HOMESTEADING

Episode 168 | Essential Tools for Building a Homestead | Christina of Thermaland Oaks | Debt-Free Homesteading

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I frequently hear from listeners who want to start homesteading, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start.  Especially if you are building a homestead from scratch on raw land, and there are a variety of tools and skills you will need to acquire along the way.  Christina of Thermaland Oaks is very familiar with this whole process as she and her husband have built their entire home and homestead with their own hands.  Join us for this conversation as we dive into what tools are essential to build and maintain a homestead.  We also chat about the reality of sharing our lives on the internet as we pursue our homestead dreams.  For any hopeful homesteader, this episode is a must listen!

Episode 167 | Prepare for Garden Season: Select Seeds, Learn Your Climate, Cultivate Healthy Soil | Bailey Van Tassel

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If you are a gardener (or hopeful gardener) who is eagerly browsing seed catalogs and mapping out garden plots in anticipation of the upcoming growing season, this episode is for you!  Bailey is a wealth of knowledge on backyard gardening, and our conversation was full of practical tips, especially for the suburban gardener.  Bailey tends ten raised beds on her California neighborhood lot, and she helps gardeners in every zone plan, start, and cultivate their gardens no matter their level of experience.  If you are looking for some garden inspiration as we look ahead to spring and summer, join us for this chat!

Episode 158 | Breaking Down Homestead Goals: How to Move Past Overwhelm and Take Action | Danielle of Jones Roots

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No matter what stage of homesteading you are in, the list of tasks to complete and projects to tackle is seemingly endless.  The eagerness to get it all done and see your dreams come to life can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed.  Danielle found herself with bigger dreams than she had time and money for, so she created the Run Back to Your Roots 365 challenge to help herself master those skills one by one.  Before long, she had thousands of people joining her in each month’s homestead challenge, everything from canning to fermenting to baking bread and more.  Join me for this conversation with Danielle as we dive into what it looks like to pursue your dreams little by little.

Episode 155 | Build a Homestead That Pays for Itself (and Pays You Too!) | Leah Lynch | Profitable Backyard Farming

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One of the major reasons people start homesteading is because they want to produce high quality food without spending a fortune.  However, if you are not careful, you can simply replace your grocery store bill for a feed store bill.  In today’s episode, Leah and I discuss what it looks like to create a homestead that not only pays for itself but also puts money back in your pocket.  Maybe you have a dream of starting a homestead but are unsure about the investment— this episode is full of ideas and tips for building a homestead you love without breaking the bank.  If you are already living your dream of homesteading but are feeling broke and burnt out, Leah’s advice could help you get back on the right track.  Wherever you are in your homesteading journey, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss! 

Episode 148 | Small Homestead Living: Raising and Sourcing Quality Animal Foods | Amy Sliffe of Blue Whistler Farm

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What began as a conversation about options for sourcing quality meat turned into a fascinating discussion on all that you can accomplish on a small homestead.  Amy homesteads less than five acres, and she is full of creative ideas for making the most of a small space.  For those who are interested in raising their own meat, we dive into what that looks like on a small scale.  For those who want to source high-quality meat without raising it themselves, we also share our best tips for that.  And if you stick around until the end of our discussion, you might just find yourself adding dairy sheep to your homestead!  May this episode inspire you to think creatively about producing and sourcing animal foods no matter the size of your homestead.

Episode 146 | Misconceptions About Homesteading | Ash Turner of Turner Farm

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With the growing popularity of homesteading on Instagram, it’s easy to look at this lifestyle through a romanticized filter.  No one would say that the homesteading life is 100% glamorous, but it’s hard to fully grasp the weight of the difficult moments until you are in them.  Ash of Turner Farm wrote a beautiful article for Homestead Mamas on this very topic, so I’m excited to bring her on the podcast to dive deeper into this conversation.  Ash shares about the ups and downs of starting and growing her homestead from scratch— everything from losing newborn livestock to milking her cow in a field under a beautiful sunset.  Whether you are dreaming of starting a homestead or you are already in the trenches, may this episode inform and encourage you about the challenges and blessings of this lifestyle.

Episode 145 | Health Priorities and Compromises + Herbalism for Beginners | Amy of The Fewell Homestead

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Because of the pervasiveness of harmful ingredients in food and household products, living a toxin-free lifestyle requires swimming upstream! We have to be intentional about sourcing our food well, reading labels carefully, and monitoring what we allow into our homes. However, there may be certain compromises we must make along the way, and those compromises will look different for everyone. Amy Fewell has been living this homesteading lifestyle for years, and she started on this path in search of healing for her son. I knew Amy would be perfect to discuss this topic with because she brings balance to the conversation. While we can’t do it all when it comes to taking care of our families’ health, we can prioritize the things that make the biggest impact for us. We also chat about herbalism and the importance of learning our bodies and how to support them!

Episode 142 | Avoiding Burnout as a Homemaker, Homesteader, Homeschooling Mom, and Business Owner | Kate of Venison for Dinner

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It’s easy to look at someone like Kate and wonder how she does it all.  Between homemaking, homeschooling her five children, maintaining her Canada homestead, and running her successful online business, Kate’s plate is certainly full.  In our conversation, we discuss the realities of what it looks like to manage all of these responsibilities well without burning yourself out.  A little spoiler alert: Kate doesn’t do it all alone and neither do I!  If you have a goal of pursuing a new opportunity—a business or homestead or some other dream—but you wonder how you will manage it all, may you be inspired by this honest look behind the scenes of the lives of two fellow homemakers and business owners.

Episode 140 | How to Ease Into a Natural Lifestyle | Roxanne Ahern of Happy Holistic Homestead

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If you desire to live a natural lifestyle—whole foods, less toxins, holistic health—it can be intimidating to know where to start.  Many people are also concerned about the cost of living this way.  In this episode with Roxanne of Happy Holistic Homestead, we tackle the question of where to start if you simply can’t afford to jump all in.  What changes make the biggest impact on your family’s health?  We also bust the myth that it takes a lot of money or a lot of land to begin prioritizing your health by sourcing high quality foods.  You might be surprised by some of our money saving tips!  No matter where you are starting from, may this episode encourage you to take the next step in your journey towards a more natural lifestyle.

Episode 139 | Building a Debt-Free Homestead from Scratch | Katie Metka: Mother of 9, Photographer, Homesteader

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If you dream of starting your own homestead but worry that you don’t have the skills or time or money, you’ve got to hear Katie’s story.  Six weeks after giving birth to her ninth daughter, Katie and her husband moved their family from their established homestead in Texas to a piece of raw land in Missouri to start over.  They are building everything themselves and doing it debt-free!  Katie shares how she and her family of 11 found joy in the simple pace of living in a small shanty without electricity or running water.  Whether you have a homesteading dream or are pursuing another goal, may Katie’s story remind you of all that is possible with patience, sacrifice, and hard work.