Learn all about Pleasant Grove Homestead and the vision for our homestead! We hope you’ll follow along and be inspired to eat locally & seasonally! Located in Montezuma, Iowa, Ashley & Zachary Wenke provide meat, produce, eggs & honey to surrounding communities.
About Pleasant Grove Homestead
Owned by Ashley & Zachary Wenke, Pleasant Grove Homestead provides quality meat, produce, honey and eggs from a 6.5 acre plot (& a rented pasture). PGH is a family ran operation that seeks to inspire you to eat seasonally & locally!
How Pleasant Grove Homestead was named
Originally, our home sat in Pleasant Grove township in Barnes City, Iowa. Long story short, we bought the home with land north of the “Welcome to Barnes City” sign, and physical address was changed to Montezuma. Technically that put us in Jackson township, but we already named our LLC “Pleasant Grove Homestead!” It seemed catchy enough, so we kept it!
When we first started using the business name, it was mostly for selling woodworking and craft type items. Our homesteading journey began with egg laying hens, beekeeping, planting our 80 fruit trees. Over the years, we have gained more experience to offer other items for sale like pork and poultry!
Where you can find our products
May through September, you can also shop with us at the Oskaloosa Farmers Market on Saturdays 8 to 11 and on the square in Montezuma each Wednesday 3 to 5:30.
In the winter (November-May) we also attend the Oskaloosa Indoor Winter Market at Penn Central Mall from 10-1 on the 2nd Saturday, monthly.
Joining our mailing list is the best way to stay up to date about where you may find us during the year!
Meet the Wenke Family!
I’m Ashley Wenke and my husband Zachary, along with our kids live on a 6.5 acre homestead in rural Iowa. We focus on raising produce, pork, poultry (both for meat and eggs!), & bees. We also own a family milk cow and a herd of 10+ dexter cow/calves on a rented pasture. Whether following alongside us in your own homesteading journey, or purchasing our products, we hope to inspire you to eat seasonally, locally & deliciously! We provide resources if you are looking to learn how to do something yourself, and recipes if you are looking for ways to use our products!
Our journey
When first married, we lived in town & had the entire backyard tore up for a garden. Soon, a fixer-upper acreage came up for sale and we jumped at the opportunity to tear up some more dirt!
Zachary grew up on a 300+ acre row crop farm with beef and pork and currently is an Agricultural Engineer. I grew up on a smaller acreage with horses and various animals for 4-H projects. Our first goal was to provide 100% of our own protein. As time goes on, we work to be more self-sufficient in other areas, while also extending that joy to you!
Thanks for learning a little about us, please take the time to introduce yourself online or in-person!
Best, The Wenkes