If you’re a homesteader, a natural disaster can rob you of not only your home, but also your livelihood if you live off the land. In the blink of an eye, everything you’ve worked for can wash away or go up in smoke. Preparing in advance can help you pick up the pieces should the unthinkable occur.

My husband Zach and I recently made a tough decision. As you may have read in some of my other posts, we are opening a U-Pick Lavender farm. It was our hope that U-Pick would start this summer with a soft opening as the plants are still small. It takes 4 years for lavender to […]

It’s hard for me to quit things. I always feel like I’ve failed somehow. But I’ve learned that commitment isn’t true commitment if you can commit fully. Eventually, if you spread yourself too thin, all your endeavors will suffer.   I’ve read somewhere that successful people “do one thing at a time and they do […]

Laws are made to protect people. I feel strongly that abiding by laws is important for the peace of society and overall well-being of the community. However, as a homesteader it’s easy to find yourself bogged down by bureaucracy.   As farmers, homesteaders and do-it-yourselfers, we are faced with unique challenges in the nature of […]

Rising Fuel Prices: The Struggle to Stay In Business Written By: Lori Dunn, Grit Blogger As the price of fuel at the pumps started to go up, our family, like many other families, had to make some adjustments. Initially, we cut down on eating out and thought twice about splurging on anything. As the price of […]

Learn from Your Mistakes Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written By: Joel Salatin Mastering any skill involves a learning curve. According to business guru Peter Drucker, the bottom part of that curve gets deepest in the fifth year or so of a new enterprise before the rise to success begins. In that valley, too many people either seek […]

Getting to Know the Chef Shared From MOTHER EARTH NEWS  Written by: Mort Mather Chefs in northern climates love to talk to farmers in the winter. They are dying for good produce. So I drove to a natural food restaurant thirty-five miles away in Portland, Maine to talk with the chef. She told me they used […]