Welcome to Bread, Blooms, and Belonging. I am so glad you’ve found your way here. If you’ve ever felt the pull toward a slower, more intentional way of living—one marked by the scent of sourdough in the oven, the dirt beneath your fingernails, and the quiet rhythm of a home-centered life—then you are in good company. At Loaves & Groves, we believe that the most nourishing things aren't found in a hurry. They are cultivated over time. They are found in the bubbles of a seven-y

If you’ve been maintaining a sourdough starter for any length of time, you know the "discard dilemma." Every time you feed your starter to keep it bubbly and active, a portion of that fermented gold usually ends up in the bin. But here’s the secret: that discard is packed with tangy flavor and natural acidity that can transform your everyday cooking. It’s time to stop seeing it as waste and start seeing it as a secret ingredient. From crunchy snacks to fluffy breakfast stacks

If you’ve spent even one season gardening in Florida, you know our soil (or "sand," as we more accurately call it) is a hungry beast. In a raised bed environment, where we are often growing intensely in a quarterly rotation, that hunger is amplified. To keep your spinach lush and your loquat trees happy, you can't just plant and pray—you have to feed the foundation. Maintaining fertility in a subtropical climate requires a shift in thinking. Here is how to keep your raised be

There is a specific kind of magic that happens around a farmhouse table. It’s in the steam rising from a fresh loaf of einkorn bread, the dirt under fingernails after a morning in the garden, and the unfiltered conversation that flows when phones are put away. It is the essence of belonging. As I’ve grown Loaves & Groves, I’ve often wrestled with a big question: Can that deep, tactile sense of community survive the jump to a digital space? Can an Etsy shop or a blog ever feel

The Seasonal Starter: How humidity and temperature shifts in Florida affect your fermentation rhythm and how to adjust.

Stocking the Natural Pantry: Essentials for a Self-Sufficient Home ​There is a unique sense of peace that comes from looking at a well-organized shelf and knowing you have the foundations to create, heal, and nourish right at your fingertips. Whether you are transitioning to a more handmade lifestyle or simply want to streamline your home rhythm, "the stocked shelf" is about more than just storage—it’s about preparedness and intentionality. ​Here are the four pillars of a fun

The Essential Florida Apothecary: A Starter List Building an apothecary shelf is a journey of connecting with the land around you. In our Orlando garden, the sun and humidity create a unique environment for certain "blooms" to truly thrive. If you are using my Homeopathic Recipe & Organization Template , these five herbs are the perfect place to start. They are resilient, versatile, and carry a deep sense of belonging in a traditional Southern kitchen. 1. Rosemary (The Heart

If you were to peek into my kitchen here in Orlando, you’d see two very different worlds organized with the same level of care. One is my Stocked Pantry Shelf , and the other is my Apothecary Shelf . Together, they are the command center of our handmade life. The Stocked Shelf: The Foundation of the Meal The stocked shelf is all about the "Bread." It’s where the sacks of Einkorn and ancient grains sit alongside jars of honey and sea salt. This shelf is built on the rhythm of

In the quiet of a Wednesday morning, before the flour starts to fly and the first sourdough loaf is scored, our home finds its truest rhythm. The "grove" is waking up outside, but inside, the focus shifts to the small hands and big questions gathered around our wooden table. In this space, Belonging isn't just a category on a blog—it’s the very soul of why we do what we do at Loaves & Groves. The Homeschool Hearth For our family, belonging starts with the decision to learn t

There is a specific kind of magic that happens in an Orlando garden as we transition into the deeper warmth of spring. While the rest of the world might just be seeing their first sprouts, our "grove" is alive with the hum of bees and the steady, rhythmic clucking of the chickens in the yard. In this season of Blooms , the garden isn't just a place to grow food—it’s a sanctuary. It’s where homeschooling lessons move outside under the shade of a tree, and where the "apothecary

At Loaves & Groves, the sourdough starter is the heartbeat of our kitchen. Every week, I receive so many questions about how to care for these "little guys," as my daughter likes to call them. I’ve been nurturing my own starter for years, and it has become an essential part of our family’s rhythm. There is something so deeply comforting about warm, crusty bread straight from the oven or a sourdough cobbler shared after a long day. If you’ve been nervous that maintaining a st

At Loaves & Groves, our journey always returns to the basics: flour, water, and the quiet magic of fermentation. Learning to craft a sourdough starter from scratch is more than just a recipe; it is an invitation to bring a living, breathing tradition into your home. This one versatile ingredient is the soul of our kitchen, breathing life into artisanal boules, tender cakes, farmhouse cookies, and so much more. If you’ve spent any time exploring the world of traditional, nouri

Hope you guys find this helpful! Feel free to DM me (@loavesandgroves) on Instagram if you have any questions! Day 1 : Before you start , record your jars weight without the lid 100g stone ground rye flour 150g lukewarm water @85 degrees F Day 2 : 70g mature starter (jar weight + 70g = what your jar should weigh when the correct amount of starter has been removed) 50g stoneground rye flour 50g unbleached all purpose flour 115g lukewarm water @85 degrees F Day 3 : S

These are all the tools I love and use from Amazon. These bowls are fantastic as they nest inside each other. I own all four and I have noticed that they help in keeping the dough cool during the rising process, especially beneficial in Florida where the temperatures tend to be on the warmer side. Mora Ceramic Extra Big 5.5 & 3.6 Qt - White Mora Ceramic 2.5 & 1.6 Qt - White Jars for sourdough starter: I use these interchangeably depending on the task at hand. Weck Tulip Jar