Our 2012 Homesteaders of the Year: Living the Good Life Through Modern Homesteading

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The path to self-reliance can be just as rewarding as the ultimate goal. This is one of many lessons learned by our 2012 Homesteaders of the Year.
The path to self-reliance can be just as rewarding as the ultimate goal. This is one of many lessons learned by our 2012 Homesteaders of the Year.
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In the house of Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland, even the pins and rafters are handmade.
In the house of Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland, even the pins and rafters are handmade.
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Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland hosted an old-fashioned house-raising to construct their off-grid home.
Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland hosted an old-fashioned house-raising to construct their off-grid home.
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This 650-square-foot house at the 21st Street Urban Homestead proves that small spaces can still be productive.
This 650-square-foot house at the 21st Street Urban Homestead proves that small spaces can still be productive.
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Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland pose inside their hand-built home.
Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland pose inside their hand-built home.
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Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland's unique off-grid home uses the power of the sun.
Laurie Freeman and Jim Strickland's unique off-grid home uses the power of the sun.
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Nothing beats the comfort and security of a well-stocked pantry like the one shown here in the basement of the 21st Street Urban Homestead.
Nothing beats the comfort and security of a well-stocked pantry like the one shown here in the basement of the 21st Street Urban Homestead.
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This portable backyard chicken coop, based on an old plan from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, graces the garden beds of the 21st Street Urban Homestead.
This portable backyard chicken coop, based on an old plan from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, graces the garden beds of the 21st Street Urban Homestead.
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Barbara Heller and Alan Steinberg maintain a tidy, rural homestead in Afton, N.Y.
Barbara Heller and Alan Steinberg maintain a tidy, rural homestead in Afton, N.Y.
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Barbara Heller poses with sunflowers cut from her family's homestead.
Barbara Heller poses with sunflowers cut from her family's homestead.
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Rebecca Heller-Steinberg displays the produce available through her Extended Harvest winter CSA program.
Rebecca Heller-Steinberg displays the produce available through her Extended Harvest winter CSA program.
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Alan Steinberg prepares freshly picked strawberries for the freezer.
Alan Steinberg prepares freshly picked strawberries for the freezer.
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Holy Terror Farm's Scottish Highland cows say hello.
Holy Terror Farm's Scottish Highland cows say hello.
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Maple syrup ready for sale at Hopewell Farms.
Maple syrup ready for sale at Hopewell Farms.
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Rachel Conlin of Irish Hills Farm in Canada displays a couple of her sweet young lambs.
Rachel Conlin of Irish Hills Farm in Canada displays a couple of her sweet young lambs.
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The house and Three Sisters garden of Joseph Graham and Sheila Eskenazi in Quebec, Canada.
The house and Three Sisters garden of Joseph Graham and Sheila Eskenazi in Quebec, Canada.
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Join us in September 2012 to celebrate International Homesteading Education Month. Learn more at www.MotherEarthNews.com/Homesteading-Month.
Join us in September 2012 to celebrate International Homesteading Education Month. Learn more at www.MotherEarthNews.com/Homesteading-Month.

We are now accepting nominations for our 2013 Homesteaders of the Year! Please send a 500-word description of a friend, family or neighbor you think deserves to be one of our honored homesteaders to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with the subject line “Homesteaders of the Year.” You can also send nominations by mail to Homesteaders of the Year; c/o MOTHER EARTH NEWS; 1503 SW 42nd St.; Topeka, KS 66609. Please include at least three photos showing the nominees and their homestead activities with your nomination.

The word “homesteading” may conjure images of families lined up in front of a sod house, a mule hitched to a plow working the fields in the background. Such pioneers truly labored for their livelihood, sweating to construct homes, produce food, haul water and raise animals. Modern homesteading doesn’t fit that description, but those who choose it have the same can-do attitude and have found new ways of living the good life.

Last fall, when MOTHER EARTH NEWS called for nominations for our 2012 Homesteaders of the Year contest, we never could’ve predicted the variety of do-it-yourselfers we’d hear about. From families on 100-plus acres in rural Canada to couples in tiny homes on one-third-acre plots in a bustling metropolis, all kinds of self-reliant folks from across North America were nominated.

The nominees have incredible green thumbs — growing large veggie gardens and tending orchards. For most, food preservation is a constant activity — freezing, dehydrating, canning and storing food in a root cellar. Many of these modern homesteaders supplement their gardens with local products and raise poultry and livestock for eggs, meat, dairy and manure.

A big part of self-reliance for many of the nominees involves energy efficiency. Remodels and upgrades to turn an old house into a more energy-efficient home were common, as were hand-built homes powered by renewable energy sources.

  • Published on Jul 6, 2012
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