My name is Leah and I am daring to tiptoe out of the quiet of my gardens and the comfort of my working kitchen to share snippets of my life as a home cook, preservation enthusiast, novice herbalist, and new projects in the works from our 17-acre, Ohio country life.

Inspired and influenced by over two decades in the fast-paced restaurant industry and the weekends spent at my Grandparent's 400-acre family farm as a child—I have been learning (and relearning) the traditional farmhouse skills that skipped being taught to my generation in the race towards convenience and fast foods.


Simply put: I want to know & control what is in the things we consume.

While our family occasionally snacks on popcorn at the movie theater, stops to grab a cone at the local custard stand, or ventures out on a Friday night to the local Mexican restaurant—my goals as a 40-Something, Stay At Homesteader are to grow, make from scratch, and locally source a majority of what our family consumes the most.

We are by no means strict purists 100% of the time, but try to lean towards making a majority of the decisions of consumption with health and origin in mind. (Much to the chagrin of my teen boys!)

The learning for me is to keep up the energy and stay consistent while organizing & managing the lovely chaos of it all!

This isn’t just “content” or posting just to post. This is my very-public visual diary of what we are doing and how I am learning—in real time.

GOALS:
To create and replace the junk with delicious & nutritious snacks, meals, appetizers, and desserts that will have my kiddos forgetting all about the inner part of the grocery store.

My intent here and online is to provide transparency, authenticity, and REAL LIFE as I share my kitchen endeavors & garden adventures. (And perhaps inspire others to create along the way!)

The kitchen is the life-giving force of the Home—and that’s where I am called to be. And while I’m sure a million people have said the same thing in more or less words—this is the phrase echoing deep within my spirit and the call is explore and share in the process.

Hope to see you around!
-Leah

What you will find in the near future:

•creating whole-foods recipes in all genres and nationalities

•meal planning

•budgeting

•growing & preserving herb and vegetable gardens

•learning herbal medicine

•raising & locally sourcing our meat

•rotating a bulk pantry

•stewarding my Prodigal Daughter Faith