Los Angeles  - Reese Witherspoon is raising chickens on her country retreat outside of Los Angeles as a reminder of her rural roots, she told InStyle magazine Tuesday.

"We spend the weekends outside LA, in Ojai, where I have a farmhouse," she says of her life with her kids and boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal. "We have chickens, and we grow cucumbers and tomatoes. I love it. It reminds me of where I grew up in Tennessee."

The star of Legally Blonde says she still misses home despite her glamorous life in Hollywood.

"Sometimes it's really difficult for me, being far away from home," she says. "I never imagined that my children wouldn't grow up next door to my brother's children. Or my mom and dad wouldn't constantly be around. At least I have a lot of Southern friends in LA - I gravitate toward them." (dpa)