Podcast From Italy: Ashley & Jason Bartner

Our latest travels to France & Spain, including the best place for a layover in Europe! Our househunting continues for the next great farmhouse for LA TAVOLA MARCHE and our new business/brand NO HALF MEASURES is taking off quickly with a stay at the five star boutique (agriturismo) Gran Hotel Son Net in Mallorca! From flights to funerals we cover a wide range this week!  Thanks for listening, Jason & Ashley

Lots to talk about this episode of Podcast from Italy - We just returned from a weekend getaway to Barcelona with beautiful weather & a memorable stay at the Mercer Hotel Barcelona. We share the highlights of our amazing first look/taste of the new menu at K - Find out how I was able to travel in the EU without a passport! And we recant the "Groundhog's Day" esque annual sausage & salami making with Dr. Gaggi & Vittorio. Still on the hunt for the next farmhouse for La Tavola Marche as well...Thanks for listening!

Happy New Year from Italy! This week we share our holiday traditions, including a special segment narrated by Dr. Gaggi! We're house hunting for the NEXT location for La Tavola Marche...Then we discuss winter/low season travel and the perks of low-cost airlines! Watch the videos mentioned in this podcast here: https://nohalfmeasureslife.wordpress.com/films/

Today's podcast is a little different - we woke up early to simultaneously record a podcast & LIVE! Periscope video! Thanks to everyone that sent us your questions - both ahead of time and while the periscope feed was live! Jason showed and explained how to roast chestnuts in an open fire while I complained about Christmas in Italy! We announced big new about La Tavola Marche and what's next for us and the business!! Thanks for listening!! And if you'd like to watch the periscope feed (only available for the next 24 hours...) or follow us for future broadcasts: https://www.periscope.tv/ashleybartner

Thank you to all the fans that emailed us to continue the podcast - we were overwhelmed by your kind words!! After our longest hiatus we are back with hopefully a weekly podcast for you about our life in Italy and travels beyond. This week we catch you up on our last season, give you a Dr. Gaggi update, talk about the Holidays and of course what's happening in the garden. Then we get into our autumn travels to Spain, France and Sicily. Thanks for listening!!

Back at it after the Easter holidays - we recant the weekend of festivities with our beloved Dr. Gaggi and family. Ashley is nominated for a Saveur Blog Award for Culinary Tourism Coverage and thinks it must be a mistake! And we discuss the sale of our b&b business and property in Italy!

After 3 months we're back at it! This episode we share our winter travels, comparing a bit of life in Italy vs France. Now that we're back home it's back to work and we break down how we reopen the inn after winter. Plus we answer your burning question: 'why are you really leaving/selling the business?' Thanks for listening!!

From panetone to cappelletti most days are spent in the kitchen cooking and eating! The season of fatness has begun and to celebrate Jason shares a new favorite focaccia recipe. We discuss a NY Times Article on Italy & the internet, a problem that has plagued us for years. A visit to the famed Cortona in Tuscany for lunch sets the scene to begin the search for our property and what's next....

This year's Thanksgiving feast will not soon be forgot - it was a classic holiday disaster! From loosing electricity to a minor meltdown it was a crazy day to say the least. We discuss a few 'rules' when it comes to paying bills, funerals and even shipping boxes. And finally we announce big news for 2015!!! Thanks for listening and Happy Holidays!

After our longest 'break' from podcasting we're back!! The latest from the farm, an update from the garden and what's growing now. Then we delve into the dark world of truffles. Thanks to our wet/warm early fall its been one of the most prolific seasons for truffle hunting (driving down the price) meaning each morning there is steady stream of truffles coming out of our back woods. Learn how we buy them direct from the hunters! And finally, Jason shares one of his favs for the song of the week.

After a month or so of radio-silence, we've fired up the mics for a bit of rant on 'gluten-free' after reading a great Huffington Post article and posting on our facebook page - the response was overwhelming on both sides. Here's a link to the original article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-vetri/im-gluten-intolerantintol_b_5614463.html Here's the clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJFE1sp4Fw Thanks for listening!!

We're back after a June hiatus with an update on the farmhouse and happening in the area. We recap the past month and beautiful wedding and festivities we hosted as well as what it's like watching the World Cup in small town, Italy! Ashley recreates the 'barking deer' and we share a few recipes: Nocino (walnut liquor) and Poached Peaches in white wine! The we run down a list of upcoming festivals in the area from beer to gelato there is something to eat/drink/do!! Thanks for listening!

After an update on the weather and the garden we dive into a discussion on PH and Jason's new interest in micro-nutrients in soil and 'listening' to the plants. This Spring the farmhouse has been all a flutter with baby birds and nests in the trees & windowsills.  Jason shares a recipe for fried elderflowers using a super simple beer batter. Local elections are all the buzz around the region and we share our favorite marketing strategies.  A few festivals from Cantine Aperte (Open wineries throughout Italy) to SlowFood's return to Cagli for Distinti Salumi.

Back after a whirlwind of Italian Spring holidays from Easter to Labor Day - four holidays in two weeks! A story on our latest drama with getting our citizenship, a garden update and discussion on offering wi-fi to guests. And we recant about refilling our cantina with local wine and bottlign with guests! We answer a few of our 'favorite' email questions we get on a regular basis. Thanks for listening and we hope to post another soon!

With Easter just around the corner we squeeze in time for much needed podcast to share stories of past Easters in our farmhouse!! We chat about a lunch we attended to celebrate a new book on living/cooking self-sustainably by an Italian Chef last week... Spring has sprung and there is plenty of work to be done - thanks for listening!

This week's podcast is late - sorry!! We are back to work, readying the garden, turning the soil, burning the hills and preparing for guests to arrive. We brought home 12 new young hens + 1 rooster to add to our brood! Jason vents a bit and share his feelings on culinary 'charlatans' - untrained, inexperienced personalities/bloggers teaching you to cook. We'd love your feedback & thoughts on this topic.  And we share five foods/drink that hands down taste better IN Italy! Thanks for listening!!

This week's a short podcast with a great song at the end! Morning hikes, a hen attacked by a hawk, festa delle donne and what happens when we run out of coffee...a short & sweet podcast with promises of better broadcasts to follow!

After celebrating the doctors birthday we recap the week from peeling lemons for 3 hours for limoncello & driving school lessons to a farming scandal in the making...We share our favorite places to eat fish in Fano on any budget. And a fun lesson in Italian idioms! The song of the week is by Peppino Gagliardi a 70's classic.

Happy Birthday to good ol' Doctor Gaggi! This week a favorite segment returns, "Bitchn' 'bout Bureaucracy" when we need medical forms for driving school! The drivers license saga continues! Ashley shares our 2014 calendar of cooking classes/packages and online classes - so begin planning your spring/summer/fall holiday now! And to help you plan your trip we weigh-in on a Top 10 List of Romantic Places to Propose in Italy - some we agree with, others not so much - find out our thoughts! This week's song is from Mina - "Rossetto sul colletto" - Have a great week!!

This week's podcast Jason tells the story of how the Frasassi Caves were discovered and his recent daytrip there. While Jason was exploring Caves in Le Marche, Ashley was eating confit in France! Carnival is quickly approaching and find out which Marche village is actually the 1st place Carnival was celebrated in Italy! And cooking with cardoons - what are they, how do you cook them?! (It's the same question we get asked for fennel!) Jason shares how to clean them and a few cooking techniques. The song of the week is a radio class in Italy!