Homestead Naturals offers best of organic
By PAULA BARR
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:11 PM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:11 PM CDT
More than a decade ago, Tim and Jacqui Rhoads had top positions and high salaries in the fast-growing telecommunications industry, had traveled around the country to start new companies, and had lived a comfortable life.
Then World Com filed for bankruptcy and the telecommunications industry bubble burst. The next thing the couple knew, they had lost their house, jobs and most of their belongings. Instead of living in a 3,400-square foot home back East, they and their two children were crammed into a 12 feet by 12 feet unfinished shack on 10 acres in rural Washington County next to Tim’s brother’s property.
Since then, they have focused on organic living and their goal is to make their farm self-sufficient. As part of that effort, the couple started Homestead Naturals, a company that offers herbal products, goat milk soaps and natural skin care items.
The move to Washington County was a cultural shock for Jacqui, who was a city kid and it was a lifesaver for Tim.
“My entire life, my identity had been wrapped up in my career,” he said. “I was close to being suicidal.”
Their plan was to build a cabin, but money ran short before Tim could find work. While he tried to find a job, the family cleared land, hauled water from the creek at the bottom of a hill and slept on the floor in sleeping bags. They bathed in a horse trough, did laundry by hand and shared an outhouse with a raccoon. They cooked on a Coleman stove and soon learned that raccoons could open closed containers left outside.
“The hardest thing for me to live without was a refrigerator,” Tim said. “For Jacqui, it was having no air conditioning.”
There was a lot of crying that first year, Jacqui admitted. She wasn’t used to the darkness now that she was far from streetlights and other buildings. Bobcats screaming and coyotes barking at night increased her fears.
“We just didn’t know how to live that way,” Tim added. “We were figuring it out as we went. If we had to do it again, it would be a lot easier.”
The experience brought the family together and helped Tim become a Christian. After a year-and-a-half, life became more comfortable. Tim’s brother sold the couple his doublewide trailer along with his land. That gave the family a real house again and more than 20 acres of land.
Three years later, the children are grown and have moved out. The farm now includes a herd of milking goats, two horses, Minnie the livestock guard dog and several breeds of “free-range” chickens. About three acres are in use, but they continue to clear land for expansion.
Chickens roam a fenced-in pasture while Minnie stands guard for coyotes. The Rhoads raise broilers for meat as well as Rhode Island Reds for eggs. The cozy chicken coop incorporates former kitchen cabinets as cages and a card table as a gate to the chick nursery area. Thick shavings on the floor compost with the chicken droppings to create heat during the cold months. Dirty bedding is put in the compost pile.
The 16 goats roam freely during the day. They munch on brush to augment the nutrition they get from grain. While goats in cartoons eat everything in their path — including tin cans — real goats are particular.
“Goats are actually picky eaters,” Jacqui said. “But they taste everything. They browse, always moving and tasting stuff.”
Jacqui milks the mature females by hand each day. By next year, all 11 females will be producing milk.
Goat milk has higher “butter fat” levels than cows. Fresh goat milk tastes the same as cow milk, according to the couple. However, pasteurization gives the milk a “goat” flavor, they agreed.
“Stress will sometimes give it a bad taste,” Jacqui said. “We had one we had to dry up. The next year, her milk was fine.”
They use goat milk to make raw milk soap and goat milk and honey soap for Homestead Naturals. Currently, their sales are primarily through the Internet or at a few sites in Washington County.
Jacqui, a certified family herbalist, grows herbs in raised beds for use in several of the products they sell. Vegetables also grow in raised bed with rich compost from the couple’s two bins and grass clippings keep weeds at bay. The crops, including several fruit trees, are grown organically.
Last year, squash bugs destroyed much of the flower garden. This year, the Rhoads bough guinea hens, which ate the squash bugs and kept the open land free of ticks. This year’s garden thrived as a result.
Among the products the couple sells are herb bath bags used for a relaxing time in the tub. Jacqui makes sweet orange and peppermint flavored lip balms, as well as peppermint hand and nail butter. Homestead Naturals sells “dream pillows,” which are bags of herbs that are placed inside pillowcases. The aroma of the herbs is said to promote sleep.
Plans call to expand the business in product line and services. The Rhoads’ goal is to educate others about healthy alternatives; natural, organic foods; and the advantages of goat’s milk over cow’s milk.
“There are so many benefits with goat’s milk,” Jacqui said. “The fat is smaller and easier to digest than in cow milk. The goats milk soap helps exfoliate and moisturize skin.”
Eventually, the couple hopes to open a store where they can sell natural products, provide a place for craftsmen to display and sell niche crafts such as spinning, and help people lead healthier lives.
For more information or to find Homestead Naturals products, contact the Rhoads at trhoadsfamily@centurytel.net.
Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.
Then World Com filed for bankruptcy and the telecommunications industry bubble burst. The next thing the couple knew, they had lost their house, jobs and most of their belongings. Instead of living in a 3,400-square foot home back East, they and their two children were crammed into a 12 feet by 12 feet unfinished shack on 10 acres in rural Washington County next to Tim’s brother’s property.
Since then, they have focused on organic living and their goal is to make their farm self-sufficient. As part of that effort, the couple started Homestead Naturals, a company that offers herbal products, goat milk soaps and natural skin care items.
The move to Washington County was a cultural shock for Jacqui, who was a city kid and it was a lifesaver for Tim.
“My entire life, my identity had been wrapped up in my career,” he said. “I was close to being suicidal.”
Their plan was to build a cabin, but money ran short before Tim could find work. While he tried to find a job, the family cleared land, hauled water from the creek at the bottom of a hill and slept on the floor in sleeping bags. They bathed in a horse trough, did laundry by hand and shared an outhouse with a raccoon. They cooked on a Coleman stove and soon learned that raccoons could open closed containers left outside.
“The hardest thing for me to live without was a refrigerator,” Tim said. “For Jacqui, it was having no air conditioning.”
There was a lot of crying that first year, Jacqui admitted. She wasn’t used to the darkness now that she was far from streetlights and other buildings. Bobcats screaming and coyotes barking at night increased her fears.
“We just didn’t know how to live that way,” Tim added. “We were figuring it out as we went. If we had to do it again, it would be a lot easier.”
The experience brought the family together and helped Tim become a Christian. After a year-and-a-half, life became more comfortable. Tim’s brother sold the couple his doublewide trailer along with his land. That gave the family a real house again and more than 20 acres of land.
Three years later, the children are grown and have moved out. The farm now includes a herd of milking goats, two horses, Minnie the livestock guard dog and several breeds of “free-range” chickens. About three acres are in use, but they continue to clear land for expansion.
Chickens roam a fenced-in pasture while Minnie stands guard for coyotes. The Rhoads raise broilers for meat as well as Rhode Island Reds for eggs. The cozy chicken coop incorporates former kitchen cabinets as cages and a card table as a gate to the chick nursery area. Thick shavings on the floor compost with the chicken droppings to create heat during the cold months. Dirty bedding is put in the compost pile.
The 16 goats roam freely during the day. They munch on brush to augment the nutrition they get from grain. While goats in cartoons eat everything in their path — including tin cans — real goats are particular.
“Goats are actually picky eaters,” Jacqui said. “But they taste everything. They browse, always moving and tasting stuff.”
Jacqui milks the mature females by hand each day. By next year, all 11 females will be producing milk.
Goat milk has higher “butter fat” levels than cows. Fresh goat milk tastes the same as cow milk, according to the couple. However, pasteurization gives the milk a “goat” flavor, they agreed.
“Stress will sometimes give it a bad taste,” Jacqui said. “We had one we had to dry up. The next year, her milk was fine.”
They use goat milk to make raw milk soap and goat milk and honey soap for Homestead Naturals. Currently, their sales are primarily through the Internet or at a few sites in Washington County.
Jacqui, a certified family herbalist, grows herbs in raised beds for use in several of the products they sell. Vegetables also grow in raised bed with rich compost from the couple’s two bins and grass clippings keep weeds at bay. The crops, including several fruit trees, are grown organically.
Last year, squash bugs destroyed much of the flower garden. This year, the Rhoads bough guinea hens, which ate the squash bugs and kept the open land free of ticks. This year’s garden thrived as a result.
Among the products the couple sells are herb bath bags used for a relaxing time in the tub. Jacqui makes sweet orange and peppermint flavored lip balms, as well as peppermint hand and nail butter. Homestead Naturals sells “dream pillows,” which are bags of herbs that are placed inside pillowcases. The aroma of the herbs is said to promote sleep.
Plans call to expand the business in product line and services. The Rhoads’ goal is to educate others about healthy alternatives; natural, organic foods; and the advantages of goat’s milk over cow’s milk.
“There are so many benefits with goat’s milk,” Jacqui said. “The fat is smaller and easier to digest than in cow milk. The goats milk soap helps exfoliate and moisturize skin.”
Eventually, the couple hopes to open a store where they can sell natural products, provide a place for craftsmen to display and sell niche crafts such as spinning, and help people lead healthier lives.
For more information or to find Homestead Naturals products, contact the Rhoads at trhoadsfamily@centurytel.net.
Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.
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