It was a dark and stormy night when I discovered the Cog Hill Farm and Homestead... I think… I do remember that I was washing dishes while the XBox One finished Justin Rhode’s latest video and autoplayed the next relevant video. To my surprise, a familiar southern accent began to croon over a pet pig named Peaches. I paused and watched with growing curiosity as Jason, creator of the Cog Hill Farm and Homestead channel, gave a tour of his property.
Cog Hill Farm and Homestead is located in Valley Grande, Alabama and is made up of 7 acres. The main 5 of those acres has the Cog Hill home, as well as multiple chicken coops, pens, raised garden beds, garden arches, a smokehouse and a plethora of other buildings. These areas house everything from ducks, to chickens, goats and pigs, and so many veggies that it makes me green with envy. Their last 2 acres are situated in a residential location and utilised to grow tasty veggies.
The channel creator and host, Jason, posts on Youtube every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday according to the latest FAQ, to bring his viewers updates on his growing garden, his daughter’s fantastic chicken coop, and even shares his pickling recipes for aspiring canners. Unlike other homesteading channels, Jason is into pop culture and will sometimes play clips of modern rap and hip hop to colour his video clips. Jason is also a pretty good dancer if we say so ourselves. Other times, Jason will put in video clips from classic movies such as Fight Club and even Schoolhouse Rock that always make me laugh. His channel is very refreshing to watch after marathoning DIY/How-To videos for sure. I just love his pet pig Peaches as well as Jason’s super smart daughter. She can name all the breeds of chickens in her coops! This family is so cool and knowledgeable that I just had to reach out and feature them. Check out our interview with Jason below!
Why did you choose to homestead, as opposed to working a 9-5 job with little to no rural interactions?
I actually do have a full-time job and have been working there since 1999. Very laid back environment and very lenient. [My job] allows me to do whatever I need to do on our farm/homestead. My wife does not have a job and her main priority is our homestead. At some point, I will stop working and be on our homestead full time. Now when will that be, I cannot say.
What motivates or inspires you to get up in the morning and do your chores?
Oh wow, it is hard to say unless you experience it or have that feeling inside you, but just that sense of purpose. When you get up, you know that you are doing something that inspires and you are making a change in the world for the better. It maybe on a super small scale, but it still is making the world & the environment “you” live in a much better place.
What is the hardest first step a beginning homesteader face during the start of their journey? The easiest?
The hardest step is not giving into fear & doubt. The easiest is the second step on your homestead journey because that first step is going to be the hardest.
Why do you find this lifestyle so rewarding?
You eventually will realise that there is nothing that you cannot do; as long as you do not give in to fear and doubt.
What can your subscribers look forward to in the future?
Our next journey will be learning to process, butcher, and cure our own pork. We are in the beginning stages of design a butchering workshop on our property and we have started to get the things we need to make all this happen. I hope to have a professional butcher on our farm come this fall to come teach and aid us as we learn the art of butchery. We are testing the market for meat rabbits, so stay tuned.
As always, be kind and tender to one another! Special thanks to Jason from Cog Hill Farm and Homestead for giving us the opportunity to interview him! Subscribe to their Youtube channel if you haven’t already and don't forget to order your very own "Peaches" t-shirt!
All images credit to The Cog Hill Farm and Homestead. Check out the original feature at The Toasted Rabbit.