Homesteading Where You Are Series-Failures/Successes/Goals

In our final installment of the 
Homesteading Where You Are Series,
we talk about failures, successes and goals for the future.

************

I guess I need to excuse myself from the first catagory entirely,
because as far as I'm concerned,
any attempt at becoming more self-sufficient is a step in the right direction,
no matter the outcome.

As Thomas Edison once said,
 “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. 
The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”

Any effort toward set goals counts.
The garden doesn't always provide for our table,
but if we were able to enjoy a month's worth of salad greens
or a few months of garlic cloves,
it's worth it.
Recently a liquid laundry recipe was made.
It didn't work as well as I'd hoped,
so I'll be going back to the powdered form.
It's only a failure if I deem it so.
Every experience has value.
Live and learn.

Cooking from scratch is a lifestyle choice.
We wouldn't have it any other way.
Although it was chosen for us initially
due to dietary sensitivities,
we now enjoy eating our own home cooking
as well as making scratch goodies for friends and neighbors.
Homemade comes from the heart.
It just doesn't get any better than that.

Clean eating is a part of the homesteading lifestyle
that we gladly embrace.
We make every effort to know what's in our food,
and use that nourishment to fuel our bodies
so that we can accomplish what's important to us.
It's a way of showing appreciation for all we have, 
including good health, fresh food 
and loved ones with which to share it all.

We currently help to support a couple of local farmers,
one for produce and one for eggs.
Finding community resources for not only food,
but materials, services and volunteer opportunities
is vital to our long-term goal.
We've started right here in suburbia.
Once we are living a more rural life,
we plan to be the source for others,
by selling eggs and donating any extra gifts from the garden
to neighbors or a local charity.

Living in a deed-restricted community has been a great lesson for us.
We know that it doesn't work for us and our goals.
We need to be in a place where we can propagate our dreams, right along with our garden.
We can foster a sense of community
without being in such close proximity to neighbors.
The big goal is to create a homesteading farm for learning.
The hope is that those who visit our teaching farm 
will keep the lessons moving.

Goals are simply dreams with a timeline.
We are working on a two-year plan
to get our farm up and running, 
but that doesn't mean that we can't keep right on dreaming...

"Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, 
and they must be brought into connection with action. 
They must be woven together."
-Anais Nin

It's been a pleasure working on this series with this talented group of gals:

*Jackie, at Born Imaginative, grew up as an avid 4-Her, on a 50 acre hobby farm, with parents who pursued a homesteading life. Now, with a husband and two small children of her own, she is bringing an 1880s farmhouse/30acre farm back to life in Southern Coastal Maine.

*Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.

*Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

*Sue, at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.


Five bloggers, 7 weeks,
Big Ideas!

Homesteading Where You Are-Intro
Homesteading Where You Are-Make
 Homesteading Where You Are-Grow
Homesteading Where You Are-Preserve
Homesteading Where You Are-Save
 Homesteading Where You Are-Raise

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.

Thomas A. Edison

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html#xptF44LWzclRTkOT.99

Homesteading Where You Are Series-Raise

Welcome back to our Wednesday Series:




I'm daisy and I currently live in Central Florida.

Our family will be making the move later this year,

to a more rural spread in North Carolina.

For now, we share how we homestead in suburbia.

************
Today's topic is 
Raise.



~Raise awareness.
It's gotta start here.  
By understanding where we fit in the big picture,
we are able to educate ourselves to determine
where our priorities lie.
Attending workshops, reading and talking with like-minded folks
can all be invaluable methods for enlightening one's perception.
We've already decided that suburbia isn't for us,
although we are making the best in our current location.
If we hadn't had this experience,
we wouldn't have known what we really wanted.
It's all good...


~Raise standards for the quality of life we want to experience, 
as well as the impact we want to make on our world.
Knowing what we want and striving to make it happen,
whether it's growing it ourselves or supporting a local venue.
We tend to spend time, money and energy on experiences,
rather than material possessions.
Memories are priceless.

~Raise hopes when designing our future.
Our dreams can be as big as we allow them.
One great quote I heard recently was,
"You can't dream big enough."
This effort to live better is an innate longing.
We are the creators of our own lives,
and the motivation to strive for something better
can prepare all of those hopes for reality.
 

~Raise our own food so that we are less dependent on outer sources.
By providing the necessities for our family,
we are less reliant on outside resources
and retain more control of our overall health and well-being.
We currently have a small garden and a few avocado trees,
but are hoping to expand this effort when we move later this year.
Our long-range goals include tending  fruit and nut trees, 
a large vegetable garden, a beehive, and raising chickens for eggs.

~Raise up the local community.
For those items that we can't provide for ourselves,
we will patronize local farmers who are cultivating with a conscience.
Understanding that we're all in this together
and fostering the sense that 
we can thrive in an interdependent system
allows all involved to excel in their areas of expertise.
Learn, and be willing to teach.

~Raise the next generation,
including the role that homesteading plays.
Homeschooling is an outstanding opportunity
to instill homesteading and homekeeping skills.
In North Carolina, we hope to have a teaching farm,
so that others can understand how fulfilling and meaningful life is 
when one's passion is followed.
The intrinsic satisfaction of a job well done
is worth passing on to future homesteaders.
Whether it is learning to repair an engine,
cooking from scratch, or creating a family garden,
these skills should continue to be passed down
with all of the reverence they deserve.

Please visit the other gals sharing their ideas in this series:

*Jackie, at Born Imaginative, grew up as an avid 4-Her, on a 50 acre hobby farm, with parents who pursued a homesteading life. Now, with a husband and two small children of her own, she is bringing an 1880s farmhouse/30acre farm back to life in Southern Coastal Maine.

*Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.

*Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

*Sue, at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.


Five bloggers, 7 weeks,
Big Ideas!
Join us every Wednesday!


Homesteading Where You Are-Intro
Homesteading Where You Are-Make
 Homesteading Where You Are-Grow
Homesteading Where You Are-Preserve
Homesteading Where You Are-Save

Homesteading Where You Are Series-Save

Our Wednesday Series is all about 



This is the fourth post in our 7-week series.

 ************

Today's topic is 
Save.
Saving is a mindset.

It can mean to conserve, economize, retain or salvage.

In my world,

thrift is not a four-letter word.

I'm proud to come from a long line of frugal folks.

  Whether you're looking for ways to save with regard to

energy, money, resources or time,

here are some of the principles we hold dear.

Taking what might be tossed by others,
and finding a new use for it.
Eggshells make great biodegradable seed starters.
Once the seeds germinate, the entire vessel is placed in the ground,
adding nutrients to the new plant.
We've also made seed pots out of tp rolls, newsprint
 and scrap paper.




Repurposing what you have to make something useful.
A worn out pair of jeans makes a handy clothespin bag.
Last year we made a jewelry holder out of a frame and some chicken wire we had laying around.
The possibilities are truly endless.


 

 We tend to repair things ourselves when we can.
Fortunately, Big K is pretty dang handy
and can usually figure these things out.
We have consulted the internet and books on occasion.
If you don't happen to have a Mr. (or Mrs.) Fix-It around,
don't be afraid to ask questions.
Call the manufacturer or dealer, find a local repair shop or
consult with neighbors who might have prior experience doing repairs.




Making our own cleaners and personal care products
is another way we save time and money.
These items include things like laundry soap, glass cleaner,
lotion and hair conditioners.
Knowing that we can provide our own basic necessities
is an empowering notion.
Realizing how much we are saving
makes it that much more motivating!






 We cook from scratch to save money and our health!
 Even though our reasons are mostly due to dietary sensitivities,
we prefer knowing what's in our food.
Scratch cooking is a real time and money saver.
We know eating this way will pay off big time in the long run,
as it will save us doctor bills down the road.





Seed saving makes so much sense.
Not only is it a relaxing exercise, it's a wonderful excuse to share your bounty with friends! 
Especially when one is able to grow veggies,
year after year will yield delicious, nutritious produce
with very little expense.
Tending a garden provides so much in the way of
food, exercise, relaxation and focus.


 We've posted many ideas regarding thrift and frugality.
You can use the search engine on the blog
to locate numerous "Thrifty Thursday" and "One Simple Thing" posts.
Here are a few reads you might enjoy on the subject:


Buying Used

Menu-by-the-Month Plan

New Savings Plan

Know Your Prices

One Simple Thing-Got Gunk?

Our hope is that you rethink some of the ways 
energy, money and time are spent.
There is always room for improvement.
The most important part of saving,
is the freedom it provides 
to pursue the pleasures of life:
family, friends and passions. 

Please visit the other gals sharing their ideas in this series:

*Jackie, at Born Imaginative, grew up as an avid 4-Her, on a 50 acre hobby farm, with parents who pursued a homesteading life. Now, with a husband and two small children of her own, she is bringing an 1880s farmhouse/30acre farm back to life in Southern Coastal Maine.

*Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.

*Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

*Sue, at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.


Five bloggers, 7 weeks,
Big Ideas!
Join us every Wednesday!

Homesteading Where You Are-Intro
Homesteading Where You Are-Make
 Homesteading Where You Are-Grow
Homesteading Where You Are-Preserve









  

Homesteading Where You Are Series-Preserve

Welcome back to our Wednesday series,


where 5 bloggers share
how we homestead right where we are.

*******

Today's topic is  
Preserve.

Canning is on the list of skills I'd like to acquire.
When I see folks who have a pantry full of home canned goods,
it just makes me giddy!
Especially when the goodies are homegrown.
We aren't yet that self-reliant, but it's in the works.

We currently live in suburbia and don't have a huge garden,
but there are still some things that can be done to foster our independence.
 For instance, with our food preservation:

We always have a stash of cooked beans in the freezer.

These are great go-tos to add to soups, stews or to make bean burgers.

Soup is one of the easiest things to cook ahead
and have in the freezer for cold or stormy days.
Stored in mason or repurposed jars, they keep well for months.
Check the recipe page for our favorite simple savory soups.




Homemade chicken stock is prepared in the crockpot overnight
each time we cook a whole chicken for supper.
The stock is frozen in ice cube trays and then bagged and kept in the freezer.
These are tossed into many dishes as well as Lil' Guy's pasta,
as it aids in healing the gut.

You can find the technique for making effortless homemade stock here.
 The vegetarian version is here.



  
We do grow a few herbs presently.
Basil and parsley are two of the most frequently used herbs in our cooking.
Whenever I harvest or purchase parsley,
I immediately wash it, dry it and whiz it in the food processor.
It gets stored in jars in the freezer and is so easy to add to dishes for color and flavor.
Basil is usually made into some type of pesto and frozen in those same ice cube trays.
They work well in adding a little zing to pasta dishes or soup.




All of our cooking is scratch.
With multiple food sensitivities, it just makes sense to make it ourselves.
Gluten-free waffles and pancakes are easy to make in large batches.
We freeze the rest using freezer paper and plastic bags.
It's fantastic to be able to pull these goodies out any day of the week!



 


Saving seeds is another way to preserve your harvest.
When the flowers are spent, they are culled for seeds
to be used in the next season's garden.
This saves so much on buying seeds 
and is a great way to make friends!
Who wouldn't want free flower seeds?
We haven't yet ventured into seed saving for veggies yet,
but hope to work more toward that goal when we buy our farm.

 When this series idea came up,
I had some ambivalence about this week's focus.
Preserving to me always meant canning or making jams.
There are other methods of keeping and storing food and
we, in that sense, do preserve in our own way.
Of course, there is so much more to learn,
but I know it will come in time. 
Until canning, fermenting and pickling are explored,
our freezer works for us in our current situation.
If you're not canning yet, you can still eat well,
save money and nurture your inner homesteader!

*******

For additional great homesteading ideas, visit these other bloggers posting to this series:

*Jackie, at Born Imaginative, grew up as an avid 4-Her, on a 50 acre hobby farm, with parents who pursued a homesteading life. Now, with a husband and two small children of her own, she is bringing an 1880s farmhouse/30acre farm back to life in Southern Coastal Maine.

*Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.

*Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

*Sue, at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.


Five bloggers, 7 weeks,
Big Ideas!
Join us every Wednesday!

Homesteading Where You Are-Intro
Homesteading Where You Are-Make
 Homesteading Where You Are-Grow