🌱 From Rows to Recipes: How One Gardener’s Love Grows into Legacy

Meet Jane Berthiaume — retired techno-geek, natural healer, heirloom gardener, and one of the green-hearted founders behind OurRecipeTree.com.

She doesn’t seek the spotlight and is more of a silent partner in public. Yet, her hands may be the most powerful secret ingredient in every nourishing dish she shares on OurRecipeTree.

👩‍🌾 The Beauty in the Unglamorous

Every morning, before the sun’s fully up, Jane is in her garden.

Not a cute raised-bed Pinterest garden — but a working one:
🌿 Sixteen 50-foot rows
🍓 Fruits, vegetables, herbs
🌻 Heirloom seeds, no pesticides, just patience

There’s dirt under her nails, sweat on her forehead, and joy in her chest.

Because for Jane, gardening isn’t just about growing food. It’s about growing connection — to the land, to her family, and to the generations who came before.

“There’s nothing glamorous about bugs, weeds, or my aching back,” Jane jokes.
“But when I see my pantry filled with jars I canned myself… I feel rich in a way money can’t touch.”

🏡 A Modern Homestead with Multigenerational Roots

Jane lives on a two-acre plot in Leamington, Ontario — a peaceful haven with tomatoes bigger than your fist and a kitchen that always smells like something simmering.

Her home isn’t just hers.

Her son Phil lives in the front with his partner Miranda, while Jane lives in the back with her partner Jake. Together, they’ve created a multigenerational household that’s rooted in love, rhythm, and food. (Phil’s a talented musician who let’s Jane play along sometimes 😉)

They share meals, trade recipes, and pass down techniques — not just for cooking, but for living well.

From drying herbs on screens to fermenting Miranda’s gut-healthy Kimchi, Jane is preserving more than food — she’s preserving culture.

💻 From IT to ORT

Before retiring, Jane had a long career in computers and IT, which might surprise anyone who meets her barefoot in the raspberry patch.

That background made her a perfect partner in building OurRecipeTree.com — helping shape the platform's technical flow and functionality. When Annie Hall had the vision to preserve recipes as family heirlooms, Jane helped bring it to life online.

“I’d spent decades troubleshooting hardware and software,” Jane says.
“This time, I got to help build something that touches the heart instead of just a screen.”

She brings clarity to complicated systems — making OurRecipeTree.com a simple platform anyone can use.

And when she’s not deep in code or cucumber vines? Jane is contributing healing, nutrient-rich recipes rooted in her background in natural health and holistic living.

🥣 From Soil to Soul: Jane’s Culinary Wisdom

Many of Jane’s contributions to OurRecipeTree include:

• Water bath canning everything from Cowboy Candy to Marinara
• Fresh jams, jelly’s & preserves made from her own fruit
• Dried herbs and herbal teas — made with plants from her land
• Stories of where each recipe comes from, and some fun videos to go along with them

Each recipe is a blend of what Jane grows, what she knows, and who she loves. It’s food meant not just to feed — but to restore.

🌳 Jane’s Legacy Is in Every Bite

OurRecipeTree was built by people like Jane — people who kneel in the soil and rise with something to share. Her garden may never make headlines, but it makes heritage. Her pantry isn’t Pinterest-perfect, but it’s powerful.

She’s a living bridge between past and future. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather Gilbert Morand, a proud farmer, entrepreneur, and Greyhound driver, Jane is living the legacy he planted — rooted in hard work, community, and connection to the land.

💬 What’s something your mom/grandmother or relative taught you in the garden or kitchen?

Tell us in the comments. Or better yet — add it to OurRecipeTree.com, where people like Jane are planting legacies one recipe at a time.

#HeirloomHarvest #GardenerLife #OurRecipeTree #RootsCrew #NaturalHealing #FamilyLegacy #MultigenerationalLiving #PreserveTraditions #FromSoilToSoul #RecipeKeeper #SaveNonna

CONTRIBUTED BY:

Jane Berthiaume, a dedicated collaborator of OurRecipeTree.com, has always been passionate about preserving family legacies through recipes. With years of experience, she helps bring this mission to life on a unique platform that showcases photos, videos, and the heartfelt stories behind each dish. As a longtime contributor to the OurRecipeTree.com blog, Jane shares how her deep connection to home was sustained through recipes and stories, even while living in various locations. As an experienced energy healer, she understands the importance of food as medicine, offering nourishment for both body and soul in more ways than one.