This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure.

photo of rachael from milk glass home with a handmade basket and homemade scones and muffins.

Welcome to Milk Glass Home!

Milk Glass Home is a suburban homesteading blog about real food, food preservation, and slow living!

I’m Rachael, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve turned my suburban house into a mini-homestead and would love to help you do the same exact thing. If we can do it with our picky HOA and small yard, you can, too!

Who is Rachael?

I’m the owner and main writer of Milk Glass Home. I worked at a popular local farmers market as a market assistant for 2 years, then the market manager for another two. After that, I became a teacher at a local elementary school.

Over the years, I worked a variety of jobs and was a server, library assistant, credit counselor, cheesemonger, pickle maker, farm hand, and more. I tend to jump around, which makes sense since I grew up moving every few years as a military brat!

I’ve been gardening since 2013 and first started harvesting on local farms in 2015. Although that’s a lot less frequent these days, I’m still connected to my local food community as a board member for a local farmers market, shopping locally as much as possible, and selling produce for one of my favorite farms once a month.

After being part of a local food community for so long and taking baby steps to grow my own food and preserve the harvest, I’ve seen firsthand how small actions build into something much greater. I know how powerful this lifestyle can be and love to share recipes and tips to help people unlock these experiences for themselves!

fresh homegrown lavender in a galvanized bucket.

What is Milk Glass Home?

Milk Glass Home is a blog about living a slow, seasonal, sustainable lifestyle. It’s run by me (Rachael), a suburban homesteader in western Washington who absolutely loves to garden, preserve the harvest, cook from scratch, and make my own skincare, cleaning products, and more.

The whole goal of Milk Glass Home is to spotlight a different way of living.

Although we’re imperfect and enjoy creature comforts just like anyone else, my husband and I are passionate about cooking real food recipes using simple ingredients and pantry staples. I even love making my own pantry staples, like milling my own flour or making brown sugar from molasses. I absolutely love baking my own sourdough bread!

Our favorite recipes come from the garden, the local farmstand, from the woods, or straight from local farms. You’ll often see my homegrown tomatoes, herbs, and other ingredients in my recipes!

I’m specifically interested in food preservation and learning more about how people have preserved the harvests for generations. You’ll find plenty of recipes about infusing fresh ingredients, dehydrating, freezing, and canning.

But, it’s not just about food. We follow those same principles when it comes to cleaning products, skincare, and even home decor. We believe that handmade is best and local is always better.

salmonberry plant.

Why suburban homesteading?

You don’t have to live on land or acreage to be a homesteader. We’ve been moving towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle for over a decade, gradually growing, preserving, and making more and more.

The great thing about this approach is that it is also more sustainable! Using up scraps, repairing things that are broken, and prioritizing high-quality products made to stand the test of time will both help your budget and allow you to reduce your waste.

Although we dream of living on land with giant rows of cabbages and carrots, that’s not always possible. We make the most of our little suburban backyard (even in an HOA!) with an ever-increasing garden, vertical garden towers, and more.

When you don’t have a ton of land for growing food, the perspective has to switch to community resilience and supporting local farms. Our fridge, freezer, and pantry are consistently full of food we either grew ourselves or found from small businesses or farms in our community. It feels really, really good to pull out a bag of frozen berries and remember harvesting the berries ourselves. There’s nothing quite like it!

Why is this blog called Milk Glass Home?

I grew up as a military brat, but have always had deep roots in Wisconsin. Every summer, I would visit “home” and spend time with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, and more. I spent a lot of time visiting people, driving around farm country listening to stories about the old days from my grandpa, and shuffling through antique stores, farm stands, and flea markets.

These memories became part of the story of this place I called home but where I never actually lived.

One of the images that really stuck out over time was all the milk glass. It had pride of place in the houses of these extended relatives from a different generation, and once I started seeing it in thrift stores and antique shops, I started collecting it piece by piece. That grew over time, and now there is milk glass in pretty much every room of my home.

These days, the milk glass symbolizes this connection to the past and alternative ways of finding things.

It reminds us all of this slower, more old-fashioned way of living that just feels right.

You’ll often spy a few pieces of my milk glass collection and other antiques in my photos, like these apple cider scones or these DIY toilet bombs.

vintage home decor on a budget
apple cider scones on a milk glass plate
vintage blue mason jar with homemade toilet bombs.

Fun Facts about Rachael

  • I was born in Scotland as an American citizen but only lived there until I was 9 months old.
  • After moving and traveling so much in my childhood, I really can’t stand moving and don’t enjoy flying anymore. I’d rather be home (or in the woods).
  • I’ve lived in Washington for 17 years total (7 years as a child and 10 years as an adult), which is much longer than I’ve ever lived anywhere else.
  • I went to high school on an American military base in England and graduated in a cathedral.
  • As a child, I was an avid reader and would routinely bring home a mountain of books from the library. I still have a thing for used bookstores and absolutely love learning.
  • I have a deep, deep love of antiques, specifically kitchen equipment. I collect stoneware mixing bowls, crocks, and a variety of tools and equipment.
  • I was a teacher for 3 years and consider this blog a way to continue that tradition in a way that feels a bit less stressful.
  • I weave baskets and often sell them or teach basket-weaving classes for fun.
  • I’m married and have a mini Labradoodle named Rosie and a rescue cat named Hillybilly Potatoleaf (“Billy” for short).
  • I am sensitive to fragrance, so we are a completely fragrance-free household.

Press

Milk Glass Home has been highlighted on a variety of other blogs and websites! Here are some of those features:

Redfin: 16 Expert-Approved Earth Day Tips for Going Green at Home

Homes & Gardens: How to save money at home – 20 expert ways to cut bills in 2022

Sustainable Minimalists: Desperation Dinners 

Dr. John La Puma: Anxiety and Nature As Experienced by Content Creators

Pretty Progressive: Best Environmentally Friendly Presents For Your Loved Ones

Where the magic happens

More often than not, you’ll find me tinkering in the kitchen working on a recipe, feeding our sourdough starter, cleaning up thrifted antiques, or even starting seeds.

Where you can find me!

When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m in the garden or heading to the farmstand. I share my projects, favorite products, and more on Instagram.

Let’s be on this Journey together!

Life is best lived with others. I’d love to share my recipes and posts with you through my email list.

I’ll send you a free gift to help you jumpstart your from scratch lifestyle, too.