The idea of homesteading has always been very appealing to me. Being self sufficient would be great, especially of late. The difficulties that the year 2020 has brought to us (I won’t go into any details - we all lived it) just highlighted to me that this is the thing for me, and maybe you can even call me a bit of a prepper now. I don’t think the government is coming to take what is mine or that aliens are coming (well...). I just think that food transportation and distribution of essential services are sensitive at best, and when it only takes a thing as simple as a virus to topple the infrastructure we have become very dependent upon (this is starting out on a positive note isn’t it?).
But this wasn’t the lure of homesteading in the beginning. I just like the idea of utilizing the resources I have available to their fullest. Being environmentally responsible with what we’ve been given. Utilize everything to their fullest. To know what is in the food I and my family put into our bodies and in the process preserving old traditions in food preservation and workmanship.
What is a homesteader?
This is a bit of a minefield. A homestead is self sufficient. That is off grid and not dependent in any way on outside input, such as energy or food. This is the purists way of looking at it and we don’t live up to those standards by far. So, how can I proclaim to be homesteading? I am a homesteader because we are moving in that direction. We want to be the kind of homesteaders that lives off grid and is totally self-sufficient. I however realize that this process is a marathon and doesn’t happen in a day. I also allow for the possibility that you don’t have to be perfect in order to wear the badge. You can be a footballer without being Messi or Ronaldo (or soccer player if you are in the States). I take small steps toward that everyday and so I call myself a homesteader even though I am at the early stage of my marathon.
For me, being a homesteader means for example, being flexible in my DIY projects. I try as much as possible to use materials that would otherwise be thrown away and as such my projects need to be flexible and fluid. I might have an image in my head when I start but it rarely ends up that way. The material available forces me to adjust my vision. In one of my projects I used a bathroom cabinet unit, found at a skip on a building site (it has a little fracture easily fixed), in an addition to my kitchen cabinets. I have used plywood from a building site and tiles I got for free as a countertop on that addition. I built a little movable kitchen island entirely from scrap wood and that was a challenge I don’t mind telling you. These projects could have been made better and more professionally but I gave them my all.
I still have a long long way to go
Being a homesteader also means being self-sufficient in regards to food and water. I am far, far away from being that. First of all we rent. We live on an organic farm and we have a lot of leeway with a large garden but it isn’t ours and that is limiting. We don’t have any livestock nor do we keep chickens or other kinds of poultry (yet - and believe me that is another story). I don’t even produce enough vegetables or fruit to feed us throughout the year. But I have a potato patch, a small area for veggies and a greenhouse. I am married to a wizard in all things handyman related and I too love making things with my hands. He has a green thumb and I am good with designs. We make a good team and that is a great start.