Bay Area Homesteading

Owners- Cassie and Ron Mitchel

A Note from Cassie:

5/2010

Well we are moving forward! The land is paid off and we are planning on building this summer. We are currently getting plans drawn up and working with our builder to get things moving. We are expecting a new family member in October, so we need to get our new home built fast. We currently have gardens of our own in our backyard flower beds and we also planted a 30 foot x 90 foot garden at my dad's storage business. It's only a few blocks from the house and we are taking turns with my dad to water and maintain it and sharing the harvest.  I am now researching chicken, goat, and miniature cattle breeds to go on the property. The Farmer's Market is going great and we are up to 18 market booths. The Community Garden has taken off and is growing fast. 

5/2009 

Ron and I have been married for over 2 years and both share the dream of owning a small homestead. We currently live in a small neighborhood in Pearland. We recently purchased 2 acres right outside the city limits, and have started on the path to making our dream a reality. So far we have planted pecan, plum, peach, and satsuma trees at the property, and hope to plant more soon.  Ron purchased an old 1941 8N Tractor and has been working on it in our garage (and riding it around our neighborhood for "test drives").  Ron works as a lead instrument designer for an engineering company, and I am a stay-at-home mom. I have been interested in homesteading and becoming more self-reliant for a long time. As well as intrigued by the idea of using green energy and community gardens. I have also learned that as many resources are available on the internet, there are not many places in our area that have hands-on experience opportunities. I am working on creating a community garden in Pearland, in order to help several local charities and give gardners a place to help their community, as well as learn from each other. I also want to make gardening available to everyone by starting an allotment garden for people who do not have the room to garden at their current home.  So I am finding instructors that can teach the skills we would like to know and bringing it to our area. I hope you will join us on our path to independence and  self- reliance.  I have added a blog about Ron and I, and our  journey, if you would like to follow along. ( And no, I am not a teacher, since I have many lessons to learn myself. but I will strive to find the best teachers available to teach us all.)

Instructor- Sarah Nolen

Hi! I'm Sarah and  like many others around here I am looking for ways to save money and become more self- sufficient.  My cousin Cassie and I are very interested in sharing our experiences and knowledge about gardening, canning, preserving, and much more with you.  I was trained at Texas Culinary Academy in Austin and have experience working in several top hotels and restaurants as a Chef.  I was born in Liverpool, Texas where I was raised to have respect and understanding of the land. My father makes homemade wine, grows his own garden and raises meat rabbits for the family.  My father taught me and I am going to teach my kids about respecting and using our enviroment to our advantage in a safe and green way.  Getting back to the basics of living is becoming more of must than a hobby. With the way the economy is going anyone can save some money by learning to be more self-sufficient and use our local environment to our advantage. We are going to offer allotment gardens to families that don't have the space, but want to garden. Just by making a few simple changes in your life you can live more efficient, and we can show you how! I have always wanted to teach what I love so much, FOOD!  I have lived in several states and gained diverse knowledge on cooking and preperations.  My goal is to show you how to take your garden from seed to the table and much more...   Join us for some of our exciting class...