There is no doubt that climate plays a major role in the plans of everyone on the homesteading path. In regions with harsh winters, homesteaders must contend with frozen soil and limited growing seasons, while in more arid climates, water scarcity and heat become critical concerns. The success of any homesteader is strongly tied to their ability to adapt and innovate in response to the unique climatic conditions of their location.

Today I welcome Dani Welton who, along wih her husband and 5 kids, homestead on the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. They seem to have maximized on their strengths and overcome the challenges of raising livestock in the hot, dry Sonoran Desert. Since 2015, they have tried a lot of things and currently have a focus on cattle, having both a small dairy and beef herd on their three and a half acres.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* How her family got their start on their homestead 9 years ago and all the things they’ve tried over the years.

* What drove them to get started with homesteading and some of the early challenges they had to overcome

* The division of labor on their property and the importance of having their kids involved in process of raising food

* What resources she leaned on in the early days before there was an abundance of online options for learning

* Her passion for dairy cows and how they rotationally graze their cattle

* How they made things work with what they’ve had along the way and slowly improved systems over time

* The different ways she uses milk and makes dairy products on her homestead

* Dani shares a ‘happy accident’ that ended up being a family favorite cheese recipe

* She shares the details of her Home Dairy Recipes E-Book

BUY DANI'S HOME DAIRY RECIPES E-BOOK:

https://msha.ke/daniwelton

CONNECT WITH DANI ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/dani.welton/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

As we begin to wrap up our second growing season here on our homestead this fall, we’re grateful for the food we’re producing and the progress that we’re making. Our property came pretty much “turn-key” for what we were planning to do here, but there is one thing we do wish was already here that wasn’t….and that’s fruit trees. We’ve tossed around plans and ideas from the outset, but never got around to planting fruit for one reason or another. They’re definitely a long term commitment and, while we know it takes quite a while to get a harvest, we didn’t want to make any big mistakes from being too hasty.

In today’s episode, I get to pick the brain of someone who has been hasty, made lots of mistakes and is now able to teach people like me how to start off on the right track when planting an orchard. Her name is Susan Poizner of OrchardPeople.com who, over 14 years ago got an idea to plant a community orchard in a neglected park in her neighborhood. That decision started her on a journey which, today, finds her using her knowledge and experience as an author, educator, radio host and podcaster.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* Susan’s experience establishing a community garden in a neighborhood park

* I ask her if I made a mistake by not planting fruit trees right away on our property

* The problems with buying what’s available at the ‘big box stores’ and the importance of selecting the proper trees for your specific needs and conditions

* The mistakes that she made when se was in the earl stages of her orchard journey

* The pros and cons of raising dwarf fruit trees and how semi-dwarf threes are often preferable as long as you have enough space

* The importance of planning for proper pollination

* The proper methods for planting bare root trees and how to avoid the most common mistakes

* Susan shares her advice for growing fruit trees fast, with minimal effort, as covered in her book “Growing Fruit Trees Fast”

* Common signs of fruit trees that are struggling

* The many resources available for learning at her website, including a blog, podcast, books and online courses

VISIT SUSAN'S WEBSITE:

https://orchardpeople.com/

BUY SUSAN'S BOOK 'GROWING FRUIT TREES FAST':

https://a.co/d/eAy15Qg

SUSAN'S ONLINE COURSES:

https://learn.orchardpeople.com/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://plansandprovisions.com/azure

It is the first Friday of November so that means it's time for a little update on everything that's been going on around our homestead.

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

When my family and I embarked on this incredible journey two years ago, we had no way of really knowing the challenges we would face as we got our feet under us in our new home. The first couple of years proved to be tougher than we imagined and we definitely looked to other, more established homesteaders for inspiration and encouragement. Knowing that others had gone through similar struggles and made it through helped us to keep our heads and fight through the early storms of our transition to homesteading

In today’s episode, I’m happy to welcome back Greg Sweeton to the podcast. It was just over a year ago he was last on the show and in that episode, he shared the dramatic transition his family experienced as they left behind their fairly typical, suburban lifestyle. Now with over 4 years under their belt as homesteaders, I think it’s safe to say that these guys are the real deal and they have definitley been a big inspiration to me and my family.

In our talk, Greg shares some of the challenges that led to his family’s decision to sell the small herd of cattle that they had started. We talk about our shared goal of establishing a suitable dual purpose chicken flock on our homesteads and his family’s experience with the Bielefelder breed. We get to hear about the success they’ve had raising pigs and Greg shares some exciting news about their homestead.

PURCHASE SHEPHERD'S CROOK COFFEE:

https://www.shepherdscrookcoffee.com/

SHEPHERD'S CROOK COFFEE INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/shepherdscrookcoffee/

TRUNORTH FARM INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/trunorthfarm/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

Since starting this podcast last Spring, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with some amazing folks and covered a number of topics relevant to the homesteading lifestyle. It’s been a true pleasure to meet these great people, pick their brains, learn from their experiences and share all of that with you, my listeners. Something I realized recently is that many of you may not really know that much about me and so, I decided to do something about that.

Today, I welcome Bobby and Rusty from the brand new Rabbitry Center Homestead Podcast. They agreed to come on the show and interview me so that my audience can get a better understanding of where I come from, how I got to where I am today and what life is like on my little homestead. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while and, thankfully, they were willing to help.

In our talk, Rusty asks some great questions that get me to open up a lot about how we’re making this new adventure work out as a family. I get the opportunity to share some of my background and how that helped to shape the decisions that led to me relocating my family to this beautiful place we now call home. I share some of my successes and failures so far on our homestead as well as give some of my best advice for those who are just forging their path into the homesteading way of life.

CHECK OUT THE RABBITRY CENTER HOMESTEAD PODCAST:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2240959/share

CHECK OUT THE RABBITRY CENTER WEBSITE:

http://therabbitrycenter.com/

CHECK OUT THE RABBITRY CENTER YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheRabbitryCenter

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

It's the first Friday of October so that means it's time for a quick update on what's been going on around the homestead recently.

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

The homesteading movement is going strong and, with it, there is an ever growing list of resources available to those that are forging ahead with the lifestyle. It’s critically important that we have access to guidance and instruction as we branch out and begin to learn many of the old ways of living that have been lost to convenience and consumerism. That being said, I think it’s also important to zoom out and talk about the why’s, and the context, of a modern world that is driving so many to this way of living.

Well today I welcome Jill Winger of the Prairie Homestead to the podcast. Jill is an author, blogger, YouTuber, speaker and educator who has become one of the foundational personalities in the modern homesteading movement. Her ability to teach practical skills as well as bring context and meaning to the lifestyle is what, in my opinion, make her such a valuable resource to the countless people who are striving to live a better life.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* Jill shares where she drew her inspiration and got information in her early years as a homesteader

* How she learned through trial and error along the way

* the need to overcome the procrastination of planning to perfection and just get started

* Her thoughts on what’s driving the homestead movement

* We talk about societal norms and the need to overcome the limitations put on us by our consumer culture

* The intentional destruction of our food culture through corporate media

* Her journey from a standard American diet to learning to cook from scratch

* How to get started in scratch cooking

* Her advice for those new to the homesteading lifestyle

* Jill shares some details about her new book “Old Fashioned On Purpose”

BUY JILL'S NEW BOOK HERE:

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/old-fashioned-on-purpose-book

VISIT JILL'S WEBSITE:

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/

CONNECT WITH JILL ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/jill.winger/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

⁠https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

August was a great month here on the homestead and I thought I would share some of the highlights.