Starting Somewhere

January 23rd, 2009

Confessions of a Beginning Homesteader

Although my daddy grew a garden every year and my mama canned at the end of each summer I was a mall-goin’, car cruisin’ kind of girl. When I got married all I brought to the table was my ability to make macaroni without having to look at the directions on the side of the box.

But I have a secret. I want to go green.

Bake my own bread. Can my own produce. Make my own soap. Sew. Mend. Darn (as in socks, right?). I was so gung-ho. When my mom brought over all of her old canning equipment and even a few “vintage” how-to books I did a little dance and got giddy over how my cabinets would look full of beautiful jars, how much money I could save, and how wholesomely my family would eat. All by my own hands.

I dream big.

But I fear bigger.

I closed the door on that cabinet and allowed life to happen. Feed those little mouths, wipe those little bottoms, change nothing, risk nothing, fail at nothing…

…to keep reading about how I’ve started homesteading c’mon over to Heart of the Matter.

http://familyrevised.blogspot.com brenda

OK. So I baked bread FROM SCRATCH this Christmas. And it was pretty good. For my birthday a few weeks ago I got a bread machine from the parents. It’s still in the box. And I can’t can anything even though my dad knows how and he could show me. Why haven’t I learned that?

I think this therapy session has helped me tremendously. I can’t figure it all out and thinking about how much I DON’T know (but feel that I should) makes me feel like a failure before I even start.

But I’ll start somewhere. Thanks for the encouragement!

Oh, and I’d personally love to see you darn a sock. :)
http://deepfriedpicklesandicecream.wordpress.com/ K.T.

Perfect time of year to start thinking about….growing tomatoes.I would start with buying the plants and work my way back to seeds.Kind of like the bread.Grow them from plants for awhile and then go for the seeds.They are the easiest to home-can and usually the vegetable nee fruit, most eaten.

I want to do this too.I am one stepping it as well.We do a spring garden every year,sometimes that turns out well and sometimes it doesnt.It also seems to be easier to begin with freezing vegs and fruits(when you can find them in bulk to buy such as pick your own style places) than to begin with canning.

I had read all about making your own root cellar.By taking a cleaned out deepfreeze that no longer works and burying it up to the lid in the ground.Then you can keep things like carrots and potatoes all year long.I think it would definitely have to be permanently locked to keep little ones out.

I was planning to start trying a fall garden when life happened. :D

Good luck. ;)
http://www.knowledgehouseacademy.com Nikowa

I’m an “in-the-process” homesteader. Learning slowly but surely! :)
http://thejoyfulchaos.com SillyMe

brenda – sock darning here i come!

nikowa – that’s exactly where i am, girl!

k.T. – my dad just told me the other day that he wants to come over here and help me grow a garden this spring! and tomatoes are THE item!
http://www.peaceandcraziness.blogspot.com Mandy

We’re pretty much turning into green freaks at our house… if I can’t grow it myself I buy it organic. You know I’m not keen on baking… but I’ve finally found a company that makes darn good organic 100% whole grain bread. Close enough for me. ;)

I’m not even brave enough to try canning… frozen is my friend, though!

If you get really into this, you should look into Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious.” You can use your own veggies and fruits, puree and freeze them, and add them in small portions to really healthy recipies. Can’t even taste it but it’s so good for you!
http://www.marybethwhalen.com Marybeth Whalen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolinametzgers/646937/

THought you would get a kick out of this–

Starting Somewhere

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