For many Americans, the homesteading lifestyle is synonymous with self-reliance and extreme independence. Others seek a “Little House on the Prairie” aesthetic centered around community and simple living, or dive into homesteading to learn the timeless skills necessary to provide homegrown food for themselves and their families. But for RuthAnn Zimmerman, homesteading YouTuber and author of “The Heart of the Homestead,” the lifestyle wasn’t about any of that. She began homesteading for a far simpler reason: to give her children chores.
Zimmerman lives on a 22-acre farm in northeastern Iowa with her husband, Elvin, and five of their seven children. The family’s first animals were a group of baby chickens Zimmerman purchased when her eldest daughters were young.
