At Ease Homestead

At Ease Homestead At Ease Homestead, a small veteran managed homestead. Two old Marines At Ease living our best lives! Leonard has been our home for just over ten years.

Hello and welcome to the At Ease Homestead (previously known as Clucks and Quacks)

I’m Toni and along with my husband Bob we have a small homestead in Leonard, Michigan. Prior to that we lived in Oxford for thirteen years. We're both from the east coast. I'm from NJ and he's from PA. The Marine Corps brough us to Michigan in 1995 where I completed my last tour of duty. We have two grown children

and two beautiful granddaughters. The eldest makes occasional appearances in my posts. I love gardening, food preservation, cooking and raising poultry- chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, turkeys and a sole goose. I have a running joke that after becoming an empty nester I had to find a different kind of nest. I started raising poultry in 2017. A dozen birds has grown, and I have loved every minute of it. In 2022 we added forest raised pork to the homestead as well. We thoroughly enjoyed having pigs and plan to continue raising them seasonally. Eventually we plan to add dairy goats and other small livestock. Here you will find posts and updates sharing critter shenanigans, a bit of gardening, home food preservation and pantry stocking information along with general small scale homesteading that prioritizes stewardship. The At Ease Homestead is our little holding that sustains our family, provides us an opportunity to learn as we grow and connect with simple things that bring us joy and a bit of good healthy dirt under our nails.

Ah the smell of fresh baked bread on an early chilly morning. Sourdough ciabatta!
09/11/2026

Ah the smell of fresh baked bread on an early chilly morning. Sourdough ciabatta!

Tonight's edition of what the garden inspired for supper- Fresh Genovese pesto over pasta with homegrown b***d, skin on ...
09/11/2026

Tonight's edition of what the garden inspired for supper-

Fresh Genovese pesto over pasta with homegrown b***d, skin on chicken breast. A side salad of roasted mini bell peppers, red onion, cucumbers, garlic and mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes dressed in a simple fermented mustard and balsamic vinegrette.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's inspiration using the remaining dark meat and whatever I find in the garden. I kinda want potatoes but I don't want to dig any up yet.

Even if you don't raise your own poultry you should consider whole birds. They are typically less expensive, easy to bre...
09/10/2026

Even if you don't raise your own poultry you should consider whole birds. They are typically less expensive, easy to breakdown and you'll have a larger yield. It's zero waste and includes an instant soup starter. Tonight we're having the breast meat with a salad and homemade pesto.

This morning's collection is available (1-1/2 dozen). When claiming it's helpful to include your preferred pickup windo...
09/10/2026

This morning's collection is available (1-1/2 dozen).

When claiming it's helpful to include your preferred pickup window. If I'm not able to accommodate that time I'll message you to work out an alternative.

Did it rain recently bc I spy a rainbow!
09/10/2026

Did it rain recently bc I spy a rainbow!

I haven't been canning much this summer. Most years I put up 400-500 jars. Thankfully my pantry is still very well stoc...
09/10/2026

I haven't been canning much this summer. Most years I put up 400-500 jars. Thankfully my pantry is still very well stocked with home canned products so I'm enjoying not being chained to the canners.

I have been squirreling away gallons and gallons of roasted tomatoes in freezer bags and grill roasted tomatillos to make salsa and sauce with at the end of the season this year.

I have been blanching and vacuum sealing string beans and chopping peppers for the freezer.

The freeze dryer has recently ran big batches of pork and beef liver, smoked peppers, smoked sweet corn, elerberries and more.

My cucumbers weren't great this year so no dill pickles. :( This year I'm making more fermented peppers, relishes and kraut than I typically would.

The onions and garlic are fully cured and in storage. I still need to harvest potatoes, dry beans, beets and carrots but they can all wait. I seeded winter greens and lettuces in the high tunnel to hopefully provide some late season fresh produce.

Little by little I'm stocking up so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor this winter. Next week I will have pork curing in the garage fridge and filling a freezer. The final harvesting will be in November with the turkeys and a thinning of 12-15 of my laying hens.

I know we still have some warm season left but this year has been physically challenging for me. I've managed to hobble around and get done what I need to but truthfully I'm looking forward to the slow, cooler season full of soup pots, crusty homemade bread, meaty roasts, potatoes and good books cuddled up in a chair with a cup of hot homegrown herbal tea.

I almost forgot to make zucchini sauce this season! Slow roast your zucchini with lots of good quality olive oil, lots ...
09/09/2026

I almost forgot to make zucchini sauce this season!

Slow roast your zucchini with lots of good quality olive oil, lots and lots of garlic, fresh herbs, salt, and some crushed pepper flakes. Cut into bite size pieces and toss into a large pan.

Smash some of the zucchini and all of the garlic with the tines of a fork to make the sauce base. Leave some zucchini pieces chunky for texture.

Cook your favorite pasta al dente and add to the pan with zucchini. Add a splash or so of cream to the pan along with your favorite grated cheese (I used a pecorino romano) and stir. If needed use a little bit of that starchy pasta water to adjust the sauce thickness.

I pan fried some thin "Scout" chops with sage and thyme and topped them with a smidge of homemade cranberry mostorda.

This morning I picked a handful of beans and prepared them in brown butter. Good eating for sure!

Two dozen available. When claiming it's helpful to include your preferred pickup window. If I'm not able to accommodate ...
09/09/2026

Two dozen available.

When claiming it's helpful to include your preferred pickup window. If I'm not able to accommodate that time I'll message you to work out an alternative.

Another night of "The garden decides what's for dinner".Salmon pasta salad with pumpkin spice jalapenos, mini bell peppe...
09/08/2026

Another night of "The garden decides what's for dinner".

Salmon pasta salad with pumpkin spice jalapenos, mini bell peppers, red onion, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, dill, thyme, cucumbers, blanched red noodle beans & string beans tossed with rotini and a simple lemon, homemade mustard and honey dressing served on a bed of mixed garden lettuces with kalamata olives. 👩‍🍳😘

I wanted a handful of beans for supper tonight. I wasn't planning on processing beans today. I wonder if my friend that ...
09/08/2026

I wanted a handful of beans for supper tonight. I wasn't planning on processing beans today. I wonder if my friend that has taken that last two baskets full will take another so I can be lazy? 🙃

Address

5395 Rochester Road
Leonard, MI
48367

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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