Hi there! I’m Ashley Adamant, the creator behind Practical Self Reliance, where I share my journey in homesteading, self-sufficiency, and sustainable living.
I spent much of my youth growing garden produce with my grandmother, and I inherited both her passion for plants and her green thumb. Today our gardens span acres, including both perennials, annuals, trees shrubs and forest medicinals.
My gardening ambitions have expanded to include permaculture and herbs, and we forage much of what we don’t grow from the surrounding woodlands.
At 12, I found my first herbal medicine guide, and I was instantly hooked! I’ve been studying herbs and herbal remedies for nearly 30 years now, and today, we grow or forage most of the medicines my family uses to stay healthy year-round.
At 17, I moved to the Northeast for college, where I found my true passion for outdoor living and connecting with nature.
I studied Biology at Dartmouth College, where my free time was spent hiking, foraging, brewing mead in my dorm room closet, and cooking elaborate meals for my roommates (much to their delight!).
As the captain of Dartmouth’s Coed Forestry Team, I honed my skills in woodland management, learning to use both hand tools and chainsaws. That hands-on experience sparked my lifelong love for working with the land.
After college, I worked as a Process Improvement Specialist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where I was trained in Six Sigma—an approach to improving efficiency and minimizing errors. This experience taught me how to streamline processes and maximize resources, skills that have been invaluable as I transitioned to homesteading.
And, let’s be honest here, I’m much happier spending my time building a life rather than making a living.
But still, all that valuable experience really informs my work here on the homestead in ways that I wouldn’t’ have imagined.
You’d be amazed how similar home canning is to operating room instrument sterilization, and both safety and quality assurance are just as important at home as they are in a big institution.
Over the last decade, my husband and I have transformed our 30-acre off-grid property into a thriving, self-sufficient farm powered by sun, wind and elbow grease. I’ve dedicated countless hours to learning a wide range of homesteading skills, from home-brewing and canning to animal husbandry, charcuterie, and even mycology.
One of my biggest passions is old-world food preservation techniques, which I believe are key to building a more sustainable and self-reliant future.
Through Practical Self Reliance, I share everything I’ve learned, drawing from both my academic background and hands-on experience.
When I’m not working the land or writing, I’m raising two school-aged children and soaking in the natural beauty of Vermont’s wilderness.
My husband and I know what it’s like to work office jobs, but these days, we’ve left that behind for a simpler, more fulfilling life on the land.
My little ones spend their days snuggling baby geese, frolicking in the pond, catching salamanders, bottle feeding kittens, and building tent platforms in the woods.
My goal is to inspire you to embrace a more independent, sustainable life by blending modern self-sufficiency with time-tested, traditional methods. I’m thrilled to share this journey with you, and I hope you find the tips and stories here helpful on your own path to a more self-reliant life!
Beyond the day in and day out of living this life in real time, I’ve spent countless hours learning about every aspect of self reliance. There are more than a thousand detailed tutorials on Practical Self Reliance, covering everything from gardening and food preservation to herbal remedies, home brewing, and animal husbandry.
Each tutorial is grounded in my personal experience, offering practical, real-world advice that has been tested and refined through years of hands-on learning.
Whether you’re looking to grow your own food, preserve it for the future, or master traditional skills like canning, cheesemaking, charcuterie, or fermentation, you’ll find resources that are reliable and built on proven methods.
I’m so glad you’re here, and I look forward to sharing this abundance with you!
If you’d like to follow along on our adventures, and learn from both our successes and mistakes, I’d encourage you to sign up for my substack newsletter. That’s where I share weekly updates and seasonal DIY guides from our homestead.
Professional Certifications
Most of my real-world knowledge comes from hands-on experience and every spare moment spent researching our next big project. However, along the way, I’ve also managed to rack up a few “resume-building” certifications to complement my practical skills and deepen my expertise.
Here are some of the credentials that have helped shape my journey:
- Valedictorian of my high school class, with a full year’s worth of college credits from the International Baccalaureate program. I was also the All League MVP of my high school Water Polo team, and participated in Academic Decathlon, where I honed both my intellectual and team skills.
- Graduated with honors from Dartmouth College with a BA in Biology.
- Six Sigma Black Belt certified, and a founding team member of The Value Institute at Dartmouth Health. Trained to design efficient, low-waste systems and reduce preventable errors, which is exactly the approach I use to keep an off-grid homestead running smoothly, from pantry projects to day-to-day farm routines.
- Earned an Advanced Herbalism Certificate from The Herbal Academy of New England, furthering my expertise in plant medicine.
- Received a Swift Water Rescue Certificate from the Swiftwater Safety Institute, equipping me with life-saving water rescue skills.
- Completed Advanced Chainsaw Safety Training (Level 3) from New England Woodland Training, enhancing my forestry and woodland management expertise.
- Certified in First Aid and CPR, ensuring I’m prepared for emergencies in both the home and field.
- Earned a Certificate in Home Food Preservation from Michigan State University, and became a Certified Master Food Preserver through Cornell University, reinforcing my commitment to tested, research-based food preservation practices.
And, I’m also a licensed massage therapist, and who spent 5 years working with elite athletes in my own sports medicine practice.
My Writing
Beyond Practical Self Reliance, I also run one of the biggest home canning websites on the internet, Creative Canning. And I share my favorite recipes on my food blog at Adamant Kitchen.
In the past, I’ve written for Mother Earth News and local agriculture advocacy organizations, and my work has been featured all over the internet.
You can also follow me elsewhere on social media if you’d like to stay in touch!
