Homemade Organic Foods and Crafts

This article was originally published in the Fort Hood Sentinel.

WACO — I love cheese. My newfound addiction has been Brie cheese. My fiancé and I came across Homestead Craft Village by accident after visiting the Waco Downtown Farmers Market Saturday morning. A gentleman selling Brazos Valley Cheese at the market said that they had sold out of all their Brie cheese, and that was the main reason for our visit – to get our hands on some Brie cheese. The gentleman said that their shop was close by, so after the market my fiancé and I took a drive to Brazos Valley Cheese. Unknowing, the cashier that sold us the Brie cheese informed us that Brazos Valley Cheese was part of Homestead Craft Village.

By this time my fiancé and I were starving, so we decided to go to the village to grab some lunch at Café Homestead and walk around. The food was fresh, simple, healthy and wholesome. I ordered a salad and soup with homemade dressing and my fiancé ordered a hamburger. We were not disappointed.

Taken back by the simplicity and modest clothing that all the employees wore, we soon learned that Homestead Craft Village was an agrarian Christian and craft based community. The community believes in living a life of simplicity, sustainability, self-sufficiency, cooperation, service and creating quality craftsmanship.

The shops and sites in the village are: The Barn, The Potter’s House, Wood Shop, Heritage Forge, Café Homestead, Homestead Gristmill, Heritage Farm, The Ploughshare Red Barn, the Sorghum Syrup Mill, Homestead Fiber Crafts, the Granary, Homstead Market, Homestead General Store, Brazos Valley Cheese, Red Wagon Barbeque and Homestead Baskets. Each site has daily demonstrations of their quality made crafts.

Inside The Barn were handmade quilts, wooden furniture, organic soaps, leather bags and home décor. Next, we went to The Potter’s House and saw beautifully made pottery dishes and coffee mugs. Pottery classes are available at The Potter’s House in case visitors want to make their own custom creations. We also found out the Wood Shop offers classes. Outside Homestead Fiber Crafts sat a loom on display, and inside were handmade quilts, blankets, scarves and dolls. Walking from site-to-site in the village, we saw herb plants everywhere.