About Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico, also known as “DeannaCat” or @deannacat3, is the CEO and creator of Homestead and Chill. She is a garden educator with an MA in Environmental Studies, over 15 years of experience in organic gardening and food preservation, and 10 years experience raising backyard chickens.
Hi, I'm Deanna!
I’m the main person behind Homestead and Chill (it’s just my husband Aaron and I running things here). My goal is to help teach and inspire others to live more healthy, sustainable lives by sharing easy-to-follow, well-researched and experience-based gardening tips, recipes, and homesteading resources.
I am a passionate gardener, writer, crafter, and love to cook and fuel my body with organic homegrown food. I care deeply about the environment, clean toxin-free living, animals, and wildlife. I’m also a bit of a research nerd, have enjoyed photography since I was a little girl, and seem to have a natural knack for teaching. So, I started this website in 2019 to share those passions with the world!
You can learn more about my background, education, personal gardening journey, and other fun facts below, or learn more about Homestead and Chill here.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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Fun Facts
- Aaron and I are happily child-free by choice.
- We currently have 5 cats, 4 mini donkeys, and a dozen chickens. I’ve been a crazy cat lady my whole life, hence the “DeannaCat” moniker.
- We live on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo County. I’m originally from Santa Cruz CA (yes, I say “stoked” and “gnarly”) but also spent several years of my childhood in the greater Seattle area. Aaron is originally from Chico, where we met working at a natural food store together in college.
- I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for over 22 years, and have been vegetarian for 17.
- We just started weighing and keeping track of how much food we grow, and we harvested 1,297 pounds of homegrown produce in 2023! And that’s only counting what made it inside.
- Beyond gardening, I love to read, do yoga, puzzles, play cribbage and board games (we love Wingspan), birdwatch, hike, and walk on the beach. I also love a good Netflix binge.
- Music is a HUGE part of our lives. It’s something Aaron and I bonded over right when we met, and going to concerts is still our main excuse for a “date night” now. See our playlists here.
My Gardening Journey
My mom had a garden while I was growing up, and while I don’t remember being particularly involved, I DO remember being enamored with the juicy homegrown melons, peaches, cherries and grapes! Fast forward to young adulthood: I started my very first garden in 2007. I was 21, had just lost my Dad to kidney cancer, and was struggling to find my path in college (more on that below). I grew just a couple tomato plants, zucchini, and honeydew melon, but the garden gave me a sense of purpose and hope! Aaron and I were dating at the time.
After college, we moved into a rental house and immediately asked the landlord if we could add a couple raised beds to the small backyard. Thankfully, they said yes… “as long as we returned it to same condition we found it”. So when we moved into our very first home the next year, we packed up the soil and bed frames and brought them with us! Lol.
In 2013, we bought our first home. During the house hunt, having a decent little yard and space for chickens was our top priority, even if that meant getting a smaller outdated home for our budget! We ended up with a 9000 square foot lot, and spent the next 8 years slowly DIY-ing and transforming every inch of it. We removed both the front and back lawns to put in raised garden beds, pollinator flowers, and fruit trees. We tucked a chicken coop, rainwater system and greenhouse in one side yard, and compost systems and tool sheds on the other. (You can see the before-and-after photos here.) There, we did and learned pretty much everything we’re doing at our larger property now, just on a smaller scale!
My Background & Education
You don’t need a degree related to gardening or agriculture to dig in, have fun, and be successful! However, my background certainly played a pivotal role in my journey to get here – both in gardening, and to start this business.
I graduated with my B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources from California State University, Chico in 2010. I spent 6 years in undergrad, bouncing around between nursing, physical therapy, and nutrition at first. I started to realize (and become increasingly frustrated with) the disconnect between traditional health sciences, natural health, and the environment. Then in 2007, I also lost my dad to kidney cancer. As a “daddy’s girl”, I was shattered. But it also changed the course of my life forever for the better. Sparked with a new healthy fear of toxins and passion for clean, natural living, I totally switched gears that year: I changed my major, started a job as a Sustainability Coordinator with the university, opened a farmer’s market booth to sell recycled crafts and art, and started my very first garden.
Next, I went on to pursue a MA in Environmental Studies at Brown University. Living on the East Coast for a couple years was a really neat life experience! We were living in an apartment in Providence, Rhode Island when I first read Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and I was like THIS is what I want. To eat with the seasons, to raise backyard chickens, to trade in the excess for the cherished essentials, to keep it local… Even though we didn’t have a garden at the time, we started stocking up on fresh produce from the farmer’s market and practicing different preserving methods. And, we formulated a goal for the future.
Reader Favorites
Starting Homestead and Chill
After grad school, we moved back to California and I got a job as an Environmental Health Specialist with the county. I started out as a restaurant “health inspector” (oof, the stories I could share!) and quickly worked my way up to Senior specialist in the water systems and land use programs. Parts of that gig were fun and rewarding, but as the years went by and older folks retired, they piled more work on my desk rather than filling replacement positions. I was out in the field less and less, and could feel the burnout creeping in fast. I needed an exit strategy.
By 2018, I’d already been really active on Instagram for over 5 years. Sharing gardening tips, DIY projects, and backyard chicken shenanigans online had become my outlet from the grind of my job – especially since I didn’t have many “real life” friends with similar shared interests. Then a good friend gave me a hard shake and was like: “Helllloooo Deanna, you should start a blog!” At that time, I honestly had no idea how a blog could generate income – let alone become both our full-time jobs!
So with zero website experience, I started building this site in late 2018 and launched with just handful of articles in January 2019. The next few years were arguably the most intense and difficult of my life, but also some of the most rewarding! Between my “real job” and the blog, I worked like a crazy person, pulling 12-15 hour days 7 days a week for over 2.5 years. As the site grew, Aaron came on to help with more and more tasks too. Finally by the summer of 2021, we were able to both go full-time with Homestead and Chill! We were also able to move to our new larger homestead at that time. Now, we’re busy as ever and still work 7 days a week (ha!) but at least it’s for something we both love and take great pride in.
All in all, we are totally honored (and a bit mind-blown) that this little “side gig” of a website has evolved into what it is today – and that wouldn’t be possible without YOU, our valued readers and subscriber community. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being here and tuning in! Keep on growing. ✌️
Made with homegrown and certified organic ingredients, we offer a variety of natural skincare products including nourishing face oil, calendula and lavender salve, natural insect repellent, herbal bath salts and more! Browse our shop here.
173 Comments
Donna McKim
Hi Deanna, I am wondering if I could re-do my cannibus salve. By that I mean re heating it without losing the CBD levels that are there. I made it and it is way to green, I should of used more water while doing it. Would it work to add more water now or just leave as is and next time use more water? I have coconut oil, vit e oil, arneca oil, shea butter and some essential oils in it now. It is also quite clumpy and doesn’t spread that great. Any hints for comments for me would be greatly appreciated.
Have a great day, stay safe and warm.
Hugs Donna
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Donna, if your salve is too green then it must be fairly strong (unless it’s green from olive oil?) and will work great when applied as a salve. You don’t want to add water, if anything you would add more oil. You shouldn’t lose too much of the beneficial cannabinoids as long as you keep the salve at a modest temperature and don’t reheat it at too high of a temperature. If you have almond oil, sunflower oil, or olive oil around (oils that are liquid at room temperature compared to coconut which is firm), this will make your salve less clumpy once it hardens. Did you add any beeswax to your salve? Our favorite main ingredient ratio for salves is 4 parts oil, 1 part beeswax, and 1/4 part shea butter. Hope that helps and good luck!
Melissa Miller
I also accidently stumbled onto your website and am so inspired. I moved out to the San Diego area about 3 1/2 years ago, and have a small house with .25 acres. It is amazing what you can fit into it! I am looking forward to exploring your blog and website more, as most of the organic gardening information I find is relevant to everywhere but California! Thanks for filling that niche!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Melissa, we’re glad you found us and hopefully you can find more articles that you find informative and inspirational. Happy gardening!
Robin
I follow Deannacat on IG, but this is my first time on your website. I LOVED reading about your journey that brought you to this point. We just purchased 27 acres of land in Southwestern Oregon for the purpose of having a homestead, gardening/farming, chickens (for eggs only), (a much needed) dog boarding facility, and in the future a senior dog sactuary. I just ordered Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and cannot wait to dive into it. Thank you for sharing your journey and knowledge and helping those, such as myself get started. The information you provide is GOLDEN and you have an amazing website, one that I will be visiting often. God bless.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Robin, good luck on your many endeavors and keep us posted on your progress!
Sunita
I’ve accidentally stumbled upon your website while looking for a recipe to ferment beetroots. Loved reading about your journey and good luck with all you do.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Sunita, hopefully you find some more helpful articles on the site!
Jacqueline
So glad I found your website by accident! I am teaching myself about herbalism, being a better plant-mamma to my existing house and garden plants. Your thoughts inspire me. Thank you for your gift! XO!
Jackie C.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
That is so great to hear Jacqueline, thank you so much for your support and we are glad you found us!
Carol Minard
You are an amazing woman! I stumbled across your ACV recipe on Pinterest and haven’t been able to leave your web sight. Seriously, I want to read everything you’ve ever written! I so appreciate the information I’ve had the pleasure to read and I intend to put it to use as well as share it with all my loved ones. God bless you and your little family in all you do. Thanks so much for putting yourself out there to fuel the flames!
Chrissie
Hi Deanna, I’ve just purchased a 21 gram pack of hemp loose tea. It states natural organic, natural cbd. Ingredients 99% hemp cannabis saliva 1% lemon balm, I’d like to make pain relieving salve for my chronic arthritis. Can I infuse this blend into coconut oil simmering stove top for several hours to extract the pain relieving properties? Should I heat it first to decarbonise in the oven? I can’t buy the dried flowers so was hoping this would be my way of the benefits of hemp into my salve? Please reply and advise me it says on the pack that once boiled the healthy fats found in our seeds enable natural absorption of CBDa and cannabinoids into the body ( acting like a fat). Kindest regards, Chrissie ( in the U.K.)
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Chrissie, does it state the amount of CBD in the loose leaf? You can either heat it in coconut oil for several hours but try and keep the oil temperature in the correct range as to not burn off any beneficial properties or you can decarboxylate the product in an oven (if you go this route, keep an eye on them as the product may burn or overheat if it is a finer material than flower). You also may want to use more than 7-10 grams that is recommended in the salve recipe to ensure that it contains enough CBD for your needs. Hope that helps and good luck!
Al
I have some CBD oil that I purchased in bulk to make salves for arthritis sufferers and a family member who has another joint stiffness issue. Can I use that oil to make this salve recipe? It’s just the hemp oil, full spectrum cbd.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Al, yes you can but since your CBD oil is likely fairly concentrated, you can dilute it some with a regular oil for the salve such as coconut oil, almond oil, sunflower oil etc. A rough estimate would be 1 part CBD oil to 5 parts regular carrier oil if your CBD oil has a higher amount of mg of CBD in it. Hope that helps and good luck!
Jake
bravo bravo 👏👏👏
Deb Case
I have recently started a worm bin after watching your youtube video! since I live in Wisconsin where it can get really cold in the winter I am going to keep it in the house..for now in a corner of the kitchen, once the A/C is off, I will move it to the basement. Once I start collecting the castings, how do I store them over the winter? Can I just dump them in a bin or cat litter bucket to save until spring?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Deb, sounds like you have a good plan and should be good to go as far as winter vermicomposting goes. Deanna and I lived in Providence RI for two years and we kept our worm bin outside of our apartment in a shared hallway that was quite cold in the winter and the worms did just fine. If you just started your worm bin, I likely wouldn’t try and harvest any castings for at least 4 months or so, you will just have to keep and eye on the material and see how much is bedding/food and how much is actual castings. Worms will also slow down and not be as active during the winter months so they will not eat as much or produce as much castings as when it’s warmer. Storing the worm castings after they have been harvested in a plastic bin or bucket with air holes is just fine until you are ready to use them. You’ll just want to be sure that the castings don’t get too wet and become anaerobic or become too dry either. We have never stored fresh harvested castings for longer than a couple weeks as we usually harvest when we need them. Hope that helps and good luck on your vermicompost venture!