Countrysiders -

Have any of you been to any of the "Homesteading Weeks" or other courses offered by the Fahey's in Upstate NY? What were your thoughts on the experience?

I just received a flyer in the mail from them regarding their "Basic Homesteading Week". It is $345 for the week, and includes information on *basically* "everything" imaginable about homesteading. It requires registration by by this Friday, so I need to make an informed decision, and fast!

Is anybody else planning on attending this year?

Thanks in advance for your response!

Chris

-- Chris Sedlak (csedlak@juno.com), August 08, 2001

Answers

How does the sylibus read, what are the topics to be covered. Seems a life time of learning compressed into a week of classes isnt going to cover "everything" imaginable about homesteading. Unless this course is offered on a farm/homestead then its just book work and you can read a couple of good homesteading books yourself for a lot less money. if its only a week long class and its on a working farm, then your not going to get much done in that short a period of time and again its not worth the money. If homesteading is just something you want to learn about then find one of the tourst farms and vist them.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 09, 2001.

Hi Gary,

Here's a list of what they will be covering. I should have put this information in my original post, because I figured somebody was going to ask, but it was already quite late last night when I posted it...

*Where you can get cheap and free land *Learn to identify and use the 10 best medicinal herbs. *Learn how to use basic tools; sharpen and maintain them. *The 11 essentials of good homesteading land. *Build a fire in any weather *Identify and use wild foods *Goats, learn to milk and care for them. *Identify and use the 10 best salad greens *Use the Stars...tell time, direction and building layouts *Oil lamp and lantern care and maintenance *Organic Gardening...planting a building soil. *Learn many wild fruits, nuts and berries. *Homestead cooking and bread making. *Intensive gardening: grow 2,3, or 4 crops in one space. *Tell time and direction using the moon. *Learn all about the family cow. *Indoor Fireplace open hearth cooking. *How to get the most out of your woodland. *Self-sufficiency from a balanced diet from the garden. *Construct root pits for sinter storage of food. *Get introduced to work horses. *Your first year on the land...avoid the pitfalls. *Hundreds of supply sources! *Meet like-minded people.

Again, your comments would be appreciated.

Chris

-- Chris Sedlak (csedlak@juno.com), August 09, 2001.

I've heard of the homesteading classes at Fahey's but have no actual experience with them. I do live very close to Oxford, just outside of Binghamton, NY. I guess the quality of the classes would depend on how deeply they delved into each subject. All that information covered in one week would have to be superficial at best.

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), August 09, 2001.

I know people who have attended, but I have not. They say it is wonderful! Be prepared to dress very conservatively. From what I understand they have a dress code.

-- Anne Keckler (raymondkeckler@yahoo.com), August 09, 2001.

sounds like they are making money off wanna-Bs. hands on experience with someone with actual knowledge is best(experience is best teacher) your money, your choice! larry

-- Larry in OK (Nuts4bees@aol.com), August 09, 2001.

Chris I have friends who went if you would like more info e-mail me.They do have ACTUAL experience.Mrs.Fahey has 9 kids and is insulin dependant diabetic.They do not own a car and live an hour from hospitals by horse.Their children run a successful herb business ,they built their homes,barns from raw materials on their own land.My friends learned a lot ,and go back as alumni.People travelling to third world countries for missions trips also learn how to manage by some of the things they learned at Faheys. blessings

-- teri (dnsmacbeth@aol.com), August 10, 2001.

Just a note on anwering posts: Please read the post, and think before answering. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone ask, "does anyone have EXPERIENCE with..." and five replies come back "I don't have experience with it, but..." Put yourself in the position of the person who posted. If they had wanted unfounded opinions, speculation, and general conversation, they would have posed the topic differently. And consider others who read the post. The way the question is phrased usually (and ought to) tell something of the contents. It is frustrating to see something of interest and click on it, only to get something entirely different. There are a lot of posts to go through, and one can waste a great deal of time. I think folks tend to post less carefully when new to forums.

-- Bob (robertblessum@netscape.net), August 10, 2001.

$345. can buy you many years of Countryside Magazine which covers most of those topics and than some. Just an opinion.

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), August 11, 2001.

Chris My family spent homesteading week at the Fahey's and we believe it to be an experience we will never forget. We got a taste of all the topics, but the most rewarding experience was to learn we could do it! We dug our own latrine, cooked all our meals on an open campfire, hauled our own water everyday,learned to walk in the dark without candle or lantern,washed and dried our clothes the old fashion way and received a determination that someday we would homestead. Hope you enjoy. 8-11-2001

-- anne barndt (barndtfam1@fast.net), August 11, 2001.

Anne , not much different from my every day life .Wanna come here ? PLEASE ? Hehe .It sounds like a great place to learn , please let us know if you do go and all about it .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 11, 2001.