Hey there! I’m Amber, a busy mom and passionate micro homesteader dedicated to embracing a modern, sustainable lifestyle on our little one-acre slice of heaven. Hollis Homestead is where I share my love for homegrown, real food and easy recipes that make life simpler and more delicious.
I enjoy making the most of what each season has to offer, whether it’s growing a garden bursting with fresh produce, preserving the harvest for the months ahead, or raising a lively flock of chickens. Over the years, I’ve developed a love for food preservation methods like canning, dehydrating, and freeze-drying. Freeze drying, in particular, has been a game-changer for turning our garden’s bounty into long-lasting, healthy snacks like freeze-dried cherries or strawberries or meal-ready ingredients for those busy weeknights.
You’ll also find me in the kitchen experimenting with fresh-milled flour recipes and making meals entirely from scratch. From fresh-baked breads to wholesome dinners, I believe the best meals start with quality ingredients. I’m here to simplify the process, sharing meal prep strategies and easy, homemade meals that work for real, everyday life.
About Hollis Homestead
In 2017, I started this blog to share simple Instant Pot and Air Fryer recipes for busy families while living in a subdivision with a small backyard garden. During that time, I dreamed of having enough land to raise our own beef, chickens, laying hens, and grow a large garden. Fast forward about five years, and here we are—living that dream and proving that self-reliance is absolutely attainable, even on just one acre.
My passion for sharing recipes has grown over the years, and my goal is to inspire others to eat well and practice homesteading skills no matter where you live.
If you’re just getting started, remember to start small. Mastering one new homesteading or self-reliance skill at a time adds up, and soon your home will be filled with real, nourishing food that you trust and know where it came from. For beginners looking to dive into food preservation, check out my 16-page Canning Journal—an essential guide to help you stay organized, plan confidently, and preserve safely.
Life at Hollis Homestead is full of adventure, on just over an acre of land we have:
11 chickens, a lazy labrador, raise a beef cow every year and are working towards raising our own meat chickens. We've planted 6 fruit trees, strawberries, blackberries, mulberries, & raspberries. In our large garden, we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, bell peppers, hot peppers, pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupes, carrots, raddishes, onions and corn most years.
I understand just how overwhelming it can feel to learn food preservation, however, about 15 years ago I taught myself how to can long before the days of YouTube or social media, relying on library books and wisdom shared by friends and family. If I could learn it back then, you can too!
Figuring out what to cook for dinner can be equally daunting, which is why I’m passionate about sharing simple, real-food recipes, comprehensive canning and preserving how-to's, fresh milled flour recipes, and practical meal prep tips.
Want to stay up to date with our homestead journey? Join our weekly newsletter where I share seasonal recipes, from-scratch meals, and all the adventures that come with making the most of a one-acre homestead. Thanks for being part of the community—I’m so glad you’re here!