Jessica (Dixon g’12) Toevs made no secret of her graphic design goals.
In the years following graduation, she worked two part-time jobs, married her husband, David (g’12), and fulfilled her goal of working in graphic design at Cross Road Church in Wichita, Kan.
It was only the beginning of her creative journey.
While working from home four days a week in her design position, Toevs began carving a path in homesteading.
What began as a food blog to share recipes has blossomed into a social media following of almost 500,000 on Facebook and Instagram (Prairie Creek Homestead) as she documents her journey to cultivate and preserve the ingredients and food they grow on their farm outside of Whitewater, Kan.
Growing up with a mother and grandmother who gardened and a father who hunted, Toevs developed an appreciation for nature. When her grandma passed away in 2021, Toevs committed more of her life to the lifestyle of prior generations.
“It’s not as common these days, and it took a couple of generations to almost completely lose the skill of growing and preserving your own food,” Toevs said. “I wanted to share those skills with people who were not raised the way I was. I feel very fortunate to have had those experiences.”
With a garden full of vegetables and herbs, home-butchered meat, and shelves lined with canned jars, Toevs said she’s thankful to share those experiences with her family–and that joy with her audience.
“More people in younger generations, even some in their 20s, want to return to a simpler way of life,” Toevs said. “Less technology, more family and time in nature. It’s so much healthier to invest in real ingredients and less processed food.”
Educating about the origin of food continues to inspire her as she grows in her mission. Roughly 40 percent of produce in the United States was homegrown during World War II, a figure that has since dropped to less than five percent as farming has become more commercialized.
“Even if it’s just a couple of planter pots in your windowsill or on your back patio, I will always encourage people in the value of growing some food at home,” Toevs added.
Her drive toward natural products and whole foods has also opened her venture into skin care. They harvest the suet fat from a cow and create her skin care products.
“I’m especially proud of being able to help other moms who are at their wits’ end with the eczema on their babies,” Toevs said. “Perhaps their teenagers have dealt with acne, but overall, they’ve been overjoyed with the relief these natural skin care products have brought to their families.”
As Tabor students decide what to study or how to conclude their degrees, Toevs said she hopes they remember what is most life-giving as springboards for a future career.
“I got a degree at Tabor that has allowed me to work from home and utilize my design for Prairie Creek Homestead with the products I’ve made,” Toevs said. “Tabor was such a big part of my life because of meeting my husband, my best friends to this day, and the experiences that paved my way to the work I am doing now. I’m very grateful.”