Izabela H identifies some of the main features of homestead life
Recently Steve explained how he is ready to move into a new way of life. Below we will cover the basics you should know about homesteading. I mean, wouldn’t self-sufficiency be an amazing thing to implement in your life?
What about preparing and preserving food on your own, with no preservatives?
We will explore these and more in just a moment.
Our editor Steve W picks out his favourites
Pete Larson lives with his wife Hilarie and their three children on “Just a Few Acres” of land outside New York. Pete quit his job as an architect after becoming increasingly miserable and dissatisfied with corporate life.
Now the couple farm the land, keep cattle and livestock, run a farm shop and much more. Pete clearly knows what he is doing and (dodgy jokes aside) watching each episode is always an education.
The first thing that stands out about the Neals is their vibrant zest for life. They are constantly active. I’m not completely sure about the family dynamics but the family matriarch does most of the talking.
She is often accompanied by “old guy”, who clearly holds decades of experience and can tell a yarn or two. These happy homesteaders offer a wide variety of skills and are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.
Hanging around in the chilly woods of Alaska may not be everybody’s cup of tea. Off-grid experts Dave and Brooke Whipple have turned it into an art. Dave openly discusses life issues such as accumulation of material possessions and debt.
His story has been picked up by many media outlets. He is clearly very talented at building strong structures. The couple were originally discovered on American reality TV.
One of my more recent discoveries and closer to home too. Gubb Farm is based on an island in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
The channel is designed for those interested in organic food, hazelnuts, regenerative agriculture, soil biology and learning how to generate an income from a small farm holding.
It’s farm life – unfiltered.
I’ve always had an uneasy relationship with the term “prepping” for some reason. The media often uses it as a loaded term to describe people who run from zombies or load up on ammo and tins of dried beans to avoid government restrictions.
Dave from Prepping Essentials seems disappointingly normal. There’s not a firearm in sight. All he focuses on is good old fashioned hard work and plenty of ingenuity to make his small holding dream a reality.
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By Steve W
To say it’s been a strange year would be an understatement. Goodbye 2020. Good riddance. We never want to see you again! Unfortunately, we have a slight problem. The early stages of 2021 are shaping up to be much of the same.
Unless you’ve been stationed under a very large rock for the past 12 months you’ll know that the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe. As masks, social distancing and financial furloughs become part of everyday life, we are truly entering an uncertain era.
Throughout the entire pandemic I’ve been working as usual in my regular job. The hours might be slightly reduced and the circumstances different but I’ve had to travel each and every day to a physical location. At the end of each shift it has been a great comfort to return home to a place that is more or less isolated.
No longer a functioning farm, our property is set off-road, barely visible from the surrounding lanes, beautifully barricaded by a fortress of trees, fields and hedges. Streams trickle gently around those fields. An enclosed glen, affectionately named “the enchanted forest” by my children, lies just a five minute walk away.
Despite living on a former farm, and adopting many of the daily practices congruent with a homestead, I’ve never actually considered myself as a homesteader. Livestock has come and gone, fruits and vegetables get planted each year, wood is chopped, winter prepping takes place every October/November. This is what I’ve always done, never thinking too hard about the labels.
As the madness persists and a desire for self-sufficiency grows, I am starting to think it might be time to come out of the hay shed and become a part-time “homesteader”. While I previously categorised anyone diligently preparing stock and supplies as one of those types who waited for a zombie apocalypse or were creating some sort of military bunker, I now realise it could soon become a necessary activity.
The zombies are coming – and they want your toilet rolls!
Happy Preppers
Indeed, people were queuing and fighting over toilet rolls just months ago. Therefore, stocking up on beans, rice, porridge and some dried goods, as suggested by Dave from Prepping Essentials, might not be the worst idea in the world, given the current situation.
Will the shit hit the fan? Yes, quite possibly. If becoming a homesteader can help mitigate the potential impacts of a worst case scenario then I am well placed to take on such a challenge and embrace the homestead lifestyle.
I have a few decent skills, but will need to brush up a lot more if I am to retain any kind of self sufficiency. Baby steps at first, but here my journey begins.
I am not going to be tough on myself. It takes time and years of failure and experience to get to where I need to be. While I am pretty underprepared at present -lacking in certain skillsets- I have picked up a few tips and tricks over the years.
After scribbling down my “assets” on a piece of paper I’ll end with a short list of things I have in my favour…
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Thanks for reading. If you found some value please leave a COMMENT or SHARE with others who might enjoy the article.
Do you think I’m bonkers?! I might be. Either way, continue the conversation by sending an email to escapersmedia@gmail.com with your thoughts.