Welcome to Practical Self Reliance

I'm so glad you're here!

For the past few years, my newsletter has been a simple way for y'all to keep up with new posts. When I write new articles, I just send out a quick note so you never miss a thing.

Don't worry, that's not going away...but I'm hoping to give you a little bit more each month.

There is always so much going on at our Homestead, and believe it or not, I only share a tiny bit of it on the blog. Things that are fully finished, recipes that are perfected, or techniques I’ve mastered. Just the bits that I think are all the way ready to make their way into the world…but none of the real-life, messy works in progress.

This year’s projects and experiments likely won’t make it to the site until next year or even several years down the road, as they’re tweaked, tested, and refined. The blog is more of a reflection of where we’ve been rather than where we’re going.

My goal is to make this new monthly newsletter (on substack) more of a real-time place of learning and exploration, where I share what we’re working on month by month.

I’d also really love to hear what you’re working on, experimenting with, and trying to achieve (if you’re so inclined to share). They’ll be space for readers to share their projects, as well as monthly Q&A threads so you can get advice from me (and other readers) to help you succeed.

You have the option of a free subscription, or a paid subscription ($5 a month), which is optional but will help keep the lights on over here.

Why Subscribe?

Practical Self Reliance has been an online resource for foraging, preserving, gardening, and everything DIY for 5 years now. In that time it’s grown from a small hobby blog where I wrote about our homesteading adventures, to an online how-to resource seen by literally millions of people every year.

Though it’s a free online resource (supported by ads), I’m looking for more ways to make it an ad-free reader-supported resource.

The newsletter will always be free, and it’ll still contain the same curated seasonal content from the website, as well as notifications about new articles.

Paid subscriptions will also get you into the reader-supported community where we can do in-depth Q&A, and give you a behind-the-scenes look at our current projects. Most things take months (or years) of work before you see them on the site.

I’m also hoping to create subscriber-only content including seasonal foraging guides, fun how-to projects, and unique recipes.

Since subscribers can comment, discuss and interact with others on their own self-reliance journey, my hope is that it becomes a community of like-minded individuals as well.

As a free newsletter subscriber, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every week you’ll get detailed articles delivered right to your inbox.

As a paid subscriber, you’ll be able to comment and interact with posts right here on substack, and you’ll also have access to subscriber-only content. You’ll also be helping push Practical Self Reliance toward a reader-supported future.

About Us

My name is Ashley, and I’ve been homesteading with my family for the past 15 years now. My husband and I work 30 acres of land in Vermont, alongside our two young children.

I’m particularly passionate about foraging and historical food preservation techniques.

I started Practical Self Reliance as a notebook, literally writing “how-to” guides for myself so I’d have all I’d learned in one place. It’s been amazing to discover that my “notes” to myself are really handy to others, and I’ve become passionate about sharing all I’ve learned with all of you.

Join the crew

I hope you’ll join the Practical Self Reliance Newsletter, either as a free subscriber or paid supporter. Either way, I’d love to have you along and I welcome you to join this community of passionate DIY enthusiasts that share your interests.