I am educator, a gardener, an environmentalist, and a fiscal conservative, whatever that means today. I grew up in a high-tech community, but my most important influences were my grandparents, who were born as the twentieth century dawned and learned how to survive through two world wars and the Great Depression. I hope that this blog honors their memories.
I started this blog after numerous discussions with people, especially folks who were just starting out on their own, who wanted to know more about cooking from scratch, gardening, and the environment. I cherish how the blog has become a discussion with other people interested in sustainable living, all providing their own wonderful insights, recipes, and stories.
Where is our little homestead? We live on the edge of the Ozarks in north-central Arkansas. At a bit more than 5 acres, our place is big enough to feed ourselves when we get ready to take that step. For now, we grow as much as we can right here and trade and buy from local farmers for everything else we can.
As for the recipes on this site, unless I state otherwise, they were born right in my kitchen, from years of cooking, reading cookbooks, watching cooking shows, and a lot of trial and error.
You can reach me at ozarkhomesteader AT yahoo DOT com. I don’t check this email address daily, though, so leave a comment too if you want to catch my attention a little faster.
Hello, you have a great blog – very interesting. I am looking forward to reading it more thoroughly – and trying some of your recipes. Have a lovely day. Linda
Thank you, Linda, and I’ll be back to visit yours.
your blog is right up my alley! love the “snow tracks” pictures. sometimes we get tracks that i can’t identify. we just got some cast iron skillets, and i’m learning about the differences in cooking with them. now i will go look around your blog a bit… ~wendy
Thank you!
If you take good care of your cast iron, you can cook just about anything you want in them. I remember Alton Brown did a segment on Good Eats (or was it America’s Test Kitchen on PBS?) a few years back on how their non-stick surface can actually be better than teflon, without any chemicals.
Dear Homesteader, My parents were born at the turn of the century which makes me about the age of yours. How I got to your blog is a wonder! I googled summer fashion and somehow stumbled into snow tracks. It is a real find for someone whose parents knew how to conserve, eat the best foods possible for good health, and make the most of what is available. When I started out on my own, I got the basic cast iron pans along with the “fashionable ones”. Now after 50+ years I am still using those same iron pans. I’m making a lot of soup these days and wish I had a big pot, but then I guess I wouldn’t be able to lift it. It is interesting to see the shifts in trends now that so many people have to watch the budget. The conservation advice follows what I have been doing for years. Thank you for listening, I’m old and getting older – which is good!
Goldie, how wondrous the internet is to take you from summer fashion to snow! My grandmothers were both petite women whom you would have thought could have barely lifted a tea cup, but the one who taught me about cooking and baking could easily lift a 20-pound turkey out of a wall oven or a full 4-quart pot of soup off the stove without flinching. I keep her in mind every time I think cast iron is heavy! Maybe you can lift more than you think.
Ha! I am also petite and getting more so. I have a cast iron roaster that I use for roasting turkey breast. It is getting hard to lift it out, but maybe because my kitchen is too small and I can’t get a good angle to lift straight up. I use a stainless steel pot for the soup, but intend to look for cast iron. I know it would make better soup! What I’m making now has all the root veggies, a variety of beans, then greens like kale and collard, and of course onions and garlic.
The angle impressed me about my grandmother and the oven. She was too tiny to reach straight over and had to come in from the side just above shoulder height.
Oh, that soup sounds wonderful!
I use either a 2-quart or 4-quart cast iron Dutch oven for soups that simmer and heavy-bottomed stainless steel for quicker soups that I puree. I love having the 2-quart Dutch oven because it works so well for today’s smaller families (and husbands who are less than friendly about leftovers).
I’m so delighted to talk “cooking” with you. None of the women my age cook any more. I prefer to know what’s going in! I forgot to mention that I also include turkey necks that I can find in one supermarket not too far from me. I tried breast, but I think the bones give it a better taste.
You might also be interested that I live in Manhattan, New York City! I’m a 10 minute walk from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Very urban. But I spent my first 20 years in Cleveland, Ohio with quite different outdoors life.
You’re so fortunate to live so close to the Met!
I consider things like stock bones when I think of the cost per pound for local, sustainably raised chickens and turkeys. There’s nothing like homemade stock.
It’s lovely chatting with you about cooking too!
I stumbled onto your site this morning and it made me a bit homesick. I grew up in the Arkansas Ozarks and my grandmothers taught me so much about sustainable living and conservation, although that certainly isn’t what they called it.
During the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up, it was really uncool to be interested in those things, that was for hippies. But I had lots of hippy friends and was fascinating by their lifestyle and priorities. I drifted away, and when I finally settled down again, it was near St. Louis. Now I own a half-acre plot in town.
I have grown a very small garden the last two summers, and am planning to expand it this year. I’ve been going from my memory of what my grandmas used to do and trying to read as much as I can. I use no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers on my plants, and they’ve been healthy and fruitful.
I would like to do more. Any tips for sustainable living and “homesteading” in the city?
You’re so fortunate to have a half-acre plot in town. My experience with urban gardening was in public plots. They’re fun in and of themselves because of the camaraderie, but they limit you in terms of planting times (and not knowing for sure from year to year if you’d keep your plot). I’ve got lots of thoughts on urban “homesteading” and organic gardening, way too many to include here, but I’ll include a few of them. Let me know if you have specific questions. Your questions can help me develop future blog posts!
Depending on whether you’re in St. Louis proper or a suburb, I would have your soil tested for environmental hazards before I grow anything else. Of course, if that’s not the “in town” to which you refer and you’re not in a former industrial area, you’re probably okay.
Have you trained as a Master Gardener? Here’s a link to finding a Master Gardener program in your area: http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/ It’s not all about sustainable and organic gardening, but I still think you can learn useful information. And you’ll find lots of other people who garden and can help you transfer your grandmothers’ knowledge to your new climate, slightly further north.
Whether you’re in the country or the city, you can get help from your county extension agent, including soil analysis, usually for free. When I got my analysis for our garden, all of the recommendations were for chemical fertilizers, so I wrote my extension agent back and asked for organic equivalents. It took her several weeks, but soon enough I had my list, and my garden has done better for it.
Whether you live in the city or the country, you can plant and sustain a garden year round, although you may not harvest in the depths of winter near St. Louis. If you see a neighbor installing new windows, ask the neighbor for the old ones so you can make cold frames. Consider plant tents and tunnels too. As soon as one crop winds down, put something else in.
Some cities now permit you to keep hens in limited numbers. If you do keep laying hens, with a half acre you may be able to grow much of the food they’ll need and use them as pest control in your garden. Here are a few good chicken links: http://www.communitychickens.com/ , http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Grow-Poultry-Feed-What-Chickens-Eat.aspx . (We are not raising chickens now ourselves.)
A few forums cover urban gardening, including GardenGirlTV: http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/
Stay in touch, and please come back to share your grandmothers’ wisdom and your own!
Oh lucky, lucky Regina to have so much space and still be in a city! Here I am in a postage-stamp size apartment in New York City. All I can manage are indoor plants close to 2 windows. There are trees outside my windows so I can watch the seasons change. I’m close enough to Central Park to experience much more.
I would like to report that there are good signs of life stirring in a few of the plants. Spring may actually be here soon! The weather has turned a bit gentle now, too. It felt warm today, but that might just be relatively warmer to how it’s been. Has anyone else seen hints of spring?
Goldie
I’m getting more hopeful that spring will actually return here some day. We had two glorious days of temperatures here ever so slightly above average (after two months well below average), and I spent every minute I could outside. I’ve had round two of crocuses (yellow this time), plus I see other spring flowers trying to start putting out foliage. I hope spring comes to you also soon, Goldie!
Yes, it’ll be here soon. It’s spiraling in again… as always. The air feels different now. I never mind any bad weather when the hint of spring is in the air. And, the days are getting l o n g e r!
Ha ha,
Goldie
After a couple of tantalizingly warm days, snow is showing in our forecast for Friday night and Sunday night and Monday morning. I’m ready for real spring!
Oh, don’t let a few snow flakes get you down! The air has changed, the days are longer, the temps are (mostly) higher so that snow -if it reaches ground- won’t last. I’m sure it can’t be as dreary as January!
Am I being a bit too cheerful??
No, I think you’re absolutely right. When I walked out of my “off homestead” job tonight at 6:30 and there was still a hint of light in the sky, I scarcely noticed how unusually cold it was.
Yups! There is another scary storm warning for xx inches of snow. This morning my plants continue putting out new shoots. Which shall we believe?
Yikes! Believe both and get some plastic to cover your plants.
I hope they survive.
It does the heart good to find a kindred spirit. Drop by my back porch anytime at Recession Depression Therapy. I love a dutch oven conversion for my Philadelphia Sticky Bun recipe.
Same here on the kindred spirits. I adore your recipes. Are you asking for a conversion, or do you have one? If so, I’d love to see it. If not, I can work it out (with the help of the real Dutch oven king of the house, my husband).
“would” that’s the missing word. I would love a dutch oven conversion. Currently, my dutch oven is sitting in my basement mocking me from its place next to last year’s overzealous soybean seed purchase. It really should be baking sticky buns to earn its board and keep….giggle.
Hmmm. This should be pretty easy, if you want to share your recipe. Are you interested in doing that?
I wandered over here from your comments on the NYT website.
I’m from NW Arkansas, but live in Chicago now. I’ve been thinking about my own ideas for a balanced meal, and that they are very close to the “meat and three” (although often minus the meat). This is very easy to do at home, but if I have to eat out, it can be very difficult.
It’s sooooo hard to get veggies in restaurants! Often all they have is salad. No greens, no green beans, nothing else. Even vegetarian places can be very light on the veggies, stuffing you full of rice and tofu, but leaving out the veggies.
Somebody needs to start a “meat and three” restaurant near where I work!
Where I grew up in Tennessee, there were a lot of places that served a “plate lunch” with “meat and three,” but I haven’t seen many in my neck of the Ozarks. Did you have those in NW Arkansas?
Hi Homesteader!
Thank you for a great blog! We’re trying to do something similar in south west British Columbia, but the high cost of land here is killing us.
We are currently holding a fund drive so we can secure our land through a balloon payment due September 30, 2010.
If we don’t think we can do that, we’re going to have to put the farm on the market in the next few weeks, which will break our heart. Who knows, if that happens, we may well head for the Ozarks!
If you feel this comment is inappropriate, please simply delete this posting.
It looks like from your web site (EcoReality.org) that you’ve got an interesting idea going–sort of like CSA only the members get in on the ground floor. I don’t know how many folks in your area read my little blog, but you’re welcome here!
Hello
I was reading one of your comments on another site when I saw your link and decided to mosey on over! Your blog is a breath of fresh air for my increasing dismay with costly, stifling urbanite existence. I must admit, I was a little envious(in an admiring sort of way) when I read that you used a vegetable from your garden for one of your recipes. My dream would be to own a small amount of land where I could grow something other than an inedible plant and with some of the actual flavor that produce used to have. In the meantime, I look forward to homesteading vicariously through you!
Natalia, I’m glad you found our little homestead. Feel fee to come visit any time.
More and more urban areas now have community gardens where for free or a small fee, neighbors can grow some of their own food. That’s what I did when I lived in an urban area. Ask around; you may be able to have your garden sooner than you think!
What a coincidence! I was actually recently reading about community gardens in the San Francisco/Bay Area. I live in the LA area and will definitely look into that.
I hope you can find a garden!
Hi,
I found your blog through a comment you made on a NY Times article on school lunches. Just wanted to let you know your words were very insightful & I’m enjoying readying your blog!
Thanks,
Amanda
Amanda, thank you so much for the kind words! Welcome to the blog.
I sorry it took so long to get here — but I have really enjoyed your blog.
Thanks, dear friend!
Saw your question about sous vide at huffingtonpost
here is my answer:
My comments on sous vide refer to those concerned with safety and experimenting at very low cost. Douglas Baldwin points out , there are elements of time and Temperature which can be balanced and one of the simplest places to start is with a Crockpot, a $20 Reynolds Handi-Vac device and the ribs recipe from Douglas.
http://coffeepotcooking.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/sous-vide-ribs-nothing-better/
Thanks for the link, Poppa John!
Your blog is fantastic and I really enjoy your passion for cooking with fresh vegetables and herbs.
I found out about your website from your comment on the NY Times article “Bill on School Lunch Is Scaled Back. Criticism of School Lunch Isn’t.”
School meal reform is such a bureaucratic issue and I wish it wasn’t. How can we expect change in this country if we are too cheap to provide it?
Anyway, I think you may enjoy my website about School gardens and PlantingProgress . I look forward to keeping contact with you!
Best,
Jennifer
Jennifer, thank you for the kind words about my little blog. I’m so pleased to make your acquaintance. I think your website and project are both wonderful. I look forward to learning more about what you do. My husband worked to get his school a greenhouse, and I’ve done work on historic school gardens and other urban children’s vegetable gardens.
Have you thought of expanding your notion of season? Although I’m a relative novice at cold-weather gardening, I find it easy and rewarding. I’d also like to develop a program for gardening across the curriculum, as schools did a hundred years ago. It’s amazing how they brought together science, math, literature, and art in their gardens.
Great blog! I found you while looking for “cast-iron” and “popcorn.” Love the two-fer you got by making popcorn and seasoning your pot at the same time. Looking forward to more thrifty, environmentally sound ideas.
Thank you, Linda. I visited your site too and can’t wait to try your Persian pasta sauce!
Greetings from San Francisco. My guy Ed loves cast iron. Last count–38 pans. Hopefully the homestead will come next. Congrats on creating the good life and making it work!
Oh my goodness! I think Ed may have us beat on cast iron. I’ll bet this DO will complete his life vision for cast iron.
Thanks for visiting the blog.
Hi, nice to meet you !
Same here!
Found your blog from the comment you left on Huffington Post. I’m working on a book called “Homegrown and Handmade” and would love to ask you a few questions. Sorry, I couldn’t find an email address on the blog to message you directly. If you want to know more about the book, it’s described here:
http://antiquityoaks.blogspot.com/2010/11/homegrown-and-handmade-coming-fall-2011.html
That’s fabulous about your book deal! Now I’m wishing I hadn’t had to be somewhere else the weekend of the Mother Earth fair instead of doing a canning demo there. Then again, maybe it’s wishful thinking that a publisher would have approached me.
You can reach me at (eliminate spaces) o z a r k h o m e s t e a d e r AT yahoo.com
Hello! Can’t remember how I got here, but it looks like we’re neighbors… I live in north-central Arkansas as well. Looking forward to reading more of your posts and having a “local” on my blogroll!
Welcome, Kim! We share a lot more than proximity now; I used to live in Orlando too, and your grandparents sound a lot like mine.
Readers, for another view of the Arkansas Ozarks, hop on over to Hickory Hill House. It’s a fun place!
I love your blog and have it on my blog roll. Just thought you might want to know that it appears on my blog roll titled as follows: “Ozark Homesteader: Sustainable Cooking, Gardening, and Living » National Farmers Market Week: August 1-7, 2010.” My very best wishes, Meg
Thank you, Meg! I think I’ve had you on my blogroll for a long time too.
I actually lost a few subscribers today when I posted, so I’m glad to get a little reassurance that my humble effort is worth it to someone!
Your effort is definitely appreciated by all who read you.
What I wanted to point out was that your profile (perhaps in WordPress?) has the National Farmer’s Market Week from last August embedded in your blog’s title. Makes it look like the site is stale, though I know it is definitely not. Just thought you’d want to know 
Meg, could you check your blogroll link for this blog? I wonder if you captured the URL that day. It’s not showing up that way on other sites, I wonder if it’s the link. (I could be wrong, of course).
Thanks for letting me know!
Hi – the link seems to be fresh since it picks up your most current post. It’s just the title that’s stale. Somewhere you must have a profile that has this as its title and Blogger’s blog roll gadget is picking it up.
Hmmmmmm. I changed the title a while ago. I’m not sure how to change it elsewhere. Thanks for letting me know!
I miss you. I hope you remember us and come back and grace us with more beautiful posts. I always look forward to reading your blog. Thank you.
Victoria, thank you! I have so much to tell, good and bad, that scarcely know how to start. I promise I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow–um, tomorrow’s gone now, so how about Friday?
Just found your blog and I’m enjoying it so much! I’m a NW Arkansas blogger, just outside Rogers. Come visit me on Granny Mountain!
Hello! Your comments on the NYT story about the overweight child are exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for including the link to your lovely website too.
I’ve been making my own bread for a while, but have been relying on active dry yeast and my bread machine to do the initial mix and kneading. The old machine; just now; has finally worn out, but I’m actually looking forward to learning how to do it all by hand. Your sourdough bread will be an aspiration!
I love my cast iron cookware, and wish my community didn’t prohibit owning chickens. My sister lives in the Ozarks (Willow Springs – West Plains, MO), and I’ve driven many times through your beautiful region of Arkansas as well. I’ll look forward to reading more of your interesting posts.
Best wishes from Elmer!
Thank you, Elmer! I was feeling a bit grumpy the day I told that father to take responsibility for his child’s eating; otherwise I might have been more diplomatic. In any case, I’m glad I caught your attention.
Making bread by hand is addictive if you use the no-knead, extra water method. Let me know how yours comes out.
From “Five Pound Candy” blog, regaridng poached eggs and crackers (because for some reason I couldn’t reply to your post on my blog). Hey, thanks for the comment! My Mom grew up in Hundred, West Virginia. So, maybe it is a southern thing?. Also, she grew up in the 40′s, when most moms really knew how to stretch a meal with crackers and other fillers. Mom says she also ate a lot of corn meal mush, in various forms. Fried mush, mush with cream and sugar, etc. Now, it would be called something like polenta cakes.
Ha, the first time I had polenta, I tasted it and said, “Oh, grits!”
I’m thinking about doing a query post here for cracker eggs, like I did for dressing and stuffing recipes a few years ago. I do wonder if it’s Southern, or if perhaps Saltines found a way to get people to eat crackers for breakfast.
I stumbled upon your blog tonight looking for a recipe for soup using leeks. I found Zuppa! Italian soup with sausage, leeks, and kale and it was wonderful except I didn’t have the kale. There’s always next time
I am not a blogger, but am very interested in many of the posts you’ve put on yours. I’m looking forward to trying your recipes and reading what you’ve got to say. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for visiting, Linkers. Next time, consider substituting chard or spinach for the kale, if you have those on hand. Just be sure to keep the greens’ cook time to a minimum.
Missing you! I’ve moved to Arkansas!
Oh, wow, where!
(And thank you. I promise I’ll be back.)
I bought a house in Mabelvale that stole my heart. It’s out in the country on nearly 3 acres in Saline County. I’m close enough to LR to enjoy the amenities but far enough away to not feel trapped by the city. I love going over to Hot Springs. It’s so close by. I hope you are well.
That sounds wonderful! Did you get the big snow at Christmas?
Yes, we had a huge pine fall on our power and cable lines, so we had to wait until they were put back up. I wrote a blog post about the storm. http://ozarkscrescentmural.blogspot.com/2013/01/christmas-storm-of-2012.html
Wow. We got lucky–just about ten powerless hours at our place.
Darn! I tried to post a reply on your blog, but Google was my only option. I don’t have a Google account. Too much to keep track of already. Will you have other options for comments?
Sorry about that. Just now I set it back to allow anyone to comment like I had it originally. I’d only restricted it a little while back because of a few weird comments, but I have the power to delete anyways and I’d hate to miss a comment from someone like you. I’m hoping you’ll drop back by and leave that comment.