A Word From the Wise: A Visit With Amy @ Homestead Revival

Photo Credit:  Homestead Revival (used with permission)

Yea!  I am honored to have the opportunity to interview one of my favorite bloggers!  Amy is a beautiful woman of God who has a passion for homesteading!  She is a wonderful teacher, and has great insight to offer over at Homestead Revival!  I can't wait for you to meet her!  

Tell us a little about your life before homesteading? 

Well, I’ve never been a “city” girl and always longed to raise animals and have a garden. In High School I had my first chance to raise a lamb, but then didn’t get to do much while my husband and I were in college (for literally years!). We finally moved to small town in California, and tried our hand at gardening and loved it. But we wanted to be further out from town and so it took us a couple of moves, purchasing some land, and building before we even thought about doing much else. In hind sight, I realize that we COULD have been doing more, but I didn’t have a mentor and there wasn’t a lot of blogging going on at the time and therefore, little encouragement about homesteading. Now people homestead in all kinds of situations and on various size properties; many town ordinances are starting to change to allow the raising of animals inside city limits. You can do more than you often realize. 

I should mention that growing up, we hunted and fished constantly. Whatever was in season, we were doing it. I laugh about it now, but my first year in college I couldn’t figure out how the dorm cafeteria was making chili since I doubted they hunted deer for the students. I had no idea you could make it from hamburger! No joke! Growing up it was made from whatever you hunted, not beef.

When did you decide to begin homesteading, and why?

About 10 years ago, we eliminated processed foods from our diet, including additives, preservatives, and sugars, but added back in whole foods God intended for us to eat. This started us thinking about where our food was coming from and how it was processed. The further we traveled this path, the more we wanted to consume food from our own “backyard” (or locally). Then as our children got older, we wanted them to experience a homesteading lifestyle and to acquire skills that they would need when they were older. 

 Photo Credit:  Homestead Revival (used with permission)

What resources have you found to be most helpful in your homesteading endeavors?

Definitely the internet! Blogging has opened up a whole new world for most of us. I’ve always been a big reader, but if it weren’t for the internet, I might not have read some of the books that I have or seen some of the documentaries. In almost every case, another blogger has put me on the path to that resource.

Another excellent resource has been local mentors. I began to find out who in our area knew about chickens, goats, canning, gardening, and whatever else I needed help with. It’s amazing the friends I’ve made from these contacts! Some are from my church, but others I’ve met at 4H or through a local organic farm. Homesteaders are a friendly bunch and almost always open to making a new friend and sharing their knowledge.

Finally, I read just about every book I can get my hands on from Storey Publishing. They cover just about every subject and they have people write them who’ve been doing the very thing they write about for years. Even though each is written by a different author, they have all been excellent and great to have on hand just in case the internet isn’t working!

Photo Credit:  Homestead Revival (used with permission)

What kind of animals do you have on your homestead?

So far, we just have the usual 2 dogs, 5 cats, and 9-10 chickens of various breeds. However, we have been learning about keeping goats from a friend/mentor and will hopefully add two kids in the spring. Also, I’ve taken a bee keeping class and have my hive ready to go for my first bees!

 



You seem like a very well-rounded homesteader!  You garden, raise animals, mill your own grain, cook real food, homeschool, sew, etc. etc.  Which would you say is your best area of expertise?

 Oh, my! Thank you for the compliment, but I consider myself a student and learner who is just a bit excited and needs a creative outlet to share! (Do we ever stop learning?) I’m probably most comfortable teaching whether it’s to students at school, a 4H group, or blog readers. And of course, that‘s the best way to learn, too. 
 

What is your favorite part about homesteading?

Definitely my chickens. I can’t ever imagine why I waited so long to acquire any! I could watch them pecking and scratching all day long. However, it’s exciting when I actually get produce from a seed I’ve planted, bread from grains of wheat I’ve milled, or a quilt from fabrics I’ve sewn together.

More than anything else, I love what I’ve learned about God’s perfect plan for creation and how He made it all to work in harmony. (I can only imagine what the Garden of Eden must have been like!) When you think about it, the beauty and order of created things is really amazing and we can learn a lot about God when we live closer to the land.

Photo Credit:  Homestead Revival (used with permission)

What new skill are you still hoping to acquire?

Considering I know very little about keeping bees, this excites me most right now. I was so terrified of them as a child and now, they fascinate me. I feel bees are certainly a gift from the Lord because of how unique they are and the honey they provide – it really is an amazing food!

Another area that is intriguing me is the use of herbs medicinally. I’ve used lots in cooking, but very little for health care, so I hope to acquire some skills in this area soon.


 
You are passionate about encouraging women to "joyfully embrace being keepers of the home"?  In your opinion, how does this impact the family, and why is it so important? 

I was raised in the generation of career women. Very few of us who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s were taught homemaking or homesteading skills and if you look across our nation, you can see we’ve reaped what we’ve sown. Now we have a nation of people who practically don’t even know where their food comes from, nor do they appreciate what is necessary for it to truly benefit their bodies! Many have no idea how to cook from a box, much less from scratch. And parenting seems to have been swept away with the loss of the agricultural mindset. You do a lot of parenting when you teach children to care for animals and a garden as well as taking care of a home!

As desperate as the situation may seem, forcing women home by placing a burden of guilt on them will never solve the problem. They have to WANT to be at home SERVING. Women need to remember just how important their contribution is to their family, community, and nation. And when they do, hopefully they’ll catch a vision that brings joy to their souls as they do it unto the Lord. At Homestead Revival™, my goal is to help women remember and get excited about why they are doing what they are doing; I want to encourage them to not only train, but tell their sons and daughters why they are doing it (like in Deut. 6) so that the next generation won’t walk away from the gifts God has given them; and I want to give them tools to help them along the way.

 
You homeschool your daughters.  What are some of your favorite homeschooling resources?  How are you preparing them, as young girls, to be "keepers of the home"?
  
I love classical education, but I love Charlotte Mason, too, so throughout the years, I’ve pulled from both philosophies to create a balance that works well for our family. Some of the publishers we use include Veritas Press, Homeschool In The Woods, Classical Academic Press, The Phonics Road to Reading and Spelling, Apologia, Teaching Textbooks (new for us this year), and my favorite: Shurley Language (I was terrible at this subject as a student and Shurley Language has finally bridged that gap for me – see we’re always learning!) In addition to these resources, I have the girls read LOTS of older classics and Lamplighter books.

I haven’t really used a resource for homemaking skills because I’ve not found anything I was pleased with at the time. (I’ve considered writing my own, but time just hasn’t permitted!). Instead, I believe strongly in the girls working along side me until they are somewhat proficient at a skill – whether it’s cooking or laundry or cleaning a bathroom. Then I use a checklist system and when they’re finished, we go over it together to see how they’ve done. I’m pretty tough and won’t praise a poor job, but I do try to encourage them when I see an effort has been made. Then I require them to redo it until it is right.

All these things are skill oriented, but I want them to WANT to be keepers of the home. So I try to talk about what I enjoy along the way (ie: “I love folding the clothes when they’re all nice and warm, don’t you?”), point out God’s hand in something (ie: “Isn’t it amazing how God thought of everything when He made eggs? The bloom helps to protect germs on the outside from passing through the membranes so we don’t get salmonella.”), and what we would miss if we weren’t raising a lot of our food at home or caring for our family. We’re an instant society, yet this kind of training doesn’t happen overnight. It’s precept upon precept; a little here, and a little there. Before you know it, they sound like mom (whether for the good or the bad!).

Photo Credit: Homestead Revival (used with permission)

Eating healthy, real food has been a journey for you and your family.  What recommendations would you give to those who long to prepare healthy meals for their family, but don't know where to begin?

Begin by reading Rex Russell’s book What The Bible Says About Healthy Living. I can’t recommend it highly enough and it’s the perfect place for a beginner. While you’re reading it, start eliminating one thing at a time from your diet, such as sugars! (You can still have a treat, but make it just that… a treat! It shouldn’t be in your cereal, your coffee, your everything). Also, I have a series of posts on my blog for those just starting a food journey which should be helpful as well.

Photo Credit:  Homestead Revival (used with permission)

What advice would you give to a family wanting to start a homestead?
 First, sit down together and create a master plan. Think one year, 5 years, and even 10 years ahead. Otherwise, you’ll spend money and time redoing things or you’ll have your chicken coop where you need your garden, etc. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever raise a certain animal, you might be surprised to find you change your mind later on, so leave room for the “maybe” things.

Second, try one thing or skill at a time (or in a season). Don’t bite off more than you can chew at a time or you’ll get discouraged and quit. Be determined and press through failures – you’ll learn the most during these trials. In otherwords, if your tomato crop fails, don’t decide you’re never doing tomatoes. Find out what went wrong and make adjustments.

Third, find a mentor. A good mentor will train and encourage, help you when you have a problem that needs solving, and direct you to excellent resources. And usually you’ll end up with a good friend, too!

 
Is there anything else you would like to share?

An author can make his or her life seem perfect on a blog, but remember you’re only getting glimpses of their best (and occasionally their mistakes if they are humble enough to admit them). Keep your focus on the Lord and what’s best for your own life while learning to be content with whatever stage of life He has you in at the moment.

 I take the scripture seriously in Titus 2 where the older women are to be busy training the younger women and not going from house to house, causing mischief (I Timothy 5:13). We need to be busy at home so as to honor the Lord, our husbands, and families. Homesteading isn’t the easiest path, but the rewards are well worth the effort and you’d be hard pressed to gain these benefits by any other means.