Our story

It’s hard to know where to start, I feel like my personal story began long before I even knew it. I’m brought back to days watching my Dad in the garden, or helping my Mom clip coupons, crushing cans in the garage to recycle, or going to every local craft fair and farmers market with my Grandmas. Those simple little experiences can go with you on your journey throughout life. Self sustaining habits become a part of you, and before you know it, you’re recognized as an expert. Although that title is far from reach in my mind, I have had quite the experience!

I always loved to grow things, even as I got older, and lived on my own, I would keep herbs in the window, or plant bulbs outside…. I just always felt the need for things to be changing, evolving and blooming around me. Now looking back, I suppose that’s had, and still is having an enormous impact on my personal growth as well. You are what you surround yourself with.

In 2010 my fiance and I started with a small garden box in the front yard, with just tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. It took off like crazy! We were harvesting pounds of produce, sharing with our friends, family and neighbors, and at that point I had no choice but to educate myself on preservation. One thing leads to another, because homesteading is like a domino effect. So, I started with what seemed like the most simple and realistic preservation techniques, freezing and dehydrating. I froze and dehydrated like crazy that first year or two. That eventually turned into canning, and pickling, and now fermenting. We also vowed to move our intentions to the backyard in the coming years, we had a tenth of an acre plot, with the house, which might not seem like a lot to most farmers, but to us it was just enough. The next few years flew by, a bigger garden plot was tilled in the back, we made a compost pile, and I started planting perennials in the front where we once had vegetables.

As we continued to educate ourselves on the atrocities of the food industry, and the corporate government as a whole, especially the personal impact its had on our family, having premature twins, and our youngest being diagnosed with autism, we decided we better go all in! With 4 children we knew this could be beneficial to their future as well as ours, so we set the goal to get chickens, take a bee class, and apply for the trademark name Homesteading on the Hill, and make it official. We knew that it would be hard to build a trusting, consistent barter source with others to give our children the best, and we also knew that people would now put their trust in us, knowing how passionate we are and how vocal I am about truth and awareness….I now had a new responsibility, a human duty if you will, to remain loyal and faithful to what I know is right.

We started upcycling everything we could! From the old swing set, now used as a pulley system for the tomatoes, to a chicken coop and bat box made out of used pallets…..an old concrete sink used for growing potatoes, or an old box spring frame for a grape trellis… you name it, we try it!! LOL! I want to remind you all, that we are in whats considered the inner city of Cincinnati Ohio. Although gardening and homesteading is taking off right now, there’s many others that think its quite odd to have chickens, bees, and rabbits in your backyard lol but for the most part everyone is very supportive, and if they need a little convincing, I just give them tomatoes!!! HAHA

In 2016 I was given the opportunity to be the holder of whats known as the Cincinnati Seed Library. I was beyond excited to take on this endeavor, as I had already been saving and preserving seeds for about 2 years at that point, and my collection from swapping, and foraging was really becoming quite the size itself! By now having the library, I was able to make some really great connections and got some more than gracious donations to double inventory, and provide even more seeds to those in need. There really is no feeling in the world like having an abundance of seeds, and being able to swap and share with others all across the land. I see them as little nuggets of gold, but in reality, their worth is priceless.

This journey is never ending, there is always something new and exciting we get ourselves into and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so grateful and thankful for this opportunity most of all for my children to take with them on their own life journeys. There is so much instilled in this simple lifestyle that you notice yourself practicing what I call ‘happy little habits’. Like being consumer aware. Reducing, reusing, and recycling. Or like shopping and supporting local. Bartering with your neighbors. Preserving and swapping seeds. The list goes on and on, but one thing I find most rewarding, is the ability to share this life with all of you!! Happy Homesteading my friends, thanks for reading!