Philosophy is something I've not paid enough concious attention to lately. Reading Joel Salatin has helped bring it more into focus for me as he consistently highlights the importance of philosophy in what we do.
What started out as a small home making experiment has quickly become a passion for me.
Fungal activity in the hugel bed yesterday morning.
Homesteading is a way of life that I was always drawn to. I credit my mom with that from her farming background to homeschooling us, to reading the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder many times when we were young. Not to mention every kid's obsession with the hard working optimism of western pioneers.
I'm not sure I had a specific goal in mind when I dug our first three beds in April. We bought seeds indiscriminately. Mostly hybrid seeds, and mostly from Walmart. I didn't know about heirlooms and hybrids at the time. It was all about starting, and that was an easy route.
Chicks foraging in the unmowed horseherb patch.
I'm not the type to do things small. My family has always jumped in deep into what we do, and I guess I'm no exception. Reading and talking with folks (usually here on steem) has helped me hone in on a plan, direction, and purpose for our little aspiring homestead in Texas.
One attractive point of homesteading is frugality. A dollar on a seed packet that saves five dollars in vegetables with a little work is almost a no brainier to someone like me that loves outside work. As I learned, I found that organic gardening blends well with my 2018 resolution to live a healthier life. Increasing quality of life at a decreased expense while deriving pleasure is one hell of a function stack.
The fact that this place costs me a lot of money adds a keenness to the fact that it can be put to work to help save money. Making money on it from excess is something that's a distinct possibility later once I am sure I can provide for my family.
Fresh comfrey sprouting from both ends of a cutting.
All of this evolved into a pretty good reason. I want to provide a good life for my family. That's what it all boils down to. All the work and function stacking is in an attempt to benefit my family a bit. They provide a huge driving force for a lot of what I do.
A far off possibility will be to benefit my neighbors, but first I need to be able to take care of what my family needs. As I said, it would be cool to earn money with all this on top of the savings, but a market garden is a ways off. At least a year and a half.
Chicks foraging by a pecan sapling in the south project.
I've never been a real hippie type person. I'm a fairly run of the mill suburban white dude with traditional values. But during the process of starting a suburban homestead I've learned to put new value on nature. It's not something we can merely extract from forever. That's not indefinitely sustainable in any system, so something's gotta give. Things need to change. It's started already, and I'm welcoming those changes at my home.
Thanks for reading that whole long thing. Now that I shared mine, I want to know why you homestead. Work up a little steem post and drop the link in the comments! I say to work up a post because it'll increase your earnings and audience ;)
If you enjoyed this post, swing on by the Global Homestead Collective discord server! We've got homesteaders there from around the globe that are ready to welcome, share, and talk with anyone that wants to be there.
Stay relevant
Nate