Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Pilgram
Kelsey , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Greetings,
I am Kelsey Pilgram, the proud Owner of Misty Mountain Homestead, alongside my devoted husband, Nathan. Together, we nurture our four little ones amidst the serene landscapes of rural Minnesota.
The path has been a winding one. As a young wife and mother, it soon became clear that I was but a novice in both roles. Uncertainty and doubt cast shadows over my heart for many years, even since childhood. Yet, God placed a beacon of hope: my husband and children cherished the meals I prepared. Though my culinary skills began with humble hamburger helper, it was the opening door I so desperately needed. The profound impact of being a wife and mother started to emerge. I slowly improved my cooking and learned how to love my family as God asked to me do. I realized very quickly that I found immense joy in serving food to people. Over the years, I have seen more than once how good food can help heal a broken heart. I started baking out of my home in 2017 with just a few scones and cookies here and there for people in the community, but I still found joy in those small things. I remember making classic sugar cookies for my stepfather, whom I didn’t have a great relationship with at the time. When he took a bite, all he did was nod a few times, but it was one of the only compliments I have ever received from him. That was the open door to us healing our relationship, a simple sugar cookie. Unfortunately, a few months later on August 1st, 2018, he was tragically killed from a freak accident at home. This also was the same exact day 8 years earlier that my father passed away, August 1st, 2010. To say that my heart was broken was an understatement. I lost my ability to bake. No matter what I tried baking, it didn’t turn out and I stopped baking all together.
This, however, was not the end of our story. In the spring of 2019, we bought our homestead. 20 acres full of possibilities. With a fondness for Lord of the Rings, we named our farm Misty Mountain Homestead. We started homeschooling our four children and I found myself full of peace and joy. Business was slowly picking up and we began adding all kinds of animals to the farm. I never knew what God had in store for us, but I just choose every day to look after my husband and my children with all my heart and trust the rest into God’s hands.
I am delighted to share that my days of Hamburger Helper have transformed into crafting a completely homemade version, brimming with wholesome ingredients. Misty Mountain Homestead has enchanting aromas of fresh bread, delightful pies, warm cookies, whimsical instrumental melodies, laughter, cherished quotes from Lord of the Rings, hairy pigs, bleating livestock and always hot coffee. What started out as a few scones, has turned into baking over 100 plus loaves of sourdough bread each week, countless sourdough pizza dough, dipping oils, elderberry syrup, fire cider and sourdough rolls. I have started teaching class on how to make sourdough bread and this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have been a part of. I absolutely love being a part of the women’s lives and encouraging them to walk in confidence as women but also as mothers and wives. We now raise no corn, no soy rabbits, chickens and kunekune pigs. As of the beginning of the year. I started working on a cookbook which is coming along nicely. I have shed a few tears during the early morning hours while I work, and the farm is still sleeping. A long-term goal we have is to open our own Misty Mountain General Store right here on the farm.
If you would have known me 20 plus years ago and to who I am now…you would not recognize me. Through the love of God, a faithful husband and children, I have found at last, peace in whom God intended me to be. I have received victory when at one point life had been lost, for so very long.
As J. R. R. Tolkien wrote “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”. I believe this with my whole heart and I will continue to enjoy the sunlight, looking up to the sky and smiling, continually making real, wholesome foods for my community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
After the death of my Father on August 1st of 2010, I began experiencing chronic body pain. As a wife and mother of four children this has not been easy. Everyday felt like struggle and there were many, many times were life felt much too difficult. The only thing that kept me going during this time was the fact that my husband and children needed me and that was my driving force. There were also never any answers as to why I was feeling so horrible. All tests concluded that I was perfectly fine. I have come to the conclusion that the body does in fact keep score. We were built for life everlasting, and the body can only take so much.
Another challenge was our financial situation. Because we choose to homeschool our children and have me stay home with them full time, we found it hard to have available funds to grow our farm. Slowly and with help from true friends we have made our way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in making organic baked goods, especially organic sourdough breads. I have created my own recipe and have started teaching classes right on our farm. The importance of real ingredients is my top concern even, though it may cost more, I will never deviate from this belief. I try to keep my products affordable while maintaining the highest quality I can achieve.
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