HELLO, I'm Meg Austin, R.D.H, B.S.D.H!
I'm a (freshly retired) dental hygienist, homesteader, gardener and sourdough baker who was raised on a fifth generation family farm. My grandparents were gardening and preserving food while I played at their feet and later practiced my skills alongside them.
Featured published work
I teach gardening, food preservation and basic cooking methods to my audience of more than 100,000 here on the blog and on instagram. This is a community of folks who want to learn traditional ways of living and practice ancestral skills.
My work has been featured in published books, such as The FarmMade Essential Skills book and The Homestead Documentary plus websites such as Bootstrap Farmer and Petra Tools.
I have partnered with extension offices, local libraries, NRCS, 4-H, FFA and taught in-person classes on gardening, canning, sourdough and basic cooking skills.
My personal life
My husband and I live on a little homestead on the prairie with our three sons. We raise kune kune pigs, jersey dairy cattle, chickens, and attempt to grow, hunt or raise as much of our food as possible.
For me, cooking is all about connection. I had the opportunity to be mentored by my grandparents, and I want to provide that same experience for new homesteaders who want to learn, but don't know where to start.
WHY NINNESCAH MADE?
I wanted a name that reflected the heritage of our little homestead along the Ninnescah River in Kansas. The word 'ninnescah' means 'sweet water' in Osage, the language of the Native Americans who settled this area. I thought naming our homestead after the Ninnescah River was a nod to our roots as we write our own chapter in this beautiful space.
In hindsight, I really picked a hard name to both pronounce and remember, didn't I? As I'm typing this, my body language is half-laughing, half-apologetic smile. But hey, you found me! So yay for you - I'm so glad you did! Meg's Kitchen might have been a wiser choice, but here we are!
Anyways, in the beginning years of the blog, I was making and selling handmade goods out of my home, hence the ‘made’ part of the name.
Since then, I have transitioned from creating physical products to focusing on teaching gardening tips, food preserving strategies and recipes from scratch.
While the focus has shifted, my commitment to providing inspiring and educational content is forever at the heart of Ninnescah Made.
THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY!
Looking for a place to start browsing? My favorite recipes are my Sourdough Sandwich Bread, Banana Pudding (the one with vanilla wafers!) and grandma's old-fashioned Cucumber Salad.
Email me at [email protected] or send me a message on Instagram @ninnescahhomestead