Urban Homestead Kitchen Tour!

Hey guys, welcome to my home and urban homestead. This summer I shared an in-depth kitchen tour with Lindsay from Cultivate Nourishing, but knew in the back of my mind that you voyeurs would like to peek inside my kitchen, too. Let's head into the kitchen and get down to business, shall we? 

In our 1840's home (yes, EIGHTEEN - 40s), we've found our kitchen to be one of the most important and functional spaces yet.

While our kitchen has been updated and is fully modern, we manage to preserve some traditional, self-sufficient ways of living. Cooking from scratch and preserving food from my garden (or what we've gleaned from others) is our favorite kitchen activity. 

Because of the nice island in the center of the kitchen and ample counter space, we also host barbecues and parties several times a year. Our kitchen is the perfect place to set up a buffet line!

One of my favorite features is the farmhouse sink. We do have a dishwasher that we use regularly, but this pretty sink makes doing dishes more fun.

I'm kidding. Nothing makes hand washing dishes fun. Not even a cool sink. 

An essential part of our kitchen is a dry erase board that holds the weekly meal plan. Each weekend I write up the meal plan for the upcoming week, as well as any special events that might be occurring. 

I keep our measuring cups, spoons and a few other essentials in an upper cupboard. This area used to be a huge, messy, clustered nightmare until I used some Command hooks to reclaim the space. Check it out:

In the lower cabinets below that is a handy pull-out spice cabinet. Most of my spices come from our local Amish bulk foods store and are kept in mason jars.

You might have noticed by now that I don't have a lot of countertop clutter, and the same is true for most of my cabinets. For example, these are the two, extra-deep drawers for my pots and pans:

I've found that these are what I use most, so I don't keep anything more around.

My empty canning jars, rings and lids are also in a handy spot above the fridge. I got tired of running to the basement for canning supplies, so I cleared a cupboard of clutter and moved my supplies to the kitchen. Best.Decision.Ever.

My minimalist approach to pots and pans is also present with my dishes. We were gifted a beautiful set of dishes for our wedding, so we use them. We also collected nice bowls and serving dishes, and keep them in a handy spot as well. Life is too short to not use your pretty table wear. 

We also have a pantry and butler on one entire wall. This is the home for most of my food storage, as well as a few essential appliances (food processor and hand mixer, anyone?), and cookbooks.  

I keep my favorite cookbooks on display for easy reference, but that changes often. Right now, I have my Ball Book of Home Preserving and Pioneer Woman books at the ready.

Also in the wall-o-cupboards is my stockpile of baking supplies:

And a a portion of my preserved harvest:

There are a few special items in my kitchen that don't serve a physical purpose, but are integral in the space. Like two framed recipe cards, handwritten by my great-grandmother and grandmother. Both were given to me at my bridal shower.

I'm also diggin' the spot where I hang my aprons:

I like to keep a clear countertop, and of the few items that stay out regularly are our little compost bucket, the bread machine, the dog's treat jar, and our thermal lunch totes.

You might also find a bowl of garden produce and an olive oil dispenser. And that's about it.

Our kitchen is a home-y, clean, functional space. It's truly the center of our urban homestead.


What do you think? Leave a comment!