Welcome to Backwoods Woman

Whether you are already a fully self-sustainable rural homesteader, an urban dweller desiring to live a more organic and sustainable life, or simply a curious visitor - Welcome.

My interests in self-sustainability began in my childhood in what is now a suburb of Portland Oregon, but what was then rural Oregon. The youngest child in a large family, each year we harvested fruits, nuts, cabbages, berries, assorted vegetables and as a family we would process our own food for future consumption. We canned, we dried, we pickled, we preserved the bounty grown in our own yard and additional bounty from "u-pick" gardens near to our home. We raised chickens, rabbits and a cow or two for eggs, meat, and milk.

Sometimes today, people seem surprised at the things that I know and know how to do, but growing up - life was all about what we could learn, what we could do, and how to have far more on very little resources. Looking back, I realize just how far below the poverty level we were when it came to cold, hard cash. On the flip side - we ate like kings, we were all physically fit and healthy, and there was never a "poverty of spirit."

I hope that the things you find on this website will be informative, entertaining, and will perhaps provoke you to examing how you live your life and how you can change your life so you can enjoy each day you have here on the planet to the fullest - and with regard for all the living things around you.

Let the journey begin...