Book and invitation: “Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture” by Shannon Hayes
Left to Write Press 2010
Purchase directly from the author here
Shannon Hayes’ book “Radical Homemakers” reinforces so many of the reasons that HOMEGROWN.org was created and has resonated so strongly with a vast array of people. Shannon’s masterfully-crafted language solidifies the sentiments that drive us. Put to words the feelings that we who are passionate about living closer to the earth feel: We reject the consumerist-driven frivolity and squandered creativity that we witness every day. We are joyful for our involvement in activities that bring us closer to the soil, to our food, and to the “culture” in agriculture. In her introduction of the book, Shannon writes:
As I looked more closely at the role homemaking could play in revitalizing our local food system, I saw that the position was a linchpin for more than just making use of garden produce and chicken carcasses. Individuals who had taken this path in life were building a great bridge from our existing extractive economy – where corporate wealth was regarded as the foundation of economic health, where mining our earth’s resources and exploiting our international neighbors was accepted as simply the cost of doing business – to a life-serving economy, where the goal is, in the words of David Korten, to generate a living for all, rather that a killing for a few, where our resources are sustained, our waters are kept clean, our air pure, and families can lead meaningful and joyful lives.
Shannon continues by pointing to the industrial revolution as a catalyst for the elimination of a “producer culture”, the demotion of the farmer from skilled citizen to industrial worker, and the deprecation of the “homemaker” to a position of begservant. The second half of the book is the most inspiring and instructional. In it she provides insightful and impassioned stories from true life, modern day Radical Homemakers like Carrie and Chad Lockwell who live frugally and joyously in the rural Northeast; like Amanda Shaw and Carol Rydell who grow food and community together in their Chicago suburb, and like our friends Kelly Coyne and Erik Knudsen of HomegrownEvolution, who introduced us to Shannon in the first place (thanks guys, we’re forever grateful).
If you have an interest in delving deeper into the motivations for Radical Homemaking, and are also looking for practical tips for installing some of these philosophies into daily practice, invest in this book. Shannon wrote a synopsis of the book – originally published at Yes! Magazine – and can be found here.
Join us! We have invited Shannon to participate in an ongoing book discussion here and she is encouraging Radical Homemakers who come to her looking for dialogue, community and some fun to participate as well. We look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts!
Giveaway! For some fun, and a chance to receive a free copy of Radical Homemakers, leave a comment here and tell us what drives you to connect to the producer economy. What activities bring you closer to the land, to your food, to the farmer, to your community? The winner will be randomly chosen and notified on Friday March 12th.
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Tags: "radical homemakers", feminism, Homesteading, producer economy, reclaiming independence, Shannon Hayes
March 4th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I feel that cooking my own meals and baking help me to control what goes into my food. I can get the best ingredients possible and put them together however I see fit. Last year I joined a local CSA for the first time and I am looking forward to starting a 2nd year with them in a few months. Angelic Organics has some of the best produce I’ve ever tasted!
March 4th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Sounds like a fantastic book!
Last summer My urban garden produced nearly 1,000 lbs of food that sustained my friends and family as well as added flavor and variety to the “from scratch” cooking at my partners local restaurant. Bring on this years growing season!
A am also an artist, knitter and general crafter – I would love to support myself with these endeavors but, unfortunately still have to work for “the man” to make ends meet. Someday, when I grow up, maybe I CAN play all day! Ahhh, Heaven.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Well me having to be Gluten Free , and my kids with what they can’t have ,… it make me happy knowing what is not going onto my food. I love cooking, but i am also always looking for encouragement. I also love know where my food is coming from, and that I am supporting a local farm etc. I get my real milk from a local farm, i am hoping to plant my first garden , with hope to get my kids into it garden and love the dirt!
thank you …
March 4th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
I’m motivated to get my food from my garden, a farm stand, or a farmers’ market so I can be sure that what I eat is not tainted with petrochemicals, other chemical fertilizers and insecticides, antibiotics, and hormones. I also deeply respect the animals that I may eat and want them to live their lives as nature intended and be killed in a humane way, both for my peace of mind and for the healthier, better tasting food they provide.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
I am so impressed by what I read, by what other life artisans are doing. What I do is far from the ideals that I have in my head but I still manage to grow a portion of the food that we eat, I make my own bread about once a month and I make dandelion wine every year in celebration of my grandmother who first introduced me to this life elixir. I ferment at least a portion of the food we grow and I make a few herbal remedies! It’s not everything that I want to do but it’s something and it brings a quality to my life that can’t be had any other way.
March 5th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I bake my own bread, and have started making my own cheese. I have plans for a raised bed garden this year, the largest I have done. My family shops locally for meat and at the co-op when we can. Plus I am currently in Bee School to learn to be a beekeeper!
March 5th, 2010 at 9:01 am
My wife and I have been talking about “growing our own”
for several years now. Last year we did our first real garden and it was a lot of fun. This year she is ready with lots of new ideas and we are ready to be more productive. I’m hoping this will start us in the direction of rejecting so much consumerism and all the restrictions it puts on our family and civilization.
March 5th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Yes! I love this concept! I live in the city and don’t have a garden, but I’m so excited for the second year of my CSA, and I have sought out some great local milk and eggs, and I am a big fan of scratch cooking, cheese making, fermenting, canning, homebrewing, etc. I love these things for the creative opportunities they provide and the deep satisfaction they bring into my life.
I love food producers — those at my farmer’s market, the guy who does my CSA, the Amish farmers whose eggs and milk I purchase — because I love the access they grant to where food comes from, the transparency in the production process, the excellent food that they provide, and because I am grateful for the opportunity to opt out of supporting a big corporate food system that I believe to be bad for people and the planet.
March 5th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Being on a really tight budget and being vegan, homesteading only makes sense to me. The joy I get from baking my own bread (produced from a sour dough starter I made from scratch!) is amazing. Eating green beans straight off the vine, making my own clothes, shopping at farmers markets, being a member of a CSA… it makes me me feel good knowing I am having a lesser footprint on the Earth and still living a full and happy lifestyle. Since I started my homesteading endeavor a few years ago, I now have several friends following in my footsteps. I love that not only am I making a difference in my life, but in others as well. It only takes one drop in the bucket to make it wet!
March 5th, 2010 at 10:47 am
When I was growing up both of my sets of grandparents were farmers. We ate everything from the garden , cured our own hams, canned anything that we grew and had no processed foods. I felt poor because all my friends ate out, bought everything at the store and never had canned foods for meals. I now realize how rich we were because our lives were so close to the earth and how thankful I am for grandparets who lived green before it was the “hip” thing to do. A reformed live greener,
Thanks Granny , Pa , Grandma and Grandpa…. we are still planting your greatgrandmother’s brown bunch beans!!!!!
March 5th, 2010 at 11:09 am
I am the survivor of breast cancer, and we live full time in our motor home and travel and we have gone organic and natural, no preservatives mainly due to breast cancer but as we have found now so have our grown children! we are setting a wonderful example for our kids now they are organic, have gardens and my daughters in laws know now that what comes into their house and what their family eats is all on their shoulders and if you want a healthy family the moms are the ones to do it, and it will be passes down to our 7 grandchildren, and thats the most important legacy we could leave them
March 5th, 2010 at 11:50 am
This book sounds like a great read. I always find it a little odd that if I tell people, when they ask what I did with my weekend, that I cleaned, baked, planted some seedlings, sanded a dresser, played with my dog, embroidered on a tea towel, and made my own yogurt, that is somehow strange and sounds like a lot of work. However, sitting in a movie theatre for three hours followed by eating at Applebee’s sounds like a lot of fun? I could go on, but suffice to say I think it is healthy for everyone to constantly re-examine what our priorities are.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Good health for my family and myself, and a focus on community, are my driving factors in growing my own and buying from local farmer’s and our Farmer’s Market. After cutting out the “garbage” foods from my diet, I lost 21 pounds. I did nothing different except stop eating processed foods!!! I knew it would make a difference, but I had no idea how much of a difference, both physically and emotionally, until I went through the process. I am absolutely determined to teach my children that food that is as close to the source as possible is the best, both nutritionally and philosophically.
I’m also so inspired when I talk to local growers at the Farmer’s Market. Our Farmer’s Market has such a sense and aura of community and interconnectedness (both with the land and with each other as neighbors). They are providing nourishing foods for the community, and creating amazing artwork and personal care products for others. I love seeing the positive impact they are making, as well as seeing how truly happy these people are, to be doing something they love, and contributing to the community at the same time. How amazing!!!
The book sounds fantastic!! Thank you for the chance to win!!
March 5th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Our family has been practicing the art of “getting small” for the past 8 years. We don’t buy things we don’t need, we raise as much of our own food as possible, we repair things rather than replace them. Living in California, conserving water is very important to us. We’ve dropped out of the rampant consumption lifestyle and we are all much happier for it.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Wow! This woman speaks the words of my heart! Just over the weekend I was walking through a store in Fresno, CA and those same thoughts kept flashing through my mind. We have all of this useless “stuff” that we think we need to have. We are in debt and happiness and contentment seem forever elusive. We have to make some changes NOW.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I’ve been baking our own bread, baking/cooking from scratch for quite some time. I was one of those career driven women and it wasn’t until I became pregnant with my third child that I decided to sit back and learn how to sew, knit, crochet, cook from scratch, bake, and now we’re starting our own mini homestead. I find it incredibly liberating and I feel more independent than when I was corporate. I’m now able to stay home with our four children and show them how to live a more sustainable life.
We are concerned about where our food comes from and are lucky that we live in a community that has many farms around us and therefore can see how and where our food comes from. I feel that I am learning something new everyday.
Thanks for the opportunity to be able to win Shannon Hayes’ book.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Growing up the oldest on a Kansas farm, we raised almost every single thing we ate. Milked cows, made our own bread, butter, jelly, and rarely had to buy much from a store. I raised a large family on a small budget, and utilized the knowledge from growing up as I did – to be able to stay home as much as I could with the kids – by growing a garden, using a farmer’s market, doing all my own cooking, and sewing most of our clothes.
As a 62 yr old great-grandmother now, I have worked at many jobs thru the years – to support my family. For the last 15 yrs, I have been blessed to help build and run a family business. We have a winery, and use native fruits and berries, as well as grapes. Everything is done pesticide free and our whole operation is as “green” as possible – way before that was an issue. We are the largest jelly and syrup company in the state too, and do it all the old-fashioned way, with no cheap ingredients – one small batch at a time. Our Pure Elderberry Concentrate has not only become a major health product, but has also grown many farmers a new alternative cash crop – to help them keep the farms. We have 40 growers now, and other farmers we work with for some of the fruit. We are helping other people grow and develop new crops – as well as growing things for ourselves.
We have a truck farmer who also works for us, and thru the seasons – an informal farmer’s market for the produce that the local people grow. We do our best to see that local produce does not go to waste.
Once, a large orchard was losing their entire crop – because of a hail storm late in the year. We took it all, had them juice the apples at their facility, and then made apple wine – giving them income from what would have been a lost crop. We have worked with other fruit producers, and helped them learn to make new products from their fruits and berries, as well as selling them to us for wines.
We are dedicated to old-fashioned values and ideals. Our Mom is 82, and the largest producer of Elderberry Plants in the nation. She is still growing a huge garden every year, and can out work any of us. lol
I LOVE the whole concept of this book, and of this website. It is a priceless gift to all who want to do something really good for themselves and others. I would love to win the book, and would share it with others in the area.
I would love to share recipes with all of you too. I make some great homemade biscuits!
March 5th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Awesome book! A must read for everyone that takes up space in our culture of consumerism.
Here’s what I thought of the book:
http://www.grit.com/daily-commute/RadicalHomemakers-Live-The-Good-Life-On-Less.aspx
March 5th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I certainly have never thought of what I do as radical. I was driven to grow my own food, bake my own bread and make whatever I can for myself for a number of reasons. I think when I was younger, it seemed “romantic”. I was taken by stories of pioneers (remember Little House on the Prairie?), and fascinated to learn that you could make butter and soap!
Once I learned to do some of these things, I realized it was 1)fun, 2)satisfying, 3)better tasting (not the soap, maybe), 4)saved money.
I’ve been baking for 30 years or more, gardening and preserving for almost that long, and I still haven’t tired of it. I do it for myself, and only recently have I been aware of the benefit to the planet. On the other hand, it may be a detriment to the local economy, as I don’t spend as much at the grocery store, bakery, or even my local farmers’ market.
March 5th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I grew up on a self -sufficient farm with german imigrants ,raised our 3 children- breastfeeding and eating homegrown foods all their lives .One was a home birth one was homeschooled . We still grow most of our foods, including animals and now sell seeds and plants as well as garden art for an income . I am probably too passionate about it! We offer a working CSA where people can come and learn how to grow food under our guidance as well as feed themselves .We also do workshops and tours here . This is not a place to just pick up your box of food grown by the farmer. You become the farmer and work shoulder to shoulder with us and learn the skills to feed yourself . I sometimes go speak to try to reach people to at least begin to garden.:)Sharon
March 5th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Retired from the work world and first thing I did was become a county master gardener. Hav e been growing and canning drying my own food for years on a half acre. Also raise chickens for eggs and meat. Make soaps and candles and love saving garden seeds every fall. Have recently been experimenting with various liqueurs and making butter and cream cheese.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:08 am
Working in a grocery store, I see plenty of food products needlessly wasted away on shelves before being sent off or thrown own… that, combined with my wonderful wife and children, leave plenty of room in my heart and mind for supporting my wife’s productions. She has a thumb for knitting, baking, growing, sewing, yarn-spinning, child-raising, witch-doctoring and taking care of us all. Sure, I _go_ to work each day, but she works ten times as hard to make sure we’re all happy, healthy, and together. And if the closest I can get (for now) to _anything_ as satisfying as all that is through my wife, I’ll consider myself lucky.
March 6th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Our Heavenly Father gave us this good rich soil let’s put it to good use. I was raised and still living in a big farming community. Still today our family grows a lot of fruits and vegetables, not to mention the flower gardens. My grandparents used to have a basement full of canned goods canned in their own kitchen, right down to the “minced meat” for pies. With the economy the way it is these days it’s probably less expensive to have your own garden. I find it relaxing to play in the dirt and the outcome is wonderful. You can read the labels of canned goods in the store and wonder what you’re eating, and the produce I’m sure has some kind of preservative on it to make its self life last longer. In the olden days when life was at a slower pace a lot of women stayed home and raised their children not to mention cooking, cleaning, gardening, gathering eggs from the coop. It’s to bad life gets so complicated these days. The book sounds wonderful and would like to read it.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
I just wanted to share my LOVE of the book! I have been devouring the pages every chance I get! I really enjoyed the history (theory, as Shannon puts it) of “the homemaker” and the way consumerism has completely changed the home and the roles of men and women, and lead to us amassing lots of unnecessary stuff that we don’t need. Not to mention the fact that someone who can cook, fix things around the house or grow food is a novelty these days. And I completely agree with the book’s view that we have not reached “independence” as a community or society (as we like to think), but rather we are in an abusive, unsustainable co-dependent relationship with our lives, wreaking havoc on all.
I happen to have one of those jewel professional jobs that actually does respect the four tenets Shannon writes of in the book, so I am not ready to jump ship and completely become a full-time, radical homemaker. BUT every day I move a little closer to doing so, whether it’s planting another row in my garden, learning how to use a WHOLE chicken with a head (bought today!) to stretch for multiple meals, becoming a member of my local grocery co-op or joining a time-exchange network.
Since I have already purchased the [self-published--way to go!] book, I do not want to take the opportunity for someone else to get it. But I did want to share my praise and encourage everyone to read it. I look forward to many discussions here an in my own community–cheers!
March 8th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I was raised to grow a garden in the backyard, and have carried on the tradition with my husband in our own home. I love eating food directly from our land, that we have grown from seed.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
This is a huge much needed movement for women. For a wile home makers and stay at home moms (or Dads) have somewhat been looked down on for one reason or another. Now we are back and starting a revolution! It is empowering and makes me proud to be a stay at home mom with her own green business. Thanks for writing this, I can’t wait to read it.
Lizz
March 13th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Aaaaaaand the winner of a copy of “Radical Homemakers” is: Tory Cross! Woohoo! Congratulations!
Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful comments. I will be integrating them into the book discussion http://www.homegrown.org/group/radicalhomemakers and hope that many of you can join us!
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:56 pm
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January 11th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Lovely book idea. I would love to read it and promote it to friends!