She lives on a working ranch in the Gaviota hills with her husband, Keith, and their two
daughters, Milly and June. She rides a horse to the school bus, milks the cow, and tends to
countless chickens, four horses, four pigs, and three dogs. “Our culture for the most part has
skipped over these skills that perhaps were daily rituals in old times. There’s something about
milking your own cow, making your own bread, or dyeing your own clothes that feels primal,
that connects us to the past and processes of our everyday lives,” she says. “Even if you’re
not making your own bread daily, you now look at bread differently because you know the
process.” The natural homesteader is also an eager entrepreneur; she started Worn Wear, a
used clothing campaign for Patagonia before co-founding Women’s Heritage, which began in
her kitchen, sharing with friends her daily rituals of raising chickens and milking a cow—an
accomplishment she calls “deeply fulfilling” when the milk hits the pail. “Our family raises our
own meat, we have chickens for eggs, our cow for milk, and a garden,” she says, adding that she
still runs to the store like everyone else and loves going into town for coffee. “We aren’t extreme
homesteaders, but I will say it’s pretty fun to eat a meal that has all come from a labor of love.”
Home on the
range is an
everyday way
of life for
Lauren Malloy.
THIS PHOTO Lauren plays on her
ranch with Root Beer, a KuneKune
pig. The small but stocky breed
originated in New Zealand and is
considered ideal for small farms.
Lauren has a degree in animal
science and conservation biology.
COUNTRY
HOME
70 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
