The Untold Truth about Eivin Kilcher’s Wife

Eve Kilcher is best known for her gardening proficiency and cooking skills, dispalyed on the Discovery Channel show “Alaska: The Last Frontier”. The show depicts the life of the extended Kilcher family, who live off the land and the grid in a homestead initially constructed by their ascendants. However, this was not always the way Eve lived – being raised in a regular family, she married into the Discovery Channel version of the Brown family (“Alaska Bush People”). Eve is highly intelligent and well educated, and channels her energies and abilities into supporting her family on the homestead, and into creative projects such as writing.

Early Life and Family

Eve Steller Matkins was born on 8 July 1985, in Alaska USA, to Craig and Dena Matkins. Although her life wasn’t quite as removed from society as the Kilcher homestead, she still lived in a relatively rural area. Eve spent a lot of time farming and taking care of the domestic animals, in addition to attending and excelling at school. When Eve was a teenager, her parents separated, and she traveled between households. For most of the year she lived in near Glacier Bay National Park in Gustavus, and spent her summers with her father in Homer – her father eventually took a second wife, author Eva Saulitis. Eve explains that her early life gave her deep respect and love for nature, and contributed to her practical personality.

Her biological mother likely contributed to her future creative career as an author, as Dena had written a book called “Alaskan Love Stories: A Researcher’s Life”.

Education

Eve attended Homer High School – which unbeknownst to her, her future husband also attended – and matriculated in 2001. She then attended the University of Oregon from 2002 and 2006, where she studied art therapy and child behavior as part of her psychology degree. She later attended the Aloha Aina Permaculture Design Course, where she developed her agricultural skills.

Career

Early Career

Eve worked various jobs that differed considerably from her current way from life, working as a barista and hotel receptionist in various establishments.

She eventually found a job in the health care system at Homer Community Mental Health, working with adolescents, and serving as a consultant for a preschool, where she trained the teachers to be aware of mental health issues and to react accordingly.

Homestead Life

After moving in with her boyfriend Eivin Kilcher, who she eventually married, Eve dedicated her life to gardening and growing food for the expansive family. Although growing enough food in four months to last another eight, her proficiency has seen her succeed in this task time and time again. Eve is well known in the family for her ability in gardening, her delicious preserves, and cooking.

While some people view her job in the homestead as somehow less important and disposable, her vegetables are equally as important as the hunting and building that the rest of the cast in the series participate in.

“Alaska: The Last Frontier”

The Discovery Channel show, “Alaska: The Last Frontier” premiered on 29 December 2011. Despite what the title implies, much of Alaska is equally as civilized as the rest of the US, but is indeed home to little pockets of homes subsisting on the land, of which the Kilcher Homestead is one such home. Established by an ex-Swiss diplomat, Yule Kilcher, and his wife Ruth who had fled from Nazi rule, the homestead was established before there was even a road to the nearest town.

The Kilcher family largely lives without access to basic amenities such as running water and electricity, even though it owns land worth at least $3.6 million, which encompasses river, woodland, and more. The family is also musically orientated, the most famous of the family being the singer Jewel who left the homestead at 16. Eve is tasked with providing a vegetable diet for the entire family, while includes her parents in law, two brothers-in-law, their wives and children.

Author

Eve and Eivin Kilcher set out to write a book that would document their culinary experiences on the homestead, pairing it with heart-warming stories about their history.

The 240-page book was published by Penguin Publishing Group on 25 October 2006, and includes recipes and ideas for anyone who wants to live a sustainable lifestyle off the land that they live on. Although Eve predominantly works with vegetables during her workday, she does have the opportunity to cook with the game caught by the rest of the family, and shares these opportunities and methods in the book. Eve also publishes family recipes in increments on her and Eivin’s webpage, having also received the family cookbook from her grandmother Eva.

Personal Life

Eve and Eivin had attended the same Home High School, and lived in close proximity to the Kilcher Homestead.

This gave rise to a close friendship which eventually developed into a romantic relationship. They married in August of 2011 in an eccentric and non-traditional event – Eve was dressed in green and virulent pink with a delicate pair of green wings. They celebrated the affair in an outdoor location, and shared their first kiss as a married couple in front of a magnificent floral arch.

Eve and Eivin had their first child on 24 November 2013, a boy who they named Findly Farenorth Kilcher. Two years later, on 28 September 2015, Eve gave birth to their daughter, Sparrow Rose Kilcher. Eve’s biography on her website explains her passions, as she loves baby goats, making cheese, foraging for food to preserve, finding new ways to tame her daughter’s beautiful wild hair, spending as much time in the kitchen as possible, and teaching her children to love and respect the homestead lifestyle as much as she does.

Eve is fully committed to her way of life, and believes that this is the best possible upbringing that her children can receive.

Appearance

Eve Kilcher is an attractive woman with a slim figure, a friendly smile, luscious blonde hair and deep brown eyes. Despite what some may expect, she has a healthy glow and love for life, fostered by her passion for her lifestyle and role on the homestead. She is 5ft 5ins (1.64m) tall and weighs around 140lbs (64kgs).

Net Worth and Salary

The Kilcher family receives a significant amount for their appearance on “Alaska: The Final Frontier”. In addition to this, multiple family businesses allow them to thrive. As of mid-2020, Eve has a stunning net worth estimated at $2 million – revealing that despite the drama of the show, the family would definitely not go hungry were their plans not to work out.