A meal-prepping pro from Michigan says she has enough meals in her pantry to last for the next two and a half years, goes shopping just once a month, and saves $12,000 a year by growing and preserving food for her family.
She currently lives with her husband, Clayton, 48, a supervisor, and two of their five children—aged 17 and 19—on 20 acres (approx. 8 hectares) of land.
The family runs their homestead “like a business”—raising chickens for eggs and meat and growing vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes and green beans. Additionally, they also hunt and fish.
“I call myself a home economist,” Ms. Thrush said. “We live by the mantra—we want to utilize what Mother Nature is giving us.”
Ms. Thrush’s ultimate challenge to the homesteading lifestyle came when she moved to Escanaba in July 2021—a remote location that has 7 months of winter a year.
With the family having to endure long, difficult winters and snow from October through June, Ms. Thrush has had to adjust and relearn how she grows her produce in this climate.
“The winters are incredibly brutal,” she said.
Ms. Thrush grows all the crops she can and uses vegetables from other farmers in the area—such as potatoes and corn.
She also bought a herd of cows, which is cared for by another farmer, so her family can have fresh milk. Ms. Thrush plans how much of each vegetable she needs for her family and barters and trades crops if they have a surplus.
In an attempt to give back to the community, Ms. Thrush shares any spare produce with her local food bank.
“We try to grow one season to the next,” she said.
Ms. Thrush has two pantries and always uses the oldest cans first—putting her freshest preserves in the back of the pantry.
“One pantry we call our ‘cantry’ for longer-term food,“ she said. “It is usually canned and freeze-dried foods.”
A can of food can last for one to three years, and freeze-dried foods can last up to 25 years, she explained.
“We rotate this food into our daily pantry, so we are eating fresh food,” she said.
In an emergency, Ms. Thrush believes she has enough food to feed four people for 18 months and adds that, if rationed, it could stretch to two and a half years.
“My goal is to feed the world,” she said. “I believe food is a basic human right.”
