How I got here
Homesteading can mean a variety of things to a variety of people. To some, it might mean full self-sufficiency without any reliance on outside sources. To others, it might mean growing some of your food in your backyard and baking your own bread here and there.
To me, homesteading is a spectrum of activities that help allow someone and/or their family to rely less on the outside world and more on their own means. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and I think that inherently would keep more people stuck and reliant on outside sources when there are plenty of little things we can all do to rely a little more on ourselves.
My drive to become more self-sufficient has been bubbling up, but really started to kick in over the last two years as I (along with the entire world) navigated a global pandemic.
I remember thinking in March of 2020, how will I put food on the table? How will we manage to get the things we need? How might we survive?
Obviously, in hindsight, grocery stores remained open, our lives were not entirely shut down, and Amazon deliveries still rained from the heavens. But while the sky was not actually falling, it did open my eyes to think differently about how much we as a culture in America depend on goods and services outside of our immediate control.
At the time, my then-boyfriend, now husband, and I lived in a city apartment on the eighth level with floor-to-ceiling windows that did not open. Talk about stir-crazy during lockdown! I had no access to fresh air, and while we had gorgeous city and lake views, I began to crave earth that I could put a shovel in to plant seeds.
Despite the housing market going nuts, we did ultimately manage to find a modest home with an opportunity to update and for us to move into. It gave me room to breathe, and it also gave me land to play with.
I had been gardening for the last several years here in Ohio, mind you, after years of swearing I had a black thumb! And I grew to love developing little baby seeds into nutrient-rich vegetables that I could pick and eat, straight from my garden.
I give a lot of credit to the forgiving nature of Ohio summers, with moderate rain, long sunny days, and somewhat manageable humidity. However, when I examine it more closely, I know that partly, my obsession with my garden created an overabundance of love that I poured into it.
To me, homesteading can start with something as simple as a garden. Or even simpler, an herb garden on a windowsill! And from there, you can layer in skills that help you rely a little less on the outside world each and every day.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, or heck, you can grow and mill your own flour for baking! I’m here for it! But as the world turns wild and crazy, remember that you have the power to do so many wonderful things with your own two hands.
My goal is to learn for myself the things our ancestors used to do without a second thought and reintroduce those practices into my daily life, while still maintaining a typical, modern lifestyle.
I hope that my journey and my exploration into old ways inspire others to look at simple ways to try new things, learn new things, and rely on oneself in pursuit of a more independent life.