Do you want to start homesteading, but don’t know where to begin? Well, then you’re in the right place! Today I will be sharing with you ways you can start homesteading right where you are!
I remember living in a little apartment in town standing on my tiny back porch watching the cars pass by. I was standing there praying to the Lord that he would bless us with a home with land with enough room for our children to play and room for a large garden. Years went by, then one day we found an ad in the paper for a rental house in the country. We called, checked out the house, prayed lots, and got picked to live there! I was so happy! This home is where we began our journey to a more self-sufficient lifestyle. I was not allowed to have animals, but I was able to have
a large garden where we were able to grow much of our vegetables and herbs. And with those vegetables and herbs I learned to water bath can, pressure can, dehydrate, and ferment.
From there I began to learn more. I learned how to make my own body butter, homemade cleaners, laundry soap, and hand soap. I learned how to bake with sourdough, and make homemade mixes and bases. I sourced raw milk and made my own cheese and kefir. Keep in mind, I did this in a tiny rental house in the country on close to an acre of land.
After about 8 years of living in this tiny rental home, we had to move. We stayed at the family farm and eventually were offered to stay and help. Of course, we said yes, and now I’ve learned how to raise goats, chickens, cows, ducks, geese, and rabbits. This life of mine may not have gone exactly as I pictured it, but right now in this moment, I couldn’t be happier.
My point to all of this is that the internet paints a very large and elaborate picture of what homesteading looks like. It tells us we must have 20 acres with a high tunnel greenhouse, a milking cow, and the list goes on and on. The truth is you don’t. If I were to be honest, I believe homesteading starts with the mind. How do you want to live? Really think about that. I’ve never felt more fulfilled than when I have worked with my hands all day to give my family the best they can possibly have. And no I don’t mean tons of money. I mean fresh food that they can pick and eat directly off of the vine. Or going to gather fresh eggs from the chickens to eat for breakfast. That to me is giving them the very best I can.
So what can I do to start homesteading now?
Now that we have gone over why homesteading is a mindset, let’s talk about what you can do right now to start homesteading right where you are!
Start a garden
Having a garden is so important! It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or a rental home. You could even live in town! If you can’t til a large garden just start small. You’d be surprised how many tomatoes you can get off of one plant. Also starting small will give you a chance to learn and not feel overwhelmed with maintaining a large garden. You could find mineral tubs, 5-gallon buckets, or pretty flower pots. Place them on your porch or next to a window and you’ll have fresh veggies for the season!
Start Collecting Rain Water
Something I’ve noticed over years of gardening is that I can water and water the garden with the hose and the plants seem to grow in slow motion, but as soon as it rains the plants flourish! Collecting Rainwater is a great way to not only save on your water bill but also help your plants grow.
Source raw milk
Don’t feel defeated when you see everyone else on YouTube and Instagram with a jersey cow and there’s just no way for you to have one at the moment. I found fresh milk in the local paper, for only $5.00 a gallon! There are many places where you can source raw milk. Craigslist, Facebook, or even just a Google search can lead you in the right direction. Do you go to church? Ask around and see if anyone there has a farm and might have fresh milk available. When I can’t find raw milk, I head over to Natural Grocers and pick up a gallon of SuperNatural milk. It is the closest thing to raw that I can find at the store.
Find some farm-fresh eggs
This goes with the statement above. You can find farm-fresh eggs pretty easily now. Many people have chickens and are selling their eggs. Farm-fresh eggs are so much healthier for you and it shows when you crack one open for the first time. The thick shell and golden yolk says it all. Eggs from the store are just incomparable to the real deal. If you can’t find any eggs from around your area, then go to your local farmers market or health food store. If you go to the store look for free range on the package. This means that the chickens have access to the pasture while “cage-free” does not.
Go chemical-free
One thing I have always felt conviction about is using soaps and cleaners full of chemicals. This
led me to find ways to make them on my own. I have also found out that making my own is actually cheaper than buying it from the store. There are many great recipes on Pinterest for all kinds of homemade soap. Skincare products are also a wonderful thing to start making at home. I like to use grass-fed tallow, olive oil, and lavender essential oil to make a light and fluffy skin moisturizer.
Start a sourdough starter
This right here was a tough one for me, mostly because everywhere I looked had tons of recipes with complicated steps. Turns out sourdough is pretty easy to make! Creating a sourdough starter does require patience, but once it’s active and ready for use it’s so worth the wait! King Arthur Baking Company has a great recipe for how to make your own sourdough starter.
Get some animals
If you are able, animals bring a lot of joy to the homestead. You don’t have to start big. Small animals can be helpful as well.
Rabbits – if you are looking to eat rabbits the New Zealand White Rabbit are good ones to start with. They are a very popular rabbit breed for meat. When you get rabbits you are not just getting meat but you are also getting free fertilizer from their droppings and you are also getting fur!
Chickens – If you’re interested in egg layers chickens such as the Rhode Island Red, Australorp, Orpington, and Leghorn are excellent egg layers. They are known for laying large eggs. If you are interested in just the meat the Cornish Cross is what people usually start with, but they are known for being a little icky. If you want a more natural breed you could try the Ginger Broilers or Big Red Broilers. These breeds are called hybrid broilers. If you are looking for good egg layers AND meat birds you could go with the White Plymouth Rock or the American Bresse. Chickens that are good egg layers and good for meat are called Heritage breeds.
Goats – Goats are not only good for making you laugh when you are feeling down, but they’re also good for milk! Goats such are the Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, and Saanen are great milk producers. If you are interested in the butter fat go with the Nigerian Dwarf or Nubian.
Ducks – Ducks are good for eggs, meat, and pest control. Ducks love to eat bugs like grubworms, beetles, mosquito larvae, and slugs. If you’re looking for a good meat breed go with the Pekin or the Muscovy.
Geese – Geese can be raised for meat, eggs, and even to guard your home! If you’re looking for a good guard goose that will give you a good amount of meat and lay well, look into getting a Chinese or African goose.
Turkeys – Everyone knows that turkeys are good for meat, but did you know that they lay large speckled eggs that taste just like chicken eggs? They are a great addition to the homestead. Common meat turkey breeds are the Broad Breasted White turkey and Bronze turkey.
Pigs – Who doesn’t love fresh bacon? If you are interested in raising pigs a few good breeds for meat are the Berkshire, Hampshire, and Duroc.
Sheep – Sheep are good for of course their wool, but also their meat, and milk! Did you know that manchego, pecorino, and feta are all made from sheep’s milk? A good breed for milking is the East Friesian. If you’re looking to raise them for meat the Merino, Poll Dorset, and Suffolk.
Bees – Honey bees can provide you with honey and beeswax. Nowadays, honey is expensive. This investment could save you a lot of money! You can also collect the beeswax for many crafts and homemade soaps, lip balms, and moisturizers.
Cows – Everyone wants a cow on the homestead. Cows are great for large amounts of meat and getting gallons of milk a day. You can do so much with the milk. You could make butter, cheese, kifer, yogurt. The list could go on and on! The top breeds for milk production are the Jersey and Holstein. If you want to raise cows for good grass-fed beef you could get an Angus or a Hereford cow. We raise Belted Galloway’s, and they are definitely tasty!
Remember when you are choosing animals for your homestead, consider things like how much space you have, your climate, local regulations, and your specific goals such as milk production, meat, or pest control. Start with a few and gradually get more as you gain experience and confidence in running your homestead.
No matter where you are you can start your homestead
Remember what we talked about at the beginning of this article. Homesteading is your mindset, Start where you’re at and work towards your end goal. This will not happen overnight. Be patient, pray, and trust in the Lord. All the skills you learn at the home you’re in will follow you to the homestead of your dreams. You will get there!
“Hope in Yahweh; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Hope in Yahweh.'” Psalm 27:14
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Thanks for organizing all this good info!