Podcast From Italy: Ashley & Jason Bartner

This week's podcast is for those of you contemplating a move to Italy & have a million questions about what to do, where to begin and how to wrap your head around it all!!  We reply to many of your emails regarding the intangibles of moving - more than how to get your VISA, we discuss the mindset you need to be in to make a life-changing move to Italy and the importance of becoming part of the community. This is our ra-ra, you can do it podcast, meant to inspire you to take the leap knowing how difficult it may be!

Big News from Italy! We've recorded our podcast while on a boat on the Adriatic & Ionian Sea heading to Greece! No breaking news  - actually, I can't remember what we even talked about - our boat was delayed 8 hours at sea (and this podcast was delayed 5 days from getting posted). I know there was talk about butchering whole pigs, food (as usual) and other interesting topics I'm sure...  Enjoy!

During the winter we try to take lots of day trips - we've recently visited a restaurant convention of sorts in Rimini and took a step back in time in Ostra. This week is Saint Antonio & the blessing of the animals! We tally up how much meat is curing from our rafters and the word of the week is back - Thanks for listening!

The first thirty kilos of charcuterie hang from the rafters in our farmhouse, sausage making season has begun! Jason tells a great story about getting bamboozled while making sausages for Dr. Gaggi. Ashley is afraid of mold! And as usual the conversation turns back to food and what's cooking for dinner! Thanks for listening!!

Happy New Year -  Buon Anno Nuovo!! Kicking off 2013 with a new episode of Jason & Ashley's look at life as expats in Italy. This week we chat about living in a small town during the holidays - playing Bingo (Tombola), grocery shopping and festivities. Jason explains how to cook eel and an update on his bread baking.

In snowy covered Le Marche, Jason and Ashley chat about a recent trip to Rome, Antica Ostia and Norcia (Umbria) sharing the best places to eat along the way. Jason then explains the trials and tribulations of baking bread in a cold stone farmhouse... Roscioli -Rome, near Campo dei Fiori Il Granaro del Monte - Norcia

A rainy day podcast, we recap Thanksgiving and helping a neighbor build a greenhouse. As usual the conversation turns to food with an update on Jason's bread starter, born and raised here in Le Marche plus talks of a 'secret' lunch spot, the hunter's hideaway in the hills above Apecchio. Jason then shares tips for making creamy delicious risotto. This week's podcast is short & sweet. Let us know any suggestions you have or requests for topics to talk about! Thanks for listening -  Ashley & Jason

This week Jason and Ashley chat about closing down the house for winter now that the guests are gone, road tripping through Europe and the dirty deed of slaughtering chickens. Then we turn the conversation to Thanksgiving and turkey-talk with how & why to brine a turkey. We interview my younger brother Jerome on his first impressions of Le Marche and the food of Italy.

After a summer hiatus, Jason & Ashley are back & just as bubbly as ever - chatting about life in Le Marche on their farm. This week: "What Grows Together Goes Together" Jason talks about cooking seasonally and shares a seasonal truffle recipe, answering the question: "How do you cook truffles?" We talk about local festivals like the "Sturgis of Italy" and the truffle festivals in Le Marche throughout November, making fresh sausages for the hunters and beginning to prepare for winter. THANKS for listening!!

Easter has come & gone - we reminisce on the day & opera singing Zio Albi (incase you missed the clip - watch it here: Easter Concerto).  During the podcast, learn from our mistakes both in the garden & finding a lunch spot in a foreign city! Then be transported to the attic of an ancient acetaia (vinegar making family & home) in Modena where Jason & I sample 8 traditional balsamic vinegars and interview the passionate Giovanna from Acetaia di Giorgio. She lovingly tells us about her families balsamic making traditions & why the product her family makes is far superior to any mass produced version. It's a wonderful interview with a true artisan of Italy! Acetaia di Giorgio Via Sandro Cabassi, 67 41123 Modena http://www.acetaiadigiorgio.it Telefono / fax 059.333015 Mobile 338.6575552 Email: info@acetaiadigiorgio.it

We are excited to share an interview with our friends Antonio & Paola, owners of Gelateria Maki in Fano & our most favorite artisan gelato shop in the Region! They stopped by for a visit so we thought we'd ask a few burning questions about gelato: how is it different from ice cream,  difference between artisan & industrial gelato, where their passion came from and much more! It's clear Antonio & Paola are passionate about what they produce (gelato, sorbet, chocolates) and the importance of quality ingredients - you can taste it in every delicious bite! Gelateria Artigianale Makì Piazza degli Avveduti, 1   Fano (PU) Italy     +39 07211796064 Makigelateria@gmail.com

Italy is blasted by a Siberian storm & we are snowed-in! In a rare evening podcast from our frozen farmhouse we talk about things that come along with severe weather  & living in the countryside that we've never experienced before! And as the snow accumulates to over 4 feet, we contemplate our next move....

Start your day with a cappuccino and get into the Italian state of mind as we talk about our favorite winter activity - sausage & salami making! Jason shares our simple recipe and explains how simple sausage making is. Currently there are 90 kilos of meat curing in the rafters upstairs! We laugh as we retell stories of Doctor Gaggi & his impromptu sausage tests he gives Jason, not ready to hand-over the reigns. We recap some of winters events and don't miss the fitting word of the week!

We visit Cartoceto to celebrate the unearthing of formaggio di fossa - a unique local cheese that has been buried in a pit for months. The Doctor has a bad day, we make an offer on a meat grinder and readying the house for winter (things we never thought of before living in the country). And, its official, the holiday season has started, bringing with it endless eating & cooking....break out the fat pants! Thanks for listening!

Join us, Ashley & Jason in the kitchen as we crack walnuts prepping for our annual Thanksgiving Pranzo (lunch). Menu ideas for your Thanksgiving are shared. We catch you up on the what's been going on around the farm since the summer and we chat about what I call "the year the fox got fat!" Thanks for your patience as its been a few months since we posted a podcast! Hope you enjoy - Happy Holidays, Ashley & Jason Bartner

So much going on! We participated in the annual transumanza - cow herding through Piobbico up to Mt. Nerone with family & friends. It's that time of year to start making homemade digestivi (after dinner liqueurs) like visciolino (wild cherry liqueur) & nocino (walnut & vanilla liqueur). Garden updates, weather system installed & funny stories around town. Don't miss the Marche Wine & Jazz Festival from 3-31 July. Thanks for listening, Ashley & Jason info@latavolamarche.com http://www.latavolamarche.com

After a busy May, we are back with a jam-packed podcast! Updates on our organic farm & what's in the ground, solar panels have been installed & the chickens. Plus Jason shares seasonal summer recipes from our cooking classes. We run through a few fabulous June festivals in Le Marche and share our day at sea on a wooden yacht in Fano with a not to miss artisan gelato shop - Maki. Fano Yacht Trip & Fish Feast Gelateria Maki La Tavola Marche - Organic Farm, Inn & Cooking Classes in Italy Thanks for listening! Jason & Ashley info@latavolamarche.com

This all about food & the farm. We chat about our Easter menu & the local traditions with an interview with our friends Giorgio & Michele. A gift of fresh ricotta means Jason is using it for sweet & savory dishes - Jason shares simple ways to use this delicious creamy cheese. Plus bread baking tips from focaccia to whole wheat with raisins & nuts. We are back to chicken wrangling, training our newest hens where to lay & to come home at night. Thanks for listening - Ashley & Jason La Tavola Marche Agriturismo & Cooking School - http://www.latavolamarche.com

This week after a whirlwind trip to Rome, Jason & Ashley share their Top 10 Ways to Save Money on your next trip to Italy. The word of the week will come in handy at the market: un mazzo - a bunch. Plus updates from the garden & off to a good start with over 700 onions in the ground! Thanks for listening, Ashley & Jason Please leave comments/feedback/rating on iTunes to show your support. La Tavola Marche (Farm, Inn & Cooking School in Italy) http://www.latavolamarche.com

Ciao tutti!  Spring is in full swing & its hard work being an organic farmer! Fields are full of wild poppies & daffodils, the salami are done curing and we just got a delivery of manure for the orto! The Palio della Rana (Frog Race) of Fermignano is coming up & we chat about how they 'celebrate' the frog. Plus this week we list our Top 10 Day Trips from our farmhouse in Le Marche, Umbria, Tuscany & San Marino! This week's phrase that pays is a spring proverb: Quando canta il cucolo la primareva e' imminente. Thanks for listening - Ashley & Jason http://www.latavolamarche.com