Boots and Roots

I had a friend ask me not too long ago if I considered myself a homesteader.  Knowing this particular friend, I, of course, had to ask more questions before answering her seemingly-innocent question! 

It turns out that she and her husband began watching a show called “Homestead Rescue”.  My husband’s and my interest was piqued.  We began watching the show, and our natural next question was “ok, are we Marty Raney, or are we in need of being rescued?” Thankfully, my friend answered that she could see us doing some of the wild and crazy McGyver-type stuff that the Raney family was doing.  Phew! We’re on the right track! And truth be told, my husband and I have learned a few new things from watching this show! This whole farm life has been a really great place for me to be creative, and to learn to think outside the box.

I explained to my friend that typically, ranchers are concerned with animals, farmers are concerned with plants, and homesteaders are concerned with self-sufficiency.  In a nutshell, that’s a pretty quick and easy description, right?  I answered that, from that perspective, we are farmers, because our primary focus is on the grass, and the ground it’s growing from.  Although I guess to be more realistic, we’re really working on being microbiota ranchers.  I wonder if that’s a thing?

So what is homesteading anyway? 

Homesteading is nothing more than a state of mind.  You don’t need acreage, or even a backyard. You don’t need animals. You don’t need to spend hours upon hours in the kitchen.  You don’t even have to be handy! 

Homesteading does require curiosity, a desire to learn, and some level of tenacity.  Because you will fail.  More than once.  And that is GOOD.   

The reasons people homestead are about as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Some people want to be an island unto themselves. 

Some people want to opt out of “the system”—whether that is the school system, the healthcare system, the food system, or any other “system”.  Covid brought many of these “systems” to the forefront as “systems”—something that many of us hadn’t really considered before.

Some people want to eat and live a healthier, more natural, and more organic lifestyle.

Some people are drawn to the “old ways”.  These are people convinced that they were born in the wrong time period.

For some, homesteading is a spiritual calling.

Some people want to reduce their carbon footprint or are concerned about inhumane livestock treatment.

Some are concerned about the chemicals sprayed on our foods, or foods being genetically modified and/or lab-created, and how that impacts our biological function.

Some people want simplicity.  They are looking to exit the “rat race”, and are looking for peace and contentment through simplicity, and intentionally “doing less”. 

This desire for simplicity and being drawn to the “old ways” is actually where I started.  Back in 2010, God called me to quit my job in social work, to be a stay-at-home mom.  For the first time in 20 years, I went from earning at least some of my own money (I started babysitting at 12, started my first paycheck job at 15), to being entirely financially dependent on another human being—my husband.  Y’all don’t even know how big of a leap of faith that was! And yet, it was one of the greatest blessings of our lives.

This exit from the rat race, and a desire to learn traditional skills led me on a spiral of trying to learn how to do all the things, from scratch, with no mentor, in order to save money.  In learning how to make the things, from scratch, on my own, I was forced to really read labels, which led to me asking a lot of questions, which led to a looooooot of research, which led to—you guessed it!  Us buying a farm!

Now, you have to understand, I have always, my whole life, wanted to live on a farm.  You do NOT have to buy a farm to homestead!  I know many homesteaders who put me to absolute shame, growing the most amazing veggies in their backyard, and making sourdough bread daily in their studio apartment kitchens.  Growing plants, and even remembering to feed sourdough, are not my strong suits.  I know HOW, but those things always fall way down on my priority list.  BUT, I can grow the best-tasting, nutrient-dense chickens and turkey you’ve ever tasted in your life!

So, we have the farm, and I homeschool, and my husband still works his regular job because he enjoys it.  My kids are involved in dance, karate, horseback riding lessons, American Heritage Girls, Trail Life.  And we’re active at church.  Just like y’all, we have a lot of irons in the fire.

How do I run a homestead, all by myself?

I don’t. 

I do the things that I’m good at, that I enjoy, and that I’m called to do.  And I “outsource” the rest.  I lean on my local community as much as possible. 

Yes, I still shop at WalMart and the local grocery store. Mostly for fruit. And bread. Because I really don’t enjoy bread-making, no matter how much I love the taste.

Yes, I absolutely order toilet paper and energy drinks via Amazon, and have it delivered. 

Yes, I know that energy drinks are bad for you.  I don’t like coffee.  Sue me.

No, I don’t have a full garden.  In fact, right now, I am having to start my garden over.  Again. That’s a whole other story….

We raise chickens for meat and eggs. We also raise goats, and have a few Longhorn cattle for meat.

I have a great relationship with a local raw milk dairy. I haven’t had to buy meat, eggs, or milk from the grocery store in 5 years. Combining this with the other skills I amassed after I quit my “day job” has led to a level of self-sufficiency I only dreamed of as a kid. All I have left to do (that I want to do) is master gardening–or at least keep my goats out of my garden!!

So where do you start?

1. Start in your pantry, kitchen sink, and/or laundry room.  Are there pancake mixes, boxed cake mixes, spice mixes, or Cream of Who-Knows-What soup in there?  Windex? Bleach wipes? Multi-purpose cleaners, and dust polish?  Pick 1, and replace it.  Then move on from there.  I think the first thing I started off with was Cream of Whatever soup, then ended up making my own dust polish.
2. Join a community of other homesteaders, or start following some homesteaders on social media and YouTube.  There are countless groups and tutorials out there that are sure to inspire you and encourage you to try new things! Some of my favorite homesteaders are Uncle Justin, Homesteaders of America, Jill Winger at The Prairie Homestead, and this urban homesteading Farm Girl.
3. EAT LOCAL.  If you don’t—or can’t—grow it yourself, find and support your local farmers.  Because you don’t have to do all the things!! Try area farmers’ markets, co-ops, community support agriculture, search for local food through resources like www.GetRealChicken.com or www.realmilk.com, join the Weston A. Price Foundation (they have local chapters nationwide)
4. Grow something.  Anything.  Get an aloe plant. Start some basil.  Or buy a basil plant from WalMart or your local garden center, keep it alive, and use the basil in your own homemade pasta sauce. 
5. Keep adding new skills.  Whether it’s one new skill a year, a month, or a week, just keep swimming!  If you start in your pantry, with Cream of Whatever soup, move on to taco seasoning.  Then cake mix. Then frosting.  If you start under your sink, start with dust polish, move on to replacing glass cleaner with vinegar, then replace your fabric softener with vinegar in the washer, or wool dryer balls in your dryer.  Become BFFs with your slow cooker and your instant pot.  Learn how to make chicken stock, or dehydrate beef, or make jelly.  Let the homestead bug bite you, and you will never be the same!

Well, there you have it, y’all–5 simple steps to becoming a homesteader TODAY!

For even more information and inspiration, there is a FREE webinar TOMORROW, featuring “Uncle” Justin Rhodes (mentioned above) and others. Register here, and be encouraged!

Want even more guidance and inspiration, complete with maps and how-to’s? Check out this 5-day Homesteading(ISH) Challenge with Jill Winger over at The Prairie Homestead!

Be blessed, y’all!