The term homesteading has soared in its popularity in our everyday use over the past year, at least in my circle of influence. From Instagram to my local farmers market, everyone wants to live on a homestead. At the very least, most people are interested in making more food from scratch. 

But what is homesteading? 

Why has it made such a resurgence? Why do all of these women suddenly want to throw on a prairie dress, put on an apron, and work on nailing their sourdough recipe? Is this a trend that will soon appear in the rearview mirror of our algorithms?  Let’s dive a little deeper into these questions and see if we can find some answers, along with how you can begin to live a life that seems as though it came right out of the pages of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s latest novel. 

Very simply put, the idea of homesteading is a commitment to a life of self-sufficiency. In my opinion, there have been several things that have caused a rise in the popularity of homesteading.

First, I think people want a certain quality of food that they aren’t seeing in their local grocery stores. The desire that we have to return to good, wholesome food is a good thing. People were made to eat foods grown in a field, not made in a lab! Farmers Markets and the organic section in your local store can provide you with what you’re looking for, but sometimes it can be out of budget; I know it is often out of mine. Many have discovered, myself included, many of our household staples are cheap and easy to make at home.

A second reason that homesteading as a lifestyle has become popular is a desire to feel more connected to your food. Knowing where it came from, exactly what ingredients are in it, and having to work for what you have all grounds you and can make you more appreciative of what you have.

Lastly, I know many parents have a desire to leave somewhat of a legacy for their children. Teaching them life skills- particularly how to grow produce, take care of livestock, and making food from scratch are skills that can be passed down for generations. Talk about life-giving lessons! So that answers the questions, ‘what is it?’ and ‘why is it popular?’ but if you’re anything like me, the real question is, ‘how can I have some of this for my own family?’ Notice that in my half-googled, half-self created definition I made no mention of what exactly you had to do (or how much land you needed to have) in order to qualify for your homesteading merit badge. Land is not a requirement for living a more self-sufficient life. There are so many things you can do without any land to call your own! As a matter of fact, at the time of writing this, my husband and I own exactly zero land. We rent a house my parents inherited from my grandparents and it is a blessing we don’t take for granted. But, there are so many things that I do in my kitchen and house that I would consider the first steps to my homesteading journey.

Here are ten things we do in our little rent house that you can do when you don’t own any land:

1. Make pantry staples from scratch

This is the easiest and most cost efficient way that you can begin to see a big difference in what you are consuming. Making pantry staples like vanilla extract, chocolate sauce, and brown sugar are things that take literally no time at all and allow you to have control over basic ingredients in your home. For example, did you know that brown sugar is just white sugar and molasses? Your ‘dark brown’ and ‘light brown’ labels from the grocery store are just different levels of molasses in the sugar. Most of the time I don’t even keep brown sugar on hand, I just measure out white sugar and then add about a tablespoon of molasses into my recipe at the same time (depending on the amount of sugar I’m using, of course). Making things such as these from scratch can not only save your money, but also space in your pantry. Additionally, it can give you confidence as a homemaker to know exactly what is in your pantry, and the knowledge to fill in any gaps when you find an area lacking. 

2. Cooking simply

Listen, I am a sucker for the Pinterest recipes as any of you are; I need to know how to incorporate as much pumpkin into my diet at the slightest cold front that blows through. Last year, I even tried making pumpkin alfredo sauce! Shockingly, it tasted exactly like plain alfredo sauce… only more orange. But these things can bog us down. We never become experts at any meals because we’re hopping from one online recipe to another trying to find something that sounds better than takeout for dinner. Or, we are bored of the same old things and can’t bear to eat another pasta dish with ground beef and marinara. Been there, felt that. But mentalities like this can make us feel ungrateful for what we have, and always craving something different, something more. Maybe this mentality is what makes Instagram recipes so popular, or why there are so many cookbooks in my mom’s house! Learn to be satisfied in the simple. Make a meal that covers all your basics; a protein, a veggie, and a carb. If it feels boring, light a candle or turn on some music. Enjoy the simplicity and beauty that comes from whole foods. If you can’t seem to find excitement for a simple meal, maybe you just need to try a different way of cooking it.

3. Eating in-season produce

In a similar vein to cooking simply, learning to eat what is in season can prepare you for the natural flow of being self-sufficient. When you eat the foods you grow, you don’t eat the foods you don’t grow… right? Back when most people grew their own foods, they didn’t eat fresh strawberries in the dead of winter because they didn’t grow then! We have gotten used to having access to anything we could imagine in our stores and on our phones and it can take the joy out of our meals. The taste of a garden-ripe tomato is so much sweeter when it comes from your garden after all that hard work. This type of eating and enjoyment of fresh produce can be replicated in your own home with a quick Google search. Typing ‘what foods are in season in March?’ is a great place to start. Sourcing quality vegetables from your farmers market often pays dividends in the value that they bring to your plate. I have even noticed a difference in quality in my local grocery stores when produce is in season for my area. They often are up at the front with large advertisements, indicating there is an abundance for sale. 

4. Making your own bread products

This one is a little more complicated, but well worth the effort. Making all bread products like sandwich breads, bagels, muffins, and tortillas cuts out many of the preservatives and chemicals that are required to make baked goods shelf stable. It’s better for your gut, along with better for your pocket. I have been making most of our baked goods at home for the better part of two years and notice a huge difference in our budget and on our plates. Of course, I am a basic girl and have hopped on the sourdough train like many of the basics before me and have to say that it is worth all the hype. While more time consuming, it really does improve the overall experience of a meal to know that you are the one who made the bread for your sandwich, or are eating a hand rolled tortilla for that tasty breakfast taco. Many recipes for these products can be found online, and I will be contributing my own on this page very shortly.

5. Learning to preserve your food

When you spend almost two days on a loaf of sourdough bread, you want to make sure it stays as fresh as possible for the longest amount of time. This is really the tip that I use most often as a baby homesteader, and as a busy mom of littles. When I make food from scratch, I will almost always make more than we need and save the rest for later. The quickest way to preserve foods that I make is to freeze them. Making a loaf of bread? Double the recipe and make a loaf for this week and save another one for next week. Making muffins? Make enough to save for a busy morning so you can enjoy that extra 10 minutes of sleep without having to feed your hungry toddler as soon as she opens her eyes. 

Another method of preservation that is most popular amongst the traditional homesteading community is canning. While I don’t know as much as I would like about the subject, I have done my fair share of water bath and pressure canning with family members. For our humble beginning, just know that freezing is more short term storage while canning is more long term storage. I would speak more about canning but this isn’t a blog post about it and honestly I don’t know enough to write any more than this LOL. 

6. Making foods last in your fridge

On a similar note as preserving foods for future use, it can also be helpful when you’re first starting your homesteading journey to know how to properly store your foods when you bring them home from wherever it is you buy groceries. Take your herbs, cut off the bottom tips and store them in a jar with a little water at the bottom just like you would flowers. Keep them in your fridge and refresh the water every couple of days and your herbs will stay fresh for so much longer. Take your berries, wash them and pat them dry, then store them with a paper towel in their original container that allows air flow. This provides you with fresh fruit that is not only ready to consume, but also stays better preserved for longer as well. These tips allow you to stretch your grocery trips and also have less food waste. 

7. Make your own cleaning products

This one is probably the most money saving tip on the whole list! There is not much that a little water, vinegar, and essential oil can’t do. Really, all you need is water and vinegar, but the essential oil scent adds that touch of home that makes everything smell nice. Fill up your favorite spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar and 5-10 drops of essential oil and- boom! New cleaning solution that is food safe, kid friendly, and cost effective. This all purpose cleaner can be used anywhere in the house and does a great job at getting streaks off your mirror, food smudges off your table, and dirt off your floor! 

8. Grow your own herbs 

Herbs are the easiest thing to grow. Like, seriously the easiest thing to grow ever. They take up no space and can function as decor in your house or on your porch. Grab some pots, soil, and seeds or plants and see what grows! The worst that could happen is that you grow nothing, and then… no harm no foul right? The only place to go is up! See, there’s still a bright side! Many herbs can not only season your food, but also act in a medicinal fashion like chamomile flowers can not only give you a delicious tea, but can also act as an anti-inflammatory. Things like lemongrass can make your porch smell good and also repel mosquitos at the same time.

9. Get comfortable outside

In case this is not already obvious to you, homesteading requires you to be outdoors! Get used to being outside in all types of weather, all seasons of the year, and all times of the day. If you don’t already, start enjoying nature. Become aware of the way that the morning turns from a pale gray and grows into bright, vibrant colors as you sip on your morning coffee. Enjoy the way the sun heats the earth and evaporates the morning dew. Soak in the sunshine and notice how you can hear the wind coming through the leaves on the trees before you feel it on your face. Really delight in the world that God has created and understand that He’s not only created a world for you to enjoy, but a beautiful world that’s filled with potential. What a gift our Father has given us! 

In addition to just enjoying creation, it’s also helpful to know what actually grows in your area. Becoming familiar with your area and the environment in which you live is key to knowing whether you even would like a more immersive homesteading lifestyle. Your zone and a knowledge of crops that historically grow well in it are helpful when deciding what you might want to grow and eat for yourself. I have found that people at the farmers market, or our local Master Gardeners club have been wonderful sources of information when it comes to what grows well and what doesn’t in my location. 

10. Enjoy what you have

This tip might seem out of place in a list about beginning a homesteading journey, but just hang with me until the end. Realize that no matter how much land you have, zero acres (like myself currently) or thousands of acres, you’ll never feel like your homestead is complete. There’s not a point in homesteading where you’ll finally feel like you have everything you want if your heart is not focused on something greater than yourself. In short, a land problem won’t fix a heart problem. Work on what you can control now, and make progress toward your goals. Learn to bake bread in your tiny rental. Learn to make that basil last more than 4 days before it gets all wilted and slimy in the bottom of that crisper drawer. Attempt to grow something, whether it yields you anything or not. While you wait and work, I would encourage you to seek the Lord as your source for lasting joy; He will bless your efforts. Don’t misunderstand me, I didn’t say He would bless you with an abundance of livestock and acreage. But He will begin to produce fruit in your life through as the Holy Spirit works in you. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control are fruits much sweeter than anything that grows this side of eternity.