Simple Life Farm, Arley AL

Cheryl’s farm – Simple Life Farm – was homesteaded in 1890. It’s 40 acres of chickens, donkeys, bees, and goats, plus a white peacock and a guinea hen. She uses solar power and does a lot of common-sense recycling.

One thing I found out is that Cheryl has a business degree from Alabama and left a successful position to come home and live a ‘simple life’. She’s fantastically well-rounded: well-educated, a pilot, beekeeper, *and* a goat farmer.

And she makes rose petal jelly too.

The day I visited, Cheryl was excited over the pair of antique washing machines she had just gotten, and…can you believe?…we decided to try them out and do some laundry. Outside! The setup is washing machine, through the rollers into rinse water, then through the rollers again to be hung on the line.

 

Cheryl shaved some lye soap and added hot water, shook to combine…

There was something about being out in the sunshine, talking about the old fashioned ways of doing things, and washing laundry with that clean lye soap smell wafting in the air that was just perfection.

This is the inside of Cheryl’s shop, where she makes her soaps:

I brought home some pure beeswax candles that Cheryl makes herself from the bee hives on the farm, a variety of soaps, some using botanicals from the herb garden, goat milk, and one that she picks kudzu for. Of course I had to have the kudzu shampoo!

Cheryl is one of the instructors at the upcoming session of the Alabama Folk School. Her course description:

Individuals will learn how to safely make herbal soaps using sodium hydroxide, essential oils and natural colorants, if desired. Students will also make a natural, soy candle and experience traditional hand-rolled beeswax candle-making. Depending on seasonal availability, students will make a batch of apple butter, learning how to use pressure-canning equipment. And this class wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Simple Life Farm! Each student will make enough soap to take home for personal use or to give as unique gifts, two different types of candles, and apple butter (or other jelly or jam). You will leave knowing how to make simple but beautiful gifts and how to can your own foods.