MY STORY & EGGSPERTISE
Things I share on this website and on my various social platforms is a small window to my daily
life as an urban homesteader: Chicken-keeping, growing food, growing and making medicine, preserving food, tending the earth, attempting to live as sustainably and zero-waste as possible, gluten-free cooking and baking (I have celiac disease), sewing/ crafting for the homestead, soapmaking, and so much more.
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The knowledge and skills I’ve garnered is quite unique and specialized. I've been gardening and growing on my own for 30 years, and sustainable living is part of my lifestyle. Currently on average,
I grow 50% to 75% (sometimes more) of my own produce on my little urban homestead. In addition to vegetables, I have planted 34 fruit trees and vines, and I’ve personally grafted many varieties onto many of the trees. I currently have over 55 different types of fruit-bearing flora, not even counting my small collection of dragonfruit plants!
I focus on natural, organic and regenerative growing methods via various techniques and practices, and run my little urban microfarm on
a closed-loop system. My husband and I live as sustainably as we can, and we recycle our kitchen, shower and laundry greywater.
And of course I have chickens! In the last 10
years, I've raised a very large flock using a natural approach and philosophy. I am the author of the best-selling and highly rated book, “The Beginner’s Guide to Raising Chickens: How to Raise a Happy Backyard Flock.” The eggs from our chickens, which affectionately call "dinobeasts", provide a very significant portion of my protein needs. Their manure and their natural behaviors are used and incorporated to benefit my homestead's low-waste ecosystem. Altogether, I don't visit the grocery store very often, and I don't rely on commercial inputs like compost or fertilizers for my garden.
Furthermore, I have quite a lot of knowledge and experience on home food preservation (canning, dehydrating, fermenting), as it is part of my lifestyle. I also trained, and volunteer, as a Master Food Preserver with Orange County.
In addition, I have past professional experience in public speaking, presenting and teaching to a variety of audiences of all backgrounds and abilities. And if I don't have enough to do, for the last 1.5 years, I've been interning (on-going) with a science-based natural beekeeper to learn more about beekeeping!
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ABOUT THE REAL HENS OF ORANGE COUNTY
Guy Human actually came up with the name as I was trying to find a name that spoke to my sense of humor and all the drama and squawking in the chicken yard. Most of that daily drama and activity can be found on Instagram.
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I also have a subscriber-only platform via Patreon, where I provide more in-depth subscriber-driven content.
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I also provide consulting services, both virtually and in-person, covering various topics of urban homesteading, including growing food and raising chickens naturally, food preservation and sustainability.
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
I've learned innumerable and immeasurable lessons about a myriad of subjects and about life by getting my hands dirty and observing the various lifeforms in my gardens. The ability to get dirty and learn these things has been (and is) such a privilege and a gift.
-- Anne