Thomas Marlow

WANTED

Two individuals, couples or families to be "landmates"  to embrace a transformational lifestyle on a developing homestead here in WNC. A place you can create a life for you and your family that inspires you. Grow your own food, preserve it and cook the abundance of edibles the Earth has to offer on the hearth fire.

I have a beautiful piece of land, bordered on all sides by the Pisgah National Forest, near Old Fort, NC, capable of sustaining up to two families with organic produce, livestock and wild edible plants. If we take care of the land, it will take care of us. If you are brave enough to strip away your addictions to the modern world and live a simple, rewarding and wholesome life and help create a paradise that inspires you, this land awaits your passionate contribution. This primitive/homesteading lifestyle is not for the faint of heart.

I am offering a one year lease for $365.00 total for 365 days of your time here and 20hrs of work per week on the homestead clearing, planting and harvesting. This time period would allow us to see if we are a fit for each other. At the end of that time period, I'm offering an optional legal agreement to deed you a piece of land to call your own.
You must provide your own shelter such as a teepee or a yurt. There is no road going to the land. It is a 45 min hike over a mountain to get there from there nearest road. No internet. Cell service is available at higher elevations on the mountain. If you believe that the covid-19 is a hoax, don't apply. If you believe the Earth is flat, don't apply. There are many conspiracy theories and they are not welcome here.
Please draft a letter to tell me about yourself and why you would want to live on the land and we'll go from there.
Send to;
Thomas Marlow
1360 Mill Creek Rd
Old Fort, NC 28762

WANTED

Two individuals, couples or families to be "landmates"  to embrace a transformational lifestyle on a developing homestead here in WNC. A place you can create a life for you and your family that inspires you. Grow your own food, preserve it and cook the abundance of edibles the Earth has to offer on the hearth fire.

I have a beautiful piece of land, bordered on all sides by the Pisgah National Forest, near Old Fort, NC, capable of sustaining up to two families with organic produce, livestock and wild edible plants. If we take care of the land, it will take care of us. If you are brave enough to strip away your addictions to the modern world and live a simple, rewarding and wholesome life and help create a paradise that inspires you, this land awaits your passionate contribution. This primitive/homesteading lifestyle is not for the faint of heart.

I am offering a one year lease for $365.00 total for 365 days of your time here and 20hrs of work per week on the homestead clearing, planting and harvesting. This time period would allow us to see if we are a fit for each other. At the end of that time period, I'm offering an optional legal agreement to deed you a piece of land to call your own.
You must provide your own shelter such as a teepee or a yurt. There is no road going to the land. It is a 45 min hike over a mountain to get there from there nearest road. No internet. Cell service is available at higher elevations on the mountain. If you believe that the covid-19 is a hoax, don't apply. If you believe the Earth is flat, don't apply. There are many conspiracy theories and they are not welcome here.
Please draft a letter to tell me about yourself and why you would want to live on the land and we'll go from there.
Send to;
Thomas Marlow
1360 Mill Creek Rd
Old Fort, NC 28762

The hearth fire is burning brightly tonight as I compose this entreat, cooking my dinner and warming a kettle of tea. My Dogs are resting peacefully nearby, being incredibly adorable. The Stars and clouds are dancing their Eternal dance. The Trees are singing in the breeze, stretching their stiff limbs. The rain is coming from the west to nurture all. The Creation is speaking, the Eternal's/God's language (the Word of God) with so many things to say. What speaks to you? I will listen with an open heart.

I often joke that I've eliminated 99.99999% of the female population by choosing to live as I do on the piece of land/Heaven which I call home, my little homestead. Perhaps I have. It is a modern world after all and like you, I grew up at the transition from analog to digital, but have chosen to dedicate my life to my little piece of Heaven, modern or no. And as I continue peeling away the layers of the "addiction" to the modern world, my heart grows more and more in love with the my homestead/the Forest everyday. I will never leave it. Do you love anything that much?

I love my fruit and nut trees that I've grown from seed and have nurtured by the sweat of my brow. I love my vegetables, building soil to feed them with wholesome decomposed plant matter, limestone, ashes, bonemeal and manure. I continue to plant trees because it inspires me. It's a comforting thought that future generations will benefit from my life's work. What kind of life inspires you?

A bit about my land;
Owned outright. I have no debt.
It is an inholding within the national forest in an isolated valley seven miles long, the headwaters coming from the top of the eastern contenential divide. Bordered on all sides by the Pisgah National Forest, six miles east of Black Mountain, NC, four miles northwest of Old Fort, NC. No other landowners in this 10,000 acre valley. I look out and see nothing but Forest. Summertime baths in the creek. Wintertime baths in a tub raised on stones and heated by fire. I cook on fire. Fire is our greatest tool! Wild edible plants and mushrooms to be gathered everywhere. Primitive mixed with pioneer living. What dishes do you love to eat? Ever bathed in a truly clean creek (no humans upstream)?

And in the interest in being forthright and not wasting any Woman's time, nor mine, here are some extras you should know;
I love my land and will never leave it. Not ever.
My Mountain Feist Dogs love the land too and I love them as my children. I have a daughter who is 24 years old who lives in MI. If you have children and you and I fall in love and choose to live a life together, I know marrying you is also marrying them.
I believe we should live in separate shelters, without expressing physical attraction, for the first year of your time on the land. Friends first.
I am 47 years young and 5' 10" tall.
I eat meat but will support you and cook vegetarian meals for you if you don't.
I am not looking for a housewife. I am looking for a strong willed Woman who will see the needs of the homestead and rectify rather than complain. A Woman who has her own dreams and hopes for the future who will come together with me, work together with me, cook with me, sleep beside me for the rest of our lives. Live life together.
There is no road going to my land. No way to drive a car to it. It's a 45min hike over a mountain to get there. I carry in supplies on my back. Logistically challenging, but immensely rewarding.
I live in a small cabin with a woodstove.
I will build a more permanent structure.
I don't believe in religion, nor the culture surrounding churchs. I DO believe in the Word of God/The Creator/The Eternal of which I witness the expression of everyday in the flowers, plants, trees, fellow Animals and within my own heart, when I'm quiet enough to hear. I struggle to Love the Eternal and myself.
I don't have respect for preppers or conspiracy theorists.
I'm extremely poor financially, but rich in my knowledge of the forest.
I don't take modern medicines, nor go to the doctor and never will.
I live with PTSD and depression (childhood trauma). I have good days and bad days. I manage it effectively with walks in the Forest with my pups, meditation and non-profit therapy. We all have our baggage. I'm sure you have your own baggage of some sort.
I enjoy smoking a pipe and having a glass of beer or wine.
My Mother transmitted hep-b and hpv to me while I was in her womb. I have never transmitted to a partner. We all have our burdens to bare.

I am not afraid to be alone after nine years here on the homestead. I have accepted I may spend the rest of my days alone. Yet, in the depths of my heart, perhaps I will be blessed with a Love from Woman, hence this post.

If the above hasn't scared you off, write me a handwritten letter and drop it in the mail, including a recent photo of yourself.

My address is;
Thomas Marlow
1360 Mill Creek Rd
Old Fort, NC 28762

Peace and blessings! I look forward to hearing from you!

I've been alone on my homestead for nine years now. It is not easy. The loneliness can be be soul crushing.
I purchased this piece of land, that is my home and my heart, knowing that it is surrounded on all sides by the Pisgah National Forest that has no way to drive a car to it, no electricity, wood fire for heat and cooking, but not know I would eliminate 99.99999% of the female population to find a life partner in.
Yes, I agree with many of the things said in this post and the replies. Yes, people find the idea of homesteading romantic, but not the reality. In my experience, there is too much of an addiction to the modern western lifestyle for them to overcome.
I had someone in my life recently who said in response to my question, "why aren't you helping me gather up the firewood because the snow is coming?" - "I was cold and I don't charge you for heat when you come to my place in town." Yep, not the woman for me.
I wish I knew the answer to finding someone who will share in the passion of growing and preserving food. Animal husbandry. Managing the hearth fire, etc. I don't know. I do know that friends first would be a good way to go, but oneside of the couple will always have to give up something. Compromise is good. Working together is even better. I personally don't want society's idea of work roles based on gender in my life. She and I would do the work together, side by side.
Maybe this might be of some comfort, I have accepted I may be alone, here on the homestead, for the rest of my life. The land IS my partner. And though I am open to meeting the correct Woman, I remain unattached to the idea because I have committed myself to the land and will never leave it. If you can get to that place of "unattached" on the partner idea within yourself and put the land first, you will find that there is a great community in the land and that it's ultimate gift is Peace.

Q

If you live near a brewery or distillery, they are usually happy to let you fill up a 5 gallon plastic bucket full of the spent mash. I know chickens, pigs, cows love that stuff.

I've owned three wood cook stoves in my life. Everyone of them I've taken apart, scrapped with a wire brush and put back together with "stove sealer".

It looks like a big stove, so taking it apart will not only help you move it, but will allow you to rebuild it and seal up the joints properly. WD40 is helpful for loosing stubborn door hinges, enough to unbolt or cut off the bolts to be replaced with new bolts.

Oil all parts of the castiron with a mixture of coconut oil to re-season the castiron. If you have a metal container large enough to submerge the pieces in oil and bring the oil to a boil, that would be a good way to although the pores in the castiron to expand and "drink" up the oil. Remove from heated oil and the "bake" the thoroughly wiped and dried parts in a 500 degree oven for several hours. I use coconut oil because its the most pleasant smelling when burning in the first few firings.

I agree with the previous response of finding an experienced wielder to fix any cracked castiron parts. If the top where the eyes fit on is cracked, see if you can find a replacement part. This part will be receiving the most heat and would be best as an unwielded piece.

Once you've cleaned it up and start using it, clean out the soot every three weeks for maximum efficiency. Oil it with the coconut oil at this time too. If burning coal, you'll need to clean out the soot every week. This guideline only applies if the cookstove is your primary source of cooking.

"If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." - Last bit of advice; make yourself an outdoor "Summer" kitchen, say on your porch. Invite your neighbors over for a "stove moving party" every Spring and Autumn to help you move it outside and inside. Figure that an average human can lift 150lbs with a bit effort. take things inch by inch and don't rush. You don't want to crack the castiron. Provide beer/wine and I might even come for it.

I'll be taking my Martins King 8-20 stove apart and resealing/oiling as one of my Winter projects. It's never been taken apart since it was manufactured in the 1910s/20s.

Cheers!

I live in Black Bear country (mountains of western NC). I'm planting an orchard/food Forest of Pecans, Chestnuts, Apples, Pears, Peaches, Figs, Persimmons, etc. I adopted two female Plott Hounds last October from a local Bear hunter who said they don't hunt.

Well, they do hunt. And they are often out all night baying up and down the valley.

I'm posting this because I'm seeing a lot of posts about getting dogs to protect livestock. Yet, have you ever seen what a Bear will do to a fruit tree to get at the fruit. Breaks it in half.

I'll be adding Chickens to the homestead in the Spring. I'm hoping to find inoculated eggs from a local Chicken keep and hatch them myself in a cage inside the cabin, where my Plott Hounds sleep via access through a Dog door cut in the wall. I think my Plotts will bond with the chicks and their motherly instincts will kick in, we'll see.

At any rate, Hounds are great at keeping large foraging critters off your edible plants. But, I'd advise to let them run loose. If you have a place that is appropriate for that, then let them run loose. Their noses are keen to scents on the air and will guard their territory vigorously.

I'm partial to Plotts, because they have gentle nature about them and are very loyal to each other and their Human.

Plotts are also fearless. Chasing after God-knows-what in the dark of the night. Expect them to get Snake bit a time or three. Just let them rest and offer them raw egg. If they make it past the 48 hour mark and begin to eat again, they'll live. And the more they get bit, the more Nature builds an immunity in their bodies against the poison.

I'll be adopting two Terrior breed soon, to manage the Deer Mice, Forest Rats, Squirrels (killed 17 of my Pecan seedlings) and Chipmunks. Jack Russell's probably, or perhaps a thicker furred version.

Most of all, love them. Let them know you do. They value being a part of a "pack" where they are excepted, rather than being chained up and left on their own. Never have understood people that chain a Dog all it's life.

Happy Dog Caretaking!

Hello Permies Community!

My name is Thomas and I fell in love with the Forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains a quarter of a century ago. Finally was able to find a little piece of heaven on 5.69 acres that was an exception reserved out from the family that homesteaded here when the US government purchased the many thousands of acres around it in 1913 to form the Pisgah National Forest. Their old fallen over stone chimney is still here, but their house has long since rotted back to the Earth. Of course, the Forest has reclaimed it's hold on the land with the canopy now being 60-80 feet tall, where once there was a field. Old American Chestnut logs and stps still can be found here.

I've come to call this place Star Gap Farm and its located 4 miles north of Old Fort, NC, 6 miles south of Mount Mitchell and 3 miles east of the Eastern Continental Divide.

Along with foraging for wild edibles and establishing "wild" colonies of edible plants, I'm clearing the land to plant an orchard of Pecans, Hazelnuts, Apples, Pears, Cherries, Serviceberries, Peaches, Plums, Paw-Paws, etc, etc. Beneath the orchard trees will be a broadcasting of tasty, domesticated plants being allowed to grow wild with a focus on perennials. Oh, and Muscadine and Scuppernong Grape vines. I do enjoy a bit of wine with a nice cut of Tobacco.

There is an abundance of clean Water here with two large creeks and two springs. Eventually I'll build a spring house and pipe water to my little cabin, but for now, fresh drinking water is 10', and lower than the cabin.

I don't own a car and the nearest regularly traveled road is a 50 min hike through the Forest, so getting materials in here to build with and general supplies are a challenge, but the benefits of being here far outweigh the inconveniences. I've built a 14'x8' cabin with a sleeping loft to live in until I can get the reclaimed brick in here to build the main house.

There is a gated USDA FS road that comes close, so I hire folks with trucks to bring heavier materials up here and carry them in pieces the 1/4 of a mile rest of the way on my back. Roman wasn't built in a day. Brick by brick. Sacks of seed by sacks of seed.

I will create a paradise out here. Will build a modest, energy and labor efficient, but comfortable brick house. Wood-fired Sauna. Trout ponds. Solar power (gas genies currently). A place from which I can feed those I love and hand off a life's work to a successor when I pass on.

Mollie and Maggie (Plott Hounds) are my constant companions, who I adopted from a local hunter last October and they do the job I "hired" them for which is to keep the critters away from the plants I'm raising. Dogs a certainly better than a fence, although there has been a Raccoon hanging around that keeps out smarting them, much to Maggie's frustration.

Well, if you've read this far, it's great to be able to connect with folks doing similar things. There are other folks homesteading here in the mountains, but its always good to connect with new people who are understanding of the challenges of living outside the generational imprinting that has brought on by modern life.

And possibly find that one in a billion woman who could handle making a life here together with me. A tough as nails woman who can work through her fears of the unknown and realize that fear exist only in the mind, which is a terrible neighborhood to be in the first place. I'm 40 years of age and have a 17, going on 30, year old daughter, so I'm open to a woman who has children already.

Great to internet-meet you all! If you want to see connect, drop me a line. And if any of you are getting married, I photograph weddings to make the green. You can see my work here - www.thomasmarlow.com. Mostly I shoot in Chicago, NY and LA, but can travel anywhere in the world. If you want to see photos of my progress out here, look me up on Facebook by searching Thomas Marlow.