About
Living From Scratch is a blog and resources dedicated to a more self sufficient outlook on life. One that relies more on homemade food, goods and materials rather than running to the store to buy everything.
This blog was started a couple years ago when I developed a passion for homesteading. My passion for homesteading led to a monthly published newsletter on the topic and this blog went dormant for some time. Now as I get more involved in homeschooling my children and require more time to plan our days, I’ve put an end to the newsletter and will reclaim my blog. Anything I would have put in the newsletters will be found here, and I’ll also be publishing new books on homesteading and scratch cooking in the near future. This is all as time allows of course.
I have also felt led to begin a ministry that focuses on teaching others the skills of self sufficiency that can be used in any housing situation (apartment, home, country or city) while encouraging wives and mothers on their paths to glorify our Lord in the way they train their children, treat their husbands and run their homes. While I don’t believe the time to get fully involved in that is right now, I would be delighted to connect with other Christian women and if you’re local I’d enjoy teaching you the things that have become a lifestyle for us in the ‘burbs. From gardening, to canning, to sewing, to making and using cloth diapers, to homebirthing, to making soap, making completely homemade meals from scratch, bible studies, conversation and more. Let me know when you’re available and I’ll let you know what’s going on! I’m always up for a companion with bulk cooking, Christmas cookie baking, gift making, sewing and more!
As for more about myself, my name is Sarah Kostyu and I am the mother of four children. I’m also a wife, child of God, business owner, homemaker and love the homeschooling and homesteading lifestyle. We live in Melvindale, MI. Our lifestyle is very much that of ‘from scratch.’ I am always looking at the things we buy and asking myself how I could make it myself. I try to help anyone who is interested in this sort of a lifestyle and have found so many people have a deep desire to learn these things but they just don’t know where to start!
I found interest in the ‘homesteading’ lifestyle when I became pregnant with our first. Call it mommy instincts or whatever have you, I went from cooking from boxes and cans to wanting to learn how to actually cook, using ingredients and kitchen utensils. From there I wanted to clean my home better, then I wanted to learn how to sew so I could make cloth diapers… One thing led to another and this type of a lifestyle became a passion. I grow a large garden each year, preserve our excess while helping others by giving away fresh garden produce, garden with quality seed and then save seed from good vegetables to use again in the garden next year, I bake our own breads, prepare our own seasonings and spices, cook from scratch and continually look for recipes to make things I might otherwise buy, we compost to add nice soil to the garden each year and don’t let food go to waste – raw veggie scraps go in the compost pile or are saved for stock, most meat bones are saved for stock along with meat scraps, beef fat is collected to render tallow for soap, we are preparing our backyard for meat rabbits and chickens, I like to sew, make soap, make our own household cleaners (and then let my children help clean with non-toxic solutions), maintain a household notebook, and you’ll always find me looking for ways to help us live better within our means. We also homeschool our children and I love it!