Local Homesteading Groups: Why You Need One

Reader Contribution by Lanette Lepper
Published on August 15, 2013
1 / 3
2 / 3
3 / 3

Several years ago, my friend Jen started “The Virginia Urban Homesteaders League.”  She spent many

Saturdays that first summer at a local farmer’s market, doing demonstrations and getting the word out about the new group.  In a few short months, she’d gathered together a core group of people who were all interested in ‘inspiring and empowering people to live a more self-sufficient, sustainable, economic, and meaningful life.’  Two years later, we now have over three hundred members on meetup, and over a thousand ‘likes’ on Facebook.

Many life-long friendships have been formed, and life-long skills attained, as a result of this group. Members are Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians… Christians, Agnostics, Wiccans… Omnivores, Vegetarians, Vegans… Farmers, Suburban Homesteaders, Apartment Dwellers… but our differences help to make the group better.  We all want to learn more about homesteading skills, and share what we already know.   Many new members have said it’s nice to find people who understand, who ‘get it’, who don’t think they are crazy for bringing chickens home to roost.


The group’s Facebook page also became a way to socialize and share tips.  Using meetup.com, we organized garden tours, canning classes, and seed swaps.  We also posted local events that might be of interest to our members, such as gardening workshops and fairs.  We have partnered with libraries to offer classes.  We have booths at Sustainability Fairs and farmer’s markets.  Several times a year, we have a Larder Swap which is probably my personal favorite (see Food Swap Network for more information on how to organize your own.)  We have learned how to crochet, how to dehydrate, how to bake bread in an outdoor brick oven, how to make Kombucha, soap, evergreen wreaths, and rain barrels… most classes are free, some require a small fee for supplies.  (A local farm charges $30 for a canning class.  Ours cost $5.)  We are currently working on a group cookbook, with recipes using real food and locally grown ingredients.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368