Egypt Krohn is the homesteader behind Dragonfly Downs Farm, an expansive farm that supplies many aspects of her and her family’s self-sufficient lifestyle in mid-Michigan.
She got into homesteading as an adult, after being inspired by the Little House on the Prairie series and My Side of the Mountain as a child.
One of her core tenets, she said, comprises bringing together an authentic community of interested or like-minded people.
To accomplish the goal, she began running workshops, making homesteading more accessible to people. She has taught all age groups.
Her latest workshop, “An Introduction to Food Preservation” at the Allen Neighborhood Center, taught participants the concepts of canning, drying, freezing, and food safety. In addition to food preservation workshops, also teaches about game and livestock processing.
Krohn believes people benefit from having hands-on skills, not limited to food preservation.
“I think there's something really important and innate in us and a need to create, and then a need to do in a tangible way,” Krohn said.
“There's something I think really important in ourselves, where I think it's a lot easier to be a healthy, whole grounded human when you're applying yourself.”
She also said homesteading grows into more of an investment and safety net as the climate and global supply chains become more unpredictable.
”When we ask both individuals and, more broadly, as a community, to invest in our own abilities to do for ourselves and create for ourselves, we really do create the safety needed for our current environment,” Krohn said.
Krohn said homesteading skills, such as food preservation, impact more than people's health.
“The [are the] types of things that really have the most potential impact on your ability to stay in touch with seasons and stay in control of your food quality and save money on your groceries,” she said.
A recent Harvest Public Media story reported on how rural Americans were feeling the hit of federal food aid restrictions. Krohn said that's one part of the environment in which responsible and sustainable self-sufficiency is an increasing interest among more people.
Krohn uses her workshops to expand the reach of these concepts.
Krohn said when she teaches food preservation, she goes through the science first.
”Knowing that science really makes it easy for you to feel confident that you're doing something that's going to be safe for you and your family,” Krohn said.
Although exact homesteading statistics are unknown, Business Insider reports that interest in the practice has increased since 2020, particularly among millennials and Gen Z. Insider cites the organization Homesteaders of America, which further found that more than 25% of respondents poll in 2023 had been homesteading for 3 years or fewer.
With the increased interest comes misinformation about homesteading, viral trends, and the chance to accidentally enact unsafe practices for food preservation.
Krohn recommends resources put out by Michigan State University (MSU) Extension or the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
“If you find something there, you know for sure that it's safe,” Krohn said. “And I would caution people, if you don't have a good grasp on safe procedures yet, to probably stick with ... processes from authorities.” She said that's especially important for canning.
