Homesteading Expo is May 25 at Harvest Ridge

Back to Basics Spring 2024 Homesteading Expo invites those interested in homesteading, sustainable living and more to attend its first-ever learning and networking conference.

Centered around self-sufficiency and community, the all-day outing will be Saturday, May 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Harvest Ridge Event Center, 8880 OH-39, Millersburg. The event is sponsored by Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron.

The day will be heavily centered around knowledgeable speakers, local vendors, entertainment and family-friendly activities, said Kathy Fenton, the expo’s director.

“We sought out speakers who are approachable and want to share their knowledge,” Fenton said.

Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. with the first speaker at 9 a.m. inside the Expo Center.

Kristen Gipe, a local homesteader, will kick off the lectures with her Sourdough 101 presentation including the basics of making the bread and other ideas. She will have sourdough starter for sale after.

At 10 a.m. Kristen Smith of A Better Way to Thrive website will share her Dandelion: For Food and Medicine presentation. The trained herbalist will share all the ways the common plant can be used including as a jelly.

“As an herbalist, dandelions are one of my favorite starter herbs for people to explore because everyone knows what they look like and you can find them everywhere. Though many people think of them as pesky yard weeds, they’re full of nutrition and health benefits,” Smith said.

At 11 a.m. Shawn and Beth Dougherty, authors of “The Independent Farmstead,” will present Gardening for Subsistence and Resilience. They have been homesteading for decades in Toronto, Ohio and have honed ways to produce food year round.

“In four decades of homesteading, we’ve come to see the natural patterns by which human beings can produce food and health in an ever-improving landscape,” Beth Dougherty said.

A noon lunch hour will include entertainment by local country artist Josh Rock outside on the midway space. Local food trucks will be available.

Jeremy Clift of Wakatomika Homestead will resume lectures with his Homesteading 101 talk at 1 p.m. Taking lessons from his family homestead, Clift will share step-by-step basics on how to get started with your own.

“I have been homesteading all my life. As a child growing up in rural Monroe County, everyone homesteaded. We just didn’t call it that. It was just how people lived,” Clift said.

At 2 p.m. Emily Mueller will give her Honeybee Basics presentation. She will share beekeeping tips learned from her bee rescue business, Mueller Honey Bee.

Then at 3 p.m. Zack Greene of MyShire Quality Quail Farm will speak about Quail on the Homestead, an animal he and his wife have learned to raise within their 13 years of homesteading.

“We are very excited to speak and share all about Coturnix quail or like to say ‘the new chicken,’” Greene said. “We believe that is a wonderful step toward self-sufficiency or an amazing add-on to what you are already doing.”

Herbalist Julia Brown will close with her Growing a Kitchen Herbal Garden presentation at 4 p.m. She is looking forward to sharing tips about herbs and their medicinal purposes and will have copies of her new book, “A Simpler Thyme in the Kitchen Cookbook,” available for purchase.

“It is my belief that we need to unlock the power and secrets of herbs and use them as our ancestors did once again. If it worked 100-plus years ago, it’s a safe bet that it will still work today,” Brown said.

Children’s entertainment will include several ventriloquism shows from Mr. Puppet of South Carolina outside on the midway. Show times will be 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the first and third shows identical to the middle show.

Families can enjoy interacting with the animals at Traveling Acres Petting Zoo. The zoo will be outside from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with feed for the animals and stuffed animal toys for purchase.

Holmes County Farm Bureau is sponsoring the play area on the midway with Gravity Bin Basketball, Giant Connect Four and Rolling Pipe games available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The evening will conclude with a square dance at 6 p.m., led by master caller Dan Kirk. Beginners and experts of all ages are welcome.

Vendors including homesteading speakers will set up throughout the day with educational resources and homemade products for sale.

All lecturers will be available for one-on-one conversations for those interested in networking or diving deeper.

“I think this expo is an excellent resource for anyone that is wanting to get back to the basics and embrace the farm-to-table lifestyle, to really know where your food comes from and how to be self-sufficient and resourceful to supply the needs of one’s household,” Brown said.

“We are so excited to be sharing our natural farming experience with this vibrant and growing community of dedicated, passionate land stewards,” Dougherty said.

Tickets are $25 for age 13 and up and can be purchased online at https://back-to-basics-expo.ticketleap.com or at the door. Children age 12 and under get in free, but preregistration online is appreciated. Parking is free.

The expo has been long in the works, said Fenton, who has gleaned homesteading skills throughout the years. She encourages everyone to come out to learn new skills and build community.

“Our neighbors are yearning for those skills of yesteryear that for many were never passed down. It is our mission to give them the opportunity to learn from experienced, approachable homesteaders,” she said.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/backtobasicsexpo or email backtobasicsoh@gmail.com.