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00:00:00I feel bad for my kids, they are ready to give up.
00:00:14I don't get the situation figured out.
00:00:16They may choose to live, you know, with their dad.
00:00:21I wouldn't blame them because you can only live like this for so long.
00:00:27We might be in paradise, but this seven acres is brutal.
00:00:33This homestead is being swallowed up by invasive bamboo.
00:00:37I've definitely seen a 200-pound pig.
00:00:39How big is that?
00:00:40Like, that tall.
00:00:42Yeah, they're pretty scary.
00:00:43I see the stress on Erica's face.
00:00:46She's overwhelmed.
00:00:47They have to pull together as a family.
00:00:49That's the only way they're going to survive.
00:00:51This homestead, this is not my style.
00:00:54Do you want to be here on this coffee farm now?
00:00:59One, two, three.
00:01:02Three.
00:01:03Oh, yeah.
00:01:05This homestead has 8,000 coffee plants.
00:01:09I just didn't take into account how hard it would be.
00:01:12It's time to incite these children to help their mother manage this farm.
00:01:19This is too much.
00:01:22Go, go, go!
00:01:23Hawaii, with all the rainbows and sunshine, is not an easy place to homestead.
00:01:44Everything grows 365 days a year, and your whole homestead could be overtaken by the jungle in a matter of days.
00:01:53Don't think this is going to be a vacation at all.
00:01:56What?
00:01:57What do you mean?
00:01:58I brought my bikini.
00:01:59So did I.
00:02:00On the leeward side of the big island of Hawaii, the rainies race toward one of their most challenging rescues yet.
00:02:11In the shadow of the Mauna Loa and the Hualalai volcanoes, this rugged landscape, shaped by ancient lava flows, has helped form one of the most ecologically diverse places on Earth.
00:02:24But for those trying to live off the land, the semi-arid climate averages only 20 to 30 inches of rainfall per year, making water catchment essential for daily survival, while invasive bamboo grows like wildfire, choking out native flora.
00:02:43Homesteading against a backdrop of lush landscapes and ocean views is a single mother struggling to brew her own off-grid dream.
00:02:58I'm Erica.
00:02:59I live here in Kona on my seven-acre coffee farm.
00:03:02I live here with my three kids.
00:03:05Before I moved to the farm, I was living in a condo, but I've always wanted to live off-grid.
00:03:10I didn't want to rely on anything for my power, my water, and eventually my food.
00:03:17When I did move here to the property, there was, like, raw land and so peaceful.
00:03:23There was no cabin, no electricity, so those first few months, I was just here building a place.
00:03:28I built my cabin right here, and I got my solar set up for my power, but I just didn't take into account how hard it would be.
00:03:36Erica believed the family could quickly capitalize on the farm's coffee crops to generate income while they continued to carve out their homestead.
00:03:46But that hope turned to despair.
00:03:49I thought I could come in and take over the coffee farm from the get-go, but my neighbor planted bamboo, and it has jumped over into my property, and it's out of control.
00:04:02We have wild pigs here in Hawaii, and there are no natural predators.
00:04:09Their populations have exploded.
00:04:11They come out every night.
00:04:13They've been known to kill people and make gardening impossible.
00:04:16So I need to have my food on a regular basis, because if you get a garden set up, the bamboo or the pigs destroy it.
00:04:25On top of that, I currently don't have a water system set up.
00:04:30We run out of the water I haul, and we don't have water to drink.
00:04:33I have gutters that lead to buckets on the ground, and then I do my dishes.
00:04:38But it's not adequate, because as a single mom, doing everything from the ground up is exponentially harder.
00:04:48Every day, my brain is filled with what I need to be doing and what's not getting done.
00:04:54Having the seven acres is a dream, but not being able to solve the problem is...
00:05:02It's killing me.
00:05:05I don't know what to do.
00:05:08I don't know what to do.
00:05:12Hi.
00:05:12Good morning.
00:05:13Morning.
00:05:14I'm Erica.
00:05:15Erica, nice to meet you.
00:05:16Nice to meet you.
00:05:16Hello.
00:05:17I'm Sage.
00:05:18Sage.
00:05:19Hi, I'm Hazel.
00:05:20Nice to meet you.
00:05:20I'm Sage.
00:05:21What is it?
00:05:21Hazel.
00:05:22Hazel.
00:05:22Nice to meet you.
00:05:23Nice to meet you.
00:05:24There's also my younger son, Kove.
00:05:26He's Chris's dad.
00:05:27We do half the week with me.
00:05:29Okay.
00:05:29You guys will meet him in the days to come.
00:05:32You live on a coffee farm.
00:05:34Yeah.
00:05:34What a beautiful spot.
00:05:36How long have you been out here?
00:05:37A year.
00:05:38We moved here a year ago.
00:05:39So how was the last year?
00:05:40It's just a bit stressful right now.
00:05:42Why?
00:05:43It's just basically me, you know, doing this.
00:05:46So it's not like I know how to do all the things.
00:05:51Yeah.
00:05:51Yeah.
00:05:52Oh, here I go.
00:05:53I don't mean to get emotional, but it's just been really hard.
00:05:55It's just like feeling like bad that I put my kids into a situation where it's not the best.
00:06:05It's okay.
00:06:06I grew up in Idaho, but I'm Alaska native.
00:06:15So I moved back to Alaska to get to know my family and my heritage.
00:06:21To live in Alaska is to survive, basically.
00:06:23And just having a culture that has done that for thousands of years.
00:06:28I was inspired, and I wanted to have my kids raised that same weight, but Hawaii, it's always felt like my spiritual home.
00:06:38So I packed up my kids and kind of just moved here, and that's how we ended up here on the island.
00:06:43Though Erica's adolescent children, Hazel and Sage, were initially excited about the move off-grid, the lack of creature comforts has softened their interest.
00:06:55My kids do love things about living here.
00:06:58But as far as helping me, that's not their priority.
00:07:02I'll try to get them excited, but they'll be like, no.
00:07:06I really like living in Hawaii, but this homestead, I mean, I don't know.
00:07:11This is not my style.
00:07:13It's super close quarters, and we're kind of missing a lot of stuff that a normal house would have.
00:07:18I love homesteading, and my little brother likes it out here.
00:07:21But I think my mom needs help with this homestead.
00:07:26She's had a lot of stress and struggle.
00:07:28I don't know what to do.
00:07:31For me, as a mother, the light at the end of the tunnel is setting up a legacy for my family and my kids.
00:07:37I want this to be a place that they can build their own dreams when they're older, too.
00:07:42But right now, it is all on my shoulders.
00:07:46But I don't get the situation figured out.
00:07:48My kids may move.
00:07:49They may choose to live, you know, with their dad.
00:07:53They are my life.
00:07:54They are my family.
00:07:54It would be heartbreaking, and I would feel like a failure, and I wouldn't blame them, because you can only live like this for so long.
00:08:05You want to look at that cabin?
00:08:09Yeah.
00:08:10I live here in this tiny home.
00:08:13I see gutters on both sides, but the job's not done.
00:08:17There's an attempt to capture water, and it kind of ends right here.
00:08:22Yep.
00:08:22Every time I come to Hawaii, I feel a little bit like Magnum P.I.
00:08:28We go into detective mode.
00:08:31This gutter leads over to where I do my dishes.
00:08:36If it's a fresh fall, I wash it out, get it all, like, sterilized, and then I have the water come in.
00:08:42Young lady, I got to tell you, this is desperate.
00:08:47Yes.
00:08:49This homestead has 8,000 coffee plants.
00:08:53None of them have a sprinkler system.
00:08:56There's enough water here from the rain.
00:08:58But the homesteaders' biggest problem is they don't have enough water.
00:09:04This is my water tank.
00:09:06How many gallons?
00:09:07It's 950 gallons and have not set up yet.
00:09:10How long has this tank been sitting here?
00:09:13It's, let's see, 9 months.
00:09:16Okay.
00:09:18There's almost 1,000 square foot of roofing that can catch 600 gallons of water if it rains an inch.
00:09:27And we have caught zero gallons of water.
00:09:30That has to change.
00:09:31But we have a much bigger problem.
00:09:33These kids probably won't want to stay on this homestead without adequate facilities.
00:09:41Is there a shower in this building?
00:09:43No.
00:09:44And I have to ask this.
00:09:45Do we have a legitimate place to use the restroom?
00:09:48This is it.
00:09:52This is the composting toilet in here.
00:09:55Okay.
00:09:56So, this is functional.
00:09:59It's currently just getting the job done.
00:10:02But it's not sufficient.
00:10:05It's just not made for a family of four.
00:10:08And I have to keep it cleaned, like, on a regular basis.
00:10:11This is like a part-time job.
00:10:13Okay.
00:10:14So, all of these things I'm looking at need to be upgraded, connected, when it comes to infrastructure.
00:10:21I'm super thin on everything.
00:10:26I work five jobs.
00:10:28And then, whatever free time I have, I cut vines off my coffee trees.
00:10:32Well, right here.
00:10:33Because I've never in my life ever heard of anybody with five jobs.
00:10:40Picture this.
00:10:41A single mom with three kids and 8,000 coffee trees.
00:10:48Quite a challenge.
00:10:49I think it's time to incite these children to help their mother manage this farm.
00:11:02Let's talk about coffee farming.
00:11:04Do you know when the harvest season is?
00:11:06No.
00:11:07I know it's happening soon because these flowers turn into coffee beans.
00:11:11Hopefully, we can sell it, maybe.
00:11:13Yeah.
00:11:14Turn it into, like, a legit farm.
00:11:16Yeah.
00:11:16It seems like you guys are kind of in the middle of this jungle.
00:11:20Do you have problems with plants kind of moving in and trying to take over the farm?
00:11:24Yeah.
00:11:24There's the bamboo over there.
00:11:26They'll come and they'll fight for the water and the sunlight with the coffee trees.
00:11:30The growing season in Hawaii is every day of the year.
00:11:34The jungle is encroaching on your farm, your garden, whatever you're trying to do.
00:11:39And so do you guys cut this back by hand?
00:11:43Yeah.
00:11:43The only thing that we can really do is chop it down and just keep chopping it down because it's too hard to get to the roots.
00:11:49Some bamboo can grow like a foot a day.
00:11:51This is pretty crazy.
00:11:54If they're going to survive, we have to figure out how we're dealing with this invasive bamboo.
00:11:59Your mom is a single mom.
00:12:02And so trying to run a farm and trying to raise a family and doing everything on your own doesn't sound easy.
00:12:08Yeah.
00:12:08So how do we help your mom?
00:12:12Nobody else is going to.
00:12:13Yeah.
00:12:13It's kind of up to you.
00:12:15My dad expected us to work when we were younger.
00:12:19When we were teenagers, we worked really hard.
00:12:22Are you really excited all the times when it's like a Saturday and you got to work?
00:12:27No.
00:12:28But it's a part of life on a homestead.
00:12:31And what do you think of living on a coffee farm?
00:12:32It's kind of tough with the living situation because we're super close quarters.
00:12:39Me and my 15-year-old brother, we got a 12-by-12-foot little cabin, so it's a little crammed.
00:12:45Yeah, good times.
00:12:46I think it builds character, though.
00:12:48And then what do you want to do here?
00:12:51Man, that's a real good question.
00:12:54The most important thing I could do on this homestead this week is inspire Hazel to get involved.
00:13:01I want the world for your mom, so we have to figure out how we're going to do that together.
00:13:06Are you in?
00:13:07Yeah, I'm in.
00:13:08Whatever it takes.
00:13:13Let's go look for pig signs.
00:13:15You can see all the footprints in the trails.
00:13:19All this is signs of pigs rooting.
00:13:21They definitely roam over here a lot.
00:13:23Have you seen one?
00:13:24Yeah.
00:13:25Squealing, running around the bushes, ruckus everywhere.
00:13:29Outside my little cabin, you can hear 20 pigs just going off.
00:13:34I've definitely seen, like, a 200, 250-pound pig.
00:13:37How big is that?
00:13:38Probably, like, that big.
00:13:40Maybe, like...
00:13:41That tall?
00:13:42Yeah.
00:13:43No.
00:13:43They get pretty big.
00:13:44Really?
00:13:45Yeah.
00:13:45And the tusks come out like that, and they're just fat.
00:13:48So I'm definitely scared walking in the dark.
00:13:52Aside from destroying local habitats, wild pigs can be deadly.
00:13:59Over the past decade, wild boars have killed nearly 20 people a year worldwide, more than
00:14:05three times the number killed by shark attacks.
00:14:08The only real way to stop these pigs is with heavy-duty fencing, and there's a lot of time
00:14:18and a lot of money.
00:14:19But have you hunted pigs?
00:14:21Yeah.
00:14:21I've definitely hunted pigs on my friends' places.
00:14:24Not on this land, because I never...
00:14:26I don't really have the resources yet.
00:14:28Okay.
00:14:28But I really want to expand the hunting on this property, because I've seen some fat
00:14:34pigs, and they look pretty good.
00:14:39Sage knows where to hunt for them.
00:14:41We need to get them to be able to defend this homestead from those wild hogs.
00:14:46I always call them livestock you don't have to raise.
00:14:49But you do have to trap them or hunt them.
00:14:53Sounds easy.
00:14:54It's a lot harder to actually do it.
00:14:58This homesteader has five jobs.
00:15:06Single mom, raising three kids.
00:15:08And, did I mention, 8,000 coffee trees.
00:15:13So, whether it's water or infrastructure, there's plenty of challenges that can kill the dream
00:15:20for this family.
00:15:21They're trying to coffee farm.
00:15:23But this homesteader is completely overgrown with bamboo.
00:15:27One of the fastest growing plants on the planet, that's encroaching everywhere.
00:15:32And, Hazel, she's awesome, but she's not very invested in this homestead.
00:15:39I saw a lot of signs of pigs on the homestead, and somebody's got to have the skills to stop
00:15:44them.
00:15:45The sage sees the need for it, and he wants to do it.
00:15:49But I don't think he's ever just done it by himself.
00:15:52They have to pull together as a family.
00:15:54That's the only way they're going to be successful.
00:15:57I think figuring out how we get the kids involved is crucial.
00:16:01Erica's got her hands full.
00:16:03She's got her work cut out for her, and she's overwhelmed.
00:16:08All right, there's a beautiful family.
00:16:17Let's talk a little bit.
00:16:18So, it is a little daunting to think about the scope of the work here, but listen carefully,
00:16:26both of you.
00:16:27It's really painfully obvious.
00:16:31Your mom cannot farm 8,000 trees by herself.
00:16:34No.
00:16:35So, this is clearly a homestead that's only going to make it if the family does it together.
00:16:43So, hopefully, we make some changes around here, because it's easier said than done.
00:16:49We'll see you tomorrow.
00:17:02Okay, follow me.
00:17:03On the MP's Big Island Homestead, Marty's first focus is to help Erica establish the infrastructure
00:17:11to meet the entire family's needs.
00:17:13All right, so let's say it's 3 o'clock in the morning.
00:17:16Okay.
00:17:17And you want to use the privy.
00:17:21What would happen in your world right now?
00:17:23Um, I would walk out kind of where we all are and just use the bathroom.
00:17:30How would you like to do this?
00:17:34Walk straight.
00:17:37Whoop, whoop, stop right there.
00:17:40And, and now you have to open the door.
00:17:42Open the door.
00:17:43All right, now walk in.
00:17:45I'll follow you.
00:17:46All right, stop right there.
00:17:48How would you feel about a bathhouse?
00:17:52We'll build the biggest building we can build.
00:17:55We'll put a petition in there, and they can have living quarters and the bathroom.
00:17:58Okay.
00:17:59Just having somewhere to shower.
00:18:00It would be the biggest load off my back.
00:18:03Okay, we're in the process of trying to figure out where to build a bathhouse for all the family members.
00:18:12If it's done right, it's going to be a home run.
00:18:16It's going to make this homestead less stressful.
00:18:19I think the kids are going to become more involved, and all we need to do is pick X marks the spot.
00:18:28We'd put it over this gully, and if it flooded or water came down it, so be it.
00:18:33Our building would be high enough that it shouldn't compromise the building.
00:18:38Come back over here.
00:18:39Why we want it there is because the goal, we want to catch all this water from all these roofs, including the water off the roof we're about to build.
00:18:48Okay.
00:18:48We can gravity feed this entire system.
00:18:51I love it.
00:18:52Marty and Erica will build a 10 by 30 foot structure for a bathroom and additional living space.
00:18:59Then, they'll create a gravity-fed water catchment system connecting all of the homestead's roof space into her storage tank to provide the family with thousands of gallons of potable water.
00:19:13I'm stoked to start working.
00:19:17I don't know how it's going to work out.
00:19:19I'm trusting that Marty knows how it's going to come together, but I think it'll be good.
00:19:24All right, we'll pile it up for now, and then we'll figure out what we're going to do with it later.
00:19:27All right, sounds good.
00:19:28Good morning, guys.
00:19:44Good morning.
00:19:45How's it going?
00:19:45How's it, Matt?
00:19:46Good to see you again.
00:19:4720 miles from the MP homestead, Matt and Sage begin their day with a field trip to gain some pig trapping knowledge from an experienced neighbor.
00:19:57This guy is a hunter, he's a trapper, and he knows pretty much every way to deal with the pigs.
00:20:07Sage has hunted the pigs before, but he doesn't really know much about trapping.
00:20:11Mike has pig traps set up on his property.
00:20:14I think it'd be really valuable to go look at a little example of what's successful, and then we could build this ourselves on your property.
00:20:24Yeah, no problem.
00:20:27So, like, down here in this little hole, you've got a macadamia nut tree, so it's a constant, steady bait source.
00:20:36These pigs are checking all their food sources.
00:20:40Pigs are nocturnal, right?
00:20:41So they're going to spend most of their day sleeping in, like, real tall grass like that.
00:20:47Yeah.
00:20:48You know?
00:20:48Yeah.
00:20:48Yeah, the guinea grass.
00:20:50And then as soon as it gets dark, they come out looking for food, right?
00:20:54And if you can, like, bait them in the same area over and over and over again,
00:20:59then they forget about all worries and they just come charging into the food.
00:21:03Wild pigs often scrounge for food under the cover of night.
00:21:09By regularly baiting high-activity areas with attractive foods like nuts and corn,
00:21:15the pigs gradually become comfortable with their surroundings and more prone to enter a trap.
00:21:21I think it'd be really useful to see how you set this trap.
00:21:27You run a string off of this trigger here.
00:21:32From there into the back trigger and...
00:21:37Okay.
00:21:38That's a good job, though.
00:21:39It is.
00:21:40I mean, I would love to be doing this for my life.
00:21:42After meeting with Mike and seeing this trap, Sage is convinced this is going to work, and he's excited.
00:21:51I'm definitely hearing some new stuff, and I think it could be useful.
00:21:55So we need to bait a spot on Sage's property and get a trap set up ASAP.
00:22:01I'm psyched on setting up the new trap.
00:22:03Yeah, man.
00:22:04Get some pigs on the land.
00:22:05Yeah.
00:22:12I'm ready to get to work.
00:22:15Back at the MP Homestead, Misty, Erica, and Hazel face the daunting prospect of reclaiming acres of their land from destructive bamboo.
00:22:25It's taken out the whole upper part of the farm.
00:22:27Okay.
00:22:28Let's get rid of it today.
00:22:29Yay!
00:22:30Yay!
00:22:31But don't get excited.
00:22:33Oh, okay.
00:22:33Because it doesn't look like I can get to the bamboo in an excavator without killing part of the farm.
00:22:41What I'm hoping is that we don't have to kill the coffee trees too much.
00:22:47We will take out a few trees that we will try to transplant, and if that is not working and it's taking too long, we're just going to mow them down.
00:22:56Okay.
00:22:57Okay, let's go on foot first.
00:23:00We have to deal with this invasive bamboo.
00:23:02It's encroaching and trying to overtake the whole coffee farm.
00:23:06My gosh, you guys, this is no joke.
00:23:09The problem is there's no access.
00:23:13You have to cross the entire coffee plantation to get to the other side where the bamboo is.
00:23:19While most bamboo in Hawaii can soar to over 60 feet tall, coffee trees typically grow between 6 and 15 feet.
00:23:28Blooming in the spring, they develop clusters of white flowers that soon give way to vibrant red cherries.
00:23:36In a single growing season, one coffee tree can yield over 2,000 cherries, producing roughly 1 to 2 pounds of roasted coffee beans.
00:23:46Okay, so I'm already looking at easily 50 trees, and we're not even halfway there.
00:23:53Yeah.
00:23:56Dude, this is major.
00:24:02Clearing land is the most dangerous thing you can do on a homestead, so we're just moving really slow.
00:24:06Let's just try to get here without dying and get to work.
00:24:15Okay, girls, we're going to start digging up these trees.
00:24:18Show me what you wanted to show me.
00:24:20Yeah, so this is coffee rust.
00:24:22You can see it because it's all spotted.
00:24:24It's turning brown.
00:24:25So I think that we should try to get rid of the trees that have coffee rust.
00:24:29That's a great idea.
00:24:30Can you identify the coffee rust without your mom?
00:24:34I can.
00:24:35Okay, so let's go, and we'll catch up in a little bit.
00:24:37All right, sounds good.
00:24:48All right, Hazel and I are creating access to the bamboo.
00:24:51At the same time, we're getting rid of the coffee rust.
00:24:53I'm going to try to wiggle in here with the excavator and see how weird it gets.
00:24:57Here we go.
00:25:03I'll try and fit through and straddle as many as I can.
00:25:09I'm a little nervous.
00:25:11How's it look?
00:25:12Well, yeah, just go straight.
00:25:15You're tipping a little.
00:25:17Oh, no.
00:25:20Woo!
00:25:20No, Mesa, it's going to be easy, Hazel.
00:25:24Yeah, I see that now.
00:25:33On Erica Empey's seven-acre Hawaiian coffee farm...
00:25:37How's it look?
00:25:38I can see some rocks and trees that way, so you got to go a little bit this way.
00:25:41Misty begins the tricky task of eliminating invasive bamboo, overtaking the family's cash
00:25:48crop of coffee trees.
00:25:50Bushwhacking through the coffee farm.
00:25:52I was concerned about how much destruction there would be with the excavator and these
00:25:56coffee trees.
00:25:58At this point, we've stumped 44 trees.
00:26:01We're right now at a point where we're halfway there.
00:26:05And, I mean, hopefully by the end of the day, we can make it to the bamboo.
00:26:09Am I straddling any of them?
00:26:12Right now, if you come a little tiny that way, you're on course to save all those ones.
00:26:16Is that better?
00:26:17Yeah, it looks good.
00:26:19Living here has definitely been a struggle, but Misty's real good at her job.
00:26:24Hopefully, we can turn this farm into something sustainable.
00:26:29Risky business.
00:26:31I like her vibe.
00:26:32She's got, like, an onnit paste, and she wants to go, go, go.
00:26:35I like that.
00:26:36Okay, that was pretty good.
00:26:38That was good.
00:26:39All right.
00:26:42We made it.
00:26:45Hazel right now is smiling.
00:26:47It seems like she's having a good time, which is great news, because for me, it's all about
00:26:51getting her involved, because that's the only way this homestead is going to have any success.
00:26:57We're touching the bamboo.
00:26:58Yeah, we finally made it.
00:26:59So, your work is done for now, and now it's just me and the excavator.
00:27:03I'm going to try to cross this massive ditch to be able to get to the other side.
00:27:08This is pretty sketchy, and it's going to take a long time.
00:27:12Yeah.
00:27:12So, I better just keep moving.
00:27:13Here we go.
00:27:14All right.
00:27:21On the other side of the homestead, let's start packing these beams.
00:27:26They're going to be heavy, guys.
00:27:27We're going to all do this together.
00:27:29Marty, Erica, and a local build team begin foundational work on a much-needed sanitary structure for
00:27:36the family to collect potable water and utilize indoor plumbing.
00:27:41Easy.
00:27:42Easy.
00:27:42Easy.
00:27:42We're about to build a bathhouse.
00:27:47Right there?
00:27:48Yep.
00:27:48Adding another 300, 400 square foot of potential roof system that can catch water, because this
00:27:57family needs a safe living space if their coffee farm is going to succeed.
00:28:03Nice.
00:28:05I'm kind of in let's-get-it-done mode.
00:28:07Hey, get over here where the action is.
00:28:09Erica, what's your experience with building?
00:28:11I was basically the help crew on both of these, so kind of like how I'm doing right
00:28:16now, carrying the wood, measuring.
00:28:19So, that part is over.
00:28:21Now, we're going to ratchet it up.
00:28:23Okay.
00:28:23You were a freshman.
00:28:25Yep.
00:28:25Now, you're going to be a senior.
00:28:26Perfect.
00:28:27In the next seven days.
00:28:28Let's do it.
00:28:28And you're going to graduate.
00:28:30Look at this beam.
00:28:32Every long beam and board in the world either has an arc up or an arc under.
00:28:38Put your eye on this and look down at it, please.
00:28:41Does that thing got an arc down or does it have an arc up?
00:28:44I would say it has a little arc.
00:28:46Why would we care?
00:28:48Because if it's already sagging, it's going to just sag more.
00:28:51But if you have, like, the arc, it's going to hopefully straighten it out.
00:28:54A plus?
00:28:55Marty comes off, like, really, like, gruff and, like, just business.
00:29:02But I think every little skill I pick up is just going to take me somewhere else where
00:29:06I just think, oh, I can do that now.
00:29:09Get a pencil mark on it right here so we know which way's up.
00:29:13Please.
00:29:16All right, let's cut this.
00:29:23Isn't this where you want to do because that was just the arrow pointing up?
00:29:28Uh, it might be.
00:29:31Erica's smart and she's learning.
00:29:33And thank goodness Erica is indeed a worker.
00:29:38Very good.
00:29:39You just saved the day.
00:29:40I'm serious.
00:29:41There's a heart attack.
00:29:42We may have been able to correct that, but that was a major save.
00:30:00Pretty sure some trees fell down.
00:30:01It kind of looks like there's a pig den in the middle there, too.
00:30:04At the edge of the homestead, Matt and Sage lay the groundwork to lure the wild pigs roaming
00:30:11the land into their trap.
00:30:15You can actually stop the pigs from coming into the property if you know where they're
00:30:20coming in at and what they're after.
00:30:23And that's what I'm going to try to do with Sage.
00:30:26Hopefully all these mac nuts bring the pigs over onto our land.
00:30:30And this is just one spot.
00:30:32I think we should look around at those trees in the middle, put some bait, and we should
00:30:36go back to the other side of the property where we found that pig skull, and we'll put
00:30:40some macadamias there.
00:30:42And hopefully we'll catch something on those trail cams that we can identify and be like,
00:30:46oh man, that'd be a good one.
00:30:47For sure.
00:30:48Okay, so grab that bucket and let's keep going.
00:30:50We're going to case the property, look around and see where the pigs are coming in at, find
00:30:58good signs, and just see how up to speed Sage is with this whole pig problem.
00:31:04We've got to build some traps, and we've got to build them quick because we don't have much
00:31:08time.
00:31:09Let's get back to the drawing board and see what we can come up with to be able to build
00:31:12a good trap, especially something that is as good as the one that we saw over at Mike's
00:31:16property.
00:31:18Matt and Sage will construct a series of four-by-six-foot cage traps and place them on the homestead's
00:31:25hot spots.
00:31:27The traps will lure the pigs in with bait and ensnare them once they're inside, turning a
00:31:33dangerous nuisance into a crucial off-grid protein source.
00:31:37All right, let's build a trap.
00:31:40We have some hardware, we've got some metal, we've got some hog panel, and with all these
00:31:49pieces, we're going to get this thing all bolted together and build one trap without any welding.
00:31:55Sweet.
00:31:56You like it?
00:31:57Yeah, it sounds great.
00:31:58Okay, awesome.
00:31:59Okay, let it rip.
00:32:03Good.
00:32:04You feel the power of the angle grinder?
00:32:06And it definitely has some kick to it.
00:32:09I scored each one of these things about halfway, and now if I kick it and bend it, it comes
00:32:17apart.
00:32:18Now we've got one side of the length of our trap, and now we need three more.
00:32:24Building this trap with Matt so far has been pretty fun, and I've learned a lot of new experiences.
00:32:29These panels will act like plywood does.
00:32:33He's taught me a lot of new skills, and they're super useful, and I hope these skills can catch
00:32:39a pig with that trap.
00:32:41But we're not done yet, so let's keep going.
00:32:43As dusk approaches on day two...
00:32:52All right.
00:32:54I knew it wasn't going to be easy.
00:32:55I was super apprehensive.
00:32:57Misty encounters a setback on her bamboo-clearing quest.
00:33:01We got through the, you know, coffee plantation, and then we hit this massive ditch.
00:33:08And now I think we're hitting some blue lava.
00:33:12And if you don't know what blue lava is, it's the lava that you cannot break.
00:33:18Hear that?
00:33:21That's not good.
00:33:23I think I'm, like, in this moment completely wowed.
00:33:26I had no idea what I was up against.
00:33:28Getting to the bamboo, seeing how tight it was together, so thick, it's over 100 feet tall.
00:33:34Like, I'm literally staring at the impossible.
00:33:37This is pretty sketchy.
00:33:56At this rate, like, are we ever going to clear all this bamboo?
00:34:00Because it looks like it's going to take more than a week to clear.
00:34:04So, I'm going to call in backup.
00:34:11At backup, you know, stands about 6'4", got a red beard, big smile, doesn't talk much, but is pretty capable.
00:34:22So, while Clint has been in the excavator, cutting the bamboo back, I want to shift focus to coffee processing with Hazel.
00:34:30While Misty leaves Clint to tackle the problem of clearing a quarter-mile swath of bamboo...
00:34:37It looks amazing.
00:34:43...just up the hill...
00:34:44Excellent.
00:34:46...Marty stabilizes the platform of a catchment bathhouse that will provide the family with effective infrastructure and water collection.
00:34:55Good, good, good.
00:34:58Okay, man.
00:34:59And on the edge of the homestead...
00:35:01This is our door.
00:35:02This is what's going to slide the channel on the other end of our trap, and let's go see if it fits in place.
00:35:07Let's go.
00:35:09All the way, okay?
00:35:10Oh, yeah.
00:35:11So, there's two things that need to be added to keep pigs in here, okay?
00:35:17And the first part, all it is, is a very thick piece of wire that will then hang down.
00:35:23It'll basically act as our pin trapping.
00:35:27It's a very passive way to deal with the pigs.
00:35:30It frees up sage to be able to do other things on the homestead, and it's a really great way to get those pigs manageable.
00:35:38This trap is set, but we need to trip this trap with something that everybody has commonly laying around on a homestead, and that is string line.
00:35:49We want these pigs to trip this trap like a trip wire.
00:35:53We want to make that trip wire go across this path.
00:35:57So, we don't want to catch little pigs, right?
00:36:00Mm-mm.
00:36:00So, let's go up.
00:36:01Just kind of, like, pull that knot tight.
00:36:05Yeah.
00:36:06It's going to be pretty tight.
00:36:08Now, this trap is set.
00:36:10Baby, let's test it out.
00:36:12All right, man.
00:36:13Hop in there.
00:36:14Let's see if this thing works.
00:36:15Be careful.
00:36:16It's like a hairline trigger.
00:36:25Oh, yeah.
00:36:27You're trapped.
00:36:27Woo!
00:36:31Yeah, definitely pig worthy.
00:36:33High five.
00:36:35I'm going to let you out.
00:36:37I'm going to let you out.
00:36:39Sage and I finished our pig trap, and I got to tell you, I think it's the best trap I've ever built.
00:36:45Now that our trap is done, we just need to add the bait into the mix, and hopefully, we catch a pig.
00:36:52We're going to build a lot more of these things.
00:36:54Yeah.
00:36:54All right, let's go.
00:36:55All right, let's go.
00:36:55We're building a second trap, because we've seen a lot of pig activity.
00:36:59All right, man.
00:37:00Trap number two is done.
00:37:02Hopefully, within the next couple days, we catch a pig with that second trap.
00:37:07Have you ever used a trail cam?
00:37:09Nope.
00:37:11They're motion activated.
00:37:12They only turn on when something moves in front of them.
00:37:16Just zip tie it to any tree, as long as it's a stationary object.
00:37:20So, go for it.
00:37:23Sage and I are going to set up trail cameras to see if we're on the right track when it comes to outsmarting these pigs.
00:37:31I think we should add more to this baited area, lure them in more, and then keep checking the cams.
00:37:37Then, try to outsmart them with the trap.
00:37:40Yeah.
00:37:46What do you think?
00:37:47That's amazing, in a day, how much you've accomplished.
00:37:50I've never seen light back here.
00:37:52This is so crazy.
00:37:53As Clint clears the remaining bamboo foliage, Misty and Erica discuss how to carve out a role for her teenage daughter on the homestead.
00:38:02I'd love to create a space for Hazel, doing something that she's interested in.
00:38:08Yeah.
00:38:08Some kind of structure is needed.
00:38:10So, do we create this little coffee farm stand for processing, harvesting, labor?
00:38:20Can that be dual-purposed and actually become a space just for her?
00:38:24I think so, yeah.
00:38:25I think so, too.
00:38:27I think Hazel will be a lot happier if she has her own space on the homestead.
00:38:30And I think when we tie the coffee stand to it, it's giving her that role that she needs for this family.
00:38:36That is the key to success.
00:38:38There's structures and there's plans kind of where the existing cabin is.
00:38:44Maybe put it in front, even a little bit lower, just flatten it out and have that be the space.
00:38:49There's now going to be a little driveway down to it.
00:38:51I'm really excited.
00:38:52Okay, you can't tell her.
00:38:53Oh, but that's so exciting.
00:38:54You can't tell her at all.
00:38:56Sound good?
00:38:57All right, sounds good.
00:39:00Misty's ambitious idea is to create a dual-purpose, 10-by-10-foot structure that Hazel can live in and operate the coffee processing from.
00:39:11Next to the structure will be a washing basin, a stove for roasting the beans,
00:39:16and a station for grinding and packaging the coveted Kona coffee.
00:39:24Come on over.
00:39:26We're going to start this little coffee processing station together.
00:39:30So we'll do like this little 10-by-10 coffee shack.
00:39:34You ready to start building?
00:39:35Yeah.
00:39:35Do you have any tools?
00:39:36I got a pencil.
00:39:37Yeah, bring the pencil.
00:39:39That's a tool.
00:39:39I'll grab the last pier block, and then we'll go.
00:39:41All right, cool.
00:39:43One of the most important things I want to do this week is lighting the fire for Hazel,
00:39:48getting her inspired, finding her place on the homestead.
00:39:51Where does she fit in?
00:39:52And it doesn't have to be this painful, miserable experience.
00:39:56It can actually be the most fulfilling, rewarding thing you could ever do.
00:40:01See how we're like cockamamied, and we're not a right angle?
00:40:04Mm-hmm.
00:40:05How do you find that right angle?
00:40:07With the measuring tape?
00:40:08Yep.
00:40:08And with the 3-4-5 method, you measure three feet out from the corner,
00:40:14then four feet out from the corner,
00:40:17and then five feet across from mark to mark.
00:40:22Three, four, five.
00:40:24Will give us a perfect angle, and then the square structure.
00:40:27So here we go.
00:40:28Where's that pencil?
00:40:30Tool.
00:40:31Ooh.
00:40:32Any homestead is just this massive puzzle, right?
00:40:35We're all little pieces, and you just got to find where you fit in.
00:40:39And for Hazel, we just have to figure out where her passion is, where that drive is,
00:40:43figure out what she loves to do, and then do that.
00:40:48Wow.
00:40:48You're impressively good at using a hammer.
00:40:50So are you.
00:40:53No, no.
00:40:54I know my skills.
00:40:55Hammer's not one of them.
00:40:56We're going to put in the other two, and then we're going to start framing.
00:41:04I want to see the trail cam footage, because this looks like it got hit.
00:41:08Oh, look at this.
00:41:23It's day four on the Empey family's seven-acre Hawaiian homestead.
00:41:28Good morning.
00:41:29And a surprise rainstorm reveals an unrealized opportunity.
00:41:34Hey, check this out.
00:41:37I'm a little surprised at how much it did rain.
00:41:41See this?
00:41:41Yeah.
00:41:42Right at about two inches of rain fell last night.
00:41:45Now, this is a good thing.
00:41:47It's also bad.
00:41:50We have no catchment in place.
00:41:53Yeah.
00:41:53I'm not happy we didn't capture it.
00:41:56We're wasting, you know, a good life that can be had in this homestead.
00:42:01I just didn't have the resources for myself for the money and all that.
00:42:05And by the way, that's a very legitimate reason.
00:42:07But the problem is, you only have a 1,000-gallon tank.
00:42:13And just with the roof systems that you have right now, we could have probably captured 1,000 to 2,000 gallons last night.
00:42:21Yeah.
00:42:21As soon as we finish this building, we're going to add another significant roof system that can catch more water.
00:42:30So this is telling me we're going to need more tanks.
00:42:34Okay?
00:42:35So we're going to have to figure out how to get more catchment tanks on the property before I leave here.
00:42:40Yeah.
00:42:40All right.
00:42:40That's what's going to happen.
00:42:40Sounds good.
00:42:41Let's do it.
00:42:41At the edge of the homestead...
00:42:56We're going to go check in on the bamboo.
00:42:58I handed the X baton to Clint, and he's been cutting down bamboo trees, so let's see how he's doing.
00:43:04Yeah, let's take a look.
00:43:07Yay!
00:43:07Very impressive.
00:43:09Oh, my gosh.
00:43:10Look at this.
00:43:12How's it going?
00:43:14Good.
00:43:15So you already got the bamboo down, and you're just getting out the clumps?
00:43:18Yeah.
00:43:19The roots?
00:43:19Making out the roots.
00:43:20Obviously, getting rid of the bamboo was the first challenge, but how do we keep the bamboo back for all time?
00:43:27The only way that I can think of is driving on it.
00:43:31So I think that if this becomes a massive circle driveway, bamboo is never going to grow back.
00:43:36I think that's a good idea for driving over every day.
00:43:38I don't think it'll give it a chance to, like, come back.
00:43:40So parking lot slash driveway slash road access, we'll get it all in one on the bamboo highway.
00:43:47That's what I just named it.
00:43:48Fire.
00:43:58Look at this.
00:43:59Wow.
00:44:00On the outskirts of the homestead, a lot of macadamia nuts are gone.
00:44:06Yeah.
00:44:07A lot of activity through here.
00:44:08This looks pretty hot.
00:44:10I want to see the trail cam footage, because this looks like it got hit.
00:44:16Before we put our other trap here, I'm going to do something a little different here.
00:44:20I want to see if we're on the right track when it comes to our baited areas.
00:44:26And let's check and see what's on here.
00:44:29There it is.
00:44:30It's really grainy.
00:44:37But you can for sure see that right there.
00:44:41Yeah, that's a pig.
00:44:42That's guaranteed a pig.
00:44:44So they came through here, right past our bait.
00:44:47I think we should put a trap right here.
00:44:49We should get more of a variety of bait, because these mac nuts, they have a nice smell.
00:44:55But I feel like if we added, like, avocados, some other good things that they like to eat,
00:45:00they'd go off through the roof.
00:45:02Let's go.
00:45:03Yeah.
00:45:05Now straight back.
00:45:08Oh, no, we're tipping.
00:45:09Okay, set it down.
00:45:10Finding a pig on our trail cam, eating the macadamia nuts confirms this is the right area
00:45:17to put a trap.
00:45:18Okay.
00:45:19I love Sage's idea.
00:45:22It shows me that he's getting into this.
00:45:25This almost looks like a pig's den.
00:45:27This homestead needs Sage to do all kinds of projects, all kinds of work.
00:45:33But predator protection is a really good first job.
00:45:37Let's sweeten the pot.
00:45:39Those oranges are so juicy.
00:45:43I think we're going to get a pig.
00:45:45I got a good feeling.
00:45:47I have a good feeling also.
00:45:48One, two, three.
00:45:57All the way up.
00:46:01You ever seen one of these before?
00:46:02Yep.
00:46:03You ever used one before?
00:46:04No.
00:46:04Do you want to learn how to use one?
00:46:06Yep.
00:46:07Okay.
00:46:07So you have that line, right?
00:46:09Yeah.
00:46:09To tell you where to go.
00:46:11So you have your hand here.
00:46:12You never have it up here.
00:46:14Okay.
00:46:14Sometimes you're nailing.
00:46:15The gun bounces up, and you potentially could nail yourself.
00:46:20Okay.
00:46:21Here we go.
00:46:21So let's touch it to the lumber.
00:46:24Pull the trigger.
00:46:26Pull the trigger.
00:46:27Building the structure, what's new for me, is using a nail gun.
00:46:30You do it.
00:46:31This is, like, the first time I've really, like, jumped in to build.
00:46:38It was all kind of new for me, the whole build.
00:46:40All right.
00:46:41So you got this thing nailed together.
00:46:42Yep.
00:46:43By the way, it looks really good.
00:46:44Let's stand it up.
00:46:45You're welcome.
00:46:45Oh, one, two, three.
00:46:46I definitely feel inspired about actually building stuff and putting it together.
00:46:51We got to fasten these corners together.
00:46:56It's hard work.
00:46:57I'm building muscles all over my body that haven't opened a path.
00:47:01Looking good.
00:47:01Looking strong.
00:47:02Other side, please.
00:47:04I would like to use these skills in the future, so I want to make the most of it.
00:47:08You're a pro.
00:47:11I love it.
00:47:12Now let's talk a little bit.
00:47:14Where have you fastened this wall?
00:47:17And to the sidewalls.
00:47:19Yeah, exactly.
00:47:20You think there's another place we should fasten it?
00:47:22The floor.
00:47:23What are you waiting on?
00:47:25Hey, hey, get back here.
00:47:26I was not.
00:47:27No.
00:47:28I don't bump.
00:47:29I was looking at my watch.
00:47:31Oh, man.
00:47:33You snuck in a bump.
00:47:35I'm teasing.
00:47:36Right there.
00:47:36Along the bottom.
00:47:39Yep.
00:47:39That's a girl.
00:47:40You're a fast learner.
00:47:42Let's build another wall down here.
00:47:46With the coffee station's structure nearly complete, Misty shifts her focus to providing
00:47:58Hazel with the knowledge and the means to process and generate revenue from the property's homegrown
00:48:05beans.
00:48:05So when it comes to coffee processing, they need a wash, they need to dry, and eventually
00:48:12we'll roast them.
00:48:13So the first thing I was thinking we could build would be a water basin out of lava rocks.
00:48:18There's a bunch just lying around.
00:48:20Look how many.
00:48:20Right here.
00:48:21And just start stacking them up, get some cement, and just build one by hand.
00:48:25When it comes to a garden bed, usually you don't build those beds over four feet because
00:48:29it's hard to reach.
00:48:31So the same rule is going to apply to the wash basin.
00:48:35We're kind of restricted by the coffee trees.
00:48:38So I'm going to jump in the miniacs, and we're going to level out a spot that's four by
00:48:4212-ish.
00:48:43And then we're going to build a lava rock wash basin.
00:48:46Easy enough.
00:48:47Yeah, I'm down.
00:48:51It's a little tight, folks.
00:48:54Good thing we've got the miniacs.
00:48:56Oh yeah, a big one would not have fit.
00:48:59Super exciting moment for us.
00:49:01We've started leveling out an area.
00:49:03One by one, I'm unearthing all of these lava rocks.
00:49:06We're going to use those and build a massive washing stone basin.
00:49:13All right, let's just check the trap.
00:49:28Let's do it.
00:49:29On the MP family's Hawaiian homestead.
00:49:32What is that?
00:49:34Oh, what?
00:49:36Feral hog activity triggers one of the property's new traps.
00:49:41Uh, where's our bait?
00:49:49Oh no.
00:49:52Look at all this.
00:49:54It got torn to pieces.
00:49:57Investigating the trap, the door was closed, and all the pig bait was gone on the inside.
00:50:04It's the perfect crime.
00:50:05Do you think they grabbed it from the outside?
00:50:08No.
00:50:09Can't be.
00:50:10No way.
00:50:11That makes no sense.
00:50:12Okay, where's our string at?
00:50:14String's over here, all the way over there.
00:50:16Okay.
00:50:17Looks like it might have...
00:50:19Oh, it snapped.
00:50:20It like ripped off.
00:50:22Yeah.
00:50:22Completely ripped.
00:50:25Let's check the trail cam.
00:50:27Grab that card out of there.
00:50:28I'm not surprised that this happened, because they're slippery, they can get out of anything.
00:50:35I think we're dealing with an expert pig here that's seen a lot of traps.
00:50:40A hog, a hog, Dini.
00:50:41Oh, right there.
00:50:43Yeah.
00:50:46Like he's in there.
00:50:48Oh, yeah.
00:50:51Set the door off.
00:50:53That's a bummer.
00:50:54Dang it.
00:50:55You know what this tells me?
00:50:58Somewhere between our string line and the trigger for our door, something didn't work.
00:51:04Follow me.
00:51:07Take the whole thing, get yourself a lot of slack.
00:51:09And then wrap it around.
00:51:10And wrap it around itself, like that.
00:51:12Yeah, I understand.
00:51:14Pigs are super smart, so when you're building a trap from scratch, we're going to have to
00:51:19do some intricate, you know, tweaking here and there to make sure that this thing is
00:51:24going to actually catch a pig.
00:51:27Okay, set it again.
00:51:33I'm going to start doing sheets.
00:51:35In the middle of the homestead...
00:51:39Marty and Erica close in the water catchment bathhouse that will provide some real-world
00:51:45privacy and comfort for the family in the wild.
00:51:49Just keep in line.
00:51:55I'm having a good time up here.
00:51:58It makes me feel like I want to be a carpenter.
00:52:00She's worked on the foundation.
00:52:02She's worked on the subfloor.
00:52:03She's worked on the walls, the sheeting, the roof.
00:52:06She's had her hands on every aspect of a bathhouse.
00:52:10Good thing, because she needs to learn all these skills if they want to succeed.
00:52:16Okay, how far do I have to go?
00:52:19Two inches.
00:52:20Everything is coming together, and being able to see the structures now, the more I realize
00:52:25that things are going to move forward in the right direction, and my kids will be so much
00:52:30happier living here.
00:52:32I still have a lot of work to do, but that's okay because there's kind of an end in sight.
00:52:38Woo-hoo!
00:52:48While the concrete cures at the new coffee basin...
00:52:53Cool!
00:52:54Well, there's one rock!
00:52:57Misty and Hazel scavenge for additional building materials.
00:53:00We need rocks for the wash basin.
00:53:04I see them lying everywhere all over the seven-acre homestead.
00:53:09Okay, buddy, we're just going to load rocks.
00:53:12We'll take any size.
00:53:15What I'm really loving about our build is we're just using materials at hand.
00:53:20Right now, we have a ton of lava rocks.
00:53:22There is a ton of bamboo.
00:53:24And today, I'm going to turn one into a wash basin, the other into drying racks.
00:53:30So right now, we're skim-coating the wash basin.
00:53:33This will help get it nice and watertight.
00:53:35No pressure, but this has to be Marty Rainey approved.
00:53:39As the plaster on the wash basin dries, Misty calls in a special visitor,
00:53:45another single mom on the island, who she hopes will be a resource
00:53:49and a positive example for Erica and her children.
00:53:53I brought some friends of ours!
00:53:55Oh, so great!
00:53:57Meet Annie and the kids!
00:53:59This is Erica and her kids!
00:54:02Annie Ridgely.
00:54:03She's a single mom, four kids, with a homestead on the Big Island of Hawaii.
00:54:09Last year, we helped her, and now she has a very productive macadamia nut farm.
00:54:15She took time out of her busy schedule because she, too, knows what it's like to be a single mom
00:54:22and over her head when it comes to farming.
00:54:26We wanted to connect you to somebody that, in so many ways, is kind of dealing with what you're dealing with.
00:54:32Yeah, and we just wanted to tap into, like, any knowledge that you could share with Erica.
00:54:38And, at this point, we'll take any help we can get.
00:54:42We hate to put you to work, but we kind of need you.
00:54:44We're like workhorses.
00:54:45We're happier the more work we have, the more we're working.
00:54:49Boys are going with him?
00:54:50Yep.
00:54:50Girls, you want to come with me?
00:54:51Yes.
00:54:52Okay, girls, come on.
00:54:53This feels amazing to be helping the Rainies, helping a fellow farmer, fellow single mom.
00:55:00Homesteading is a family lifestyle.
00:55:03And so, to incorporate your kids into what you're doing, that's the most important part.
00:55:11Okay, girls, Hazel and I are making this coffee shack, and we need drying racks.
00:55:18So, I was thinking we could cut some of the bamboo, because it's such a pain in the neck anyways, and it has to go.
00:55:24And then use that to build these big drying racks out of.
00:55:29That's kind of what I'm thinking.
00:55:30I'm so excited Joy and Matea are here, just connecting them with Hazel, and I've already just been hearing them talk.
00:55:38Nice, Hazel.
00:55:40Just like nobody understands you like somebody living and breathing your same existence.
00:55:49You are a total pro.
00:55:52Oh, oh my God, thank you.
00:55:54She's new to the farm, but look at her go.
00:55:57Yeah, I wouldn't even guess.
00:55:58I mean, they absolutely, 100% get each other.
00:56:04Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a very long friendship.
00:56:08It's so nice to meet you, and it's so inspiring, too, because while I'm doing all this work, like, I don't know anybody else, especially a woman who has, like, done the whole homestead thing.
00:56:23Yeah, and we don't have to do hard things alone, and that's my big takeaway, and I just admire what you're doing, and just the choice to be here and to do this.
00:56:33I just know right away that you're brave.
00:56:35Brave?
00:56:35Slightly crazy.
00:56:36There's that fine line of brave or not so smart.
00:56:40Yeah, no, very brave, and it's worth it.
00:56:44How are you doing 80 acres?
00:56:45Like, for me, this feels unmanageable, almost.
00:56:48Living on your farm, you're always seeing what needs to be done, so it's so overwhelming.
00:56:55All the things you have to do on top of being a mom and, right, and paying for all of this.
00:56:59How are you doing it?
00:57:00Right, so, so.
00:57:03You know, I've learned that it doesn't all have to be done right now.
00:57:06Okay.
00:57:07And to know that I'll never be caught up.
00:57:09It's definitely the long game, and it's the lifestyle, and it's worth it to be able to be here with your kids.
00:57:16And that's your full-time thing.
00:57:17Full-time.
00:57:18That's what I do.
00:57:19Okay, good.
00:57:19Yeah, that's what I'm trying to work towards as well.
00:57:21You can do this, and I know a lot of coffee farmers, and it's a great business to be in.
00:57:25Okay, that's a good thing.
00:57:26Yeah, absolutely.
00:57:28Meeting Annie was amazing, and it's good to have somebody be like, I know exactly how you feel.
00:57:33You feel like you're going to fail.
00:57:34You feel like nothing's going to come together.
00:57:43It's just good to see someone on the other side of that.
00:57:48She's amazing.
00:57:49We just became past friends.
00:57:51You've been here a year.
00:57:52You've been here a year.
00:57:53Like, I could feel what that first year felt like.
00:57:57Yeah.
00:57:57And I just want you to know it gets better.
00:58:00Yeah, it gets better.
00:58:02I love that.
00:58:03This is a big day.
00:58:17We've reached the point where there's metal on that roof, that roof, and those two roofs, and it's time to catch rainwater and put it somewhere.
00:58:35Let's do it.
00:58:36Okay, so what I'm thinking is this.
00:58:40If we could build a bit of a mound here, about three feet, and set the 1,000-gallon tank that I see you already own, then connect the gutters to the downspouts with gravity feed right into that bathhouse.
00:58:53Okay, I like it.
00:58:55It's now or never because you've got two days.
00:59:03I'm studying and working on a farm without the water.
00:59:06It's been a struggle.
00:59:07So I really need this to work because to be here living this life without having to haul water would be such a huge relief for me and for my kids.
00:59:18It would just be such a huge blessing for all of us.
00:59:25We're running out of time, so we'll grab all the material we can that's already here.
00:59:30She's got a tank on the property.
00:59:31All we have to do is pummel some volcanic rock down in the petals, pound it into place, and we can move that tank and use it for the first time.
00:59:41The bad news is it won't be enough water.
00:59:45We're going to need more storage.
00:59:52With the clock counting down on the rescue and the upgraded pig traps awaiting their first capture,
00:59:58Matt learns that neighbor Mike has a tripped trap of his own.
01:00:04I would have loved to get a wild pig in the traps that we put on Sage's property,
01:00:08but I don't have time to wait around.
01:00:11If this pig is the right size, we can use it to be able to continue Sage's homesteading and livestock journey.
01:00:23Yikes!
01:00:24So you got a pig in there.
01:00:26That's awesome.
01:00:27Yeah.
01:00:27We have built two traps and put them on Sage's homestead.
01:00:32Ultimately, I don't really know what's going to happen, but the fact that you have this pig in this trap,
01:00:37I think that maybe we should prepare this pig as our pig that we're going to roast.
01:00:42Yeah, awesome.
01:00:44What we have in this trap is about an 80 to 90 pound sow.
01:00:48It's the perfect pig to teach Sage how to process meat on his homestead.
01:00:53What's the time frame from, like, slaughtering the pig to, like, cooking the pig?
01:00:57I figure about a week for a pig before you've got to either freeze it or cook it.
01:01:01Okay, so we're definitely going to use this pig.
01:01:03If we get more pigs, we'll roast two.
01:01:06Absolutely.
01:01:07Thanks a lot.
01:01:07You're the man.
01:01:09We'll be talking real soon.
01:01:10Over at the completed coffee station.
01:01:23All right, Hazel.
01:01:25You ready to wash some coffee cherries?
01:01:27Misty teaches Hazel how to take the reins on the family's bean processing operation.
01:01:32The coffee shack is done.
01:01:34The lava rock stone basin is finished, and we just completed the bamboo drying racks,
01:01:39and now it's time to start processing coffee.
01:01:43So we already started to collect some rainwater,
01:01:47so this and the off-season can be for water storage.
01:01:50But in the coffee season, it's going to be for washing the coffee cherries.
01:01:54This is where we're washing and separating the good from the bad.
01:01:58I'm going to get a little bit more water, fill this bad boy up.
01:02:04I did a lot of research about this because I want to show Hazel that it's not that complicated.
01:02:10It can be fun, and that this is just the beginning for the coffee farm.
01:02:15Okay, let's wash!
01:02:17Woo-hoo!
01:02:20You're just going to grab the bad cherries right off the top,
01:02:24and then all the good cherries are left on the bottom,
01:02:26and we'll scoop those out and get them drying.
01:02:30I can get used to this.
01:02:31It's not so bad.
01:02:33Originally, I did not want to move to off-grid or, like, the coffee farm.
01:02:37What do you think of the wash basin?
01:02:39Super cherry.
01:02:39It's cool, right?
01:02:41Yeah, but I'm feeling pretty good right now.
01:02:44I'm honestly just shocked by the amount of stuff that we were able to get, like, done with their help.
01:02:49One day, you're going to be a full-blown coffee farm.
01:02:53This coffee shack and water basin, I think it's really great.
01:02:57So anything that doesn't look like it's great, he goes.
01:03:00Look at this.
01:03:02That guy goes.
01:03:03What do you think?
01:03:04He definitely goes.
01:03:06Seeing Hazel kind of come to life over this week is what it's all about.
01:03:10Just any of them that aren't perfectly red, I think, got to go.
01:03:13Right, yeah.
01:03:14This isn't Erica's homestead.
01:03:15This is the family's homestead, and clearly, it's not a one-man show.
01:03:19We're going to leave these to dry, and they'll dry in the sun for two to four weeks, and then they kind of turn into this beautiful, like, dark color.
01:03:27And then you take that pulp and skin off, and then you're left with that green bean, and then you're ready to roast.
01:03:33I love it.
01:03:35Let's go.
01:03:36I really want Hazel to be a part of this whole process.
01:03:39I'm so excited.
01:03:40This is when all the hard work pays off.
01:03:43And right now, we have coffee cherries drying in the sun, but I have a bag of raw coffee beans, and we're ready to roast.
01:03:50The fruit of the harvest, your green coffee beans.
01:03:55We're just going to kind of cover the bottom of the pan, and then light it.
01:04:00Oh, okay, here we go, babe.
01:04:02We're going to listen for the first crack, which happens when the moisture is kind of leaving the coffee bean, and it's all about trying to roast evenly.
01:04:11Misty showed me the coffee shack.
01:04:14It was pretty cool.
01:04:15Look at your view.
01:04:16That's fire.
01:04:18I love coffee.
01:04:19I love going to the local coffee shops, and I love the idea of roasting the coffee here.
01:04:25Do you like a light roast?
01:04:26Do you like a dark roast?
01:04:28I like it when I'm bouncing off the walls immediately.
01:04:30Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
01:04:32This is the coolest thing I've ever done on a homestead.
01:04:37Let's torch it.
01:04:40Now, it's time to roast a pig.
01:04:43Tomorrow morning, we're going to have a feast.
01:04:46Yeah.
01:04:46Yeah.
01:04:49There are 12 hours left in the Empey homestead rescue.
01:04:58From slabs to painting.
01:05:00At Hazel's new coffee shack cabin, Misty adds a coat of paint.
01:05:06There's a big rock right there.
01:05:07All right.
01:05:08All right.
01:05:09I love it.
01:05:10While across the homestead, Matt teaches Sage the off-grid way his fellow islanders have made
01:05:16Kahlua pork for more than 1,000 years.
01:05:19The traditional way to cook pigs in Hawaii is by using an emu.
01:05:27An emu, or earth oven, is an underground slow cooking method used by native Hawaiians during luau's and special celebrations.
01:05:35Steam generated from hot rocks and wood produces tender, smoky flavors in island staples like pigs, bananas, and sweet potatoes.
01:05:47All you need to do is build yourself a hole in the ground that you can roast a pig in and then source lava rocks.
01:05:56You build the emu with the rocks from the earth, you get the pigs from the jungle, it's all on their property.
01:06:05All right.
01:06:06Let's torch it.
01:06:11Having an emu on our land is super cool, and I'm happy that we're rusting this pig, and I'm looking forward to rusting more pigs throughout this life.
01:06:22The thing I love about the emu more than anything is everything is sourced right from the land.
01:06:28No buying anything from the store, you're trapping the pigs, you're using the rocks to build the emu, all the wood grows here, the leaves.
01:06:40This island, it has so much to offer.
01:06:43The fire has burned down and the rocks are red hot.
01:06:48Now it's time to roast a pig.
01:06:52Hey, how's it going?
01:06:53Hey, how's it going?
01:06:54What's your name?
01:06:55My name's Cove.
01:06:56It's good to meet you.
01:06:57Yeah, what's going on?
01:06:58We're doing an emu.
01:06:59Oh, that's epic.
01:07:01Have you ever done this before?
01:07:04Only school projects.
01:07:06At school, we've done this before.
01:07:07Oh, really?
01:07:08You do this in school?
01:07:10Yeah.
01:07:10That's awesome.
01:07:12Having Cove step in and help me put this pig in the ground is really fun.
01:07:16You know, he's Sage's younger brother, but he's strong, mature, and he's done this before.
01:07:24It's going to be hot.
01:07:25Oh, that's...
01:07:27That's insane.
01:07:28That's so gnarly.
01:07:29You know, what did I do in elementary school in Alaska?
01:07:32I learned how to make a snowman.
01:07:34Cove learned how to put a pig in the ground and roast it.
01:07:37Put it right on top.
01:07:39Right here.
01:07:42Okay.
01:07:42You okay?
01:07:43Yep.
01:07:43Perfect.
01:07:44Okay, step back.
01:07:45Level it up.
01:07:47Kick it in there.
01:07:48We're going to have so many layers on this that there's not going to be any smoke escaping.
01:07:55This is the last step.
01:07:59Let's make all the smoke disappear.
01:08:00Let's make all the smoke disappear.
01:08:04Working with Cove to put this pig on the hot rocks in the emu is definitely exciting.
01:08:11The rocks are so hot, it feels like the earth opened up and just started pouring out lava.
01:08:19Dude, you can smell it cooking.
01:08:20Oh, yeah.
01:08:21It smells good.
01:08:22It smells really good.
01:08:24Come tomorrow morning, we're going to have a feast.
01:08:28Yeah.
01:08:42You got to cool them and get rid of that chaff.
01:08:48Give them our little anti-strain bearer.
01:08:52Woo!
01:08:53Woo!
01:08:54One of the things this homestead was lacking was infrastructure.
01:08:56For me, this coffee shack and the processing station is just the beginning for Erica and
01:09:02the kids.
01:09:03Let's do our pour-over.
01:09:04Also, all week long, we have been trying to figure out Hazel's place on the homestead.
01:09:09And I think starting with this little coffee shack is key.
01:09:13Woo-hoo-hoo!
01:09:14Woo-hoo!
01:09:15Woo-hoo!
01:09:16Woo-hoo!
01:09:17That looks good.
01:09:18And here we go.
01:09:19Taste test.
01:09:20How'd we do?
01:09:21Here's to us.
01:09:22Cheers.
01:09:23Cheers.
01:09:24Cheers.
01:09:25Cheers.
01:09:26Cheers.
01:09:27Cheers.
01:09:28Cheers.
01:09:29Cheers.
01:09:30Cheers.
01:09:31Cheers.
01:09:32Cheers.
01:09:33Cheers.
01:09:34Cheers.
01:09:35Cheers.
01:09:36Cheers.
01:09:37Cheers.
01:09:38Cheers.
01:09:39Cheers.
01:09:40Cheers.
01:09:41Cheers.
01:09:42Cheers.
01:09:43Cheers.
01:09:44Cheers.
01:09:45Cheers.
01:09:46Cheers.
01:09:47Cheers.
01:09:48Cheers.
01:09:49Cheers.
01:09:50Cheers.
01:09:51Cheers.
01:09:52Cheers.
01:09:53Cheers.
01:09:54Cheers.
01:09:55Cheers.
01:09:56Cheers.
01:09:57Cheers.
01:09:58Cheers.
01:10:00Cheers.
01:10:01I'm gonna sing it.
01:10:03Cheers, yes?
01:10:05alexa.
01:10:06Cheers.
01:10:07producer.
01:10:08Cheers.
01:10:09You're a production prosecutor.
01:10:10I mean, I wanna visit you.
01:10:11yeah there's enough covered space um to do whatever you need to do for farming but i wanted
01:10:18you to have your own space on the farm wow i i don't thank you so much i i i wow i i'm stoked
01:10:26i have my own space and i have to share room with sage misty far exceeded my expectations
01:10:31i'm super grateful do you want to be here on this coffee farm now yeah it's growing on me
01:10:37i'm very happy thank you so much you're so welcome wow i i i don't i don't know you know what to say
01:10:45i i appreciate it like a lot it's it's great i'm so glad that hazel loves her bedroom clearly having
01:10:52your own space after a year makes all the difference but really for me spending this
01:10:56week with her seeing her have the connection with the homestead and kind of finding her role
01:11:02she's no longer along for the ride just on the outskirts she's in the driver's seat
01:11:07i got the best view probably out of everyone you do have the best view out of everyone
01:11:13seven days ago the empy homestead was under threat from fast growing invasive bamboo and had no
01:11:20efficient way to prep wash or roast their own coffee beans while hazel and her brother were forced to
01:11:28share a room in a small cabin today hazel can enjoy her own space in the new coffee shack with a covered
01:11:37kitchen area to prep and a large lava rock tub for washing beans all accessible by a newly cleared road
01:11:46reclaiming the farmland from the bamboo thank you you're welcome great
01:11:52as daylight fades on day six just put it right here marty and erica take a crucial step towards
01:12:09creating the homestead's new water storage system here it comes all right quit
01:12:21come all the way to the edge
01:12:26keep them coming all right so what we'll do is uh spread a little gravel i just want a nice clean base
01:12:34every water tank has to have a base but since i'm not going to do it on concrete for time and i need
01:12:45to do it this second i'm going to make a gravel pad spread it out and put the tank there and start running
01:12:52the pipes bring that in it's ready all right tell them where to go kind of just right here
01:13:09thank you there's a potential 950 gallons of catchment looks good are we at a point right now where
01:13:16you see there is actually hope yes definitely that i see the water tank in place and now we have like
01:13:23this little area here it's like a little park like just like right here it just feels like
01:13:27a little zen spot look out there again what else do you see i see the ocean the view the trees
01:13:35a cloud rain cloud
01:13:37oh what is this all right we thought maybe we would upgrade the dining room table kitchen area oh wow
01:13:54once upon a time this was a huge obesia tree on her 80 acre mac nut farm
01:14:02marty made us a dining room table just like this there's a little philosophy that revolves around
01:14:12the kitchen table you want me to round these edges before i leave i'm thinking i do a hundred years ago
01:14:19every night a family worked hard together in a field
01:14:26and then they all sat around the kitchen table at night
01:14:32this is the most alaskan thing that could be done in hawaii i love it
01:14:50what's better than one catchment tank oh yeah two catchment tanks thanks marty you guys have done so
01:14:58much it's amazing we do good things for good people bring it in quick
01:15:08i almost can't even put it into words what this all means to me on the most basic level it means that
01:15:12we get to have water on a whole other level we get to take showers people don't know what that's
01:15:19like to not even be able to use a bathroom thank you i'm gonna stop crying i swear thank you
01:15:26i've got to put up some gutters got to connect some downspouts hard pipe all of this plumbing into
01:15:34not one but two tanks and we've got to introduce hot water cold water a shower and a bath and a toilet
01:15:42there's a lot of work to do but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
01:15:53we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
01:15:59well before i got here you hadn't built a trap or put it on this property at all
01:16:05but now you're confronting the pigs with two separate traps new skills that we've learned and
01:16:12you know how to build a trap this trap will do the work for you having pig traps set up on this
01:16:19homestead is the first big step to confront the pig problems and sage is going to keep it going long
01:16:27after i leave i've learned a lot in this past week i'm happy that we got this pig trap and i can finally
01:16:33start like hunting more on our land and expanding like what i can do that's music to my ears man seven
01:16:41days ago the mp homestead was threatened by wild hogs that destroyed coffee trees and left the family
01:16:49vulnerable to attack now they have a baiting and trapping system that will help eliminate them and
01:16:57provide fresh meat for a traditional emu oven oh it's hot that's a good sign that's a good sign
01:17:05super happy that we have these resources and now i can trap pigs and have food and feed the family
01:17:14and not having to worry about them tearing up our trees and all this stuff this smells so good
01:17:23dude it's already falling apart is it good oh my god oh my god i can't stand here with my beard
01:17:34and these traps and not kind of feel like i'm the big bad wolf but i've been huffing i've been puffing
01:17:42and i can't wait to share this meat with everyone yeah that's the good stuff
01:17:55about a week ago i met a desperate coffee farmer yes you were a little short on space and room but
01:18:12more importantly a place for sanitation yeah so i have something for you i'm going to follow you
01:18:17we're going to walk through this building cool yes this building's bigger than the normal bathhouse
01:18:29what homesteader can't use more space but i don't see a bathhouse in this part of the room no okay
01:18:39i love it okay i love it you can take a shower or a bath you can use a flushing toilet
01:18:54and let's lift that lid and see if there's any water on the homestead
01:18:58oh my god absolutely crazy that i haven't heard that sound in a place that i've lived in over a year
01:19:11it's weird to say a flushing toilet is music to your ears but it literally is
01:19:18so much of my time goes into having to go into town to take my kids places to shower it's hours out
01:19:25of my week to go do laundry it's we haven't even had clean dishes in maybe three months which means
01:19:31i'm not making dinner at home it gives me so much more time back into my life that's going to make us
01:19:37cleaner and healthier if you walked with me over here please you will see a solar panel oh my god and
01:19:46if you look down there's a propane bottle yeah and a battery yeah you don't have to do anything
01:19:53and most likely you'll never run out of electricity for the pump cool this is a piece of art let's see
01:20:01if you have any hot water right here you got it yep uh you're wasting it i know i know imagining a shower
01:20:12one week ago erica and her family lacked a sufficient water source forcing them to haul in water and their
01:20:20only bathroom was an outdoor composting toilet that was driving her adolescent kids away now they have
01:20:29a bathhouse with running water and additional living space along with a new rain catchment system funneling
01:20:37clean water into two 950 gallon storage tanks follow me let's have some fun
01:20:43welcome to the luau my homestead has come years ahead my kids are gonna have so much more space and
01:21:01be so much more happier with each other you guys you did so good how's it taste so good i'm extremely
01:21:11grateful for the rainies i couldn't have even imagined doing everything they did by myself or with my
01:21:15family on our own me and hazel brought coffee that we roasted ourselves no way here we go oh wow i'm just
01:21:24super thankful they like saved this land and this family it's amazing i just want to thank marty and misty
01:21:34and matt like truly from the bottom of my heart they are like just gems on this planet day one you probably
01:21:46couldn't make a cup of depresso on this farm now we got this farm percolating i can truly say for the first
01:21:56time in my life i've been there and done that holy moly that was beautiful
01:22:20since the rainies have left it's been going pretty good around here i've been enjoying my new space
01:22:25quite a bit i think that's really improved my life on the homestead and i've continued to help my mom
01:22:31on the coffee farm with pulling weeds and cutting vines off the trees then starting august that's when
01:22:37the real coffee picking is going to come in our water catchment system is working we're loving the bath
01:22:45house and having water for showers been nice our bamboo situation is looking a lot better the goal now is
01:22:53to keep it back until we get a barrier in and so far i've been able to do that one of our pig traps
01:22:59did catch a pig but the pig broke out and broke the trap so soon we're going to repair the traps and
01:23:07hopefully get back on the big hunting long term i plan on going to college and coming back and helping
01:23:13get out on the farm after the concept of the bright future i think there's going to be more generations
01:23:20that come on this land
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