JOIN OUR
Homesteading Women’s Group
Experience living farm to table in community
Every woman needs a village. Join us monthly as we gather elbow to elbow to cook, bake, craft, learn and grow – both in homesteading knowledge and the friendships that naturally form as you consistently work side by side with women that share the same interests as you.
Join the waitlist to be the first to know when registration opens for the 2027 groups at Traditional Home Skills. It will be around the middle of November. The first meeting will be in January.
How it all started
Women crave community.
I wanted to learn some skills along with other women who shared my interests. I had already taken Amanda Thiessen’s gardening course and loved it. So when I heard about her Homesteading Women’s Groups, I joined. The idea of building community by learning and practicing alongside a group of women was attractive to me. Sharing a meal each month with guided discussion also turned out to be a highlight. In our group of 12 women, I found great variety, but also much we had in common. Every month I looked forward to those special hours learning and growing and building relationships.
Then Amanda invited me to direct some groups of my own under her training and guidance. She lets me teach using her curriculum, and she provides both print and video lessons for my women to review the skills afterward. (Yes, I compensate her for all this help!)
So I am planning to have two groups this year. The idea is pretty simple: every month the same group of 9 women joins me to share a meal, learn a lesson, do a craft, and have time to talk. Though we will start out as strangers, I think we will find ourselves to be a close-knit circle of friends by the year’s end. This program, designed by Amanda at Sunset Highway Farm, attracts single women, married women, young moms, empty nesters, retired women, stay at home moms and career women. I think we will see that a community built on diversity of life experiences is so much richer than the alternative.
Is this group for you?
You do not need to be an experienced homesteader to join us. If you just have the desire to learn traditional home skills — this group is for you.
The application process isn’t about finding the “most homesteady” woman in town. It’s about finding women who are ready to commit to a full year together, so we can build groups with a good mix of ages, backgrounds, and experience levels — and so real friendships have room to grow.
A few quick answers, if you’re on the fence:
➤ “I don’t have any homesteading experience.” Perfect — most of what we teach is brand new to at least half of every group.
➤ “I’m shy / I don’t know anyone.” Every single member walks in a stranger on night one. The whole point is to build a community. I actually discourage friends from joining the same group because it often prevents them from building friendships with everyone else.
➤ “I don’t have a garden, animals, or land.” No problem, they aren’t required. Everything taught is something you can do in a small kitchen.
➤ “What about dietary restrictions?” Typically our members with restrictions are either able to eat most of what we provide OR they bring their own food. Either way, it’s never prevented someone from participating.
➤ “What if I miss a meeting?” You’ll get the take-home materials and goodies at the next meeting, plus full access to the online video lesson for anything you missed.
➤ “I really can’t afford it.” I have been there. Only able to afford necessities. As a friend, let me gently say, “Maybe another year.” Please don’t let me convince you to commit to something beyond your means. You can find community and opportunities to learn and grow somewhere else for now.
What to Expect
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What to Expect 〰️
Each group meets from 5:45-8:45 pm once a month, on the designated day (schedule is posted below ahead of registration)
There are 9 women per group (plus me!), and registration is open until spots are filled. After that, the groups are closed for the year.
Here is how a typical meeting goes:
Dinner: We share a meal together. Many of the ingredients will have been grown in our garden, but the rest will be locally sourced organic foods. I will share recipes for everything we make so that you are able to reproduce these meals for your own household.
Discussion: Every month we have a discussion topic with the goal of getting to know each other better. The conversations get more and more deep and thought provoking as the year goes on. Every month, at least a few ladies remark, “This is so refreshing, I can’t talk about this stuff anywhere else!” You’ll have to take my word for it but the dinner discussions are often the highlight of the night!
Lesson: After eating, we move on to the skill or craft portion of the evening. These lessons focus on the practical day to day application of preserving, cooking, baking, fermenting and eating seasonally year round.
Dessert & time to chat. The lesson is typically over around 8:15pm. Some women leave right away because of work or kids, but most of the group enjoys the time to chat with each other.
Take home supplies:
At the first meeting, members receive a course binder. Every month, they receive the notes, instructions and recipes for the month’s lesson and dinner. By the end of the year, members have over 200 pages of information so that they can keep referring back to what they learned indefinitely.
Almost every month, members also leave with something they crafted or something that pertains to the lesson learned. Some examples: medicinal herb remedies (fire cider, garlic honey ferment, etc), soap, tallow balm, home canned jam, etc.
Video lessons
After many requests, we now have video tutorials for every single lesson taught in the meetings. After every meeting, members gain access to the corresponding video lessons that they can watch at home.
This is a 3 year program but members apply for one year at a time, and at the end of the year they will have the option to continue on for a 2nd year and then a 3rd year.
Each year's curriculum is taught in units and each unit is 3 months long. Then, we take a month off before starting the next unit.
Please note: over the years, we have found that a lot of members have a hard time making the meetings in April (Easter/Spring break), August (vacations/school starting) and December (Christmas/break) so we have arranged the schedule so that the breaks are taken on those months.
Curriculum
Year One—2027
January
Rendering & Using Animal Fats
The most commonly consumed fats in America do more harm than good. This month, members learn about lard and tallow — how to source them, how to render them down, how to make balms & lotions from them, and how to cook with them in a way that’s both nourishing and genuinely delicious.
February–March
Natural Soap Making
Learn how to make natural soap with lard, tallow, clay and natural dyes. We share our favorite soap recipes that are loaded with benefits for your skin without any harsh chemicals. In March, members get to apply what they’ve learned and split into groups to have a soap making competition. This is typically one of the favorite classes of the year!
May–July
Canning 101: Water Bath & Pressure Canning
In May, members learn how to preserve fruits by waterbath canning without sugar or artificial preservatives. In June, they then learn how to preserve meats, beans, vegetables and meals by pressure canning. Then in July, members get to apply what they’ve learned with a canning day. They divide into groups and can a variety of recipes. By the end of the unit, all members should be canning confidently!
September–October
Medicinal Remedies
Learn to craft all of our most popular immune-boosting remedies that have become member favorites. Over the years, our community has consistently reported dramatic reductions in winter illness duration and frequency after incorporating these traditional remedies into their daily routine.
November
Natural Cleaners
Learn how to make your own laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and other cleaners. By the end of the meeting, you’ll have all that you need to eliminate a lot of toxins from your home.
Year Two—2028
January
Sourdough Made Simple
Learn what sourdough is, the science behind it, how to care for a starter the easy way, and the essential steps of making a loaf — including the “why” behind every step so you can troubleshoot when things go wrong. This is a hands-on lesson and you leave with your own starter so you can begin baking the next day.
February–March
Ancient Grains: Home Milling, Baking & Sourdough 2.0
Wheat contains 40 of the 44 essential nutrients our bodies need — most of which aren’t digestively accessible in modern flour. We walk you through the entire process: how to source grains, choose the right mill, bake with ancient grains so your recipes actually turn out, and make the most nutrient-dense sourdough possible.
May–July
Create & Craft
We are keeping this unit a surprise. During these months, members will have the opportunity to channel their creative side with a fun line up of crafts. These classes are always a member favorite!
September
Fermenting the Harvest
Your gut biome regulates your immune system, blood sugar, heart health, mood, digestion, and so much more. As harvest season begins, we share how to preserve the bounty and boost the gut biome with good bacteria and nutrients. Learn to make sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, hot sauces, and more.
October
Fermented Drinks: Kombucha & Water Kefir
Store-bought kombucha is pasteurized — the beneficial bacteria are gone. Home-brewed kombucha is loaded with live cultures, and it tastes better too. Members receive a SCOBY starter this month and learn to make both kombucha and water kefir at home.
November
Fermented Yogurts
Home-fermented yogurt is rich in a diversity of probiotics and beneficial bacteria, without the sugar and preservatives found in most commercial yogurts. This month, you’ll learn the simple, easy way to make your own fermented yogurt at home.
Payment Details
Cost includes:
➤ A different homemade farm-to-table dinner and dessert every month. (We meet 9 times a year, excluding April, August, and December.)
➤ 200+ page full color course binder filled with lesson notes, quick reference tutorials, and recipes for everything (no gatekeeping recipes!!)
➤ Take home goodies like fire cider, natural tallow soap & balm, sourdough starter, kombucha starter & SCOBY, jam, etc.
➤ A different hands on lesson/s each month.
➤ Video lessons so that you can keep referencing & rewatching the lessons for life! ($65/month value)
We have a subscription payment method for group members that automatically charges a credit or debit card on the same date each month.
If you need to miss a meeting, you will be able to pick up any material/take home goods you missed the following month. You will also be able to watch the online video lessons at home.
Please note: If you miss more than two payments and are unwilling to work with us on catching up, we will ask that you stop attending the meetings and you will no longer have access to the online course & video lessons. With all that being said, we understand that life happens! If you’re in a tough spot, just communicate that with us because we’ve been there and we get it 😉
Cost per meeting: $150 + tax (Annual total: $150 × 9 months = $1350. $1350/12 months =$112.50 + tax per month)
You pay: 12 monthly payments of $112.50 + tax
Before you apply, a few things to know about me...
➤ I am a Christian and my faith or beliefs will be mentioned because they are the core of everything I do. But…. You do not have to be a Christian to join, you just have to be okay with the fact that I am!
➤ I pray over meals, and that includes at the meetings.
➤ I am not a medical professional, and any information I share regarding treating the body is merely a suggestion based on personal experience and research.
➤ Storms, sickness (if I am too sick to teach), and unforeseen circumstances happen- I will do my best to reschedule, reimburse, etc to make it work for everyone.
Join the Waitlist
Please fill out the form below to be the first to be notified when registration opens for the 2027 groups.
By filling out this form, you will get early access to registration for our 2027 Homesteading Women's Groups. Registration will open in November of 2026. Meetings will begin January 2027.
2027 Dates
Tuesdays 5:45 to 8:45
Jan 12
Feb 9
March 9
April—no meeting
May 11
June 8
July 13
Aug—no meeting
Sept 14
Oct 12
Nov 9
Dec—no meeting
Thursdays 5:45 to 8:45
Jan 14
Feb 11
March 11
April—no meeting
May 13
June 10
July 15
Aug—no meeting
Sept 16
Oct 14
Nov 11
Dec—no meeting
