Living a Self-Sustaining Lifestyle – Balm of the Earth

Step with me far outside the box our culture is currently occupying and let me introduce to you some new friends of mine!  The Somerville Family of Powhatan, Va. Elisha, Elizabeth and darling Judah. I have only known them for a few months and it seems every conversation teaches me more!

{Do you practice methods and skills from the past to live a more self-sustained or self-sufficient life?  We want to hear from you!  Please leave a comment and let us know the things for which you take pride in putting effort into and the results you see.  Are you new to the idea of self-sustainability? Let us know what you think of the ideas presented here! Laura’s Little House Tips is a place where we can all learn from each other.}

The Somervilles take so many of the lost skills of the past seriously – and put them into practice daily. Elisha and Elizabeth garden using the method called  Back to Eden and aside from food they grow, they forage food as well.

That bamboo in the background was used to make sticks for roasting marshmallows and characteristic of Elizabeth’s ingenuity, the marshmallows were homemade.

I was able to visit their home recently; she is always gracious and eager to share her knowledge.  The things taking place in her kitchen are echoes from the past and I have been inspired in my own love for simple living.  In generations that have gone before us, things that took time or effort to accomplish weren’t questioned – it was a part of life.  Progress certainly isn’t all bad, but many of the complications that accompany it have brought changes to our lives that aren’t necessarily the best possible changes.

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In the Somerville home I was met with chicken stock cooking down in the crock pot, kombucha fermenting, (visit Emma Christensen at theKitchn to learn how to make your own probiotic kombucha rich in live bacteria made from tea) and rye and spelt flours freshly milled in their home. Consuming food they have gardened or hunted or foraged and then preserved is part of daily life for them

During colder months they used the top of their wood stove for cooking their meals.

Elizabeth keeps a sourdough starter fed, and bakes their bread whenever needed. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself, more naturally, than running to the store for something wrapped in plastic!

This sourdough is almost done rising and ready for the oven!

There is just no question!  You can see the joy in their eyes. Using what God has provided and doing something well brings a fulfillment that seeps out through their smiles!

The goal the Somerville’s share to be self sustained requires teamwork. Elisha hunts in the fall, they often forage edible and medicinal plants, raise chickens for meat and eggs, and they hope to raise more livestock in the future including highland cows, emu, and elk.

What do they do for fun!?  They are hiking enthusiasts.  Judah looks like the happiest little boy in the world.  They celebrated Elisha’s birthday with a hike, and came home for a meal featuring dove Elisha shot, cooked in a red wine sauce with wild onions that were foraged.  I can imagine the sense of accomplishment this hard working young man felt as they celebrated!

Their knowledge of herbal remedies is inspiring; Elizabeth makes tinctures as well as using them in their natural skincare line Balm of the Earth.

Elizabeth tells how Balm of the Earth  began to take shape in their hearts and minds.

“Near the beginning of our journey into “real” food, we discovered  skin care products are LOADED with chemicals! I was pregnant at the time, and the thought of using conventional skin care products for babies was suddenly really scary, and I realized that our entire family needed to switch to using something more natural for it to really be effective. So, after much research, trial and error, I developed a moisturizing balm that we found to work wonders on our dry skin, and we immediately knew that we had to make it available to everyone!

Balm of the Earth exists to bring effective, organic, herbal skin care solutions into every day life for people of all ages and lifestyles.”

You can also find Balm of the Earth on Facebook!

The Somerville’s handcrafted peppermint lip balm.

 Balm of the Earth’s Homesteader Herbal Salve is their best selling product!

Elisha created the beautiful artwork for their line.

 When I step outside the box our culture occupies and find myself listening to the beautiful and captivating echoes of the past, I’m not very anxious to step back into the box.  There is draw, here in the simple, a draw to experience more of this kind of independence from existing as a consumer and the gratification it  brings to be more self-sufficient.