Barrel Creek Ranch
A life rooted in land, food, and making things by hand
Our StoryBarrel Creek Ranch is a working ranch and creative home in Southwest Florida — a place for growing food, raising animals, preserving family recipes, and building ideas meant to last.
Barrel Creek Ranch is more than land — it’s a way of living.
I’m a veteran, a wife, a mother of three, and a lifelong builder. I met my husband while serving in 3rd Special Forces Group. After 23 years of service and a career rooted in discipline and responsibility, we chose a life closer to the land — one that values skill, patience, and care.This is where we raise animals, grow food, make things by hand, and gather the stories that shape our family. It’s where herbs are grown for the kitchen and apothecary, bread is baked, butter is churned, and recipes are written the slow way — through living.Barrel Creek Ranch is the foundation beneath everything I create, including a family cookbook called About Thyme — a collection of recipes, travel stories, and memories meant to warm kitchens for generations.
About Thyme
Some of the best memories are made right where the food is—around a well-worn table, with laughter in the background and something simmering on the stove. About Thyme is a love letter to family, tradition, and the Southern way of turning simple ingredients into something meaningful.
This cookbook is filled with recipes passed down, written in the margins, and perfected over years of Sunday suppers, busy school nights, and front-porch conversations. You’ll find comforting classics, fresh takes on familiar favorites, and dishes meant to be shared—because in this kitchen, no one eats alone.
More than just a collection of recipes, About Thyme tells the story of a home where food is how love shows up. It’s about feeding the people you care about, gathering them close, and creating moments that linger long after the plates are cleared.
Come on in, pull up a chair, and stay awhile. The table’s set.
The Way We Live Here
Barrel Creek Ranch is built on the belief that good things take time.
Here, food is grown, animals are raised with care, and much of what we use is made by hand. We value knowing where things come from — our ingredients, our skills, and our stories.
This ranch is shaped by a life of service, discipline, and responsibility, and softened by family, creativity, and the daily work of tending land and home.
Everything that grows from Barrel Creek Ranch — whether food, writing, or ideas — is rooted in patience, intention, and respect for the natural world.
