Location
The Grovestead Farm
Northfield, MN
Date/Time
Date(s) - Friday, July 5, 2024 - Saturday, July 6, 2024
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Independence Week!
Want to learn more about self-sufficiency and homesteading? Join us for two packed days of hands-on workshops centered on the agrarian life. We’ll learn about sustainable gardening, raising livestock, butchering, medicinal herbs, soap-making and preserving the harvest by canning and fermenting.
Details:
- Ages 15 and up
- Space is limited to 40 participants
- Cost for both days: $125
- Please bring a picnic lunch both days
★ Friday evening dinner is provided ★
Schedule
Friday, June 5
9:00 AM – Welcome and Introductions;
9:15 AM – Course Overview: Food, Fiber, Shelter (Rory)
9:45 AM – How to find a country homestead (Kevin)
10:45 AM – Homegrown Healthcare: Medicinal Herbs and Tinctures (Otis)
12:00 PM – Lunchtime
1:00 PM – Chicken Butchering Activity (Groves & Otis)
3:00 PM – Homestead Power: Fuel and Energy Considerations (Rory & Becca)
4:00 PM – Survival Gardening: Food For a Year (Rory)
5:00 PM – Evening Meal and Fellowship
Saturday, July 6
9:00 AM – Dairying Basics (Otis)
10:30 AM – Family-Scale Livestock: Choosing the Right Breeds (Otis)
11:30 AM – Rotational Grazing (Rory & Ivar)
12:30 PM – Lunchtime
1:30 PM – Preserving the Harvest (Otis)
3:00 PM – Just In Case: Long-Term Food Storage (Otis)
4:00 PM – The Loom of Life: Why We Farm (Rory & Becca)
5:00 PM – Goodbye ’til next time…
Your Instructors
Rory Groves moved his family from the city to the country 10 years ago to begin pursuing a more durable way to live. Everything Rory has learned about homesteading has been from scratch—if he can do it, so can YOU! (and he’d love to show you how) Rory is author of Durable Trades: Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time.
Becca Groves is a mother of six, married to Rory. At the Grovestead she manages to keep everyone fed and in line (including the goats) while remembering the high calling of it all. Becca will be sharing on the productive household.
Experienced husband and wife homesteaders Mike and Sarah Otis will take us through self-sufficiency essentials like choosing the right livestock, preserving the harvest, and keeping the pantry stocked.
Kevin Warkentien is owner of Harthouse Homes and specializes in real estate purchases for first-time homesteaders. He will be sharing on how to find a country homestead.
NOTE: Due to the potentially hazardous nature of some activities, e.g., handling knives or equipment, this event is limited to adults and children ages 15+.
Here is a blog post we wrote about our 2023 Self Sufficiency Summit to give you a better idea of what these two days are all about. Hope you can come!
Lodging
- If you are coming from further away, you will need to find your own lodging nearby. If you would like to camp on-site we have a few number of spots available here at no additional charge. Bath/shower is currently being built but no power hookups. Please inquire with us.
Childcare
- For safety reasons, this event is limited to participants ages 15 and older. If you have younger children we ask that you make other arrangements and not bring them to the event, with the exception of nursing mothers.
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