Today we are talking about what a homestead is and what it means to be actually homesteading. Those can be two different subjects entirely! Knowing what our goals are, if they align with homesteading, and if we can accomplish them is exactly where we started when we thought about pursuing this lifestyle. Ten years ago, when I pictured a homestead, I thought of rolling fields, barns, animals, no electricity, outhouse, and it kept getting worse. What sounded like a dream at first would quickly turn me off by the thought of not having the ease of living that I did at the time. But is homesteading really all of those things?
First, let’s talk about the actual definition of the word.
Homestead:
“A home and the adjoining land occupied by a family.” -Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Homesteading:
“is a life of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small-scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale…”
The definition goes on to say this also (my favorite part!).
“Modern homesteaders often use renewable energy options including solar and wind power. Many also choose to plant and grow heirloom vegetables and to raise heritage livestock. Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteading
Homestead. What a simple definition. A home and adjoining land. Almost anyone can have that right? It doesn’t matter the size of your house or yard. You can make where you live a homestead! I would have never thought that our home and yard could be the start of my homestead. But, reflecting, our apartment is really where our homestead started. Did we own it? No. Did we have land with it? Nope! Did we start our journey of homesteading? You bet we did! That leads us to the next definition, the verbal use, of homesteading.
Let’s dissect homesteading. A life of self-sufficiency. What does that mean to me and Nick? Well, that means we are responsible for making what helps us survive. This started as simple as laundry soap for us. Making this, I knew exactly what was going on in our clothes. I could read the ingredients on the label and not have to google what different terms meant. This also meant savings. I could make large batches of laundry soap for pennies on the dollar compared to buying premade at the store. Growing from there, we started looking at foods. Simple things, like gravy, bread, desserts, pasta, and more. There was no limit to what we could make! This threw me for a loop. I wanted to make EVERYTHING homemade. Let me tell you, that can be overwhelming. I reeled myself back in because self-sufficiency doesn’t happen overnight. Now that I knew I could make things, we questioned what we could realistically grow ourselves. Thankfully, Nick’s family gardened often and I could jump right in. They taught me a lot, including where to start with canning. My absolute favorite thing to can is green beans. (They taste so much better than store-bought!) We now have grown into canning many different tomato products, vegetables, meats, and meals. Again, this is only one part of self-sufficiency.
This whole transition opened my eyes. What else can I make? How else can I live simply? Am I going crazy? Some people may think that I am, but that’s ok. This type of life isn’t for everyone!
My favorite part of the definition, where it says modern homesteaders, is where most identify. We are hoping to start building our home this next year on the farm. Such a scary and exciting process. We want to live way back in the property. This would cost us greatly to run electricity back to it. But what if we didn’t have to? What if we never had another electric bill in our life? Solar and wind are another component of us being self-sufficient.
The definition of homesteading goes on to mention heritage breed livestock. Well, we fit that bill too! Heritage breeds are animals that were raised by our forefathers. Animals that weren’t engineered for a specific purpose. We are starting with a bred Dexter cow. This breed of cow is smaller than what most would think, but not a mini cow. They are dual purpose – both milk and meat. We like that our females will stay between 700-900 lbs. This makes them easier to manage and move if necessary. They also have a naturally docile personality. Peep a few pictures below to see Chloe, our first Dexter!
The last bit of our definition of homesteading says,
“Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make.”
This sends the point home. It does not have rules or requirements. It doesn’t discriminate where you live. It is not about the amount of money you make or save. It is about how you live. If you want to live off the land and be as natural as you can, you are homesteading. If you grow your own garden but still buy bread at the store, that is still homesteading. You get to define your homestead. You can control what you make or raise. I can preach all day about how healthy I think homesteading is, but that wouldn’t do any good for someone who doesn’t have the time or energy to raise animals, grow a garden, cook all from scratch, try to have a life, and more. You can choose what you want to do and be happy that you are making a difference in your own life.
Living on our homestead and actively homesteading is our dream. Our dream of a simple life. We are grateful for the land that we have and the opportunity to share this with everyone. As always, thank you for your time and support!