Welcome to the roots revival with Food Prood; where we are going back to our roots and learning old fashioned ways in a modern world.
Hi, I’m Laura
I’m a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom who loves food. Good food.
When I was 24 years old, I planted a few little garden boxes with tomatoes, sunflowers, and flowers. Nothing fancy. Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing.
Then something happened.
I grew food.
Like…actual food.
I was hooked.
I wasn’t raised this way. Sure, there were gardens here and there, but I don’t remember being involved in them. Now I was the one sticking tiny little seeds in the ground and somehow ending up with food on the table. It still amazes me that something so small can turn into something so beautiful, delicious, and nourishing.
God really knew what He was doing.
Not long after that I met my husband, Justin, and together we started raising a family.
Like a lot of young parents, we wanted to feed our kids the best food we could. The problem? Good food wasn’t exactly sitting on every grocery shelf back then. Organic wasn’t nearly as common, and if you wanted it you practically needed to pack a lunch and drive two hours to Whole Foods…then take out a small loan to pay for it.
So we did what made sense.
We figured it out ourselves.
We bought local.
We looked for non-GMO foods.
We planted bigger gardens.
Actually…I completely took over my in-laws’ garden first. (Sorry, not sorry.)
Then we planted our own.
As more food came out of the garden, I wanted to learn how to make it last.
I still remember my mom teaching me how to can whole tomatoes. It’s one of her specialties. She also happened to name me after Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I’m not sure she realized she was creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
One skill led to another.
Egg-laying chickens.
Meat chickens.
Bigger gardens.
Herb gardens.
Pigs—which eventually earned us the nickname “The Accidental Pig Farmers.“
Then ducks.
Then sheep.
Then beekeeping.
Apparently I have a hard time saying, “I think we have enough projects.”
Fast forward to today, and our family now raises about 85% of the food we eat, including all of our vegetables, most of our fruit, and all of our meat.
People sometimes ask how long it took.
About two decades.
This wasn’t built in one season.
It was one garden.
One loaf of bread.
One canning jar.
One fence.
One mistake.
One lesson.
Over and over again.
My happy place is still the garden.
It’s where I feel closest to God. It’s where I see His creation doing exactly what it was designed to do. It’s also where He has a funny way of reminding me that I’m not nearly as in control as I think I am.
Because let me tell you…
Gardens fail.
Tomatoes get blight.
Animals escape.
Electric fences stop working at the worst possible moment.
The weather laughs at your plans.
There is mud. Lots of mud.
My husband eventually named our place Controlled Chaos Homestead, and honestly…he nailed it.
One of my greatest joys now is watching our kids grow up in this life.
They each have their own gardens.
They save seeds because they’ve learned that the plants that do well here often produce seeds that do well here too. They help with the animals, the chores, and everything else that comes with raising food.
Do they complain?
Absolutely.
They’re kids.
But I also get to watch them beam with pride when dinner includes vegetables they grew or eggs they collected.
That’s a pretty incredible thing to witness.
People often ask if they have to do all of this.
Absolutely not.
I don’t think everyone needs sheep.
Or pigs.
Or bees.
(Although bees are pretty awesome.)
I don’t think everyone needs to raise 85% of their own food.
I simply want people to know what’s possible.
Maybe your first step is planting tomatoes.
Maybe it’s learning sourdough.
Maybe it’s canning purple beans.
Maybe it’s cooking dinner from scratch three nights a week instead of one.
Small steps have a funny way of becoming a completely different life before you even realize it.
That’s why I created Food Prood.
To help bring old-fashioned ways into a modern world.
To show you that you don’t have to know everything before you begin.
And hopefully, to make you laugh a little along the way.
I’m glad you’re here.
Welcome to Food Prood.
Around here, we believe old-fashioned ways still have a place in a modern world.
I’m glad you’re here.
Now…let’s go grow something.
What Others Are Saying
A local person once chose to write a paper about our family’s homesteading journey. It was incredibly humbling to read someone else’s perspective on what we do every day.
Not Sure Where to Start?
If you’re new here, don’t worry—you don’t need chickens, sheep, or a pantry full of home-canned food to get started. I certainly didn’t.
Here are a few of my favorite places to begin:
🌱 Want to grow your own food?
Start with my gardening guides.
🍞 Curious about sourdough?
I’ll show you how to make it fit real life, not make your life revolve around bread. Click here
🥕 Looking for from-scratch recipes?
Simple ingredients. Real food. Made for everyday life. Explore the recipe collection here.
🥫 Ready to preserve your harvest?
Learn water bath canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, freezing, and more here.
🟣 Want to see what all the fuss is about?
Meet my famous Purple Podded Pole Beans. (Yes, they’re purple. Yes, they turn green when you cook them. And yes, I’m still a little disappointed about that.)
📚 Looking for a little more help?
Check out my books, free guides, and membership where I teach everything in even more detail.