I've read a lot of articles lately about things like "How to be an Apartment Homesteader" and "12 Ways Self-Sufficiency Will Make You a Happier Person" so I thought I would share a few awesome resources, a couple fellow modern homesteaders blogs and my thoughts on what modern homesteading means to me.
It took me a while to find the words to describe the kind of life we were aiming for. Gardener didn't seem to cut it, Housewife seemed to lack the emphasis on the connection with nature I wanted, Farmer was just not what it was. Then I thought about Homesteader and through some research it turned out that these kind of people were far more brave and rugged and lived with much less than I was willing to. But then it occurred to me that perhaps if I went beyond the actual physical and material idea of what this word meant and considered the values and morals these Pioneering and Homesteading people had, that it would turn out they were the same as mine.
Far more credit is due to the original pioneers and homesteaders of our lands. Living the life of a homesteader was less of a choice and more a total necessity as it was the only option for many. But the values, work ethic and morals of these people still remain the backbone of the lifestyle, even for us as modern homesteaders. Growing our own crops (regardless of size), providing meat for our families whether we raise it or hunt it and relying on ourselves as providers gives us each a sense of price and liberation. C and I live on a 0.09 acre lot close to the downtown core of our town and our garden takes up a large portion of our backyard. And though it's not where we aim to be in 5 years from now, we are making the most of what we have! One of the many blessings of being a modern homesteader is that we have the choice and the ability to buy what we need, when we need it but we are still determined to provide as much as we can for ourselves. In the growing seasons of previous years we have experimented with varieties of tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, squash, spinach, berries and peas. We have been lucky to be given our eggs from my fathers farm and the occasional basket of whitetail, mule deer and moose meat. However, we buy our dairy from the grocery store, all of our chicken and beef as well and until the day comes that we can raise our own on our own land we will continue to do so.
One of my favourite articles so far has been Jill Winger's 5 Modern Homesteading Myths: BUSTED from The Prairie Homestead. Jill does a wonderful job of putting a comical spin on some of the prefabbed ideas of what being a modern homesteader means.
Two other fantastic blogs I have been combing through this week are Common Sense Homesteading and Little House Living they both have a huge wealth of information, tips and tricks on everything you'll need to know to start your own modern homestead.
Whatever journey in life that has brought you to consider whether a modern homesteading lifestyle is for you or not, remember that we all have the same thing in common; to be as self-reliant as we can be, through which ever means we have available.
I think in the end, we all have a little homesteader deep inside of us, some may be deeper than others. What does homesteading mean to you?
Far more credit is due to the original pioneers and homesteaders of our lands. Living the life of a homesteader was less of a choice and more a total necessity as it was the only option for many. But the values, work ethic and morals of these people still remain the backbone of the lifestyle, even for us as modern homesteaders. Growing our own crops (regardless of size), providing meat for our families whether we raise it or hunt it and relying on ourselves as providers gives us each a sense of price and liberation. C and I live on a 0.09 acre lot close to the downtown core of our town and our garden takes up a large portion of our backyard. And though it's not where we aim to be in 5 years from now, we are making the most of what we have! One of the many blessings of being a modern homesteader is that we have the choice and the ability to buy what we need, when we need it but we are still determined to provide as much as we can for ourselves. In the growing seasons of previous years we have experimented with varieties of tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, squash, spinach, berries and peas. We have been lucky to be given our eggs from my fathers farm and the occasional basket of whitetail, mule deer and moose meat. However, we buy our dairy from the grocery store, all of our chicken and beef as well and until the day comes that we can raise our own on our own land we will continue to do so.
One of my favourite articles so far has been Jill Winger's 5 Modern Homesteading Myths: BUSTED from The Prairie Homestead. Jill does a wonderful job of putting a comical spin on some of the prefabbed ideas of what being a modern homesteader means.
Two other fantastic blogs I have been combing through this week are Common Sense Homesteading and Little House Living they both have a huge wealth of information, tips and tricks on everything you'll need to know to start your own modern homestead.
Whatever journey in life that has brought you to consider whether a modern homesteading lifestyle is for you or not, remember that we all have the same thing in common; to be as self-reliant as we can be, through which ever means we have available.
I think in the end, we all have a little homesteader deep inside of us, some may be deeper than others. What does homesteading mean to you?