Made From Scratch

Allow me to introduce you to Jenna Woginrich. Calling Vermont home, Jenna shares her successes, failures, triumphs, and travails on her highly recommended blog, Cold Antler Farm. It's a rich, candid read, showcasing some incredible talent, vim, and vigor. It's also pretty funny. I'm a big fan of funny. Here she is with her Huskies Jazz and Annie. And her very Annie Hall hat. 
Jenna's book, Made From Scratch, is an honest account of one woman's quest to seek out a more self-sufficient living. She moved to a remote setting in Idaho and got busy raising chickens, keeping bees, knitting, and so, so much more. Ultimately re-locating to Vermont, Jenna continues to gather up tools in her homesteading belt, chronicling them on Cold Antler Farm. She's also a regular contributor to Mother Earth News.  Most recently, with the help of some blog readers (she put out a call for willing and able bodies on her blog and folks came! How cool is that?!), she erected some secure fencing for her sheep, bought a pick-up truck (in which she sings Iron & Wine songs, aloud), and ruminated on the physical and mental toll that homesteading can exact on a body. 
In many ways, we're kindred spirits. I'd love to meet her in person someday, maybe sit around a fire pit and share a hard cider or two while she plays tunes on her guitar (or fiddle!). 'Til then, I'm content to follow her on Cold Antler Farm, where she opens her life up to a loyal readership, and makes you feel like she'd be pleased to meet you, anytime. 

Images from here, here, and here. 

*Small Measure: Find inspiration from urban and rural homesteaders. While Jenna and I are both in rural settings, you needn't be deep in the sticks to amass your own set of homesteading skills. Some books I've drawn inspiration, and instruction, from include: The Backyard Homestead; The Urban Homestead;  The Good Life;  Toolbox for Sustainable City Living; The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It;  and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.