Real People. Real Stories. Real Land.

Mara Watts

Picture of Mara Watts
Mara Watts is a freelance writer, homeschool mom of three, yoga teacher and farmstead co-owner of Watts Up Farmstead in Burnsville, NC. She is currently raising Holland Lop rabbits, and has a new found love of Nigerian Dwarf goats. Mara regularly indulges in raspberry white chocolate mochas with a historical novel in hand. Learn more about Mara and her farming life at www.wattsupfarmstead.com

Recent Posts

How to Prepare a Wild Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner

How to Prepare a Wild Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner

From field to feast, we share a step-by-step guide to preparing the perfect wild turkey for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

How to Press  Make Apple Cider

How to Press & Make Apple Cider

Celebrate the fall season on the homestead with a glass of homemade cider. Follow our easy step-by-step guide on how to press and make your own cider...

A Story of an Extremely Attached Goat

A Story of an Extremely Attached Goat

Mara Watts, a Rethink:Rural writer and homesteader, shares her comical experience adding goats to the farm.

3 Unique and Creative DIY Homestead and Garden Structures

3 Unique and Creative DIY Homestead and Garden Structures

Homestead sheds and garden buildings don’t have to be cookie-cutter and boring! Three DIYers from around the world (literally!) share their creative...

How to Get Started Raising Pigs on Your Hobby Farm

How to Get Started Raising Pigs on Your Hobby Farm

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to raise pigs on your hobby farm, look no further. We spoke with Deborah Niemann, a homesteader, writer...

Embrace the Garden Mess: The HowTos and Benefits of NoTill Gardening

Embrace the Garden Mess: The How-Tos and Benefits of No-Till Gardening

As spring sets in, gardeners everywhere begin to get the itch to go outside to till the garden. But before you crank up the tiller, allow us and a...

6 Tips for Celebrating Earth Day By Reducing Plastic On the Homestead

6 Tips for Celebrating Earth Day By Reducing Plastic On the Homestead

Happy Earth Day 2024! This year, we’re celebrating Earth Day’s theme, Planet vs. Plastics, with a few tips for reducing plastic waste on the...

Companion Planting: Nature's Free Organic Pest Control

Companion Planting: Nature's Free Organic Pest Control

Tap into the many benefits of companion planting as an alternative to pesticides in the garden this spring. Use certain flowers and herbs to repel...

How to Access and Purify Water In An Emergency

How to Access and Purify Water In An Emergency

When catastrophic events occur, how do you access clean water? A survival expert weighs in on the basics, and importance, of water and how to...

8 Ways to Meet Friends  Socialize in the Country

8 Ways to Meet Friends & Socialize in the Country

Have you recently moved to the countryside? Often, meeting new people and socializing in a rural area can pose a challenge. Here we share 8 creative...