I came across this awesome website of great homesteading articles and a blog journal, but most importantly, this way cool list. A couple friends said we were just sooooo all about this list, so I thought I would post it and see just how many things we are doing, or considering!
Hold on to your hats! Here we go…
Plant your own vegetable garden. Check! Will have a much better one next year for sure… first year is rough.
Change your own oil on your car or truck. Ah.. No. Not that mechanically inclined.
Cut your own firewood. Half Check! (We do for our bonfire and such, but not inside… yet)
Collect and use rain water instead of municiple or well water. Nope. Plan to though.
Supplement your house’s heating system with solar water panels. Nope, not really in the plans.
Supplement your hot water needs with solar water panels. Nope… solar is a little scary with all the inverters and batteries and such. I’d like to try a small one, out on the lil’ coop to run a heat lamp though… to see how it goes?
Mulch your garden with local organic mulch instead of store bought products. Yep! Critter Litter Mulch is great!
Use home-made compost and free manure to enrich your garden’s soil. Yep… will take any poop that comes down the trail! Haha
Grow non-hybrid vegetables and save the seeds for next year’s planting. Yep… about 50% successful…
Grow potatoes and save the fingerlings for next years planting. Yes and No.. but that is a good idea. We always eat them all cuz they taste SO good… big little or in between.
Use square foot gardening techniques to grow lots of vegetables in small places. Yep, we do raised beds and barrels and such.
Build a greenhouse to extend your growing season. Naa… I like taking a break during winter.
Build a root cellar to store your harvest. Yep, we have a Michigan basement and it’s cool and dirt and all that. Plan to use it next year.
Start a small orchard for a variety of fruits. Yep! Have 6 trees, want to add a dozen more in the spring
Learn how to preserve food by canning. Yep, do that, love that!
Raise bees to help pollination and for honey. (Honey is the only food substance that will not spoil.) Yep. plan to try that in the spring, already learning how and pricing out hives and supplies!
Raise chickens for meat and eggs. Yep… fun stuff! We luvs chickens!
Raise sheep for wool and meat. Yep… gonna get more SOON! (Not so sure about the meat part though)
Raise goats or a dairy cow for dairy products. Yep, hope to get a mini-moo by the spring!
Preserve vegetables by sun drying them. Hmmm…. considered it, but never tried.
Spin wool into yarn for making clothes. Not yet… plan to though!
Make your own furniture out of tree branches. Half-Yes… does a fence and trellis and such count?
Preserve vegetables by freezing them. Yep… soon to have two small freezers! One already, works great!
Grow herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes. Yes! Plan to add more and more!
Use edible wild plants to supplement one’s diet. No… not really into that whole foraging thing. Though I wouldn’t turn down fruit from old trees though!
Use containers to grow vegetables in small places. Yes, we are using our half barrels and they work AWESOME… plan to use some for herbs this next year
Use chicken manure (composted) to help fertilize your garden. Yep… poop away girls!!!! Chicken manure is like pure gold!
Use, use and reuse as much as possible before throwing away. Yes… very much. Always hating to throw anything away…
Conserve electricity whenever possible. Yes and No… we sure try to, but it’s our only utility and we are online etc.
Tune-up your own car or truck. No… see oil change above. Not that good at it.
Sharpen your own tools. No… haven’t really needed to yet.
Build your own home. No… rehab though, yeah baby!
Grow grapes for preserves or raisins. Yes and No…. grew grapes, goats ate them all. Maybe next year!
Build a pond and raise fish for food. In the plans!!!! Perch.. mmmmmmm…..
Use solar panels to supplement your energy needs. Going to try one on the lil coop for a heat lamp… see if we can learn and do it right.
Learn how to use a welder. Hmmm…. for what purpose? I’ve never needed anything welded yet. I guess maybe if the need arrises….
Use clothes lines to dry clothes instead of a mechanical dryer. Yep. Don’t have a dryer!
Grow grains to feed your own livestock. Half yes… we give chickens garden goodies… and we grow pasture… does that count?
Grow alfalfa to return nitrogen to the soil. Ah. no.
Use a generator for emergency and supplemental power. In the plans….
Dig or drive your own well (make sure the water is tested before using for drinking). Ah, well, we have a well already. So it’s maybe a half yes?
Bake your own bread. Yes, definitely!
Do your own plumbing. Yes…. reluctantly, but we can!
Do your own electrical work. Yes… well, Steve helps but he’s teaching Maggie a ton
Run a small business from your home. Yep a doodle!
Barter goods and services with your neighbors. Yep… whenever we can!
Use a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower. Ah No. 3 acres= sheep, pony and GAS MOWER! haha…
Use a bicycle (whenever possible) instead of a motorized vehicle. Well…. naw. Maggie likes to ride but there are no good places to ride. Hope to see if Cody pony is road ready in the spring for trips to town!!! That would be awesome!
Consider becoming a vegetarian. (Raising animals for food takes more energy and resources than growing vegetables–eat lower on the food chain.) Ah, no. Chickens and piggies taste tooooo good. However, we are light meat eaters… only a few pounds a week for the whole family.
Have any maples trees? Make your own syrup as a sugar substitute. Yep! Plan to do this… already been marking out my trees for the task!
Not a vegetarian? Supplement your diet by hunting game. Hmmm…. not really into game… might have to pass on this one!
Home school your children. They can incorporate gardening and livestock care into their curriculum and it saves on travel(environmentally sound), uniform costs and school trip expenses(frugal).As well as allowing them to be educated in sustainable living/permaculture. Something schools don’t cover!! It’s rewards are many fold and results in happy well balanced children!!!! Yep! Homeschooled both of the little critters!!!!
32 out of 52! Better than 50%! Hmmm…. 61.5% to be exact! Yeah! I know we have more room to grow but I’m pretty proud that we’re trying hard for some self sufficiency!
How about you??? What’s your percentage??? Care you share?
Here’s the link to the site… Day Creek and the list article!
http://www.daycreek.com/dc/html/dc_ss_thingsyoucando.htm
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