Introducing.....

The time for the 2016 Spring Gathering is fast approaching.  Today, I would like to introduce you to 3 of the featured guests who plan to give presentations during the Gathering. 

Joy, is the inspiration behind Bean Post Farmstead, where she lives with her family near Miller, Missouri.  She will be presenting information about raising rabbits, including health/ nutrition, sustainability, cost and time considerations as well as foraging, pasture, and garden planning, also seasonal considerations and transitioning away from the typical pellet diet.  She has been raising rabbits for 7 years, and feeding naturally for 8 months. Joy has just begun a new blog, bean post farmstead.  She is looking forward to meeting everyone and participating in some of the other presentations, especially the Bee Keeping Basics.  She says, "We've been wanting bees for a long time but haven't learned anything about them yet, so we're excited!" 

Justin will be presenting information on Basic Bee Keeping. Justin grew up in rural Alaska on a piece of property that was homesteaded by his grandparents.  During his 21 years in Alaska, he participated in many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, playing in the woods and riding snow machines in the winter months.  Growing up in a house heated by wood, Justin learned the basics of homesteading first hand.  His Dad bought a piece of land up in the Caribou Hills, which is in the middle of nowhere.  This is where his family built a cabin and lived for about a year, completely off grid. They had a generator but had to haul in any fuel used, any food not grown, and actually tapped into a spring for their water.  Justin moved to Missouri 16 years ago.  According to Justin, "I have been interested in bees for about a year now, and should have 4 hives or more by the end of the year." He is hoping to harvest his first Missouri honey in 2016.  Justin and his wife Melody live on a working homestead in Dade County, meaning "it's a work in progress," according to Justin.  They have cattle, hogs, chickens and rabbits and are also doing a large garden.  Justin is creating a blog for following the progress of his bee hives, but is not quite ready to go public with it.  We will share when he does!

Our last introduction for the day is the owner and creator of Sudsy Soap, Cheryl.  Cheryl started her goat milk soap business 2 years ago.  Her soaps contain oils, butters, fragrance and essential oils.  She makes everything from a Gardeners/Mechanic Soap to a Bug Be Gone Soap.  Since starting her soap business, she has added candles, lip balm, body butters, and bath bombs.  She also makes laundry detergent, stain sticks and bath salts.  She and Bruce live on a small farm outside of Mt. Vernon in Lawrence County, where they raise goats and chickens, and have a large garden that Cheryl and Bruce share the labor of preserving the produce.  She also works a full time job for Opaa! Food Management as Director of Mt. Vernon School District and is a training director for new districts in the company.  Cheryl also teaches Food Handlers Classes and Servsafe Classes in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.  On the day of the Gathering, Cheryl will be teaching us how to safely make a basic soap from items we find in our kitchens. 

I hope to have information from 3 more of our presenters to share with you next week.  We still have additional rabbit husbandry, growing and using herbs, natural gardening, natural goat husbandry, dispatching and processing small game, blacksmithing and bowl making!  It is shaping into a wonderful day.

The closer we get, and the more finalized plans become, the more I realize what a wealth of information will be shared at the 2016 Spring Gathering.  For complete details and to reserve your spot, visit the event page or email me. 

Spring Gathering 2016

Plans are coming together for our 2016 Spring Gathering at our homestead on May 14th, 2016.  We are very excited to be able to offer educational sessions along with a time to share ideas and experiences with like-minded people.  We are planning to run sessions from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.  We are hoping this will allow ample time for morning and evening chores and still give you time come and enjoy the day.

At this time we are scheduled to have 9 presenters who will be offering information on many topics: raising rabbits and goats, growing and using herbs, blacksmithing, wooden bowl making, natural gardening, butchering small animals, basic beekeeping and more!  Our day will be available at no charge to attendees.  Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic lunch and plan to spend the day with us.

You will be able to choose and attend 6 of the 12 sessions that will cover various topics.  The schedule for the day is outlined below.  Sessions followed by (*) will only be offered at that time, all others will be offered at two different times during the day.

9:00-10:00  Soap making--a simple soap made from common kitchen ingredients
                    Raising Goats Naturally--Raising and natural treatment for common problems
                   Growing Herbs*--Basics of herb gardening and common herbs that are easy to grow  

10:15-11:15 Basic Beekeeping--Understanding the miraculous honey bee
                     Raising Rabbits--Raising Rabbits and dealing with common issues        
                     Blacksmithing*--See and watch some new items made from common metal  

11:30-12:30 Natural Gardening--Growing produce with natural pest control and soil enhancement   
                    "Pellet Free" Rabbits--Feed your rabbits in ways that don't involve processed pellets
                    Dispatching Fowl*--process chicken, quail and perhaps and prepare for the freezer
 
12:45-1:45 Basic Beekeeping--Understanding the miraculous honey bee     
                   Raising Rabbits--Raising Rabbits and dealing with common issues
                   Dispatching Rabbits*--process rabbit and prepare it for the freezer 

2:00-3:00   Prepping Herbs*--Learn various ways to prepare, preserve and use common herbs
                   "Pellet Free" Rabbits--Feed your rabbits in ways that don't involve processed pellets
                   Natural Gardening--Growing produce with natural pest control and soil enhancement   

3:15-4:15  Soap making--a simple soap made from common kitchen ingredients
                  Raising Goats Naturally--Raising and natural treatment for common problems
                  Wooden Bowls*--Watch as Caleb works to turn a slab of wood into a shallow bowl   
                 
The sessions will be informal and questions will be encouraged.  You may choose at any point to skip a session, spread a blanket and have a picnic lunch, or you may eat lunch during one of the sessions. We have a large grassy area, and will have bottled water and drinks available.  Again, there is no charge for anything throughout the day and a box will be provided for donations to help offset costs, IF you choose to do so. 

One of the goals with our own homestead is to help others take their dreams to a realistic point.  You don't have to own a large acreage to provide healthy food for your family.  You can grow a garden anywhere; you can make soap and other projects in your kitchen; raising rabbits, chickens and even goats is possible in small areas; growing and using herbs will take your cooking to a whole new level, and many have medicinal uses as well; beekeepers are found even in large cities!  Some towns even allow small animal husbandry, with some restrictions.  Check the ordinances where you live.  You can preserve healthy foods by attending farmers markets, shopping produce sales at your local grocer, or trading your neighbors for their excess produce.  Nothing is impossible.  We hope to teach some basics and begin to offer resources of knowledge and networking to give you the motivation to start!  My point is that you can do this! No matter where you are in your life, there are ways you can provide better, safer, more enjoyable food and items for your family.

Papa and I were both raised on farms and it did not occur to us until recently that we have knowledge, and a wealth of family and friends with knowledge that should be shared.  Many people do not have access to this knowledge, so this is our way of beginning to share with others.

In addition to Papa and myself, we have had 7 others step up to help organize and put together this event.  With their help, we hope to make this a recurring event at least twice a year.  Look for the organizers, the day of the event, in their bright orange shirts.  Let them know how your day is going, and let them know what we can do to improve future Gatherings.  We already have several topics in the works for a Fall Gathering if you all would like.  Your feedback after the event will help us determine what sessions to plan for the Fall Gathering and will help us make improvements to best meet your needs.

Please, let us know of your intentions to attend, so that we can have plenty of drinks available, and plan for parking accordingly.  Visit  2016 Spring Gathering on FaceBook to reserve your spot, learn more about the presenters and find out additional information as it becomes available!  No FaceBook account?  Email me with 2016 Spring Gathering in the subject line!

We hope to provide you with a day of fun and knowledge, please come hang out with us.