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Meet The Author
Hi, I’m Kate Downham – homeschooling mum of 7, off-grid homesteader, sourdough baker, and cheesemaker.
My Journey
After many years of dreaming about homesteading and learning how to grow and preserve food, keep goats, and raise chickens in rental house yards, I moved to fifty acres in the forest with my family in 2017 to be closer to nature and work towards our off-grid self sufficiency dream.
On our homestead we grow, ferment, bake, and preserve food using wood-fired cooking, fresh milled flour, and simple old-fashioned techniques.
The Nourishing Hearthfire is my way of sharing what I’ve learned so you can create your own simple, nourishing life – whether you have a tiny balcony or a large homestead, you can create a more resilient, self reliant life.
On The Nourishing Hearthfire you’ll find tried-and-tested recipes for sourdough, cheese, ferments, hearty meals, and delicious desserts, plus practical skills for self sufficiency.
Thank you for visiting,
Kate
What I share
On this site and in my books you’ll find practical guidance on:
- Natural cheesemaking and home dairying with raw milk and homemade cultures
- 100% whole grain sourdough baking and recipes that work with home-milled flour
- Off-grid self sufficiency: wood-fired cooking, preserving the harvest, raising dairy goats, and simple living
- Seasonal, nutrient dense homestead cooking and fermenting
- A low-tech, minimalist approach to working with what you have to learn new skills and create a self reliant life
Everything I teach is drawn from years of real homestead life. I’ve learned from successes and failures, and figured out techniques and adaptations that work for busy homesteaders.
Books by Kate Downham
For a deeper approach to homestead skills, with photos, step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting, variations, and seasonal inspiration, I’ve written four practical homesteading books:
- A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen – essential homestead kitchen skills and 130+ real-food recipes
- Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking – making cheese and other dairy products naturally from any amount of milk
- Sourdough Without Fail – 75+ adaptable whole grain sourdough recipes that work with fresh milled flour or store-bought flour
- Backyard Dairy Goats – raising dairy goats the natural way on any amount of land
You can explore all my books on the Books page. Many readers tell me they treasure these books as trusted reference books and essential cookbooks that are constantly being used and loved in homestead kitchens around the world.
What readers say
“This beautiful and informative book is like a match made in heaven of Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook and Jessica Prentice’s Full Moon Feast, with a twist of survival handbook.” Weston A Price Foundation
“An excellent addition to every homestead library.”
Leigh Tate, 5 Acres and a Dream
“An essential guide for making your own food from homestead to table. The book is full of straightforward, practical, doable recipes and techniques specific to the needs of a homestead kitchen.“
Permies.com
“The rare source that cuts through all the noise and delivers practical, time-tested techniques based on a real, honest-to-goodness life of homesteading.“
Brunette Gardens
“Downham presents the science behind sourdough in a way that’s clear and approachable.“
ARC review on Goodreads
“With simple steps, clear guidance and literally foolproof techniques, this book will turn the most hesitant beginner into a confident sourdough baker.”
Marc Vetri, author of Mastering Bread
“A work of art. Great pictures and detailed recipes, amazing. Such a great resource of inspiration.”
Hendrik Kleinwaechter, author of The Sourdough Framework
“This is precisely the cheesemaking book I wish had existed when I started my cheesemaking journey years ago. Most books just give you a quick list of steps, with no real instruction, and it always leaves you wondering, why? Kate starts with the “whys” of cheesemaking, explaining each step and its purpose right from the start”
Practical Self Reliance
“I really enjoyed this book and as I’m getting dairy goats, I found it very helpful and it’s written by a homesteader who raises dairy goats. What sets it apart is it’s written by someone who has hands on experience with dairy goats raising them holistically as nature intended with goat welfare and husbandry as a primary focus as opposed to books that are how-to indoctrinations written from the standpoint and practices of the industrial dairy/livestock complex.”
Amazon customer reviews
“I love this book, and highly recommend it! It’s great comprehensive information, written in a very down to earth, practical style, organized in a way that makes sense. I’m new to goat stewardship, and this book has been a huge help, to me, as well as helping to calm many of my husband’s fears, too.”
Amazon customer reviews
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