Proud of my roots

I'm a Midwestern through and through, or that is what I have been told. I've been to a lot of places (France, Austria, Hungary, California, Washington D.C. and others) which have really helped me cling to and appreciate my roots. Here's my story about how this came to be...

I grew up in a small town in Northwest Iowa on a family farm, that has been our family for over a hundred years. We raised cattle and later on, grains. I have to admit I was/ am a little clueless when it comes to these but my interest was the vegetable and flower gardens. After watching Julia Child when I was young, I put these veggies to work and fell in love with cooking!

I started gardening when I was about five, with my great grandma, grandma, and mom. Great Grandma Hughes was known for her gorgeous gladiolus, softball sized onions, and mammoth dill. I remember picking the dill, treating it as a bride's bouquet, and then watching as she would make the best canned pickles anyone had ever tasted! Each year I would learn more and more, and eventually studied horticulture at the state university. Before that, and during the summers I would grow vegetables and flowers for the local markets, which would help pay the tuition.

After college, I went on to become an assistant manager at a garden center in Des Moines, and has to admit that I didn't exactly know what I wanted or where I wanted to end up. This was tough for me especially, because ever since I was young, I had goals and knew what I wanted out of life. I headed to California, and worked for a huge plant wholesaler- selling mainly into the Midwest from my cubicle. After hearing about their Midwestern lives (and rhubarb, canned goodies and the like), I realized I longed for that again. After some time there, and getting engaged to a long distance boyfriend- I headed to Washington D.C. (still not the Midwest). This past December, I landed a sales job- smack dab in the middle of the heartland- IOWA, and this past July, picked up Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri! 

I'm back in the state, and have taken my interests to heart (again)- cooking, gardening, and homekeeping and want to share the best experiences, ideas, and recipes- that help make this region stand out! Stay tuned...

Jessica