I recently had an email from a very nice lady sharing with
me that she longed for country life and a homesteading type of lifestyle but was
in the city. She wanted to know what kind of book resources there were for
learning about homesteading. My answer was first a book resource for her and
then some ideas on what she could do right in the city.
Her question inspired me with some
thoughts I wanted to share.
I sometimes
get the sense that many believe that homesteading looks a certain way.. nice
little spot in the country, big garden growing, chickens all around, a few
little goats in the pasture, etc... But the one thing I learned from my years of
living in the city is that homesteading has a different meaning today than it
did back in the days where people homesteaded a piece of land. Today we live in
a very different world. Homesteading to me is the means which I can help out my
family’s budget and be a product wife right here in my home where the Lord has
called me to be. Even if a woman works outside the home, the home is a place
that needs lots of TLC and attention and a woman’s desire to make a home is
still in her heart.
When I lived in the city I had this dream of living in the country. It was many
years before we actually were able to move our family out into the country. I
remember thinking that I already have my little piece of land right here in the
city. So I focused on my “homestead” so that I could be the best possible
steward of what the Lord had already given me.
I began by cooking from scratch. I had the time in my day to make this a
priority and feeding my growing family was a big job. I wanted to help out the
family budget by buying less pre packaged food. So I taught myself to cook our
favorite meals from scratch. This does save money! And if using good healthy
ingredients it will improve the family health as well.
In two of the homes I lived in (one was a rental the other we owned) I grew a
garden. That was extremely rewarding. The first garden I grew was not that big
but I was surprised at how much I could contribute to each meal during the
summer with what I was able to harvest. The savings from this was much needed at
the time as we had 2 children and my husband was going through school and our
budget was tight; very tight!!
In the second home
I was able to have a bigger garden and had enough produce to do a little canning
with the bounty. I learned to can by reading books and talking with friends and
many older ladies from my church who canned. This was a blessing to us as well
as a great feeling of satisfaction as I served my family my canned food during
the winter.
Aside from cooking and baking (I started baking my own bread back in the first
house) I also refined my sewing skills. I had many little children and it was a
real blessing to be able to find fabric on sale and turn it into clothes for
them and myself as well.
I also picked up my crocheting again. Something I had not done in many years. I
found this to be rewarding and helpful. Between my sewing and crocheting I made
many gifts for my family. Due to very tight finances and our desire to buy a
home it was a blessing to be able to make the holiday time less stressful with
my homemade gifts.
I learned and studied all about herbs and herbal medicine. I had a few health
issues with my children and was not impressed by traditional medicines that
seemed to just give me a Band-Aid to cover it up, so to speak. I learned all I
could about herbs through library books (the internet was not a mainstay in
peoples homes at this point). I was able to deal with a variety of issues and my
children’s health dramatically improved.
All in all my point to this article is that to me homesteading is more about
being a resourceful and productive wife than it is about living in the country.
It is seeing what the Lord has already provided for me and making the absolute
most out of it that I am able to. It is a focus on what I have, not what I want
to have. Not to say that dreams are not a good thing. If there were no
homesteading dreams then I would not be here on my land today. But the key to it
all is being a good steward of what I already have as well as contentment with
what the Lord has given me.
Now for that country living book resource that needs to be a part of every
homesteading wife’s library:
Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living . It is
fun to read, very educational and you will learn a lot about every possible
avenue of homesteading there is!
