Our Mission
Our mission is simple. We will learn homesteading while teaching The Homestead Mindset*. Along the way we will learn to integrate blockchain technology in a way that augments personal decentralization within the homesteading community. This mission fulfills our mantra of Growing Independent Together.
*Homestead Mindset: At Strand Farm, The Homestead Mindset is a first principle. It is a Plus Sum Game and vital component to personal development. Ultimately, it cannot be defined. It can only be demonstrated. We demonstrate this mindset through our content. As we all know deep inside ourselves, we become what we surround ourselves with. Add Strand Farm to your surroundings and your Homestead Mindset seed will germinate.
About The Strands
Ashley and I started our adventure together in 2016. We were both critical care nurses in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Outside of work, the majority of our time was spent backpacking and exploring the Appalachian Mountains. It didn’t take us long to realize we wanted to own land on a mountain and attempt to live off of it. The problem was that we did not know where exactly we wanted to settle nor how to even afford such an adventure.
We put our heads together and decided we would explore the US as travel nurses. This way we could see what was out there and continuously develop our skills toward living minimally. After donating and selling the vast majority of our belongings, we packed what we could fit into our truck and hit the road.
The video below was our announcement to our friends and family of our getting hitched and beginning our journey.
In 2020, we saw disaster hit the US (as I am sure you did too). It was heartbreaking to see a unique illness lead to personal sovereignty of health choices among other liberties go right out the window. Appeals to central authorities replaced open-source discussion, critical thinking, and scientific method. Supply chains revealed the dangers of putting all eggs in one basket. On the flip side, it was very encouraging to see the spirit of decentralization take hold of the cryptocurrency and homesteading spaces. The sleeping giant of decentralization is now stirring and the craving for independence alongside community is upon us.
A bucket of crypto won't purify your water in difficult times (yet). Nor can you stake it in your garden and earn an ever compounding yield of vegetables. The taste of freedom and privacy that crypto brought us then left us in the pursuit of more ways to decentralize our lifestyle.
In early 2021, we made the decision to trade our life of Scrubs, Blood Pressure Cuffs, and Stethoscopes for one of Shovels, Axes, and Overalls. We started a practice permaculture homestead in the yard of a family member and kept our eyes peeled open for a parcel of raw land to purchase of our own. Towards the end of summer we had found it! A small property on the side of a mountain with a creek running through it came up for sale that fit our budget.
My grandpa and grandma both grew up on a homestead in the Great Depression and they are the greatest people I have ever known. The more I work the land I own, the more I understand why my grandfather is the man he is. We want to raise our family on a farm. We don't have electricity, except the generator we run to charge our camper and electronic devices. We're learning to fell trees, build structures, raise chickens, stay warm, create compost, grow our own food and a whole bunch more!
You are invited to join us here at Strand Farm as we develop our community through our website, videos and newsletter. In a world that is trying to force unchecked centralization on everyone, it is becoming all the more important to find ways and means to maintain an independent lifestyle. Either be entertained or learn step-by-step how to grow your Homestead Mindset through our content. Whichever you choose, our newsletter is free and will grant you access to special content (NFTs , puppy photos, recipes) not available to nonsubscribers. You can interact with us as we learn from our mistakes as well as our victories. Thank you for visiting Strand Farm where we Grow Independent Together!
-- James