

Homegrown Dreams is an entry-level, exploratory workshop designed to help you incorporate small-scale, self-sufficiency and sustainability into all aspects of your life. Regardless of whether you own or rent a home, or live in a rural or urban setting, you can move towards more self-reliance NOW!

Build Observation Skills & Land Literacy
Learn about the typical farm and homestead in Western NC. This workshop is excellent if you’re in the beginning and exploratory stages of land-based living, particularly if you are incorporating agriculture, renewable energy, green building, land planning, hand-made products, and land-based living of all kinds into your lifestyle.
We cover common-sense, relevant information to help maximize your independence; increase your connection to community, place, and self; and plan out your dreams for the next 1–5 years. Includes a panel of local homesteaders and a regional expert on soil, climate, rainfall, topography, vegetation, wind, and how that affects and determines life, farming, and building in our region.
Wherever you are along the spectrum of self-reliance, join us for the exploratory workshop and:
- Enhance your confidence, skill, and excitement to create the lifestyle you imagine.
- Uncover your personal values, skills, and resources
- Chart a path to move forward over the next 1 to 5 years in your homestead plans.
Hear from other regional homesteaders about their celebrations, challenges, and suggestions and prioritize your next steps.

Homegrown Dreams 2023 Panelists
Homegrown Dreams includes a panel of local homesteaders and a regional expert on soil, climate, rainfall, typography, vegetation, wind, and how that affects and determines life, farming, and building in our region.

George Brabant
Permaculture was explained to George as using nature as a guideline. The edge of the forest turns full and green every year with no help from humans. It happens from a symbiotic relationship between plants, animals, and fungi. He started running with this philosophy and turned our property into a Permaculture Food Forest. He bought chickens and ducks, removed all grass, and installed swales, ponds, and fruit trees. A year in, he sought help from more experienced minds and took a permaculture design course and became a certified instructor. Now they are giving classes, tours, and having other local permaculture and gardening instructors do tours of our farm as well. Their food forest is named Phat Ninja Farm.

Era Keys
Homegrown Dreams Instructor

Brandon Greenstein
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Renaming Homestead Dreams
In light of the need for a long-overdue acknowledgment that our nation is built on unceded land stolen from Indigenous peoples, we changed the name of our Homestead Dreams class to Homegrown Dreams.
It is important to note that the term ‘homesteading’ itself provides a problematic reference, as the term was coined during the Homestead Act of 1862, which led to the displacement and murder of thousands of Indigenous peoples. Given our commitment to Social Justice, we no longer feel this is an appropriate name for us to utilize.