Direction.

Hello. My name is Jill and I've recently (okay, its been 6 months now) planted myself on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington. Upon completing my graduate coursework in Olympia, I moved up here to set roots with my partner, Justin, who builds leaders and trails in Olympic National Park. We share lovely yellow house with a lovely yellow kitchen with our kitten Scott. We've both been in Washington for about five years; Justin is from Pittsburgh and I am from central Illinois, but looking out our kitchen window to find snowcapped mountains in one direction and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the other still makes our hearts smile each day.

I'm in a sort of whirlwind of figuring out my how I truly want to focus my energy in my worklife and such. Currently, I work at Nash's Organic Produce in Sequim. I talk food security and food deliciousity while selling produce as member of the farmstore team. I also work at Johnston's Farm in Agnew as a Jill-of-all-Trades--mostly harvesting, planting, and getting soil under my fingernails. Nash's Farm is quite large--about 300 acres--,while the Johnston's farm is about 7 acres, so getting to work on the two farms is a great contrast of local organic food production. Needless to say, my family eats pretty darn well. I'm constantly inspired by the variety of produce that comes in the from the fields and the creativity of all of the people in this region that nourish our local foodshed. So, I hope to have recipes and and stories to share about both inspirations. Haling from the plains of the Midwest, I also draw a lot of comfort and inspiration from my homeland, so I may frequently--and with rosey nostalgia--offer recipes and stories from there.

I'm hoping that this blog will evolve into a working reflection of my passions or driving force. So far, I think that has a lot to do with the idea putting down some roots--in relation to people and the landscape of Western Washington that I currently call home.