Homestead Sourdough Bread Recipe
For centuries, people have made sourdough bread in their own homes using just flour, water, salt, and household tools. In Europe and many parts of the world, sourdough was used as a natural leaven and baking sourdough bread was integral to agrarian life as bread was the main source of energy for long days of…
What is Homesteading? and Choose to Start Now (Wherever You Are)
Are you feeling the tug to start homesteading but don’t know where or how to begin? I am here to tell you that it may be much easier than you think. Becoming a homesteader starts with an intention, with a choice. Choosing to start homesteading was a difficult choice for me to make. I loved…
Sourdough Culture: From Then to Now
Sourdough came to me, along with many other homesteading skills and interests, at Camp Joy Gardens, where I apprenticed between 2016-2017. At that time, because my heart was open, I learned everything with the sponge-like curiosity of a toddler. I didn’t have any judgments or preconceived notions about what a “good” sourdough bread was supposed…
Healing My Relationship With Consumerism Through Homesteading
Modern homesteaders are invited to live in two worlds. In one reality we are active participants in a global growth economy that refuses to slow down. In another reality we are participating in a de-growth economy as we choose to slow down and look closer at meeting our basic requirements to thrive as whole, natural…
How To Craft Your Homestead Intentions
My path into homesteading started with a strong intention to follow my passions and my heart. When I made the intention and spoke it out loud, I could hardly believe what I was hearing myself say. My heart was beating and I felt more alive. Since that moment of choice I’ve realized the power of…
How To Brainstorm Homestead Income Ideas
Brainstorming is a helpful tool for exploring a new idea or practice, such as a homestead business, or ways of generating income from the homestead. But more than that, a good brainstorm can be fun, refreshing, inspiring, invigorating, empowering and enlivening. I’ve used this process to brainstorm many things in my life. I’ve often used…
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion is the ubiquitous, quintessential weed that everyone and their mother knows by her beautiful golden blossoms and irresistibly puffy seed head. Most of us remember blowing upon dandelion seed heads, just for the joy of it as children, watching the seeds magically float off to unseen worlds. In fact, many of us still find…
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Nettle, aka Stinging Nettle, is one of my top beloved permaculture homestead plants. And so I am very excited to share some time dedicated to Nettle with you today! Nettle has been called the “seaweed of the Earth”, because like seaweed, her leaves are packed full of minerals and nutrients. Nettle offers massive nutritional benefits…
Perennial Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa)
Perennial Kale is easily my favorite permaculture homestead plant. I am grateful that my path crossed with Chris Homanics, the breeder of Homesteader’s Perennial Kale some years ago. After giving it a chance, my relationship with kale has never been the same! In fact I no longer grow any other variety of kale. Every member…
My Journey From Suburbs to Rural Homesteading
How did I come to call myself a homesteader? I’d love to share the story with you because it is unique and fun. It wasn’t a straight line from point A to B and includes a few leaps of faith. My story begins about 13 years ago. In my past life I was a suburban…
Aronia Berry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Aronia is a genus of fruiting shrubs native to the east coast of North America. I have come to love Aronia and am planting it throughout our gardens for abundant berries, health and beauty. I first met Aronia at a permaculture homestead while I was WWOOFing in the Pacific Northwest. Still young, the shrubs were…
Planting Garlic
Fall garlic planting is always a favorite garden activity in our family. Popping the cloves off of the heads and sticking them in the ground is easy and fun. There’s probably a hundred and one ways to plant garlic, but the truth is its hard to do it wrong because garlic is not too picky…