Homestead How-To is a gathering place for those who want to live a more rustic, self-reliant life. Our primary goal is to provide a great venue for learning with comprehensive and easy-to-follow, do-it-yourself articles. Our secondary goal is to connect homesteaders who want to learn to each other, and to offer opportunities for them to share their expertise.
Collaborative Learning
The articles on Homestead How-To are specifically limited to how-to posts. You won’t find recipes or essays (even though those are awesome). Instead, you’ll find a virtual library of instructions, resources, and learning opportunities contributed by folks who are interested in gardening, livestock, food preservation, and self-sufficiency (among other topics). We try to go above and beyond the basic information that can be found elsewhere and focus on in-depth tutorials and resources. And all of our articles come from members of the homesteading community!
Resource Sharing
Homestead How-To also highlights learning resources that can be found beyond our site. We publish book reviews and host a Homesteaders’ Book Club. We profile courses or websites where you can learn specific skills. We partner with other businesses and sites who offer learning experiences. We try to vet these resources so that you can come here to learn what others’ think about a given resource or share your impression. You’ll find much of this information in our library.
Community Building
Every article also points you back to the homesteader who wrote it – if they have a blog, Facebook Page, Instagram Profile, or Pinterest account, you’ll find a link to connect with them. You’ll also be able to read a short profile and see a photo of them or their homestead. We encourage you to click on these links, meet new friends, and make new connections! We want to highlight folks in our community who have a lot to offer, so don’t forget to check out our contributor guidelines to join the fun!
Our Team
Homestead How-To was founded by Carrie Williams Howe and Libby McPhee, two Vermont homesteaders who met through homesteading communities on social media. They shared a background in education and a passion for making connections that help people to learn more.
Carrie Williams Howe – Founder, Lead Editor (carrie@homesteadhow-to.com)
Carrie has a PhD in Educational Leadership with a focus on adult learning and curriculum development. When she isn’t weeding the garden or canning, she is passionate about creating venues for adults to learn effectively with each other. She lives on a small homestead in Williston, Vermont where she and her family focus on growing as many vegetables as possible while also offering small shares to others. The Howes also raise bees and sell honey and other beeswax products; follow their adventures on The Happy Hive.
As the lead editor, Carrie is responsible for curating the categories and content of Homestead How-To in partnership with Libby. She focuses on making sure that articles align with the goals and purposes of the site and help to promote learning in every way possible.
Contributing Authors
We welcome contributing authors through our “write for us” page! You’ll find a number of other homesteaders in our by-lines. As we further develop Homestead How-To we hope to add contributing editors who will take the lead on various categories. More to come!