Close-up of a woman in a peach blouse smiling and leaning against a kitchen counter, with fresh flour and wheat berries visible beside her.

About Emily

Heritage BAKER · From Scratch Recipe Creator · HOME MILLER WITH 25+ YEARS EXPERIENCE·

I’m Emily — a lifelong heritage baker, home miller, and from-scratch recipe creator shaped by the rhythms of my grandparents’ homestead.

I grew up watching handmade food come together in cozy farmhouse kitchen: flour milled fresh daily, mason jars cooling on towels, dough rising quietly in warm kitchen corners and all the meals cooked from scratch.

Those early moments taught me that comfort is something you create with your hands, and that a home finds its soul in the small, steady work you do inside it.

Today, I carry those same rhythms into my own cottage kitchen — milling fresh flour, tending to sourdough, baking from scratch recipes, and sharing the cozy cottage lifestyle that has grounded me for more than 25 years.

A Lifelong Love of Cottage Living

My love of the cottage lifestyle began on my grandparents’ homestead. My Grandmother Nub taught me how to mill flour, make sourdough, sew, can garden produce, and find beauty in the quiet tasks that hold a home together. She called house chores home blessings.

My grandfather taught me to listen, pay attention, work with a gentle but steady hand, and treat others with kindness. He believed in showing respect, savoring the day you’re given, and sitting at the family table with manners, elbows off, heart open, and to always say your blessings.

As I grew older, those early lessons shaped the way I built my home and my life.

Freshly milled sourdough on the counter, a sourdough starter always in use, fermenting saurkraut in a crock (from my grandparents, I learn early to eat some with every meal), shelves filled with home-canned foods, and the kind of kitchen where people gather because it feels cozy and welcoming.

Hands holding a warm loaf of rosemary sourdough bread, showing off its rustic and artisanal design with a floral scoring pattern.
Hands holding a scoop of golden wheat berries over a jar.
Join The Cozy Cottage Community Today!
Receive exclusive cozy homemade recipes, seasonal rhythms, and the beauty of cozy cottage living—woven together, straight from my cottage hearth to yours.
Thank you for joining our cozy community. A welcome letter is on its way to your inbox.
A woman standing in a snowy landscape, wearing a pink fleece jacket, gray beanie, plaid scarf, and jeans. She holds a floral teacup, enjoying the serene winter scene.

More Than Recipes — A Way of Living

This space isn’t just about what’s on the table, but also what happens around it. You’ll find glimpses of cozy cottage living here as well — the little rituals and seasonal rhythms that make life gentler and more grounded.

Whether you’re here for the recipes, the rhythm, or the reminder to pause, I hope you’ll find inspiration to build a home that feels cozy, welcoming, and deeply yours.

Woman standing in a cozy kitchen, scooping whole wheat berries from a glass jar into a wooden grain mill, with a bowl of freshly milled flour on the counter.

Join Me in the Cottage Kitchen

If you’d like to begin your own freshly milled flour journey, start inside The Cottage Mill — a fresh flour resource library for home bakers ready to mill, bake, and learn the art of freshly milled flour.

I would also like to invite you to join Our Cozy Cottage Community to receive weekly letters from my cottage hearth — stories, seasonal recipes, and practical guidance to bring warmth and rhythm into your week.

Get To Know Me

Go To Cozy Rituals to wind down

A good cup of tea & a good book

Couldn’t live without

My mockmill and wheat berries!

Favorite Cottage Garden Plants

pumpkins & dahlias

My Dream

To share and enjoy this amazing cottage lifestyle with others !

My Favorite Music

A blend of folk, classical, and indie music.

Crafts I enjoy

sewing, needlework, and cozy diy’s

Favorite Colors

sage green & pink

Most Days You’ll find me

In the kitchen, homeschooling, or in the garden.

Favorite Cozy Series

Lark Rise to Candleford, & Anne with an E

Favorite Hobbies

cooking, gardening, chickens, heritage skills

“Cottage living is about savoring the beauty of everyday moments — baking from scratch, living with intention, and finding joy in the rhythm of the seasons.” –Emily Rider

Explore The Recipes New? Start here!

FAQ’s

I started baking with sourdough at just 3 years old, standing beside my grandmother in her kitchen. She never called it sourdough—she simply said, “Go get the thick leaven from the refrigerator.” It was a no-fuss, no-waste method she used for beautiful loaves of bread, biscuits, pancakes, and so much more.

Time got lost and things changed after my grandparents passed away. Then at the age of 21, a neighbor rekindled that spark by gifting me a bag of freshly milled flour and a jar of sourdough starter. I’ve been baking with it ever since, using the same low-maintenance, no-waste routine my grandmother taught me.

You can learn my exact starter method—passed down and simplified for modern kitchens—in my Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe post.

I’ve found that combining freshly milled flour with sourdough has done wonders for my digestion, especially in midlife. It’s wholesome, easy, and truly sustainable.

I first time I milled flour was at the age of three beside my grandmother Nub. The first time I milled in my own home was in 1999, long before it became a trending topic online. At just 21 years old, I was newly married and determined to nourish my family with real, whole food just like my granparent did. I first discovered Sue Becker’s work through The Bread Beckers, and her teachings and my granmother Nubs’ wisdom and guidance laid the foundation for everything I’ve learned since.

Back then, there weren’t blogs or reels to guide the way—just real-life experience, handwritten notes, and a deep desire to bake better for my family. Milling my own flour became part of my homemaking rhythm, and it’s still one of the most grounding things I do.

It’s more than just flour—it’s a ritual of nourishment, simplicity, and connection to my past. “PS~I deeply Love you Nub and all you gifted me and the world, Love, Em” (just incase she sees this from up above!)

You can explore more Fresh Milled Flour guides and recipes here at The Modern Day Cottage. Printable charts, tutorials, and new inspiration are coming soon!

It began in the summers of my childhood, visiting my grandparents’ farm in rural Oklahoma—a place where slow living wasn’t a trend, but simply the way life was lived.

I was just three years old the first time I stepped onto that land, and I was enchanted by everything: the rhythm of the seasons, the quiet simplicity, the freedom of it all.

Even then, I dreamed of a version that felt a little softer, more feminine—skirts brushing past garden rows, afternoons that echoed Anne of Green Gables, Tasha Tudor, and the poetry of life on a smaller, gentler scale.

My grandparents had farming in their blood—stretching back through 10 generations or more. And though they never called it anything special, I know it wove itself quietly into the fabric of who I am today.

I love the sights, sounds, and scents of farm life—from the first cut of hay being baled in the sun, to the scent of sourdough rising on the countertop, to the soft peeps of chicks hatching beneath a broody hen gathering up her clutch.

These tender rhythms are balm to my soul—held now on a smaller scale, in a cottage on 1 acre of land.

Now, here, I carry those rhythms forward with intention and care.

It’s my way of honoring a life where everything was done by hand, with heart and soul—where nourishing the body, mind, and spirit was woven into each day.

Not a farm like my Grandparents had, but a cottage—rooted in that same devotion, with gentler edges and a feminine touch.

The Modern Day Cottage grew out of my lifelong love for slow cottage living. I wanted to create a place where readers could step away from the rush of a busy life and rediscover the beauty of baking from scratch, savoring the seasons, and tending to a home with care. My hope is that this space feels like a well-worn kitchen table — a place where stories are shared, recipes are passed down, and every day moments are celebrated.

Yes, I live in a cottage—one my husband custom built and we thoughtfully designed after we downsized from our forever home. It’s 1,048 square feet, with two bedrooms, two baths, and an open floor plan—every inch crafted with care and intention.

Set on one acre, it’s small but deeply loved—filled with warmth, purpose, and the quiet rhythm of daily life.

Yes — every recipe you find here is either created or passed down, and has been tested, and refined in my own cottage kitchen. I draw on over 44 years of hands-on baking experience(if your countiung the first time at the age of 3 helping my MawMaw Nub in her homestead kitchen), especially with freshly milled flour, to craft recipes that feel timeless yet approachable. Each one has been baked, tasted, and enjoyed by my family before it ever finds its way to the Homemade Recipes collection on the blog.

I do. Every photograph you see is taken by me or my daughter, often in the natural light of our home. My goal is to capture the real textures, colors, and feelings of the food and moments I share — from a golden loaf cooling on the counter to a table set for Sunday supper. You’ll often see my photography in posts within the Freshly Milled Flour How-To section, where I love showing each step as clearly and beautifully as possible.

Freshly milled flour brings a depth of flavor, nutrition, and authenticity that pre-packaged flours simply can’t match. Milling my own grains allows me to work with the freshest ingredients possible, keeping all the natural oils, aromas, and nutrients intact. It’s a tradition rooted in the past, yet perfectly suited to the modern home baker who wants food that is both wholesome and full of character. If you’re curious to learn more, you can explore my Freshly Milled Flour How-To guides for tips and techniques.

Emily’s Favorite Recipes

More Favorites

Shop My Favorites

These are the tools, staples, and small comforts I reach for in my own cottage kitchen—simple things that truly earn their place.

Kitchen Essentials