25 Ways to Become More Self-Sufficient This Year
With the new year comes a fresh start and a new opportunity to do anything you set your mind to over the next 12 months. Why not work on increasing your self-sufficiency this year so that you can become more secure and independent and less reliant on others to take care of you?
Whether you’re a seasoned homesteader on 10 acres of land or a city-dweller wanting to take more control over your life and personal security, there’s always more you can do to become more self-sufficient right where you are.
You may already have a self-sufficiency goal or two that you want to work on this year, but if you’re looking for a few more ideas, here are 25 for you, ranging from things you can do in your kitchen to skills you can practice in the wild.
Whatever you do, DO NOT try to tackle all of these in one year!
Remember, the key to success is to work on mastering one skill and completing one project at a time before moving onto the next.
If you try to do it all right away, I’m sorry to say but you’re bound to fail because you’ll be overwhelmed and faced with a very steep learning curve. If you focus on just a couple though, you’ll be able to gain real confidence in those areas and before you know it you’ll be building on your new-found skills and moving onto the next new project you want to tackle or thing you want to learn.
Remember, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time! Choose the goal(s) that best suit where you’re at right now on your homesteading journey and work on smashing those out of the park this year! Then come back next year and do it all over again:)
25 Self-Sufficiency Goals for the New Year
1. Plant a veggie garden (or expand an existing one)
If you’ve never planted a veggie garden before, this is a great first (or next) step on the road to self-sufficiency. There is just no feeling that compares to the pride you get from putting homegrown food on the table for your family!
If you already have a garden, work on expanding it. Whether you expand the footprint of your garden or find creative new ways to produce more food (like vertical gardening or succession planting), work on adding a little more homegrown food to your homestead this year.
Related: How to Grow More Food in Less Space
2. Plant perennials
Add some perennials to your property and you’ll reap the benefits of these plants for years to come without having to plant them each year. Herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme are great candidates, but some fruits and veggies like rhubarb and asparagus will also come back year after year and make any effort you put into planting them this year well worth it in the years to come!
3. Add fruit trees & shrubs to your homestead
Like other perennial plants, fruit trees and shrubs will provide you with fresh fruit for years -decades even- without having to do the work of replanting every year. Find out what type of trees and shrubs grow best in your area and plant a few now. It may take a few years for them to actually produce fruit but once the bumper crops start coming you will thank yourself for planting them now.
Oh, and if you’re looking for something a little different to add to your food garden, try some nut trees! Hazelnut trees, walnut trees and almond trees are a few you might want to consider.
4. Plant a medicinal garden
While growing your own food is a noble goal, growing your own medicine takes your self-sufficiency game to the next level. Add some medicinal herbs and flowers to your garden this year and then harvest and dry them for use in your home medicine cabinet throughout the year. You can then use them to make salves, tinctures, teas and infused oils and honey to keep you and your family in good health, homesteader style.
Plant herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and even cannabis (if it’s legal where you live) to be used medicinally. Flowers like echinacea, chamomile, lavender, yarrow and calendula are also wonderful candidates for a medicinal garden.
For help getting started, check out this post on 13 culinary and medicinal herbs for your garden.
5. Add livestock to your homestead
If you’re in a position to do so, add some livestock to your homestead this year. If you’re just getting started, laying hens are a great animal to get your feet wet with. Add a few hens to your barnyard and enjoy fresh eggs right from your backyard!
If you’re looking to level up a little bit, consider meat birds or rabbits or even goats if you have room (and good fencing). If you’re looking to level up a lot, maybe add pigs or even a cow! Just be prepared for the space and time-commitment that livestock takes. The bigger the animals, the more space and time needed to care for them.
6. Set up rain barrels on your homestead
If you’re looking to increase your water security, adding some rain barrels and a catchment system to your homestead is a great goal to work towards this year. First of all, catching rainwater in the wet months means you have a backup supply in the dry months when there are often water restrictions on. This means you’ll still be able to water you garden even in a drought and you’ll be using less water from tapped out reservoirs when water’s needed most.
Second, you’ll have an emergency supply of water for things like bathing, doing dishes and laundry if the power goes out and the water shuts off. This just happened to lots of people close to where we live when the power got knocked out from a windstorm for almost a week right before Christmas a couple weeks ago. Let’s just say that those with rain barrels on their property had a much easier time getting water to their homes all by themselves than those without.
Learn how to build your own homemade rain barrel out of a garbage can and a few simple pieces of hardware.
7. Learn a new kitchen skill or recipe
No matter how skilled (or unskilled) you are in the kitchen, there is always something new you can learn and master. Set a goal this year to bake a cake from scratch, make your own condiments like ketchup or mayonnaise, make homemade broth, yogurt or pasta. Or maybe practice your knife skills and learn how to julienne a carrot, filet a fish or cut up a whole chicken. Or maybe even take your kitchen game outside and learn to cook over an open flame.
Kitchen skills are always invaluable on any homestead, modern or traditional. The more you know and the more skilled you are in this department, the less dependent you are on restaurants and grocery stores to prepare your food for you.
8. Learn a new way to preserve food
Whether you’re brand new to preserving or you’ve been doing it since before you can remember, there’s probably at least one type of food preservation you haven’t tried or at least haven’t mastered yet. If you’re at the very beginning of your food preservation journey, you can honestly start with just freezing food when it’s abundant and in season. If you want to learn to make your food shelf-stable so you don’t depend on electricity to power your freezer, canning is an obvious option (and one I highly recommend learning!)
Water bath canning is a great place to start. It’s really easy and all you really need is a large pot full of water and some canning jars. Learn more about how to get started water bath canning here.
If you want to level up and learn to can vegetables, meats and other low acid foods, you’ll need to learn how to pressure can. This can be a little intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it you’ll learn that it’s really quite easy. Click here to learn how to use a pressure canner safely.
Other types of food preservation that you might want to try out include dehydrating (one of my personal favourites) and fermenting. I recommend choosing one new form of food preservation to try out this year and once you feel like you’ve got that down, move onto the next.
9. Learn to bake bread
Having flour on hand and knowing how to bake bread from scratch means that, no matter what, you and your family will never go hungry. In fact, that’s why bread (in some form) has been a staple food in just about every culture since man learned how to convert grains into this hearty, filling food. Homemade bread is also what kept many people and families alive during the Great Depression when food was scarce and unaffordable.
Whether it’s a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread, a rustic baguette, dinner rolls or flatbread, learn to bake at least one type of bread and make sure you have a go-to recipe printed out so that you’ll always have it on hand to reference. A sack of flour and a good homemade bread recipe is like food security insurance.
Related: Easy No-Knead Homemade Bread
10. Learn to make soap
Learning how to make your own soap not only means that you’ll be able to keep yourself and your family clean and sanitary if all hell breaks loose and it’s every man for himself, it also means you’ll save money and maybe even put some of your other homestead resources (like tallow) to use. You’ll also save extra money at Christmas time when you’ve got a stockpile of homemade soap to give away as gifts!
11. Learn to make candles
Just like soap-making, learning to make your own candles means you’ll save money on store-bought candles (which are bloody expensive!) and you’ll have quality homemade gifts on hand for everyone and their brother when special occasions roll around. Also, making your own homemade candles with all-natural ingredients means you won’t be exposing your family to the toxic chemicals that are in the dyes, fragrances and even low-grade waxes common in store-bought candles.
Related: Homemade Soy Candles with Essential Oils
12. Make your own cleaning products
Have you seen the chemicals and warning labels on store-bought cleaners? Many of them have explosive and poison warning signs on the packaging! No thank you. Not in my home.
The good news is, a few simple ingredients like baking soda, white vinegar and a little lemon juice, plus maybe a few essential oils are all you need to clean just about everything in your home, from your kitchen counter to your toilet bowl. And they’re all safe enough to eat.
Related: DIY Cleaning Recipes with Essential Oils
13. Build a natural medicine cabinet
While you’re replacing those cleaning products with all-natural homemade alternatives, start replacing the contents of your medicine cabinet too. Replace over-the-counter bottles of pills and cough syrups with your own homegrown dried herbs, tinctures, infused oils and honey. Work on building your collection of essential oils and learn to use them safely and properly to treat everything from common colds to cuts and scrapes to headaches and hangovers and everything in between.
For more inspiration, come take a peek inside my natural medicine cabinet!
14. Learn to sew a button or stitch a hem
Having some basic sewing skills in your back pocket means you’ll be able to mend ripped clothing and make clothes last longer, which means you’ll save money on buying new and you’ll have the skills to patch things up and make them last in case you’re unable to buy them new for any reason.
15. Learn to knit or crochet
Knowing how to knit or crochet well means you have the necessary skills to keep yourself and your family warm in the winter without having to spend money on store-bought winter gear like hats, scarves, sweaters and wool socks. If you’re just getting started, learning how to knit or crochet a scarf is fairly easy and makes another wonderful Christmas gift for someone special on your list!
16. Learn basic handyman skills
Much like learning basic sewing skills, having some basic handyman skills in your tool belt will go a long way when it comes to being able to handle a wide range of home (and homestead) improvement tasks on your own without having to call and/or pay someone. Being able to do small home repairs, build sheds and outbuildings and erect and fix fencing will definitely come in handy on any homestead, big or small. Hence why they’re called “handy”man skills!
Start by building your toolkit with these 15 essential tools for ever home toolkit.
17. Learn basic mechanic skills
While we’re on the topic of being able to repair things yourself, having some basic mechanic skills is another important one to have in your toolkit. Basic mechanic skills can help you fix vehicles and machines like cars, trucks, tractors, excavators, mowers, power tools and anything else powered by an engine. More money saved. More self-sufficiency. Vroom vroom.
18. Learn to hunt or fish
While growing and raising your own food are benchmarks of true self-sufficiency, having the skills and knowledge to hunt and fish for food in your area means you can fill your freezer and pantry with wild-caught, healthy meat and seafood whether or not you have the space and resources to raise your own meat.
If you don’t have anyone close to you who can teach you how to hunt or fish, contact your local rod and gun or fish and game club or even ask at your local outdoor sporting goods store to find out about getting the proper licenses and safety training and possibly finding a mentor to take you out. You can learn a lot from Youtube, but this is one where having a guide to get you started will really help.
19. Learn to forage plants in your area
Like hunting and fishing, learning to forage for edible and medicinal plants in your local area means you can gather wild edibles and medicinals when they’re in season without having to grow them yourself. As an added bonus, many edible and medicinal plants are invasive species, so you’ll be doing your local environment and community a favour by foraging them and eating them!
Plants like stinging nettle, dandelions and Japanese knotweed are all weeds that are both edible and nutritious. Other plants and weeds you can forage include lamb’s quarters, chickweed, purslane, fiddleheads, rosehips, wild berries, seaweed and mushrooms.
Related: How to Safely Harvest and Use Stinging Nettles
*When it comes to foraging for mushrooms, it is essential that you get yourself a good field guide and hire a guide to take you out the first time to help you positively identify certain species of mushroom. Eating the wrong kind of mushroom can have fatal consequences, so make absolutely sure that you know what you’re eating before you put it in your mouth.
20. Pay off debts
No one can really be self-sufficient when they owe other people money that they used to pay for things they couldn’t afford themselves. Whether you’re aiming for self-sufficiency or not, it’s always a wise idea to pay down your debts as quickly as possible and then stay out of debt at all costs.
While it’s even better to be mortgage-free too, that’s another, bigger goal altogether. For now just work on getting your consumer debts paid off and freeing yourself from the slavery of owing other people money and interest.
*For help with paying off debts and getting your personal finances under control, I highly recommend reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
21. Start an emergency fund
If you want to become more self-sufficient because you’re looking for some extra security in a world that seems more volatile and insecure every day, having an emergency fund will definitely help you sleep a little better.
To start a basic emergency fund, save up $1,000 in cash or in a savings account in the bank. Do not touch this money for anything other than a real emergency such as a car breaking down, a flood in your house, unforeseen medical bills or in the case of a job loss. This is your safety net. Keep it as long as you can and top it back up as soon as possible if you have to dip into it.
22. Create a source of income from your homestead
While we’re on the topic of money, if you want to take your self-sufficiency to the next level, maybe you should consider creating a primary or additional source of income right from your homestead. Being able to save money is one thing, but being able to generate your own income is like growing your own food: You cut out the middleman and you gain total control over the money you earn.
Or you can just pad up that emergency fund with a little side hustle like selling eggs or fresh veggies from your garden or soap or candles or homemade bread, etc. Or you can sell your skills. If you can do handyman work especially, there are always people looking for help with those types of jobs. Or you can teach your skills to other people by way of teaching classes at your local community centre or teaching online via online courses, blogs and ebooks. This blog is my source of income for our house and homestead, and although it doesn’t earn me much right now, it has the potential to earn a full-time income (which is my ultimate goal), and if I can do it, you can do it too.
23. Pack a bug-out bag
Whether you’re a “prepper” or not, it’s smart to have a bug-out bag packed and ready to go in case of an emergency. If you need to evacuate for any reason (think wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, zombie apocalypse…) having a bug-out bag that’s ready to grab and head out the door will save you valuable time and help keep stress levels in check when tensions are already running high. Plus, having a three-day supply of emergency preparedness gear and rations in a bug-out (or bug-in) bag is imperative in case of an emergency as you are expected to be able to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours before any help arrives.
Related: 15 Emergency Preparedness Items You Need to Have Packed and Ready To Go
Much like an emergency fund, your bug-out bag is for emergencies only and acts as a safety net. That means no eating the granola bars and beef jerky from your bug-out bag! (Unless they need to be rotated anyway. In that case, eat them and replace them ASAP).
24. Learn basic First Aid
Knowing basic First Aid can literally save someone’s life in the event of an emergency, especially if you live rurally where it takes a substantial amount of time for emergency responders to get to you.
Check online to find a First Aid certification course near you. Repeat training every year if possible. Practice often. This is definitely not something you want to have to read up on or search on Youtube in the middle of an emergency.
25. Get in shape
This one rarely makes lists like these about self-sufficiency, but it’s so very important for so many reasons. For starters, if you’re fit and healthy, you’re less likely to get sick and injured, which means you’re also less likely to become dependent on doctors and drugs. Second, when you’re in good shape, you’re better able to do things like haul animal feed and water, stack hay, fix fence, chop wood and tend your garden without injuring yourself or becoming winded before you’ve even begun.
Finally, getting in great shape means you’ll also be better equipped to take care of yourself and your family in the event of an emergency. After all, if that zombie apocalypse does ever come, you’re gonna wanna be able to outrun them.
The Benefits of Self-Sufficiency
Becoming more self-sufficient and being able to care and provide for yourself and your family is an increasingly important goal in a world full of uncertainty. Whether you want to be more prepared for a widespread emergency like a natural disaster or economic collapse (or, I don’t know, a global pandemic, perhaps?), you’re looking for a little extra security in the case of a more personal crisis like a job loss or medical emergency or you simply want more control over your life and to be less dependent on other people, corporations and government entities to take care of you, well my friend then you have come to the right place.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, I invite you to spend a little time browsing the content on this blog. All of it is geared toward empowering and inspiring you to become more self-sufficient and teaching you valuable skills (like the ones mentioned above) that will serve you well on your journey.
If you’re ready to REALLY dive in, I also invite you to subscribe to our very own digital magazine, Modern Homesteading Magazine.
Over the past 2+ years, we’ve covered everything from organic gardening and raising livestock to canning, fermenting, home dairy, sourdough bread, herbal medicine and much, much more!
When you subscribe, you’ll get instant access to our entire digital library of issues. Plus you’ll be the first to know when new issues drop!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness…and a self-sufficient new year!
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* This article contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my Affiliate Disclosure. Having a home apothecary full of medicinal herbs, tinctures and infusions of all kinds is many a homesteader’s dream! In fact, as far as goals and dreams...
What does it really mean to be self-reliant?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really means to be “self-reliant.” We talk a lot about self-reliance (or self-sufficiency) in the homesteading community, and outwardly it may seem as if the goal of “achieving” self-reliance is what ultimately...
I recently listened to a podcast episode that featured the author and creator of 1,000 Hours Outside: A book, website and podcast about the benefits of spending time outdoors with your kids.
After a very long winter and a long, dreary spring, I was inspired to take on the challenge of getting outdoors and exploring our local area as much as possible with my daughter, especially over the summer months.
Yesterday’s adventure involved exploring a new trail and foraging for wild roses! I love doing things that are both leisurely and productive, so foraging is always a great way to spend an hour or two outdoors.
While I have foraged wild rosehips before (the berries left behind after the flowers die) this was our first time foraging for the flower petals, which can be dried and added to homemade herbal teas, bath salts, soaps and pot pourri.
If you and your family could benefit from a little more time outdoors (and let’s be real, who couldn’t?) I highly encourage you to check out @1000hoursoutside and make a commitment to get out and explore, forage, garden, adventure and play with your kids as much as possible.
Also, wild roses are in season now so take advantage and forage some while you can! It’s a great family/kid-friendly activity and a fun way to kick off summer outdoors:)
Oh, and remember to always forage responsibly and leave plenty of roses for the bees! 🌸 🐝
#foraging #wildroses #1000hoursoutside #wildandfreechildren
40 years on this Earth.
11 years together.
8 years married.
6 babies, one living, 4 in heaven and one more hopefully on the way.
20 fur (and feather) babies in our time together.
5 homes (plus a couple tents).
6 countries.
About 5,000 pounds of homegrown tomatoes, among other things;)
Too many good times to count.
Enough hardships to shape our characters.
One beautiful life together.
To my smart, talented, strong, kind, selfless, handsome amazing husband… The day I met you everything changed for the better. Sure, we’ve weathered some storms, but knowing I always have you to turn to has helped me through my darkest hours. The laughs, deep conversations, goals, dreams and unconditional love we share make each day worth living. And the family, home and life we’ve created together are more than I could have ever hoped for.
Happy 40th birthday to my one and only @thehumblehandyman. I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. ❤️
I get emails from people all the time who say they wish they could homestead but they don’t have enough space. But even though you might not have enough space for a large garden and a milk cow (or even a flock of laying hens), there are lots of things you can do, grow and produce in a relatively small space.
An entire flock of Coturnix quail can be raised in a space the size of a storage closet. They’re a source of eggs and meat, and they’re a lot quieter than chickens too, making them ideal for small spaces and suburban or even urban lots.
In the spring issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine, contributor Mike Fitzgerald of @omnivore.culture breaks down the ins and outs of raising quail at home. In his words:
“Coturnix Quail may very well be the perfect breed of poultry. That’s a statement that could have a lot of chicken owners scoffing…
A quick exploration into the breed and the reasons are all too clear – Coturnix quail weigh a little less than half a pound, they reach sexual maturity at just 8 weeks old (you read that right), and they start laying eggs around 10 weeks old. They’re relatively easy to source, the males aren’t particularly loud, and the hens average one egg per day. That’s right: a small, quiet bird that happens to be an egg-laying machine, too.”
Learn everything you need to know about raising Coturnix quail at home, plus learn about keeping Mason bees, seed starting on a budget, how to take small steps every day to become more self-reliant wherever you are and much more in the spring issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to login to the library and read the current issue (current subscribers) or subscribe and gain instant access to this issue as well as our entire digital library of past issues!
Or go to http://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com to subscribe or preview the current issue:)
📸 by Mike Fitzgerald
And then there were 3 😔
Despite fending off an eagle attack the other day, a sneaky raccoon got into the chicken run early this morning and took out one of our girls.
Having animals die is definitely the hardest part of homesteading, but it’s a reality of this lifestyle that everyone must come to terms with sooner or later.
While we care for our chickens and want to give them the best life possible while they’re here, we understand that they’re livestock, not pets, and that we’re not the only creatures who see them as a food source.
Luckily we have a new flock of up-and-comers who will be ready to lay in a few months. Until then, egg production around here is gonna be pretty scarce.
So this is 35…
I decided to read my horoscope today (since it’s my birthday and all). I don’t really buy into the horoscope predictions, but I do think there’s something to be said for the personality traits we’re born with when the stars are aligned just so. Here are a few snippets that I found to be almost eerily on point:
“Tauruses born on May 18 are characterized by love of freedom and independence…They possess extraordinary creative energy, and they are never without an important cause to champion. They enjoy taking risks, but only when they believe the risk really matters.
As a rule, most decided early in life what they wanted to do and are not likely to deviate from that path. Their independent spirit makes them ideally suited to careers where they are their own boss, or are at least autonomous within a larger structure.
May 18 people want to make it on their own. No matter how successful they become, they never forget their roots and may even draw upon them for inspiration.”
Every year on my birthday I reflect on where I’m at, where I’m headed and where I’ve come from, and all I can say is that each year I’m only more grateful to be living life on my own terms, doing what I love most next to the people I love more than anything else in the world.
I’ll never forget where I came from and I’ll never have any regrets, because I wouldn’t be right where I am now without all of the experiences -good, bad or otherwise- that I’ve had along the way.
I knew when I was a little girl that I wanted to be a writer and a content creator. Homesteading came a little later in life, but when I knew, I knew.
I hope to be doing what I love and sharing it with you all for the next 35 years too! (Well, actually, if I’m being honest, I’d like to retire and throw my phone in the river long before that;) But until that day comes, thanks for being here to celebrate life with me today and every day. Cheers to another turn around the sun 🍻
My daughter stayed overnight at her grandma’s last night, and this morning when I talked to my mom she said “Evelyn told me she’s never been to the doctor before.”
Proudly, I replied “no, she hasn’t, because she’s never needed to.” This is thanks in large part to the fact that we keep a well stocked natural medicine cabinet at home and do our best to treat everyday illnesses and ailments ourselves.
Having a well-stocked home apothecary (and the know-how to use herbal and natural medicine at home) is yet another important piece of the self-sufficiency puzzle, and one that we’re working on a lot right now, both in our home and in my membership program, the Society of Self-Reliance.
If herbal medicine and building a home apothecary is on your to-do list as well, I’ve got some great tips and a printable checklist of items you’ll want to start stocking up on now so you’re prepared to make all sorts of medicinal preparations in time for cold and flu season later this year.
This is also a great time to plant certain medicinal herbs so that you’ve got a personal, sustainable supply of herbal medicine at home, because who knows what supply chain issues are gonna hit next!
To help make building and stocking your home apothecary or natural medicine cabinet a little easier, I compiled a list of all the ingredients I like to keep on hand for making my own medicinal preparations, as well as a suggested list of herbs to start growing or stocking up on, and some other great resources to help you get started preparing and using your own herbal medicine at home.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to read the full article and download the checklist, or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/stock-a-home-apothecary/
With Easter just around the corner, why not forgo the dry, lackluster store-bought hot cross buns this year and make your own from scratch instead!
This recipe combines the warm and comforting flavours of vanilla, cinnamon nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cardamom with homemade sweetbread and raisins.
Oh, and none of those awful, hard, jujube candies that you often find in store-bought hot cross buns. (Seriously... Why the jujubes??)
As is the case with most homemade versions of things, homemade hot cross buns are about 1,000 times better than anything you'll find at the supermarket. But I'll let you be the judge! If you try the recipe (and I hope you do!) leave a review and let me know what you think:)
Recipe link in bio or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-hot-cross-buns-recipe/
Stinging nettles are one of my favourite things to forage for in early spring. They’re ready to harvest well before just about anything is ready in our garden, and they’re a superfood as well as a medicinal plant packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B, C & K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and iron, plus they’re super high in protein.
As a medicinal plant, nettles are a natural antihistamine and can help with season allergies, they have properties that reduce inflammation and especially joint inflammation and arthritis, they can be used to treat of urinary tract infections and enlarged prostate symptoms, the e been shown to lower blood pressure and control blood sugar and more!
Some people even swear by harvesting stinging nettles with their bare hands as the sting itself is said to help with muscle and joint pain/arthritis!
I, however, am not that brave. I definitely recommend wearing gloves, long sleeves, long pants and boots when harvesting stinging nettles! But the good news is that once you cook or dry the nettles, they no longer sting you. My favourite way to prepare them is to dry them and enjoy them as a herbal tea! But they’re good sautéed in stir fry or added to soups (in place of spinach or Kale) too. Whatever you do, just don’t put them fresh into a salad!
Stinging nettles grow wild all over North America (as well as other places), and spring is the best time to forage for them. To learn how to safely identify them, harvest them and prepare/preserve them, check out the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/harvest-and-use-stinging-nettles/
Have you ever foraged for stinging nettle before?
If you're looking to increase production in your own home garden, you know how important bees and other pollinators are to your overall yield.
Honeybees get a lot of the glory, and for good reason: It's said that honeybees alone are responsible for pollinating 80% of our fruits and vegetables! Not to mention, they make honey... Sweet, glorious, highly nutritious and DELICIOUS honey!
In this day and age of global food shortages, we need to do whatever we can to help increase food production at home and abroad, and helping honeybees is one of the best ways to do just that.
Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/3-easy-ways-to-help-save-the-bees/ to learn what you can do at home to help save the bees, and the many, MANY reasons why it matters!
I don't know about you, but around here spring officially marks the beginning of what we call "busy season."
I always remind myself, though, that the payoff from the work we put in at this time of year is so totally worth the extra elbow grease and long hours.
The seeds we sow now will provide us with food and medicine to stock our pantry and apothecary with in the summer and fall.
The projects we start now will (hopefully) be finished and ready to serve us later in the year.
And the deep cleaning and organizing we do now in our homes will set the stage and the tone for the rest of the season.
Personally, I don't operate very well in a disorganized, messy or dirty environment. Whether I'm working or just relaxing, if my home is in disarray I feel like I can't fully concentrate on or enjoy whatever I'm doing.
For most of the year this means sticking to a daily routine of tidying up and light cleaning when necessary. But in the spring, I like to take a few days to deep clean our home so that the rest of the season runs smoother; So that when I'm in the thick of gardening and harvesting and preserving season, I'm not also contending with dirt and stains and pine needles from Christmas!
That being said, I don't like to use any commercially produced chemical cleaners, so I always make sure to keep a few natural ingredients on hand to get the job done.
Over the years I've tried a lot of store-bought "natural" cleaners, and honestly I haven't been impressed with most of them. In fact, I find some white vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, water and a few essential oils are all I really need to clean most of my house!
If the spring cleaning bug has bit you too, be sure to check out my DIY Spring Cleaning Recipes via the link in my bio. Every recipe is made with simple, natural ingredients that you probably have on hand already. I also like to add essential oils to my cleaning products for their scent and natural cleaning and disinfecting power, but you can omit them if you like:)
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/spring-cleaning-recipes/
If there's one thing we should all be doing to hedge against looming food shortages and inflation right now, it's growing some of our own food at home.
I've been preaching the many benefits of homegrown food for years now... Long before any of the madness we're currently experiencing took hold.
A couple years ago when I launched my first gardening course, I mentioned in my sales video that we were just one emergency situation away from grocery store shelves being cleared out entirely. Within two weeks of that video, the pandemic hit, and the rest is history.
The fact is, whether you're worried about shortages, the skyrocketing price of EVERYTHING, or you simply want to eat better, healthier foods free from GMOs and chemical sprays, learning how to grow even a little bit of your own organic food at home puts power and food security back in your hands.
That's exactly why I’ve teamed up with 16+ other speakers for the Backyard Vegetable Gardener's Summit: A free, 3-day online event where you can learn how to get started or get better at growing food and creating your own personal grocery store, right in your own backyard!
Here are just a few of the presentations coming up this week:
🌱 7 Ways To Maximize Space In Your Urban Garden
🌱 Creating a Personal Seed Bank
🌱 How to Generate Income From Your Garden
🌱 Easy Ways to Quickly Improve Your Garden Soil
🌱 Indoor Container Gardening
🌱 Growing Turmeric & Ginger at Home
🌱 How to Use Succession Planting for Higher Yields
And more!
Plus, don't miss my masterclass where I teach you everything you need to know to grow a BUMPER CROP OF TOMATOES in your backyard! 🍅🍅🍅
From starting your seeds to planting out and caring for your tomato plants all season long, I'll show you the exact method we use to grow hundreds of pounds of tomatoes at home for fresh eating and preserving each year.
The summit officially starts TODAY! If you haven't registered yet, click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/bvgs to save your seat and start watching and learning right away!
“When I think of self-reliance, I think of any ability to rely less on ‘the system.’”
I sat down with Ashley Constance from @dirtypawshomestead and the @alittleselfreliant podcast to talk about what it means to be self-reliant, if it’s even possible to be 100% self-reliant and why it’s a goal worth striving for even if complete and total self-reliance isn’t possible.
Be sure to check out the full interview in the latest issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine!
Subscribe @ modernhomesteadingnmagazine.com
I’d love to know, what are you currently doing to become a little (more) self-reliant? Let me know in the comments!👇
LOL!! We joke about the Zombie Apocalypse too! The kids have informed us that when it happens, they’re all coming to our house. We have the gardens, lake, and chickens, not to mention necessary equipment. I told them that’s fine, just BYOPF (bring your own pet food) haha!!!
I just want to say that I have been a city girl all my life. But have always had a homesteaders heart. I thought I was doing enough to do this for myself and family, until I read your articles. You have opened my eyes to doing so much more now, even if I live in the city. Thank you.
So glad I could help! Good luck in your journey:)
I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blogs! I don’t know that I’ll ever be in a position to totally homestead, but I’d like to incorporate some of the lifestyle into mine. All I really have now are chickens for eggs (and pets… along with ducks and pigs, dogs and cats lol) but I’d like to have a small garden even if I can only do container gardening at first. I’d also learn to can and preserve some food. I enjoy reading and learning. Thanks for all you share!!
Thank you for the kind words! It always helps to validate the time and energy I put into blogging when I know that someone is not just reading, but really enjoying it/learning something:)
And the great thing about modern homesteading is that there are no hard and fast rules about how much you have to do or what makes you a homesteader. Having some egg-laying chickens is a great start! We don’t even have chickens yet. For us it made more sense to start with the garden.
As for canning and preserving food, there are lots of great articles and recipes on this site that can help you with that! Check out The Beginner’s Guide to Water Bath Canning to get started: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/water-bath-canning-beginners/