GROWING SIMPLE Shares Healthy, Natural Recipes

By: Christina Mancuso May. 23, 2016

Jim and Mary Competti grew up playing outdoors, tending their families' gardens and helping make dinner from scratch with ingredients they'd picked just hours before. But as adults, with four kids heavily involved in extracurricular activities and their own busy professional careers, those slower, simpler family moments seemed harder to come by.

So in 2010, the couple took a chance and bought a three-acre tract of land in central Ohio, just an hour east of Columbus. Within a few weeks, the field that was once an overgrown thicket of small trees, thick brush and messy poison ivy was transformed into a working homestead designed to feed their family - and their souls.

Today, the site - named Old Word Garden Farms - is a self-sustaining farm that provides nearly 75 percent of the family's food, without the use of chemicals or pesticides. In addition to their vegetable beds, the family also raises chickens, keeps bees, and maintains a fledgling orchard and vineyard. And everything - including the barn, chicken coop and compost bins - was created using reclaimed and recycled materials.

The Compettis chronicle their success at slowing down, simplifying and living a more meaningful life in their debut work, "Growing Simple: The story of Old World Garden Farms." Released electronically in late April and soon to be published in paperback, the book builds on the couple's highly successful blog site, which features recipes, organic gardening advice, do-it-yourself project guides, and quick tips for living more simply and appreciating life. It is currently trending on Amazon's Hot New Releases list in the Sustainable Living category.

"We didn't know exactly what we were doing when we started out, but we knew what we wanted - to live a simpler, more authentic life, and to be more accountable for the food we put on our tables and in our mouths," says Jim Competti. "Along the way, we made some mistakes, but we never stopped learning and we always had fun. 'Growing Simple' is our attempt to share what we've learned - and what we wished we had known - with others who want to simplify, declutter and lead healthier, more environmentally responsible lives."

The couple has launched a nationwide book tour and signing, focusing on the top U.S. cities that follow their blog. Future appearance locations include the following: