No.1 The Little Things
August 21st, 2026
Sunflower Fields, A Regenerative Farm, & A Few Days In Minnesota
Sunflower Fields, A Regenerative Farm, & A Few Days In Minnesota
This week I had the absolute honor to head off to Minnesota with Simple Mills on a brand trip learning about Organic Regenerative Farming at Luke Peterson Farm’s. This week I guess I have a”big thing” to share haha! I have to say, this trip was life changing and unlike anything I have ever done before. As someone with dreams of owning acres, livestock, and having a huge garden, this trip solidified everything I already believed. I am not a fan of city life…
Where I Stayed:
I stayed at The Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota! It’s a lovely boutique hotel in the middle of town. The building has beautiful brick accents, stunning design, and a very comfy atmosphere!
From the moment I walked into my room, I realized how intentional the Simple Mills team is!! They made me feel so incredibly welcomed with personalized goodies including a stunning William’s Sonoma apron, lots of tasty snacks, and even an embroidered toiletry bag! I can’t believe how much time and effort went into all of this! I felt so seen and excited to meet everyone in person! I was feeling so so nervous too!! But what a lovely welcome this was!
Our Cooking Class & Feast!!
That night we headed to the rooftop bar for drinks & then to a cooking class! I was so incredibly nervous but the moment I walked into the rooftop bar I got into a conversation with one of the other creators! I quickly realized these were my type of people. During the class we were added into random groups to cook. Each group of 5 made something different to add variety to the feast we could be enjoying later!
Our group made gluten free Sweet Potato Gnocci with a sage sauce! I had a blast doing my favorite thing with other food creators! We all got to know each other and then enjoyed a tasty feast of Salad, Gnocci, Chicken, and Green Beans!
After this class, I went to bed feeling so excited for the next day where we would be headed off to the farm! We had a 3 hour drive there the next day so I tried my best to get some rest!!
The Next Morning
The next morning I woke up bright and early at 6am for coffee and breakfast provided by Simple Mills! Oh my goodness - all the details were SO cute!! I loved the little coffee cart they had. I tried the Brown Butter Cookie Crunch Coffee and then had my regular, an iced latte with vanilla cold foam. They even had wrote my name into the cold foam! So many adorable details.
At The Farm
We arrived at Luke Peterson Farms around 12pm and all introduced ourselves to Luke and his family! We asked him questions that we had about gardening that he could answer later in the day. I asked him about the “Back To Eden” gardening method that Eli and I have been using. We had 20 cubic tons of wood chips delivered to our front yard (an entire tree or two, filled with bark, leaves etc. 7 feet tall and 7 feet wide - yes…in the suburbs of Los Angeles). I told him this story and said “I couldn’t wait to hear if we were crazy or if we did something incredible for our garden”.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition taught us all about soil coverings and why they are so important for soil health. He said, “which one of you asked about wood chips?” Excitedly, I sprang up with my hands in the air. I had a huge smile on my face and was so excited to hear that he also thinks wood chips are incredible for the garden. I told him it feels like a natural extension of the forest floor - how things are meant to be. I feel like we have everything we need but we just don’t know how to use it. Nothing is wasted in nature and the garden is so abundant. Plants can grow without us and they know how to!
He showed us a rainwater simulation that showcased how water can struggle to get into the soil when there isn’t a covering! Having different plants in the soil creates a diverse ecosystem that is amazing for worms, loosening the soil with roots, and more! Without a soil cover rainwater can also wash straight away from the soil - it will also take soil away with it!! This leads to soil loss and lots of wasted water. Bare soil is sad soil.
This was an incredible demonstration to see! I filmed an entire Youtube vlog on this experience and I will add it to the end of this blog post once it’s published so you can see the demonstrations as well and come on this incredible trip with me!
After the soil demonstration, we enjoyed a healthy lunch before heading off into the farm. I was basically bouncing in my seat from excitement and could barely pay attention to my meal! We had a great conversation around the table about gardening, growing your own food, and sustainability!
We headed off into the farm and enjoyed the previously bloomed sunflower field as well as a soil pit and a tractor ride!! Simple Mills sources the sunflower seeds for their sunflower flour from this farm. Without Simple Mills, Luke could not grow these sunflowers which would lead to less diversity in the ecosystem he has created! They said “No market no mission”. Which means that brands and consumers both have the power to support farmers when they buy less traditional crops!
I had a wonderful time exploring the deep soil pit and learning more about soil health. It was a fantastic reminder of just how precious, intricate, and amazing life is!
A life changing experience
I have never felt such constant peace and joy in one day as I did on this trip. I am leaving with a new and profound appreciation for Farmer’s, brands leading in sustainability, the garden, and life itself. I think everyone needs to have an experience like this. I am excited to bring everything I learned home with me and to hopefully build a huge garden of my own someday where I can share everything I have learned with others as well. Everyone needs to hear the good news!!
That night, we enjoyed a group dinner at the hotel with Luke and his wife. The next morning, I explored the city a bit and then said my goodbyes. I am so grateful for this experience and all the friends I made!
Other Little Things
A little collection of what I’m cooking, loving, wearing, growing, and thinking about this week.
Growing in the garden:
It’s mid August & our Tromboncino plant is still going strong!! We have about 5 growing right now and I am SO excited!!!! The wood chips are truly seeming to make a great difference in the garden already. Baby tromboncino photo incoming:
Things I am loving recently…
I am very excited for all things Fall hosting!!!! I have been doing some shopping for Fall tablescapes and put together this wishlist of things I want to grab! I also added in some of my favorite that I have had for a while. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year to decorate a table…I just love the color palette!!!! So cozy!!!!
Hosting soon…
Next weekend, I am hosting a Fall Farmer’s Market gathering! I am so excited to make lots of homemade edible gifts for my friends and to decorate my home for Fall! It’s going to be a good one!!!
If you would also like to host something like this, I’ll add some edible gift ideas below!
I also plan to make a Youtube vlog of my hosting experience so stay tuned!
Something that brought me joy…
Great conversation around the table with other creators in my industry who love to cook, garden, and host! Meeting so many new friends that I hope to stay connected with forever!!!!!
See you next week!
