The Importance of the Homestead
The world has gone crazy right? I honestly feel like with all our "progress" and business it is simply pointing us back to the ways of life our grandparents and some of our parents (over 50s-wink wink) knew all along. Being self sufficient was what the pioneers knew, it's what our grandparents knew and anyone that has gone through the Great Depression, WW1 or WW2 all knew. The world around us, inflation and the economy can sadly change on a whim and other than voting is for a large part out of our control - BUT don't be dismayed not everything is. Learning to scratch bake, housing some hens, learning to grow your own fruit and vegetables and even sew and knit are skills many have let go but are more important now more than ever. I know the buzz phrase of late is self sufficiency but there is something in it, a great freedom.
In my 20s I learnt very quickly that the concept of a job was fragile. It appeared sensible and solid on the surface, the truth was, and still is as long as you are working for someone else nothing is guaranteed. Now, I am not saying to live in fear and leave your job! I am saying though, that it's wise and empowering to have some fundamental skills up your sleeve for both you and your family. Over the years I have chosen to learn how to bake things from scratch and build my budgeting skills for our home. Making all sorts of thing with ground beef, rice and beans and getting creative with a simple bag of flour. It's amazing what you can pull together for $10-$12 if you set your mind to the task.
I have also learnt, and am still working on, growing things to eat that our family love. It may seem overwhelming at first but I found it easiest to write a short list of the foods we eat and like the most and focus on those. For us that is fresh fruit, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, herbs and peppers. I started out just focusing on one or two and gradually have added more. I hope to grow some mushrooms in the next year to round things out. Fresh from the garden allows you to decide if you add any pesticides, which, we don't at all, and empowers you to put better quality food on your plate.
Not everyone has the space for hens, however if you can tuck a few into your back yard they are such a blessing. Their eggs are AMAZING and taste much better than store bought and they are actually very easy to care for once you get the hang of it. After a long day they also provide much comic relief running around the yard with their fluffy bottoms and awkward gait. Their poop also is amazing fertilizer for the garden. In the Fall I mix it up with the leaves in a big pile and place it all over the garden in the Spring.
Learning to sew is not as hard as it looks I promise! Even if all you do is know how to hem a pair of pants and do a decent mending job you are already saving a stack of money on mindless throw away items or alteration expenses. It is also very satisfying sewing or making something by hand. I must admit I get a little impatient with clothes but have saved thousands over the years knowing how to make my own curtains, blinds and soft furnishing. YouTube is the source of all good and bad things - so go check out their sewing videos as I'm certain there are many of them. Otherwise usually at a community college you can find useful short courses on basic sewing skills.
Over the course of the next 6-12 months I will be releasing a series of e-books on all things homestead that are affordable and packed with good information in an easy to read format. I hope to partner with you in being a pioneer in this generation and going back to the great ways of old.
Pick up a Copy of our first Fall Garden Guide e-book today. Thank you for supporting our small business!
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