I was recently talking to moms at our homeschool co-op. A topic that kept coming up was homesteading. The thing that kept coming up was "I keep wanting to get into homesteading, but I don't know where to start"...then when they realize that my family is homesteading without owning our own land, the questions really start to flood in.
So, just how do you get started homesteading? Well, for my family it has been anything but "normal". Just like everyone else, we imagined we would first own our own land. But instead, we started with 12 possibly pregnant meat goats and 2 great pyrenees dogs. How? Well, there are actually a few ways to make this work.
1) if you know someone with a lot of unused land, they may let you use it to get started on.
2) look around your area and keep an eye out for large areas of land that need to be maintained. Find out who owns the land and see if they would be willing to let you lease it for your livestock. (you might be surprised at how well this can work!)
3) quickly purchase some land!
We are currently doing #1 but also looking into option #2 so that we can expand faster. Yes, we still want our own land. But with the economy like it is right now, it just isn't a good time to be buying land. And we certainly don't want to keep waiting to see our dreams come true.
Even if you aren't ready to jump into livestock. There are still some ways you can get started homesteading. Here's a short list of things you can do to help work your way into being a homesteading family. And you don't have to own your own land for these!
- backyard chickens (I'm setting these aside from livestock b/c they can be done right in town with minimal space)
- start a compost
- grow your own food (indoor and outdoors!)
- preserve your harvest (canning, dehydrating, freezing)
- save your seeds!
- bake bread
- have a sourdough starter
- make your own bone broth
- make granola for cereal or as a topping (I love this recipe!)
- make/use reusable paper towels (aka unpaper towels)
- make your own cleaners
- get into herbalism (even better if you grow your own herbs!)
- make your food from scratch
- make your own spice mixes, sauces, etc
- make your own fermented drinks (like Kombucha!)
- make your own dairy products (like yogurt!)
- buy meat, eggs, and milk from a local rancher
Learn from others (youtube, social media, books, etc). There are So many great homesteaders who started from the ground up. And chances are, they didn't all start out the same way. You are bound to find one you can relate to who you can learn from and follow.
Here are a few that I like to follow:
In addition to this I'd like to add that downsizing your home is a huge plus in homesteading. Let's face it, homesteading is a full-time, 24/7 "job". It will keep you super busy! So the less you have to do around the home (cleaning, organizing, digging for things you can't find), the better!
If you'd like some help in downsizing, I can certainly help you in the kitchen! Only keep what you need and organize it to best suit your needs...I can help you with that!
If you need help coming up with a plan on how you can get started homesteading now (regardless of your skills or amount of land), I can help with that too!!
Just contact me and we'll develop a plan for you that works!
But if you are looking to downsize your entire home, honestly, I'm still working on that. But I do have a great recommendation for someone who can help you!
If you are anything like my family, fall weather and the sniffles often brings on some good homemade chicken noodle soup "just like Grandma's". But, have you ever stopped to wonder why that is? Is it because she had the BEST recipe and it just hits the spot? Or is there more to it than that?
One thing's for sure, you can't beat a nice warm, homemade soup on a chilly day. But I've learned over the years that there's actually a LOT more to it than that. So, let's take a look at some of the main ingredients you'll find in "Grandma's Chicken Soup".
Onion - high in flavonoids (including quercetin and kaempferol), polyphenols, and allicin. They are antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, immune-enhancing, and anti-inflammatory. Onions can also enhance the action of vitamin C.
Garlic - has allicin and alliin, 2 compounds that are responsible for its antibacterial, antiviral, antiprotozoal and antifungal properties.
Celery - (seed) is an antioxidant and anti inflammatory. It also contains magnesium (benefitial use for the nervous system and muscular system), vitamin K, folate, potassium, fiber, and small amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, and some B vitamins.
Carrots - has vitamins A, K, and C. They are high in fiber, beta-carotene (an antioxidant), alpha-carotene (anti-inflammatory), lutein (helps maintain healthy eyes), and zeaxanthin (protects eyes from harmful UV rays & blue light exposure).
Bone Broth - this one can very depending on where your broth comes from. But a good bone broth will contain all of these:
Magnesium, Phosphorus, Gelatin, Collagen, Glycine, Glutamine, Protein, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Glucosamine, Chondroitin sulfate, Calcium.
It can help improve digestion, protect your joins, clear your skin, improve your sleep, and help support a healthy immune system.
Add-Ins:
Lemon - The juice and flesh have many health benefits. But did you know that the peel also has many health benefits? The white pith of the peel is considered a bitter and can help with digestion and liver function. Lemons are also high in vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene, calcium, folate, magnesium, and potassium.
Ginger - (fresh) helps stimulate the immune system, allowing it to fight bacterial and viral infections. It stimulates circulation of the blood (which helps to remove pathogens from the bloodstream). It also thins mucous and supports expectoration, and warms the body.
There's nothing like that extra cozy feeling when you are feeling a bit under the weather.
Herbs - You can find a list of herbs for the cold season here.
So, as you can see, there very well may have been a LOT more behind Grandma's chicken soup.
Here's one of my favorite ways to make a good chicken noodle soup.
Resources (with recipes!):
