WHY WE HOMESTEAD - WHAT IS HOMESTEADING
This is the start of a new project.
At the moment, I'm working on a new project which will be a written explanation of many of the key aspects of our lifestyle and why we have made the decisions that we have. Some of this has been formulated in some of my previous vlogs, and other parts have come out in various text here and there, but it is my goal to gather my thoughts and put forth a written version of it all, with the hopes of eventually putting out a small volume on the issue.
As always, some of the things I share will resonate with others and some of the things may not, but I share this honestly and openly with the hope that some may glean insight or inspiration from the walk that we've chosen. Below is the introduction.
INTRODUCTION – WHAT IS HOMESTEADING?
For starters, I’ll say that definitions aren’t always rigid, and not everyone follows the textbooks. The definitions of what homesteading actually is can vary as much as the reasons that people choose to homestead, and it all depends on who you ask.
When I use the term, it does involve certain levels of choosing a more self-sufficient lifestyle that would include things like taking more control over your own food supply, regaining skills that were common just a century ago (like food preservation), and focusing on living a simpler, often less expensive life. Not everyone who identifies themselves as a homesteader needs to be taming the wild on undisturbed land like the settlers and pioneers of yesteryear once did nor do they have to be 100% self-sufficient or living off grid.
As I’ve researched, interacted with others, and chosen to head this direction myself, I’ve come across a lot of variables, but some things do seem to be rather consistent. Since many “homesteaders” try to take care of more of their own needs, grow and preserve more of their own food, learn skills that have beneficial real world applications, and get creative to solve the problems that we face in life, this lifestyle can attract a wide variety of characters.
From people seeking more family time to preppers, it’s a lifestyle that appeals to many, and many who never take the steps to live it out certainly have an interest in the homesteading life and what goes along with it.
In this book I’ll be sharing my personal views, beliefs, and testimony about how we have gotten to the point that we are, and why we have chosen this lifestyle. Many of the factors that helped us make this decision will overlap with other homesteaders, and many may not.
With all due respect to the freedom of each person to choose their own path and lifestyle, please do not view this as an authoritative source of homesteader information, but rather the simple testimony of one particular family, mine.
Until next time…
STEEMIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!
Good for you @papa-pepper! It is a great endeavour to share your truth and experience! I look forward to following the progress of this compilation. It's always a pleasure to enjoy your offerings! Your presence is a blessing ❤🎶🐝🌻 🌷
Wow, thank you so much for that! We honestly appreciate the encouragement!
Wooohoo! 👏🎶 You've got it!! Ahaha! Enjoy 💗 And, thank-you very much too! Happy Love Days to the whole Pepper Clan Yeeeeyaah 🌸🎶
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
For a while I was wondering if I should use the #homesteading tag in my posts because I wasn’t sure whether or not I should consider myself a homesteader, my backyard is so tiny compared to what other have, I don’t even have chickens.
But reading this post confirms what my belief that it is more a mindset rather than a set of rules.
I turned my backyard lawn into an edible garden, I compost and vermicompost and also have a colony of black soldier fly larvae. I acquired several skills along the year, the kind of skills you don’t learn from school but that will allow you to survive if dropped in an isolated area.
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Nice! Glad that I could help, and I like the stuff that you are up to from the sound of it! Very cool!
Great write-up, I have been living this lifestyle for more than 5 years now but have not really known there was a name for it. I was doing it for the economical an health aspects.
We grow a lot of vegetables, spices, fruits and tubers in our garden. I rear and breed rabbits and also process our own grain meals instead of buying packaged ones. I've written a lot about all these stuff on my blog post. Thanks for letting me know this.
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Cool! It is wiser, healthier, and cheaper in my mind too! Excellent!
It is always interesting to find out the "why" when people decide to do the homesteading thing! Thanks for sharing your story!