During the shutdowns of 2020 many families woke up to the realization that the food and medical industries aren’t as reliable as they thought. What they didn’t know was that, out here on the organic farm, life didn’t change as much. We continued to plant and harvest, work and eat, and relying on the homesteading skills and the community that Farmer Reuben developed over the years.
Traditional food skills, like making your own sourdough bread, preserving food, using the herbs and plants that grow around you, are foundational to feeling secure even when a personal crisis like a loss of income or an illness hits close to home.
Our farm members often express that they are more confident in their ability to feed their families, and keep them healthy, no matter what happens because of what they’ve learned from us at Willow Haven farm.
When you forge strong connections with like minded people whose skills compliment your own, your safety net expands.
How do you expect to survive your next “crisis” without learning the skills and tapping into the community support that will make your family resilient?
Introducing the Second
“On the Farm” Homesteading Conference
at Willow Haven Farm.
It doesn’t have to be a shut down or a real pandemic. The skills you’ll learn from our presenters during their in-depth workshops will be practical in everyday life.
Making sourdough bread at home transformed Lisa’s family after attending Vince’s first Breadmaking class.
“I haven’t bought bread from the grocery store since.” she proudly states.
Leading to many more traditional skills, including fermenting, Lisa is an example of the confidence and peace of mind a family has when they know where their food comes from and that they don’t have to go to the grocery store every week.
“I can’t garden. In my current situation, I don’t have the space for it.” But that doesn’t stop her from stocking up on skills and resources and leaning into her community to become resilient.
Homesteading from Scratch
As we stepped out of our car in mid-April with Baby Annika, we gingerly stepped around melting snow and frigid mud on our way to the canvas yurt that would warm us.
Both young couples (the Gagnons and the DeMasters) started out married life with principals and ideals that we wanted to implement in our lives. Having a headstart and connections in New Hampshire, Ken and Bresca showed us what an attempt to live a simple life, off the grid, could look like.
Every function of daily life had a system to make it sustainable: the composting outhouse, the hand crank clothes washer, the wood fired stove, the home made baby food and diapers.
Their start on this path was supported by a homesteading family that owned land and had built their home and buildings decades ago.
Our friends bought land a couple years and another baby later, so we visited again to see what the simple life looked like. The same yurt had been moved to the new location and was the center of the homestead that included a small barn, a few sheds, garden and pastures.
Unfortunately, the pressures of this way of life took its toll on the family and a few years later they broke up.
Important Lesson Learned
The simple, sustainable life is complicated.
It isn’t wise to homestead “from scratch” – especially not without community support.
The skills of homesteading can be learned at your own pace, slowly or quickly. Learn with friends and family. Join groups with the same interest.
Without land, you can still learn much and even practice producing and preserving your own food.
Read. Watch Videos. Purchase online courses.
Visit historic and modern places that are actually doing what you want to do.
Reuben and I started out gardening without our own land. Our first attempts were not great because couldn’t improve the land or be close enough to make consistent observations. Later we realized that Reuben was the natural gardener rather than me. But I was comfortable with and capable of canning and freezing our harvests like our mothers and grandmothers. I started canning chow-chow, tomatoes, salsa and jam to fill our self-constructed shelves in the basement.
We even experimented with storing carrots in a bucket of sawdust over winter and using the cement stairs beneath the Bilco doors to the basement for long term food storage. Neither worked well.
But the 50 lb bucket of honey we invested in was so successful that we moved it between three homes in those early years.
Passing on the Resourcefulness
Because my grandfather bought 80 acres of New Tripoli farmland in 1951, with family support, we were able to return to the family homestead to build on the foundation of his decades of blood and sweat – likely, also, the tears of my dad, his mother and his sisters.
A sledge hammer in the hands of my grandmother is proof of her resourcefulness when she could no longer wait patiently for a simple home remodeling project to begin. One day she began the knocking down a living room partition wall to call the desired expansion into reality.
Farmer Bill couldn’t keep putting it off after that and I am grateful we have one long room for our family to enjoy rather than a small parlor and sitting room like the old days.
The character of my grandparents, the training they passed on to their children continues to be passed on through the generations.
With my mom and dad’s memories of farm life, their lives of skill building, Reuben and I expanded our knowledge and experience into a livelihood which we share with others through Willow Haven Farm.
We want step into to the gap to teach and build community with you because you missed the chance to learn it from your parents and grandparents. You aren’t alone. Many families lost their connections with rural life.
Do you want to learn to store and preserve food?
More importantly, do you want to learn the decision making skills to make important choices to set yourself up for a more sustainable future?
Reuben and I recommend you start where you are at and learn practical skills that you can put into practice everyday.
Are you ready to take action?
These in-depth two hour workshops are perfect for both beginners and experienced folks, especially those who are looking for community support as they learn.
- Sourdough Bread Making at Home
- 5 Simple Ways to Save and Stock Up
- Herbal Treasures: A Guided Foraging Walk
- Canning Traditional European Preserves
- Intro to Herbalism & Tincturing
- First Aid for the Home Herbalist
(Each includes a “take home” of value)
Why Attend?
- Exclusive Workshops: Gain practical skills and take home knowledge from expert-led sessions
- In-Depth Learning with Farmer Reuben: Delve into Organic Systems for Vegetable Growing and Pastured Dairy Animals, and get essential advice on Homesteading Decision Making.
- Network with Like-Minded Individuals: Build connections and exchange ideas with others who are committed to organic living and sustainable farming.
Schedule:
- 8:00 am: Catholic Mass
- 9:00 am: Breakfast & Check-in
- 10:00 am: Workshop Session #1
- 12:00 pm: Lunch Break (Salad bar and Brick Oven Pizza available for purchase)
- 1:30 pm: Workshop Session #2
- 4:00 pm: Closing Prayer
Event Details: 2024 Homesteading Conference
Date: September 7, 2024
Location: Willow Haven Farm, 7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli, PA 18066
⏰ Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Registration: Early Bird Full Day $80 (ends Sunday, 8/11)
Pricing:
- Full Day: $95 (includes all-day coffee, tea, and lunch salad bar)
- Half Day: $34 (includes breakfast)
Limited Time Offer – Early Bird Special!
- Register for the Full Day experience at a special price of just $85!
- This offer is available for 3 days only, ending Sunday, 8/11.
- Don’t wait – secure your spot today to take advantage of this discounted rate.
- Half Day Ticket Registration opens next Friday. Be sure to mark your calendar!
Secure your spot now and invest in your progress toward sustainable living.
Register Now!
As Always…
We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.
We’ll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
P.S. Pizza Night is Cancelled Tonight, Friday August 9th due to storms. BUT… Dr. Carrie Chapp will join us for Pizza on the Deck next Friday August 16th.
Farm Events
Willow Haven Farm Bakery & General Store bring
Healthy Food Choices
to the food vendor selection
Night in the Country!
Look for Vinces’s scones and flatbreads, Untamed Ferments Kombucha and the DeMaster family!
25th Annual A Night in the Country Festival and Car Show
Food · Community · Games · Live Music · Car Show · Basket Raffle · Fireworks · Beer Tent ·
Army Blackhawk Helicopter
Our 2nd Annual Homesteading Conference is Sept. 7.
Early Bird Full Day Registration Open NOW!
Register Now!
Brick Oven Pizza Night NEXT Friday
Join us next Friday night from 5:00-9:00 P.M.
Relax and enjoy the farm-to-table flavors
of Massimiliano’s Homestead’s hand-crafted pizza.
