A woman has revealed how she left her life as a fire dancer and pole fitness instructor in the city to become a ‘homesteader’ eco-mum living off the land.
Megan Strableys The world has completely changed in the past decade since they and husband Shawn left the city to raise their children on a rural farm in West Virginia.
The 38-year-old – who is an intern at Triple E Farms in Romney – now enjoys a peaceful life on her farm, where she harvests her own crops, makes her own bread and even slaughters her own animals.
Although she’s “thriving,” she says it’s a far cry from her previous lifestyle.
Megan and husband Shawn used to be typical city dwellers, dining out and shopping – but that’s all changed now.
Pole Fit instructor Megan Strabley’s world has changed completely over the past decade since she left the city with husband Shawn to raise their children on a rural farm in West Virginia
Megan, who is also a fire dancer, and husband Shawn were previously typical city dwellers, dining out and shopping
The 38-year-old – who is an intern at Triple E Farms in Romney – now enjoys a peaceful life on her farm, where she harvests her own crops and makes bread from scratch
“Some of my friends and family find it interesting, some seem to admire or even romanticize what we do, and others think we’re crazy,” Megan said.
“My more urbanized relatives can’t imagine why I would want to work so hard, or deal with things they find gross or disgusting.
‘Even I have to admit that slaughtering and castrating your own animals won’t be everyone’s cup of tea!
‘[But] I am the happiest and most fulfilled I have ever been.
“On our farm, I do my best to be as self-sufficient as possible, and that is a constant work in progress.
“We were suburban, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and while I loved the work I did there, I didn’t really enjoy living in a city. I missed seeing green.’
Megan first started learning self-reliance skills while living in the city, and fully embraced the change when they bought land for their home.
The mother lives on her farm with 43-year-old Shawn and their three children: Asher, 12, Remi, eight, and seven-year-old Jack.
Megan first started learning self-reliance skills while living in the city, and fully embraced the change when they bought land for their home
The entire family has embraced the more traditional lifestyle, largely cutting out processed foods and all getting involved in the maintenance of their home.
Megan said: “I grow fruit trees and berry bushes and have an ever-expanding vegetable garden.
‘For dairy we have Nigerian dwarf goats.
‘I also raise chickens for eggs and meat, which are kept in the pasture or in the forest.
‘I raise pigs for clearing the brush and for meat. This fall we will harvest our first pigs.
‘Some people don’t see how I can raise an animal from a baby and then ship it myself when it’s grown and ready to go into the freezer. Animal welfare is very important to me.
‘By raising my own animals, from chicks or piglets to harvest, I know what every day of this animal’s life was like.
“I know they had fresh air, room to roam in open grasslands or woods, and lived happy, comfortable lives.”
The mother lives on her farm with 43-year-old Shawn and their three children: Asher, 12, Remi, eight, and seven-year-old Jack
The entire family has embraced the more traditional lifestyle, largely cutting out processed foods and all getting involved in the maintenance of their home
The mother says she started this approach to cleaner living for health reasons, but it has now become a celebrated lifestyle choice for the family
Megan now aims to grow enough vegetables for the whole family, and has several methods she uses to preserve food.
She explained: ‘My preference is to freeze – it’s the easiest and fastest way to prepare food and retain as much flavor and nutrients as possible.
“My next choice is canning. I do both water bath canning and pressure canning.
‘I can mainly eat fruits such as jam, vegetables, salsa and chicken stock. I freeze vegetables and meat.
‘I also dry and hang dry herbs for cooking, making tea and herbal medicines. We do use the supermarket, but the ultimate goal is not to need it.’
The mother says she started this approach to cleaner living for health reasons, but it has now become a celebrated lifestyle choice for the family.
She said: ‘We thrive on a more physical and outdoor lifestyle, and we are grateful that we can make a positive impact on the environment.
“And of course, that I get to feed my family the most delicious and nutritious food possible.
‘It’s also a really fun and challenging way of life – it’s rewarding.’
All members of the family get involved, as her son and daughter enjoy raising animals.
Megan said: “My eldest son keeps guinea pigs and bantam chickens as a hobby.
Megan says: ‘While I would love to live a completely independent, rugged, off-grid, self-reliant lifestyle, my husband and children would not’
The family has big plans to continue their homesteading journey and become even more self-sufficient
The goal is not to become ‘purists’ – and they still live a balanced life, using supermarkets when necessary
‘My daughter is interested in breeding angora for wool in the future.
‘My youngest son, seven, doesn’t have any animals yet, but he is my helper and expert egg collector.
“When we bring new animals home, I tell the kids what their purpose on the farm will be, and whether or not they should get attached to them.
‘The children are also involved in raising and processing the chickens.
‘At first my older children were apprehensive when they saw me cleaning and dressing a chicken, but they soon became curious and it turned into a bird anatomy lesson.
‘For my youngest, he doesn’t have to think about it for long, he has grown up with it from the beginning.’
The family has big plans to continue their homesteading journey and become even more self-sufficient.
Megan said: “Our water is currently city water, but we will be installing a rain collection system in the coming year, which will allow us to be water independent.
‘Our solar is also grid-tied, but over the next year we will be adding some batteries so we can be grid independent if the power goes out (we are currently using a generator).
‘In the next five years we will have enough batteries to be completely off the electricity grid.’
But the goal is not to become ‘purists’ – and they still live balanced lives, using supermarkets when necessary.
Megan added: ‘While I would love to live a completely independent, rugged, off-grid, self-reliant lifestyle, my husband and children wouldn’t.
“Even if I grew and hunted enough food for the family to live on, we would still want to buy chocolate and eat out and things like that. I’m not a purist, and if I were, my family would mutiny.
‘This lifestyle has had a huge positive impact on my mental health, physical activity, time spent outdoors, consistently working towards long-term goals.
“It’s a very rewarding way of life, and I hope to do it for a long time and pass on some of the lessons of homesteading to my children – even if they choose a more conventional path.”