Elle Meager | Source | Outdoor Happens

Elle Meager founded Outdoor Happens, a website dedicated to helping homesteaders in the USA and Canada garden, raise animals, produce homegrown food, and become increasingly self-sufficient. Elle is a qualified Permaculture Teacher and Master Gardener. She holds a Diploma in Horticulture, Diploma in Sustainable Living, Diploma in Naturopathy (Herbalism), and a BA in Management.

Elle has spent the last 25 years involved in horticulture and permaculture. She started and operated a commercial plant nursery for 10 years and has assisted private and commercial customers design edible gardens, implement permaculture practices, and increase yard productivity. She has worked on organic and biodynamic farms in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Elle has helped several schools implement vegetable gardens to encourage healthy eating behaviors in children. One of her favorite projects was the establishment of a restaurant kitchen garden, which was designed around the entrance pathways so customers can snack on healthy fruits and vegetables as they enter the restaurant. A particular passion is helping people increase their self-sufficiency by raising their own animals and growing vegetables and edible plants.

Elle is a regular contributor for Mother Earth News and has provided expert commentary for Realtor, Homes & Gardens, Women's Health, Family Handyman, The Washington Post, Bob Vila, and many other quality publications.

Her blog, Outdoor Happens, features articles written by Elle herself and various passionate, globetrotting homesteaders. Elle writes about permaculture, sustainable and organic gardening methods, landscaping tips and advice, and raising farm animals. She operates a commercial homestead in tropical Australia, raising Lowline cattle, Dorper sheep, and chickens for meat and eggs. She homeschools her two daughters (10 and 12) in addition to writing for Outdoor Happens and operating the farm.

Elle loves spending time in the garden and growing food for her family in her spare time. She enjoys growing multi-purpose plants and implementing permaculture principles in her daily life. She is also greatly interested in gut health, which sparked her passion for fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, jun, yogurt, and sauerkraut. Much of her homegrown produce is fermented, canned, dehydrated, or preserved in another method!

Her agricultural journey started when Elle was very young, growing up amongst Holland's tulip and potato fields. Her seven uncles all operate a farming business, and helping out on the land was expected from the whole family - toddlers to grandparents. She started working on a biodynamic farm when she was 14, and this experience left a great impression. After working in the field all day, manually pulling weeds from the potato fields, we'd eat home-baked bread with home-milked milk, and homemade cheese! It was the best food I ever ate.

Elle loves to help people grow productive gardens and homesteads. Please don't hesitate to contact her if you have a relevant query!