Real Food. Real Life. Rooted in Tradition.
Hi, I’m Elle. Midwest mama, hunter’s wife, recipe developer, and seasonal kitchen keeper. I help busy families preserve the harvest, cook venison with confidence, and bring real, from-scratch meals to the table, no matter where they live.
I didn’t grow up farming. I didn’t grow up cooking venison or canning tomatoes. But somewhere between grief and grit, I found my way into a life I never expected, and a kitchen that changed everything.
It started in 2013 on a tiny third-of-an-acre lot tucked under too much shade. I had no clue what I was doing, but I dug a garden anyway. A few years later, we moved onto a full acre, and for eight years we did all the things... chickens, turkeys, ducks, dairy goats, rabbits, meat birds, homeschooling, the works. Our pantry shelves were full, our freezer was stuffed with wild game, and my to-do list was endless.
And while that life grounded me through some of the hardest years... losing my mom, figuring out who I was, trying (and ultimately hating) homeschooling. It was also overwhelming. Exhausting. And, if I’m honest? Not really for me.
We’d planned to move onto more land. Instead, we ended up in the suburbs of a small city to be closer to family and care for my grandmother. It wasn’t the dream. But it was right.
Now, my kids go to school. I have two goats I keep meaning to sell. I garden in raised beds. I hit the farmer’s market. I still cook with venison, still hunt, still fish, still fill jars with jam, salsa, and soup... but I do it from a place of balance. Not burnout.
I don’t miss the pressure to “do it all.” I don’t miss the homesteading culture that says you have to raise every bite of your food, believe every pseudoscientific claim, and opt out of modern life just to be part of the club.
I believe food freedom is for everyone, not just people with land, livestock, and time.
I taught myself how to can in a galley kitchen. I made my first loaf of bread there, too. I bought a water bath canner, a pressure canner, and some jars, then figured it out with a book and a lot of trial and error. I learned how to cook the venison my husband had been bringing home since 2009. Eventually, I learned how to hunt it myself, and how to make it taste so good it turned everything I’d been told about “gamey” meat on its head.
And that’s why I started The Rustic Elk. At first, it was just to document our life on a little postage-stamp homestead. But over time, it’s become something more.
Now, I share what I love: practical, seasonal food, whether it’s garden-grown or Costco-bought. I write for the moms like me who love the idea of a home-cooked life but don’t want to do it all from scratch all the time. For the women who feel like outliers in a world that says you either grind yourself into the dirt or give it all up.
You don’t need a farm to feed your family well.
You just need some jars, a good knife, and a reason to keep going.
What I Believe
Food doesn’t have to be fancy to be meaningful.
You don’t need acres of land or a spotless kitchen to make something worth remembering.
Preserving food is about more than jars, it’s about preserving skills, stories, and sanity.
Venison isn’t just “survival meat.” When it’s cooked with care, it’s better than beef.
Cooking from scratch isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
A well-stocked pantry is a quiet kind of power.
You don’t have to do it all. You just have to start.
🌿 New? Start Here
If you’re new to The Rustic Elk, here are a few favorite places to dig in:
• Start Here Page - A guided path through canning, venison, and from-scratch cooking.
• Canning Recipes & Guides - Everything you need to know to get started.
• Venison Recipes - Wild game that’s actually delicious.
• From-Scratch Staples - Homemade pantry basics without the overwhelm.
What Started as a Hobby Became Something More
This blog started as a passion project on a $0 budget and a dream of homemade tomato sauce. These days, The Rustic Elk reaches over 100,000 monthly readers, and my email community includes more than 17,000 seasonal home cooks and food preservers.
I’ve spent over a decade testing canning recipes, experimenting with venison, and figuring out how to feed a hungry family with practical, seasonal food... and I still love every messy, rewarding minute of it.
Behind the Blog
I'm not a chef. I’m a Midwest mom who learned by doing, and failing, and doing again. If you’ve ever cried over a burned batch of jam or fed your family cereal for dinner, you’re in the right place. This space isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, presence, and learning to love the process.
Get the Seasonal Canning Guide
Your go-to resource for preserving the harvest with confidence. Whether you’re a beginner or brushing up on your skills, this guide walks you through the essentials of water bath and pressure canning, without the overwhelm.
You’ll get:
• A beginner-friendly breakdown of both water bath and pressure canning
• Seasonal tips to make the most of your garden or market haul
• Safe, tested methods to preserve fruits, veggies, jams, pickles, and more
• Practical tools and troubleshooting tips for confident home canning
👉 Grab the guide & start preserving with intention today.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools
I get asked about my go-to gear all the time—especially for canning and cooking venison. I’ve gathered my most-used, most-loved tools here:
Whether you’re filling your first jar, butchering your first deer, or just learning to make a damn good biscuit… I’m so glad you’re here.
Welcome to the table. Let’s make something worth keeping.
Let’s fill those shelves, one jar at a time,
Elle McCoy