Baby Steps to a Sustainable, Self-Sufficient Lifestyle
April 16, 2010 by Mrs. Frugal
It seems like everyday we hear of another food recall or a study is released telling us some artificial ingredient in our food has been found to cause cancer. The state of our food production system is appalling. Large agricultural companies continue to implement measures that drive up their profits and drive down the nutritional value of our food. All of these things only motivate me to create a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle where I’m in control of what goes on our table.
Our dream is to purchase a parcel of land where we can create our own homestead where we would:
- Raise grass-fed cattle, free range chickens, turkeys and ducks.
- Grow our own vegetables, herbs, fruit and nuts
- Plant a small vineyard and make our own wine
- Keep Guinea fowl for pest control (these birds are particularly effective at removing ticks as well as garden pests and weed seeds)
- Generate our own energy using renewable sources
- Capture and store rainwater for irrigation
But today we are renters and it could be 3-5 years or more before we purchase a property. Does that mean I need to delay my dreams of a sustainable lifestyle? Absolutely not. A homestead isn’t built overnight. There are the baby steps I can take toward self-reliance that only require a small backyard and in my case, an agreeable landlord.
What we’re tackling this year:
- Composting – I created a compost pile in my backyard and compost all uncooked, plant-based kitchen scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds. I also add lawn clippings and leaves. This has significantly cut down on our garbage and this time next year I’ll have nutrient rich, organic compost to use in my garden.
- Growing vegetables and fruit – Soon I’ll be planting an organic garden with some of our favorite vegetables. We also have three apple trees and one pear tree that will produce a bounty of fruit in the fall.
- Canning and cellaring – I’ll soon be teaching myself how to preserve our harvest with canning and root cellaring.
- Supporting local farms – To supplement our harvest I purchase produce from local farmers.
- Purchase grass-fed beef from a local ranch – We recently purchased a quarter of grass-fed beef. Not only do we know that the cattle was raised on it’s natural diet of grass, is free of hormones and antibiotics and was treated humanely, it is the best quality meat that we have ever had.
What we plan for next year:
- Chickens – We plan to get a few laying hens for fresh eggs. They’ll also provide some pest control.
- Expand the garden – Depending on the success of this year’s garden, I’ll probably expand the garden to include a wider variety of vegetables.
- Purchase locally raised free-range meat poultry (chicken and turkey)
As we learn and grow more confident in our new found homesteading skills, I’m sure we’ll find other ways to increase our self-sufficiency and decrease our impact on the planet.
I’d love to hear your suggestions on other things we can do today to live a more sustainable, self-sufficient life.
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Wow this is awesome…. I look forward to watching your blog as this project progresses… I never knew that about Guinea Fowl.
I really want to start some veggies but I only have a tiny tiny balcony in my apartment, no excuse though I should be growing something.
Thanks Forest! I’m excited to see how we progress too!
I just learned about Guinea Fowl too. I would get some today, but I understand they can be a bit noisy so I think the neighbors would object. But we’ll definitely get some once we get our own property.
I’ve dreamt about doing the things you are going. Part of doing such great things requires a spouse that is on board with the effort. Unfortunately, I can’t convince my wife to pursue the lifestyle (She doesn’t share my viewpoint on various chemicals we are subjected to either).
So, kudos to you and know that I think what you are doing is truly great!
I will leave with one thought/inquiry:
For your compost pile, it’s not in a plastic barrel is it? I’m not a fan of those because I worry about chemicals leaching from the barrel into the compost materials, then then finally into the plant roots…
Great post
Thanks MR!
No plastic barrel, just a good old fashioned pile. I’ve fenced off an area to keep the animals out and we dump all scraps in there. I turn it a couple times a week and let nature do the rest. When I’m browsing Home Depot or Costco I’ll see the fancy compost bins and the consumer in me REALLY wants one. But the reality is, you don’t need it at all. Composting is a process that nature has perfected, we don’t need fancy gadgets to do it.
I love the idea of baby-stepping your way to where you want to be. This way you have time to practice on smaller parts and work out any kinks too, without jumping into everything at once.
In addition to learning to can, try dehydrating as well. I use it for herbs and veggies.
And just cooking the majority of your meals from ‘scratch’ helps a GREAT deal.
I’m lucky that I’m also able to buy grass fed beef and free range eggs and chicken locally. (Also buffalo and venison yummmmm)
Some people give up before they start- they say “I can’t do it all, so why bother”, but you show people that even if you can’t do everything to live a self sustainable life, you can get pretty darn close.
We also have a similar dream- we’d love to live in an earthship (which recycles water and is solar and wind powered) with goats and chickens and growing all our own food, but in the meantime, we’ll settle for having chickens and window box gardens and making solar cookers and using solar hot water. Though I really would love a wind turbine!!!
I love your plan of building a homestead! It’s great to hear you’re supporting your local economy by purchasing fruits, veggies, and beef locally. That’s pretty amazing. How did you find your local beef supplier? I’m just curious how far away they are. Thanks for these great ideas!
Thanks, we’re pretty fortunate to live in an agriculturally rich area. We found our supplier on Craigslist under Farm + Garden. He was about an hour away from us. We’ve since asked our local independent butcher and they’ve given us some additional sources right here in our neighborhood. We’ll try them next time.
You can also try EatWild.com for listings of ranches in your area that supply grass-fed beef. Hope this helps!
Great article. If only everyone would take one small step each day then we would change the world. I included it in at the healthy living blog carnival: http://bestblogreview.com/2010/05/guide-to-healthy-living/ I love composting and am always in search of grass or local antibiotic free beef. I usually have to eat bison or venison when looking for clean red meat sources. Money talks though so stop buying the bad stuff and eventually they will stop making it! (hopefully)