Clara Hayes

Homesteading.com Lead Editorial Consultant & Master Food Preserver

Teaching practical homesteading skills, safe food preservation, and backyard gardening for everyday families.

As the Lead Editorial Consultant for Homesteading.com, Clara is the voice of calm, practical self-sufficiency behind our content. She didn’t grow up on a sprawling farm, and she doesn’t believe you need 50 acres to take control of your food. Instead, she’s spent the last decade mastering everyday homesteading skills: safely canning the summer harvest, baking from-scratch sourdough, building soil from kitchen scraps, and relying on generational wisdom instead of fleeting internet trends.

Expertise & Experience

Lead Editorial Consultant, Homesteading.com (2022 – Present): Directs the homesteading.com content strategy, ensuring all food preservation, infrastructure, and gardening guides meet rigorous safety standards and are accessible to everyday families.
Certified Master Food Preserver & Educator (2018 – Present): Teaches local workshops on safety protocols for pressure canning, water-bath canning, and traditional fermentation. Specializes in strict adherence to National Center for Home Food Preservation guidelines to eliminate the risk of foodborne illness.
Peri-Urban Homesteader (2015 – Present): Transitioned a standard residential property into a closed-loop, high-yield household prioritizing scratch-cooking, intensive-spacing garden beds, and practical self-sufficiency.
Certifications: * Certified Master Food Preserver (University Extension Program)
- Certified Master Gardener