What is Homesteading?

Do you ever feel “disconnected” from life? Ever get tired of the nine to five rat race? Ever wonder if there was more to life than a daily routine?

Do you want to be more connected to your food? Enjoy farmers’ markets? Like to cook from scratch?

If keeping up with the Jones’ is getting you down, then maybe it’s time for a change. Or maybe you’ve passed that point and you are ready to start that small farm and get back to the basics of life.

Currently, both Dennis and I work outside the home. Our goal is to pay off as much debt as possible and, with luck, retire early to live off our farm. But we’re older and didn’t start down this path of being more self-reliant until later in life. Some people know right from the beginning that a simpler way of life is what they want. It took us a little longer.

And that’s okay…We’re here now.

When I sit with co-workers at lunch they are often amazed at what we’ve accomplished and sometimes ask questions about our life. I don’t mind. I actually enjoy sharing our story and all the great things we have learned in such a short time.

More often than not I hear the comment, “Sounds like a lot of work,” or “Aren’t you tied to your farm?”

Well, I’m here to tell you if it is something you enjoy, it’s not work and that’s exactly how we feel about our farm. In fact, we look forward to the evenings and weekends so we can “work” on our farm. I say work, but in most cases it really is “play.”

While we don’t travel much, the whole idea of living more simply means enjoying what you have right here. We’ve traveled. We like being home.

Oh, and meals? We have learned to cook so well, we don’t want to eat out. We have fresh grass fed beef, lamb and pork right in our freezer. We use as much local produce as we can. We’ve learned to grill, sauté and pan fry all types of delicious meals. (And according to my bathroom scale, I might be eating a bit too good.)

Farming and homesteading aren’t for everyone. Many of the people I work with would never consider raising farm animals let alone for food. For us, it is this very sense of being connected to our food and enjoying the farm life that makes us get up in the morning.

You don’t need a large farm to be a homesteader either. You can do it right from your city apartment. If you find enjoyment from growing a few patio tomato plants, if you love to make homemade bread or make your own jam or even sew your own clothes or knit your own mittens, well then, you are a homesteader.

Learning all these new things is exciting. We are always willing to share what we have learned. For starter’s below is just a few of the interesting sites we check out to learn new things.

 

The Prairie Homestead http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/ I love this blog. Great and practical information written with clarity and a touch of humor.

Mother Earth News       http://www.motherearthnews.com/     A collection of blogs and articles on just about everything you need to know to get started with your homesteading adventure.

Grit   http://www.grit.com/      A sister to Mother Earth News