I didn’t grow up in a homesteading family. I was drawn towards it while on a journey of reconnecting with my authentic self, my roots. I realized that I felt like I was running with the crowds towards goals that didn’t actually align with my own. The consumerism lifestyle of always being bigger, shinier, and more expensive felt exhausting to me. Wanting to follow a path of my choosing, towards my own goals instead of a way chosen for me by societal norms, I needed to go back to my roots and define those goals. My goals looked more like living a life of simplicity, nature, authenticity, health, self/community sufficiency, and peace. Knowing I needed to make some major changes in my life to start cultivating my own goals; I made one choice, learned one new skill, started one new project, and kept growing. The point is, I just started, right where I was.
This is what Cultivating Roots means to me- Becoming anchored to and tending to your authentic self.
I am here to share my story and hope to inspire you to get started cultivating your own roots and teach you what I’ve learned along the way.
Start Asking Questions
I started to ask myself a lot of questions. What ideas might I need to challenge? What kind of environment do I want to be living in? What do I want my days to look like? What do I want to be consuming? What brings me joy, pride, and peace? What kinds of things do I want to achieve/learn? How can I produce more and consume less?
What questions would you ask yourself?
Finding Our Roots
I used these answers to guide my journey into homesteading. I realized true happiness for our family meant listening to our inner voices and slowing down, marching to our own drum. For us, it looked like moving to an environment surrounded by nature, building a large garden, preserving food, making as much homemade as possible, buying chicks, and continuing to learn to expand our homestead.
What would your answers look like and what small steps could you start taking to achieve them?
Start Cultivating
There is no time like the present. Learn one new skill, start one new project, and make one new choice to bring you closer to a life of authenticity and homesteading. I mean, Today.
Some things you most likely already have the supplies and ingredients for:
- Bake a loaf of bread
- Make a sourdough starter
- Ferment some vegetables
- Make your own mayonnaise
- Learn how to regrow green onions, lettuce, and celery from their roots
- Make natural cleaning products
- Start saving vegetable scrapes and bones for broth and stock
- Save bread ends or stale bread to make breadcrumbs
Some decisions you could make today:
- Buy those chicks you’ve been thinking about
- Research a local farm that sells quality dairy or meats
- Sign up for a course on a skill you’ve been wanting to learn
- Go to the library (yes they still exist and are great!) and get all the homesteading books
- Buy seed starting supplies
- Build a raised garden bed
- Learn about foraging and head outdoors
- Learn to sew, crochet, or knit
Cultivate your community
Many people come to the homesteading lifestyle with the aspiration of being self-sufficient. That is certainly one of my goals as well, however, I believe in the power of community. It’s not impossible but quite difficult to be 100% self-sufficient in all areas of your life. Look to your neighbors, trade, barter. Think about what you could contribute. Could you trade your locally grown, organic produce for eggs or milk? I could go on forever on the benefits of supporting small or local farmers so I’ll save that for another post but relying on your community is not a bad thing!
At The Root Of It All
We have to start somewhere. Cultivating our goals is typically not an overnight story. You can start right here, right now, right where you are. It only takes one small step, one new skill, or one new choice at a time to bring you closer to your goals.
My intent here is to be an inspiration and support for you in your journey and I hope you stick around and grow along with me!
Gardening
Our homestead journey began with the garden. I had successfully grown small, backyard gardens in the past but this was my first year starting from scratch on a 10-acre homestead. Here in Northern Minnesota, our winters are cold and long. I spent my winters cozied up inside doing research, research, and then some more research. Dreaming of a sunny, green garden that grew food for my family year-round. I was hooked. Before I knew it, grow lights and seed trays had taken over our house. We built a garden that has been expanding every year in size and variety. We now grow enough produce to last our family of four through most of the year.
Sourdough
I don’t know precisely when I baked my first loaf of bread but I will never forget the pride I felt! I had never considered myself a baker as I don’t like following recipes.
My journey into bread started with the basics, peasant bread, sandwich loaf, and English muffins. Then I experimented with some seed and nut bread. But once I learned about sourdough, I was hooked. Besides the great flavor, the health benefits are fantastic. If you hang out on my site enough, you’ll learn how much I love a good ferment, whether it be bread, veggies, or milk. It’s a whole new world but once you get the hang of it, it’s a game-changer! I’ll share with you how I learned to make my own sourdough starter, get started in the basic loaves, and then expand into some more creative recipes.
Cooking
I have always been an intuitive cook. When anyone asks me for a recipe I never have one to share. I was blessed to have grown up in kitchens with other intuitive cooks. For me, cooking is a form of creative expression. Sure, it helps first to learn some cooking basics but from there go experiment! Find a recipe for something you like to eat then get creative! You will often find copious amounts of garlic and onions in my recipes for example, because my family loves them. If you don’t, then simply omit or use a lesser amount. It’s your kitchen, your rules!
Homemade
I have always had a love for creating things by hand. From knitting and crocheting to cooking and crafting, I find joy in the process of making something from scratch. Over time, this passion for DIY has expanded to include a wide range of household items, from condiments and cleaning products to skincare and more. For me, there is something deeply satisfying about knowing exactly what goes into the products I use on a daily basis and being able to customize them to suit my family’s specific needs. By making things myself, I can ensure that they are not only better for our health, but also better for the environment. Join me on this journey of homemade goodness as I share my favorite tips, tricks, and recipes for all things DIY!
Preservation
I have fond memories of canning jams and pickles with my Granny growing up. The whole process just amazed me, she amazed me. For me, preserving food is important for three reasons.
First, it’s such a rewarding feeling to be enjoying your summer and fall harvests in the dead of winter. Second, it also provides some food security. We are all aware of the recent world events and supply chain issues, so knowing that you have nutritious, homegrown food on the shelves feels great. Third, it’s yet another way to become a producer instead of a consumer. The tomato sauce on your pasta tonight was grown about 100 ft away from your kitchen instead of across the country or world, lowering your environmental footprint, one food item at a time. Preservation can come in many forms, canning, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, freeze-drying, and more!
Happy Cultivating!
