Page - Family homesteading: the ultimate guide to self-sufficiency for the whole family

Copyright 2018 by Teri Page

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Abigail Gehring

Cover images by Teri Page

Print ISBN: 978-1-51073-550-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-51073-551-4

Printed in China

Contents

Chapter Ten: Working and Learning on the
Family Homestead

FOREWORD

My wife Penny and I procured our first milk cow barely three weeks before she was due to give birth to our second son, Rye. Hindsight being what hindsight is, I now see that this was not excellent timing. But sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants, and no amount of rational thinking can tell it otherwise. Heck, I didnt even know how to properly erect the portable electric fencing necessary to contain our new bovine friend.

By the time you read this, Rye will be fourteen, and Apple, the heifer calf that came to live with us all those years ago, still grazes the pasture below our house. Shes retired from daily milking now, but every day I stop to give her a scratch or two. Shes got her favorite spots, and I know just where they are. I like how she tilts her head just so when I find the one under her chin.

That this story has a happy ending is due far more to luck than to skill, and thats been true of so many aspects of my familys homesteading journey, which has never been shy on excitement; sometimes, much more excitement than we bargained for, or was welcome. But thats the nature of homesteading, and no more so than when homesteading includes the insatiable curiosity, boundless energy, and (lets be honest) occasionally overwhelming neediness of young children.

Its worth it, of course. In my humble opinion, there is no finer way to raise children than on a homestead; there are no finer lessons than those of honest labor and the gratification of providing for self and family. Teri Page knows this, and thats why her book is such a gem, full of practical ideas and skills, as well as the simple delight that comes of working the land alongside your loved ones. I only wish shed written it a decade ago, when we were still young(ish) parents with a plot of land, two small children, and way too many projects on our hands. No doubt it would have made our learning curve much easier to navigate.

If youre reading this, its likely youre still fairly early into your parenting journey. Maybe youre just embarking on your homesteading adventure, or perhaps youve been at it for a while. Maybe its still in the dream stage. No matter the case, this book is chock-full of projects and profiles that inspire, inform, and most of all, ensure that your homesteading and parenting path is full of laughter and learning. To be sure, there will be missteps. There always are. But thanks to Teris experience and generosity, theres bound to be a few less.

Ben Hewitt, author of Saved ,
The Town That Food Saved , and
coauthor of The Nourishing Homestead

INTRODUCTION

My two children were born into homesteading, but my husband and I were not. Instead, as adults, we slowly learned how to grow our own food, take care of farm animals, preserve the harvest, gather herbs for remedies, and make much of what we need by hand. My children, on the other hand, grew up in the garden, barn, and outdoor kitchen of our small, rural homestead, absorbing effortlessly what it has taken us adults decades to master. In our experience, children thrive when they are encouraged to experience the connection to nature that homesteading so naturally facilitates.

On a recent mild winter day, my ten-year-old daughter Ella and I collected clay to make seed balls, seven-year-old Everett helped Brian solder some plumbing fixtures, and each of us kept an eye on a large pot of boiling black walnut sap that we had collected in our woods earlier that day. On any reasonably sunny day, I am likely to find the kids building fairy houses on the earthen mound of our root cellar, gathering wild plants for potions, or observing the daily drama of our flock of chickens. The homestead is their school, the plants and animals their teachers.

I firmly believe that homesteading is a combination of mindset and skill set, and both can be cultivated with hard work and imagination. It doesnt matter if you live rurally or in the city, have years of experience or are just beginning your to dive into self-sufficiencysharing homesteading with your entire family is a way to deepen your connection to the earth, to the plants and animals that nourish you, and most importantly, to one another. Homesteading is the daily practice through which we can celebrate the everyday miracles of the natural world and learn to overcome challenges and develop resilience.

In Family Homesteading , I share many of the practical and playful ways that weve introduced our children to homesteading. I know that homesteaders are busy people, so Ive done my best to share seasonal activities and projects that are not only fun and educational, but also contribute to the real work of a modern homestead. In the springtime, the chapters on gardening and foraging will guide you in starting seeds and foraging a wild edible salad. Midsummer, use the recipes in the fermentation and kitchen chapters to preserve the harvest and enjoy homegrown dishes. When autumn comes around, stock your medicine cabinet with homemade natural remedies that you and your children make together. And in the short days of winter, dive deep into preparedness and get creative with some nature-based crafts.

Homestead Family Profiles in each chapter will not only supplement my own experiences homesteading with children with the insight of other homesteaders from across the United States and Canada, but will also demonstrate the myriad ways families can thrive when they integrate their children into every aspect of their homesteading life.

It is my hope that this book will help your family connect more deeply to the land, to the seasons, and to one another.

Our Homesteading Story

It all started with a basil plant.

In the summer of 1999, I followed my then-boyfriend, now-husband Brian to a sustainability education center in the Willamette Valley of Oregon to join their staff as an organic garden assistant. I had no prior gardening experience aside from planting marigolds and tulips as a child in my suburban Boston front yard, but I was young, enthusiastic, a student of nature and biology, and of course, in love.