Homesteading can be accomplished Anywhere…
What is Homesteading? According to Wikipedia… Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale. Modern homesteaders often use renewable energy options including solar electricity and wind power and some even invent DIY cars. Many also choose to plant and grow heirloom vegetables and to raise heritage livestock. Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make. [1]
Stoney Creek Farm is a type of homestead where we teach others in our community (and beyond) how to start their own homestead and live sustainably. Lost art skills, such as canning, bread making, and gardening without the use of pesticides, are taught on the weekends, so that working individuals and families can participate. Many of these lost art skills are simply not taught anymore in schools or passed down from grandparents…and it has left a large empty hole in our society. How many of us can survive if suddenly, a natural disaster prevented grocery stores from receiving deliveries? I’ve read several hypotheses concerning the amount of time it might take to deplete all the food…one writer said 10- 12 days, another guessed a little over a month. Who knows? I am certainly not a pessimist, but I do think we need to get back to some basics, so that we can take care of our family during a crisis. So where do you start on your journey to sustainable farm living?
Homesteading can start in your backyard…
Did you know that you can produce a tremendous amount of vegetables in a 12′ x 12′ raised bed in your backyard? A great read and reference book is “The Square Foot Garden” by Mel Bartholemew. Mel covers all aspects of growing veggies and fruit in small, partitioned areas. Mel’s garden mix is a healthy soil mixture that is hard to beat and almost impossible to overwater.
Once you master the art of growing your food, then the next step is preserving the bounty for the winter months. Canning, blanching for the freezer, fermenting and dehydrating are the four ways most homesteading families use to preserve their food.
Homesteading is a state of mind…a lifestyle
Once you start growing and preserving your own food, then the sky’s the limit! All of the sudden, you start getting involved in DIY things like making your own laundry detergent and cleaning supplies out of all natural ingredients. Then you’ll want to culture your own milk into kefir, so that you can improve your gut with more antibiotics than yogurt. Later you may start your own worm farm to use the castings to make some of the richest compost ever for your garden. The options are endless and the greatest part of it is you learn skills for a lifetime that you can pass on to kids, family and others in your community. Sustainable Farm Living does not mean you have to start with a farm with lots of acreage…homesteading can begin wherever you are now.
If you have an interest in learning more about Sustainable Farm Living and Simplifying Your Life, check out our conference on April 14 – 15, 2016:
Sustainable Farm Living – Simplify Your Life Conference
