Hello! I am Melynda E. Brown the cook and writer behind Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. Here at home, I keep a well-stocked pantry (most of the time!), practice frugality, and cook with what I have on hand. In fact, I have been cooking and keeping a home for more years than I care to say having started in my own childhood family home as one of the oldest, looking out after some of the youngest!
The decision was made to move a couple states away, and we now live in Montana. We have a small chunk of land, our home, and a five-year plan to build and get up and running a woodworking shop, a raised bed garden system, a chicken run, and a berry patch. We are currently working to get the fruit trees and grapevines that were here when we arrived, fruiting once again. Our home did come with a wonderful root cellar that I began to fill, once we got all the moving boxes unpacked!
And while I love kitchens, especially big kitchens filled with every appliance and cook's toy available, you might think that my current tiny kitchen would be a huge disappointment, but I invite you to read the story about My real kitchen at Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household.
And you may also enjoy Our Root Cellar, and how we came to have one!
UPDATE: after three years in Montana, we realized that we craved the peace and tranquility that this busy and bustling community could offer us. There was only one thing to do. Move to a much quieter community. After an extensive 2000-mile search, we settled on Wyoming! Where we have a simple house and a small yard and all the quiet we need! The best part? My little Montana kitchen has been traded in for a full kitchen with a gas range for cooking and baking AND a dishwasher! Needless to say, I am pretty excited...
We will still have a very busy kitchen! I grind the grain to bake our bread and other whole-grain treats. We cook from scratch, eating most of our meals at home. We do share the property (and the work!) with our Daughter and Son-in-Law, our pets, and the dream of a more self-sufficient lifestyle. And because I am always learning to improve how I complete a task, I recently took a seasonal job as a Food Preservation Specialist. My tasks included canning the harvest for the farm family and production canning for the small farm store.
And, it was a match made in heaven! I was given the opportunity to learn new skills such as using multiple canners (filled and processing) at the same time, how to convert cup and spoon measurements into kilogram and gram weights for consistency in the finished product, as well as (please don’t laugh!) using a candy thermometer… along with helping in some Research and Development for new products for the farm store.
It was gratifying to find new ways to do old things and to be more efficient in the kitchen. But here was the fun part…
My employer, ABC Acres has partnered with the production company for Yellowstone, the television show to create a hot sauce modeled after one of the characters in the show.
While I did not get to meet Mr. Costner, I did get to meet some of the other staff and crew, oh and help cook RIP’S HUCKLEBERRY HEAT, hot sauce! You can view the photo layout from ABC Acres here. Yes, that is me, cooking up another batch of RIP’S HUCKLEBERRY HEAT, hot sauce!
#yellowstonetvshow
When we have time, my husband and I enjoy volunteering in our own community and for the National Parks System. We have held long-term camp hosting positions in many parks in the last few years. We do enjoy being of service while staying in the parks to explore, relax and meet new friends. We have had the privilege of volunteering at Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve in Vancouver WA, Organ Pipe Cactus Nation Monument outside of Ajo, AZ, on the International border with Mexico, and Three Frogs Campground at Lake Como in Darby Montana.
Located in our files you will find a variety of delicious whole foods recipes to enjoy. All of the recipes shared on Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household, in fact, have been made and enjoyed in our home. Many in fact are routine favorites, and we look forward to enjoying them again. I invite you to look through the files and enjoy what we offer to add variety and enjoyment to your own meals.
If you have a question or a request, please feel free to drop me a line. Because…
At Scratch Made Food! & Homemade Household we have a simple philosophy, which is to offer creative, practical recipes for delicious yet easy to prepare meals using whole food ingredients from a well-stocked pantry. While providing enthusiasm and suggestions for you the reader to have fun and become comfortable with your own creative skills. After all, it’s your kitchen, and you should feel right at home there!
Just a few notes on our whole food pantry. We use organic food whenever possible. We use organic cane sugar crystals, coconut oil, butter, olive oil, and avocado oil. We cook and eat whole grain foods most of the time along with lots of fresh vegetables, and fruits from our local growers in this area through a CSA share. Life is a bit of work, but really pretty good!
Thank you for visiting! And again, welcome to Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade household. We are glad you stopped for a visit.
