The Homestead Hideaway – Turning a BIG Dream into Reality
Homesteading is so much more than a hobby, right? It’s like this big leap into doing things yourself and living a greener life. It all started for me with a pretty simple wish โ I just wanted to feed my family veggies I planted myself and really know what’s going into the food on our table. And it wasn’t long before I was dreaming of farm fresh eggs from the backyard and meat from animals I’ve raised with care, knowing exactly what went into raising them.
There was no real guidebook for this stuff, but I was all in. I dove headfirst into learning everything I could from YouTube and blogs, soaking up every little bit of info on this whole homesteading thing. There’s always something new to learn, and that keeps it super exciting. As I got the hang of it, I wanted to start sharing my stories โ kind of like giving back, you know?
I started off shy with my vlogs and blogs as a new homesteader. I had imposter syndrome – calling myself a “homesteader” while I was still trying to learn how to homestead. But people were digging it, which was awesome. The support was huge โ from friends, family, and even strangers on the internet. Everyone seemed eager to get a peek into my homestead life and learn a thing or two. It’s been this cool back-and-forth of teaching and learning โ from the basics of making sourdough to the nitty-gritty of raising chickens and starting a garden.
Then, something kind of magical happened. We moved from Arizona to South Carolina to homestead fulltime and stumbled upon this old, forgotten house hiding out on our new farm. It wasn’t included in the MLS listing because it had been abandoned for over 12 years and was completely covered in trees and vines. It was like a snapshot of the past โ a bit run-down but full of possibilities, such a cool blessing from God! We’ve been calling it the “hidden house.” My husband and I chewed over what we could do with it โ a coffee shop, maybe an Airbnb โ but deep down, something else was calling.
With everyone so eager to learn how to start homesteading (I mean, can you blame anyone after what we all experienced during covid?) and asking me to teach them the skills I was teaching myself, I started wishing I had a kitchen I could invite them into… a peaceful place on my farm where we can just hangout and learn homesteading skills, together. A place where we can create community and have fellowship, where the kids can run around the farm and learn how to care for chickens, goats and pigs, and we can get our hands dirty in the garden picking fresh veggies and herbs to take back to the kitchen and cook with or preserve. A place where people come to learn skills they can apply on their own homestead, but stay for the farm-to-table dinner and bonfire with s’mores because it’s too fun to leave the friends they just made!
But this is going to be loads more than just a place to learn homesteading skills. It’s where stories and laughs will circle around the bonfire, where the work we put into fixing the place up sets the stage for all the get-togethers to come. It’s all about that cozy feeling of being part of something bigger โ like reconnecting with the land and each other.
And thus, the “Homestead Hideaway” idea lingered on my husband’s and my hearts until we eventually said, “what the heck, let’s do it!” So, here we are, jumping in – head first it feels like – to make this dream become a reality. This place is going to be our mark, our legacy โ showing that a simple, sustainable life isn’t just a dream, it’s something we’re making happen every single day. It’s going to light the way not just back to our roots, but also forward to a future we’re all building together.
The Homestead Hideaway at Freedom Forest Farm
Take a quick look at some of what we have planned, including homesteading workshops, events and a store! We are busy working on the renovation but will keep y’all updated with our progress and plans along the way…
We hope you’ll join us on this journey to making this dream come true, and come visit us when we officially open our doors this summer!
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