Author and practiculturalist Ben Hewitt is back on ReWild Yourself Podcast to give us a peek inside his adventures in building a lifestyle living with and from the land. Ben resides on a thriving 100-acre homestead in Vermont where he and his family explore back-to-the-land living, permaculture design, wildcrafting, traditional skills and alternative education paths for their two sons.
In this episode, Ben shares on the evolution of his family’s personal journey as modern homesteaders. We discuss alternative childhood education and how his sons’ education paths have evolved in some unexpected directions. We also get into the topics of community-based living vs self-sufficient living, harvest sharing and how to strike a balance between foraging and farming. Ben’s non-dogmatic approach to this lifestyle is refreshing, and he has some wonderful insights for those aspiring to build their own ReWilded homestead.
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
- Show Introduction:
- SurThrival Solstice Sale
- Hunt + Gather updates: wild strawberries and brook trout fishing
- Chewstick update
- Q&A: Favorite books and documentaries on agriculture
- Introducing Ben Hewitt
- What’s wrong with the term “unschooling”
- State requirements for alternative schooling paths
- What Ben’s kids enjoy learning about
- Fear of death and a firsthand experience with a home funeral
- Challenges of homeschooling
- Can you lead a ReWilding lifestyle in an urban setting?
- Life on a 100-acre farm in Vermont
- Community-based living vs self-sufficiency
- What types of food Ben’s family outsources
- Striking a balance between foraging and farming
- Advice to aspiring homesteaders
- Ben’s prognosis for the future of the human species
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RESOURCES FROM THIS SHOW:
- ReWild Yourself Podcast: Way of the Sea Huntress, Part One - Kimi Werner #138
- Ishmael: A Novel by Daniel Quinn
- The Story of B by Daniel Quinn
- ReWild Yourself Podcast: Inside the Mind of Daniel Quinn - Daniel Quinn #50
- A New Path by Arthur Haines
- The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith
- The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race
- Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources by M. Kat Anderson
- Incredible Wild Edibles: 36 Plants That Can Change Your Life by Samuel Thayer
- Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships by Christopher Ryan
- ReWild Yourself Podcast: Freeing Ourselves from Shame - Christopher Ryan, PhD #16
- Rewild or Die: Revolution and Renaissance at the End of Civilization by Urban Scout
- We Don't Need No Education by Ben Hewitt in Outside Magazine
- ReWild Yourself Podcast: Unschooling Ourselves and Our Children - Ben Hewitt #51
- Homeschool Laws in Your State
- Captain Fantastic
- Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul by Stephen Jenkinson
- ReWild Yourself Podcast: Dying Wise in a Death Phobic Society - Stephen Jenkinson #34
Connect with Ben:
Meet Ben
Ben Hewitt lives in Vermont with his wife, Penny, and sons Fin and Rye. Utilizing a combination of permaculture design, wildcrafting, and small-scale regenerative agriculture they call “practiculture,” the Hewitt family raises and forages better than 90% of their calories, with a focus on pastured meats, healthy fats, and fermented vegetables.
The Hewitts consult frequently on homestead-scale production and processing of nutrient dense foods, as well as homestead planning, design, and implementation. They also run Lazy Mill Living Arts, which offers workshops in a wide variety of traditional land skills.
Ben is the author of five books, including The Town That Food Saved, Home Grown, and, most recently, The Nourishing Homestead. He blogs at BenHewitt.net.