Fresh from the Farm
Fresh From the Farm is the Heirloom Springs blog. Read stories about the farm written by us and our guests, and get delicious, easy recipes to make at home from our corner of Amherst County.
Brussell Sprout and Apple Salad with Pecan Brittle
Fall flavors are something many of us look forward to at Thanksgiving, but it can be tough to combine nutritious with delicious! We always try.
Explore the Wonder and Medicine of the Blue Ridge Mountains
When I was in my early 20s I was having issues that were not being resolved through standard western medicine. I was introduced to Chinese medicine and herbalism.
Kale and Butternut Squash Rosette Salad
Fall flavors are something many of us look forward to at Thanksgiving, but it can be tough to combine nutritious with delicious! We always try.
October Newsletter: Full-On Fall!
My favorite day of the year is the first day the air turns crisp, the leaves start changing color, and the whispers of winter sing their song. How lucky I was to have my favorite day of the year also be during our fall Signature Retreat weekend.
Digging A Little Deeper
To tell you about Rachael, it’s important to note that she is a very strong woman and that her most important quality is that she has a huge capacity for love.
Barbie-Pink Hummus for Your Next Girl’s Night
This delicious, savory hummus is right on time for the Barbie fever going around this summer. I served it at our May Signature Retreat and it was a huge hit.
August Newsletter: Gardening Season!
Our gardening year usually kicks off by about late January, when I can’t take it anymore and start organizing my library of seeds (yes, I have a seed problem!), and while I don’t need any seeds, without fail, I put in my huge seed order yet again and get planting by the end of the month.
My Interview with LAND Magazine
I had a great chat with Lorie Woodward last year about my story and how Heirloom Springs came to be. I’m so excited it’s finally gone to press and is published in the summer 2023 edition of LAND Magazine. I hope you enjoy it!
Berry Thyme Cake with Honey and Goat Cheese Frosting
Place one layer of the cake on a plate, put some frosting on it, top with a little bit of the berry mixture that’s left over. Spreading evenly, continue with your two other layers of cake, frosting, and berry mixture, ending with only frosting on top and have some fun decorating with berries and thyme.
To Look and To See
Grace Ranson has been one of my dearest friends for well over 15 years now. We met at my first Pilates studio, Momentum Pilates Studio, in Charlottesville, VA. She came in as a yoga teacher looking to expand her practice to Pilates, and two years later she walked out not only a certified Pilates teacher, but also the new proud owner of Momentum as we were making our way back to Texas.
Year Two on The Farm
2022 last year started off with a bang! We followed a snow storm all the way back from our annual Texas holiday pilgrimage. We often joke that of the 3,000 miles round trip, the last 8 miles are always the hardest.
On Training the Mind
Just like any other muscle, we have to train for more than just strength. The flexibility & agility of our attention is paramount to our health. This is neuroplasticity. I’ll be addressing the neuroscience, neurobiology, embodied cognition behind these ideas.
EINSTEIN AND PILATES From Alycea Ungaro, February 2023
Albert Einstein understood something profound about humans.
He understood how we existed on our planet and even more about the very conditions of that existence.
Pilates Pedagogy Inaugural Event
Have you ever wanted to attend a small intimate education weekend where you get complete hands-on, new guidance, mentoring, an in-depth higher level learning in an environment that is completely comfortable, surrounded by beauty, enjoying nutrient dense food, and each other's company?
Feather
Last year I asked my long time friend Natalie to come and visit me on the farm. I didn't warn her about what that might look like, or that planting and growing season was upon us. Here's what my talented, published author, and dear friend had to say about her experience on the farm.
Come visit Virginia, it's (not just) for Lovers!
Yes, Virginia's state slogan is "Virginia is for Lover's", which of course mortifies my teenage son, and delights me. Virginia is a beautiful state, with rich history, and vast topography.
New Shoes
A little over a year ago I hung up my Choo's (that's Jimmy), and traded them in for muck boots. The kind of boots that can get filthy, with shit up to your knees, that somehow become routine to clean and start fresh each day. The journey of owning a farm has been hilarious, life enriching, exhausting, devastating, rewarding beyond measure and filled with daily life lessons.
Time for Change
In less than two months we sold our house in Dallas, I sold my 3rd Pilates studio, Methodology, and we bought a farm in Virginia. Off we went to the countryside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to begin our new farm life.