park rangers chasing them down and telling their parents to keep them out of the enclosed area....
This past week, the boys and I spent an afternoon together at the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum where we were able to see how the iconic bats are made.
Before you start the tour you have to put your phone away, but you can look up the tour on YouTube and see the whole thing. This is to protect the privacy of the workers. Pictures are permitted just about everywhere else in the museum and you will find jaw-dropping Lego displays, historical exhibits, and memorabilia. You can also hit a few balls in the batting cages and watch a movie about the history of baseball in America.
Of course, we sniffed out all the Mariners related items we could find! We ARE Seattlites, after all! This is a Nelson Cruz bat.
Bats in the belfry?
I had an A League of Their Own moment and was singing the song for the rest of the day... "We are the members of..." Oh, sorry. I get carried away sometimes. It's one of my favorites!
Outside the museum and all around this area of Louisville, you can find little statues like these that give a little history. We love going to Mariners Games together at home, so it was a treat to see this piece of baseball culture in person.
That's it! Now you're all up to date on what we've been up to over the past few weeks. We're still not sure what to do for the Fourth of July so if you have any suggestions, let us know!
Wishing all my American family/friends a fantastic Independence Day, and my Canadian family/friends a wonderful Canada Day! Congratulations on your 150th Anniversary!
Until next week!
- Jen
