Get Started Homesteading: March Goodies

Welcome to our "Homesteading" series where we'll all be walking through monthly tasks and guides towards self sufficiency and homesteading!

In case you've missed our earlier posts you can find them HERE and HERE

Let's get started!
March came in roaring like a lion and I don't know about you, but it definitely added to the excitement factor for this years' adventures. I love the storms and the feeling of the earth crackling with the life it's soon to bear.

The ground is starting to warm up, so now is the time to get some dirt under our nails. (Finally!)

For The Home

I hope ALL of you already have this done, but in case it needs to be said:

• Make a budget

I COULD make an entire post on this topic alone. However, I'll just leave a few "seeds" for you to handle. Debt is BAD, always. Don't buy something unless you have the cash to buy it with, period.
Make sure that whatever you do buy is quality. We've learned the hard way in this area. We didn't want to wait until we had enough cash saved, but we didn't want to use a card either...so we bought the cheapest version of X we could find. Typically it started falling apart shortly after. "Buy nice or buy twice." is the saying my husband and I have tried to adopt into our mindsets, and it's helped us in more ways than one!

For The Garden

• Start Seeds Indoors

Depending on what exactly it is and what your weather/garden beds have been like, you may want to get started on establishing a few of you crops indoors.
A few things to consider are a grow light or standard shop light, some good potting soil, plastic wrap and patience. Here's where you can start to really get to know your plants so take some time to learn who to start them. Or is you should start them indoors at all. Some plants are finicky about being moved around.

• Plant in your garden!

Again, this will depend on the recent weather and the crop you're hoping to plant. Take time to get to know each plant and their profile.
Another thing to consider is raised beds are warmer sooner than mounded beds.
There are tons of unique styles and ways of gardening, Raised, mounded, green manure, row covers, worm beds, succession gardening, germination, companion planting etc.) It can make your head spin, and it can stop you from doing anything at all.
Don't let the fear of failure keep you from moving. Gardening isn't a place for perfection. It's a place of trial, error, testing and continuously learning. Embrace the processes. I've heard it said that "No failure, is actually a failure on gardening." It's new wisdom and experience.

For the Kitchen

• Get started on your Preservation Game Plan

Simply put, what are you planting? What do you want to preserve? When does it ripen?
Again this will take knowing your plants, planting them at a good time, and a lot of watchful patience. Do you have canning jars? If not, now would be a good time to start collecting!

This acts as a basic outline that should be broad enough for everyone to use rather than going into basics for each specific plant anyone may have decided to plant that year! We live in the information age, and it's still free! (For now.)

Until next time, Enjoy the Journey!

~Abbey

Get Started Homesteading: In the Kitchen

This is the place where most of the magic will happen. You want to make sure this space is efficient and well rounded, or you'll certainly risk being overwhelmed and burned out.

Shop your stores

Take a look at your stores. What do you have canned? Frozen? Dried? etc.

• Take an inventory and make note of any gaps to fill.

This will help us build an efficient and very personal system for our family's likes and needs. We've allowed the supermarket dictators to provide our family with the food we used to provide for ourselves. Do you really want THEM being responsible for the essentials of human survival in regards to your family and loved ones? I don't.
In having your own garden, and preparing your own foods within your kitchen, there will be quite a bit more work involved, but there's also a beautiful simplifying that takes place when you're preparing your own foods. No more clipping coupons for foods you really shouldn't be eating anyway. And no more being overwhelmed with the mass of Pinterest recipes you'll never make

• Get to cooking what you have at home.

Open your fridge

Take a look inside and lets do what we did for our pantry. How many bottles of condiments and sauces have you managed to cram in the door? Get rid of them. You don't need exotic sauces for the meal you cooked once months ago with no intention of cooking again. That's a waste of money and space. You'll find that the flavor of your own staples far surpasses that of any store bought brand. It feels so much better eating something that you made. You know every last ingredient. You don't need to worry about how it was processed or the undercover chemicals that may hide behind innocent looking names. Relish in it!
We want to focus on streamlining our systems and doing more with less. Take a general stock of the food throughout your fridge, even the food that you've left to rot in the back.What about the freezer? How have you been using the foods you have on hand? Before you gear up for more food preservation, you need to commit to using the food you already have. Freezers and fridges aren't created to hold your food indefinitely.

• Invest in containers

There's no need to go overboard now. Pooling resources together with some friends and like minded people and buy in bulk as possible. This will cut costs significantly. These will be canning jars and food grade buckets for holding dry food stores in bulk, such as flours and beans. Half gallon, one gallon and 5 gallon buckets are the most practical. You can use these to store things like:
Flour *Keep in mind some flours go rancid more quickly than others, so don't buy these in large quantities if you aren't prepared to use them. Wheat berries, nuts* buckwheat groats, brown rice and beans! *Some nuts such as walnuts can go rancid quickly. It's best to use within 2-3 months for freshest flavor. Store in the fridge or freezer to extend flavor.

A place for everything

Do you have a good amount of space set aside for all your canned goodies? Don't worry about the exact amount of space just yet. This is just something we want to consider. We'll have a better idea of the size of space we'll need after delving into the preservation planning in march.

Now, write down all the bullet points and let's get crackin'!
Your home system will be a reflection of you, and those you love; uniquely.

-Abbey

Come along with us on this journey by following us on Facebook or through email using the form on the right.  

Get Started Homesteading: In the Garden

You want to jump on the wagon of self-reliant and more sustainable living, but you aren't sure what that really looks like or where to start.
Getting started may not be the "fluffiest" step but it's certainly the one that holds the most impact.

Growing Food - In a Garden - Yourself

Don't bail on me just yet, we're going to walk right alongside you on this one. Step by step, broken down into manageable tasks each month.

Some of us will be sharing how we grow in apartments and some of us will be displaying full beds and beautiful gardens. So yes, this is for EVERYONE!

January is over but I'm type A; we can't move on without also completing January's assignments or the entire year, and universe will crumble into oblivion.                                            

Choosing to homestead/ home-make in the traditional manner is going to be hard work! It will definitely get harder before it gets easier. There will be days when you question your reasoning and are tempted to give up and give in to the lure of leisure, luxury and convenience.
Don't get me wrong, homesteading isn't all about asceticism either. In fact there's a lot to be said for the many rewards of "householding". There's certainly beauty and charm in it.

But nothing worthwhile comes without blood sweat and tears.

We're going to be in the trenches with you.
I'll give the assignments in bullet-point form for convenience.

• Take a Personal Inventory. I'd highly suggest you grab a dedicated "householding" journal/binder.-
• What is your level of commitment here?
• What does homemaking really mean to you?

This life isn't the place for huge egos and accolades. No one is going to praise your latest achievements with a pay raise. You don't get PTO, or promotions. This life is all about serving, learning, working and loving. Loving those around you through your labor. If you have a martyr complex, you may need to take some time to seriously reconsider what all of this means for you.

How do you feel about *really* being at home?

Not just being there because the stores are closed, not just being there to relax, not just being there just because, but REALLY being home to work and run an efficient machine. More importantly, finding the balance between that efficient machine and creating a safe haven and place of rest.

Walk your space

Again a dedicated "householder's" journal or binder would be especially helpful. Walk your space and visualize what you would like to see in your garden. Look at each specific area and take note of the location as it pertains to the hours of sunlight, any sort of run-off, shade, protection from wind if needed, etc. Take note of these things and visualize what you want to bring to fruition.

• Map a garden

A "to scale" map is absolutely recommended. Get out a large piece of paper and map your yard or garden area to scale. Start mapping out your beds' size and location.
Keep a journal for your garden. What you plant, the yield, etc.  There will be mistakes. Don't let your fear of mistakes keep you from moving. The best way to learn, is by doing! Make sure everyone is on board, at least MOSTLY.

• Grab some seed catalogs

Figure out what your garden will grow!
You could cut your seed or start order in half and still have more than you can handle.
Here is our favorite *FREE* seed catalogs -

1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - http://www.rareseeds.com/request-catalogus/
2. Seed Savers Exchange - http://www.seedsavers.org/Catalog.html
3. Bountiful Gardens - https://www.bountifulgardens.org/inforequest.asp

Now, write down all the bullet points and let's get crackin'!
Your home system will be a reflection of you, and those you love; uniquely.

-Abbey

Come along with us on this journey by following us on Facebook or through email using the form on the right. 

Don't forget to check out the other posts in our Getting Started Homesteading series.