🌿 Welcome to The Kiwi Country Homestead
Boil the jug, make yourself comfortable, and let me tell you a little about what you'll find here.
Imagine spending the next twelve months following the rhythm of the seasons and embracing all things homesteading.
✓ Growing food with confidence.
✓ Baking more from scratch.
✓ Filling your pantry with food you've preserved yourself.
✓ Creating a home that feels calmer, more capable and more connected.
If that sounds like the kind of life you'd love to build...
You're in the right place.
Hi, I'm Laura!
I'm the creator of The Kiwi Country Girl website and your new homesteading bestie!
Over the last 12 years, my husband Josh and I have been slowly building our homestead with our four wild country kids and an ever-growing collection of animals alongside us.
As our homestead has grown and changed, we've realised that homesteading isn't about getting it right all the time or ticking every box. It keeps coming back to this.
We're not trying to build the perfect homestead, we're simply building a life we love, one season at a time.
Inside The Kiwi Country Homestead, I share how we fit practical homesteading skills into everyday family life, involve the kids, and make homesteading feel achievable instead of overwhelming.
Our membership is much more than a collection of lessons, recipes and resources.
It's an invitation to spend the year alongside our family as we follow the seasons, learn new skills and slowly build a simpler, more connected way of life.
Whether you're dreaming of growing your first vegetables, baking more from scratch, filling your pantry with homemade food or simply slowing down and enjoying the little things, you’re in the right place.
Each Month on the Homestead
One of my favourite parts of the membership is This Month on the Homestead.
Each month, I'll bring you along as we move through the seasons - it's kind of like a monthly homesteading magazine (but without the immaculate kitchen bench tops and coordinating outfits!)
You'll see what's happening in our garden, what's baking in the oven, what's filling the pantry, and what projects we're working on around the house.
The wins, the skills we are learning along the way and of course, the things that didn't quite go to plan as well as bits and pieces of our everyday life.
Each month I also share seasonal to-do lists, planting guides, a featured recipe or challenge, and links to relevant lessons from the library so you can put your learning into action straight away.
Think of it as dropping in for a monthly catch-up over a cuppa.
Where it all began...
Like so many people, we started with big dreams and absolutely no idea where to begin.
I remember proudly starting trays and trays of seeds outside thinking I'd need to open a farm stand because we would have so much produce, only for them to not even germinate because I had no clue what I was doing!
Over the last twelve years, we've learnt one skill at a time.
We've made mistakes (a lot of them!) and we've celebrated the wins.
Some years we've grown an amazing garden, other years we've barely kept up with the weeds.
Some recipes have become family favourites and others... well, let's just say they won't be making another appearance!
Along the way, we've developed practical systems that make everyday life just that little bit easier.
That's exactly why this membership exists - not to show you a picture-perfect homestead, but to welcome you into a real one.
A place where you'll find practical ideas, honest encouragement from a community of friends and the confidence to create a homestead that works for your family, your home and your season of life.
What's inside?
Every month, you can come along with me to see what's happening around our homestead while exploring a growing library of practical lessons whenever you need them.
Together we'll explore five areas of homestead life.
🌱 The Garden
Learn to grow food with practical lessons, seasonal guidance and real-life experience.
🍞 The Kitchen
Cooking from scratch, baking, meal planning and simple family meals.
🥫 The Pantry
Preserving, freezing, dehydrating and building a well-stocked pantry. filler text here
🏡 The Home
Homemaking, cleaning, simple projects and practical skills to create a home that works for your family.
❤️ Homestead Life
Animals, family, community and the everyday rhythm of life on our New Zealand homestead.
Along the way you'll also discover a growing Recipe Box, practical printables, planners and a welcoming community to cheer you on.
Learn at Your Own Pace
There are no deadlines.
No pressure to keep up.
No expectation that you'll do everything.
You might spend ten minutes here and there, or you might settle in for an afternoon while the bread is rising or your kids are otherwise occupied (probably getting wet and muddy somewhere... but it's worth it!).
Some months you'll dive into gardening. Other months you'll be all about preserving or meal planning.
The library is always there whenever you need it.
Whether you join us in the middle of summer or the depths of winter, there's no bad time to start.
Follow along with what's happening this month, or dip into the library whenever you're looking for inspiration.
This Membership Is for You If...
✓ You'd love to grow more of your own food.
✓ You want to cook more from scratch.
✓ You're ready to learn preserving, freezing and homemade pantry staples.
✓ You enjoy practical homemaking and creating a home that works for your family.
✓ You're looking for encouragement rather than perfection.
✓ You want to build a simpler, more connected lifestyle, one season at a time.
Whether you're living on a farm, lifestyle block or in town with a few raised garden beds, the principles are exactly the same.
Homesteading isn't about where you live. It's about how you choose to live.
One small step at a time, I want to help you build the homesteading life you dream of, just as we're continuing to build ours.
If that sounds like the kind of journey you'd love to be part of...
