Live Chat with Mark and Jill Baker – Anyone Can Farm Homesteaders Guild
Homesteaders Guild Educational Opportunities
Around the Homestead – News and Information
A community based education opportunity: the Homesteader’s Guild class
Guild: "an association of people for mutual aid or the pursuit of a common goal." There are many ways to learn: a book, YouTube videos, weekend seminars, conferences, mentorships, college classes. If you really want to know something there are two key components:...
read more
Little’s Fate: even a used up boar is useful
What do you do with a mature boar pig? ("Boar" meaning an intact, fully functional male as opposed to the breed of pig.) We have met people who claim they taste good, but our experience has been that they have a smell and taste that...
read more
You can farm! Order your custom raised chickens today!
Anyone can farm! You may not have enough space or the ability to raise your own chickens or Thanksgiving turkey, but you can be a virtual farmer by having us custom raise your birds for you! Let us know how many you want, and we'll raise them for you,...
read more
Farming for Fun and Profit: a farmer’s winter thoughts
It's been a while since we've posted, but the farm continues to be busy. The winter is quieter, more of a maintenance time, a reflective time. So, is farming worth it? Is it for fun, or for profit? Hopefully the answer is "both." Mark talks in this...
read more
Homestead Hog Harvest
Farming is a very seasonal operation. While that seems like an obvious statement, I wonder if that's so. Are fresh tomatoes or strawberries ever not available at the grocery store? Does the milk change flavors or creaminess as winter melts to summer? Is the meat...
read more
Fall pigs: why now is the time to get your hog!
Way back when, long ago, in the mists of time, the folks who homesteaded the land had hogs. Fat hogs. Hardy hogs. Hogs that didn't need a lot of pampering and could live off the land. Even in the fall, going into winter, there were no...
read more
Learn to take your hog from field to freezer -Harvest time!
Learn to take your hog from field to freezer -Harvest time! We are busy making plans for the two hog harvest classes, possibly three, we have on the schedule so far this year. October 20-22: Come help us harvest Shady Grove Farm's hogs in Michigan's beautiful Upper...
read more
Integrity Matters: know or learn to be your farmer
"Trust is the combination of intelligence and integrity." "Husbandry, which is not replaceable by science, nevertheless uses science, and corrects it too. It is the more comprehensive discipline. To reduce husbandry to science, in practice, is to transform...
read more
Lard FAQ: What you asked about fat
Lard FAQ: Everything you wanted to know about pork fat/lard. "What is lard?" "Where does lard come from?" "Are lard and tallow the same thing?" You ask great questions! Here's the quick answers: What is Lard? Lard comes from pork fat. The fat can come from the back,...
read moreWhat is the Homesteaders Guild?
Spring Session Registration - Anyone Can Farm Homestead Education Guild
If you are ready to reconnect intimately with your food and to start growing something you can put on your dinner plate, we can help! The Homesteader’s Guild is a group of like-minded folks figuring out how to raise their own food with the guidance of longtime farmer Mark Baker.
Register now for limited seating