Stratford Ecologial Center

It's the season of fall festivals. For the most part, our family avoid them... mostly because we are not the best at fighting crowds, wait in line, and spend a lot on really rather bad-for-you foods.



But I think that we just found the perfect festival for ourselves, and sadly, you all will have to wait until next year to experience it, too (unless, of course, you went there today!).



Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware holds an annual Harvest Festival. The place itself is worth a visit regardless of what is happening there (a working farm, animals, greenhouse, children's garden), but with the festivity, our family was impressed by the low-key, informative and fun afternoon we spent at the center.



The center's main mission is to educate young people about the food system, how food is grown, and how to respect the earth with organic practices. They have vegetables and well as livestock on site, plus a good flock of chickens and roosters in the orchard.



Today, families and children were treated to several activities, art booths, wool spinning, felting, sauerkraut making. Even the turtle lady was there (a very popular lady today, I've got to say).



Some got to ride horses, meet donkeys, and learn the differences between the two. Farm kitties appeared out of nowhere for children to follow.



There were goats, sheep, pigs, and cows munching on the just rained-on green grass being lit up by the much appreciated afternoon sun.



Secret gardens and hiking paths to the sugar shack were also good distractions into the wonder of nature.



Musicians entertained throughout the festivities. Folk singers, and bands took stage and sang nature songs. We had to remind ourselves that we were still in Ohio, and not back in Northern California!



After all, it does not really matter where we are, does it? The right spirit was there, shared by all the people attended. Together, we celebrated the earth, the harvest, and this day at the Ecological Center where its vision was, clearly, being realized.

Malabar Farm State Park

As a special birthday gift from my family, I was given a choice to go anywhere in Ohio for a day. My mind started racing. I grabbed some books I had been reading about this (still) new state of ours, and I knew that I had to prioritize where it was that would make sense for a day trip from Columbus that we would all enjoy.



When I read the article about Malabar Farm in Edible Columbus last spring, I ear-marked it, knowing that I would want to get back to it at some point. Sure enough, it came in handy. Out of all the places I read about in this book, Malabar Farm was by far the most appealing place to spend the last day of my 35th year on the planet.



A bit embarrassed that I didn't know who Louis Bromfield was before reading about the farm, I did a little research before our journey to his farm up north. An accomplished author and a notable farmer, Bromfield was quite a pioneer in environmental conservation and sustainable farming practices (my kind of hero!). After several books (with a pulitzer prize to boot), and a decade or so in France, Bromfield returned home to Ohio and built the homestead where he spent the rest of his life close to the land that he clearly loved.



The trip from Columbus took about 1.5 hours, straight up I-75, and through beautiful small country roads. The farm is well marked, and is nestled in the rolling green hills of Pleasant Valley.



As part of Ohio State Park, Malabar Farm is free to visitors. You only have to pay fees for the tours through the main house, and the tractor ride that takes you around the property. We opted for a self-guided tour, with a map and descriptions of each building in hand.



The farm has several animal residents: goats, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys and horses to name a few. It also has a smokehouse, and greenhouse, and several other features that made us feel like we were visiting a real operating small scale farm.



On the way out of the park, we drove up Mt. Jeez for a panoramic view of the whole farm cradled by the valley. The day was grey, the sky blanketed with heavy clouds. But the land still speaks for itself. It still embodies the man who had a vision, who lived his dream, and left it for us to enjoy long after his days.

It was a most wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

Malabar Farm State Park
4050 Bromfield Road
Lucas, Ohio 44843
Phone: (419) 892-2784

Park Hours

Daylight, closes at dark.

Visitor Center/Gift Shop Hours

Memorial Day thru Labor Day

7 Days A Week 10 AM thru 5 PM

P.S. Before you reach the farm, Malabar Restaurant (and an adjacent small farm stand) boasts the locavore ideology and delicious creations. Too bad it was closed when we visited, but now we have a good reason to go back, don't we?

Malabar Farm Restaurant
3645 Pleasant Valley Road
Perrysville, Ohio 44864
419-938-5205

Black Creek Bistro

The truth is, we don't eat out much. When we get a chance, we opt to stay home and make something delicious instead of going out.

In the last year that we have been here, I pretty much documented all the eating places that we have gone to right here on this blog. No joke. Well, I did leave out some places that don't belong in the blog subtitled "authentic finds...". And there is one place that I should have written about, but I left the camera at home that night. This blog would not be as much fun without the photos, right?



The other day, my husband and I had a rare opportunity to eat out, at a restaurant, without our children. We didn't want to go to far from home, but wanted something good, and easy.



We chose to go to Black Creek Bistro, one of the first (non-chain) restaurants I heard about when we first moved here. And I did get to go there a couple of times with friends. This would be the first with my husband.



Black Creek Bistro sits in the corner of Parsons and Oak streets, in the sweet neighborhood of Olde Town East. We got there after the lunch crowd rush, so the pace was slow (arguably a bit too slow for lunch time, in our opinion), and we almost had the place to ourselves.



My husband ordered their corn soup which was nice and spicy, and a large Caesar salad with the custom-ordered anchovies on top (he was happy about that!). I went for the vegetarian option of portobello mushroom wrap which was fresh and delicious.

As we enjoyed our lunch, we did wonder what dinner would be like at this bistro (with a nice bistro ambiance and beautiful rotating artwork on their walls)... but at the rate we are going, we might not find out for quite some time!

On the way home, I could not resist stopping at The Angry Baker to get some of our favorite éclaires to bring home to the bakery's little fan club.

Columbus Museum of Art

It's a crime, I know.

How did I spend a year in Columbus and not have visited this museum until today? I wish I could say that it was the distance (which it is not, because we are only 3 miles or so from it), or that I didn't have time (that's always a lie when someone tells you they don't have time for ___, it's another way of saying they don't want to do the said ___. I think you would agree).



The important thing is that I finally paid a visit to the newly renovated art museum in Columbus today. And I am so glad I did.



The Columbus Art Museum, though small compared to other big city art museums, boasts an impressive collection of art work. I was happy to see some big names there: Monet, Picasso, Degas, to name a few. It is also housed in a lovely building that has well appointed lighting, mixed with a naturally sun-lit central foyer (where I assume a lot of functions and events are held).



Most impressive of all actually, was the creativity room designed for children ages 3 and older. I brought my 7 year olds along, and they were quite happy with several hands-on stations where they could creatively build something resembling the real pieces of art in front of them. We could have stayed in that room for a long time, but Mama needed to explore the rest of the museum. They only exited the room willingly when I promised to take them to the outside patio where they could play chess with gigantic pieces of pons, kings, queens and the rest.



I could go on talking about the different galleries and exhibits in the museum, but I am pretty sure that you would rather go and experience it for yourself! Admission is free through the end of August, and I believe on Sundays in general. But if you happen to get there on a different day, the cost to get in will be worth every penny, I promise.



Columbus Museum of Art
480 E Broad St
Columbus, OH 4321
Monday - Closed
Tuesday-Sunday - 10am-5:30PM
Thursdays - 10am-8:30PM

Caesar Creek State Park

Parents beware. This park may become a favorite one for your young children, forever!

We were on our way home from Cincinnati, driving the most direct way to get home: Hwy 71 North. But we had a stop in mind: Caesar Creek State Park. The kids' first grade teacher told them about this place months ago, and how it is a place where one could collect fossils, real million-year-old fossils, to take home.



Dubious, but hopeful, we found our way to the park as the rain stopped, the sky parted and the sun came out. It was perfect fossil-hunting weather.



To hunt for these fossils legally, one must go first to the visitor's center of the park to obtain a free permit. I am pretty impressed that they still let visitors collect as many (smaller) fossils to one's heart's content! But if you go yourself, you will see why.  This place is COVERED with fossils!! From trilopods, to brachiopods, to corals and shells of all kinds... we were basically standing in the bottom of the 125 million year old ocean bottom and collecting the fossilized shells!

Intrigued? You can do it, too! It's about 1.5 hour drive southwest of Columbus on I-71. Follow signs to Caesar Creek State Park Visitor's center, and you won't be disappointed.

Cincinnati, Part II, Findlay Market

Of course I couldn't go to Cincinnati without visiting the Findlay Market, right? My understanding family was nice enough to be dragged there despite the rain that was pouring down on us on Sunday morning (that was NOT in the forecast, but oh well). I had read a little about this public market in Edible Columbus' sister publication, Edible Ohio Valley. It was time to see it for myself.



Findlay market is tugged away in a small block in a sleepy neighborhood north of downtown Cincinnati. Like I said, it was raining, and it was early on Sunday morning, so it was not the most happening place in the city. But in some ways, it was a wonderful introduction to the market - we literally had it all to ourselves.



The inside of the market reminded me of a smaller version of the one in Cleveland we went to last winter. There were lots of meat vendors, bakeries, and even seafood stalls (a bit of a puzzle to me!). The German food culture influence is big here as well with lots of options for sausages, and German baked goods. Outside a very small farmers market braved the rain. We got some fresh staples to bring home as edible souvenirs.



Just outside of the covered market, more restaurants and shops lined the small streets. I have not felt this way about other places in Ohio (besides German Village), but the quaintness, the local food vendors, plus the colorful hanging baskets reminded me of small European villages I had visited in the past.



I can only imagine how lively and well attended the market would be on a warm sunny summer morning. I don't even need to see it to know, but I do hope to get back there again sometime to experience this place at its best.




Findlay Public Market
1801 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Hours of Operation

9am to 6pm - Tuesday through Friday
8am to 6pm on Saturday
10am to 4pm on Sunday
Closed Monday

Findlay Market is open year-round.

Cincinnati, Part I

We took the slow way to Cincinnati.



I hardly ever make a hotel reservation the day of our arrival, but this time I did. The head cold that turned into something a bit more made it uncertain whether we should attempt a little road trip. But the weather was fine, and the travel bug in me had been very bothersome of late...so to Cincinnati we went.



It was a brand new territory for all of us. Sadly, our daughter knew more about Cincinnati from reading and watching Kit Kittredge than anything else! We were determined to make it a pleasant drive (knowing that we could make it a short 2-hour trip the quick way), going first down to the first capital of Ohio, then southwest toward the Queen City.

The landscape changed about an hour into our journey. Rolling hills, corn fields, and big old barns peppered our views. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Seip Mound, which also happened to be a rest area with picnic tables and well kept grounds. We had visited another of these interesting Hopewell sites before, so it was fun to see another.



Then we crossed the mighty Ohio river into Kentucky, only to cross it again a few minutes later when we entered the city from the south side. Our hotel was smack in the middle of downtown, right across from the fountain square. We gave up our car and did not need it again until we checked out 24 hours later.



Downtown Cincinnati had a quaintness to it. The streets are smaller (than Columbus), and there seemed to be a lot of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the fountain square. We wanted to visit the National Underground Railroad museum before they closed for the weekend which was also a quick block and a half walk from our hotel.



If you are a foreigner like me, you would learn a lot in a short period of time about the whole anti-slavery movement, the history of slave trades in the US, and beyond. It's an intense experience - probably a bit too much for our 7 year-olds. But my husband and I agree that it's never too early to teach children the importance of equality.



Just outside the museum entrance, several quotations are imprinted into the stone walk way. Our son asked for a piece of paper and a pencil. I want to write these down, he said. I want to remember them.

One of the quotations he chose was this:

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." ~ George Washington.

Never too early, like I said.