Europe Sans Fromage Part III: Uto

After a brief stop in Stockholm, it was on to the island of Uto, one of the many tiny islands in the Stockholm Archipelago. Louise's lovely parents, Lena and Frederick, have a summer home there and were kind enough to have me. The two or so weeks I spent on the island were absolutely idyllic and I soon became enchanted with Swedish summer, which consisted of coffee in the sun, bike rides, skinny dipping in the ocean, sunbathing, wine drinking, and berry picking. After days spent swimming in the Baltic sea and traipsing around the quaint little village of Uto, I was happily in touch with my Swedish roots, although my Irish side got more than a little sunburned.

I was a little concerned, at first, about what I was going to eat on the island, so I stocked up on soymilk and tofu burgers before Frederick came to pick us up on his boat. I soon found, however, that I would have been just fine without the soy stash, for Uto has its very own organic farmer! According to Lena, the farmer, whose name I unfortunately can't recall, came to the island on his surfboard decades ago and never left. The logistics of this story I fear must have been lost in translation. He now lives up on a hill in his greenhouse and brings his vegetables into town every morning. He had quite a spread everyday including gigantic zucchinis, beets, snap peas, and potatoes. His veggies were some of the best I've ever tasted. Buttery and sweet, they didn't need any seasoning at all to make an orgasmic organic meal.


Louise and I would bike into town each day and select fresh veggies for that night's dinner, without forgetting to stop for some dill pickle chips and Swedish candy to snack on in the sunshine. I had many a delicious meal on the island, the best of which was a beet salad that Frederick made, complete with fresh chives and a tangy vinaigrette.

As for breakfast, the Swedes enjoy a delicious beverage called Proviva. It is made with berries, oats, and probiotics and I started each sunny day with a big glass of it and a cup of coffee. Yum! If this post is sounding disgustingly cheery, that is because it is! Sweden is a happy, healthy place and the thought of another summer spent on Uto makes me want to skip and sing and eat a big plate of boiled beets ;)