When we first moved to the country, I didn't give much thought to goat vs cow. I thought we needed a goat to make "goat cheese" and a cow for all of our other dairy products, such as milk, cream, cheddar cheese, yogurt, and so on. Before I learned the error in my thinking, we had already purchased two cows, in addition to three goats we bought. If you grew up drinking … [Read more...]
The Evolving Homestead
When we started our homestead in 2002, we had three children, ages 9, 12, and 14. They've grown up, gone to college, and started their own lives now. A lot of people have asked me if I'm disappointed that they left the homestead, but the reality is that this is a homestead, not a big commercial farm. We have a three bedroom house, and we don't make a full-time income from … [Read more...]
Growing an Agrihood
Have you heard about agrihoods? I've seen this term popping up more and more recently. Short for "agriculture neighborhood," essentially, an agrihood is an urban or suburban neighborhood built around farms. Here's a video about one of the largest agrihoods in the country located in Ashburn, Virginia and another agrihood in Detroit. There are thought to be more than 200 … [Read more...]
How many acres does a homesteader need — or not?
“I’d love to do what you do, except I live in town.” “I wish we could grow our own food, but we only have half an acre.” These are a couple of comments that I hear frequently. But they are not really valid reasons to avoid homesteading or growing your own food. Virtually everyone can grow at least some of their own food, even if they live in a condo or have a small … [Read more...]
When Children Leave the Homestead
When The Great American Farm Tour stopped by our farm a couple of months ago, I mentioned in the video how we are forming partnerships with other individuals now that our children have grown up and left the homestead. In the comment section, a couple of people opined about why our children left. I find it interesting that many people think that children should stay … [Read more...]
Collecting Rainwater on the Homestead
Although I didn't grow up on a farm, I remember visiting my grandparent's farm and my uncle's ranch as a child. I only have a few memories of what I saw there, but one regarded water. They had downspouts that flowed into water troughs. So, when we moved to our homestead in 2002, we immediately put water troughs under two of the downspouts on the barn. I had no idea at the … [Read more...]
Homesteading Lessons Learned
Much of what I share on this blog is about what I've learned homesteading. But I know that many of you have also learned a lot. So, a couple of weeks ago, I asked the Facebook fans of Thrifty Homesteader about the lessons they've learned homesteading. Here are some of their answers ... My grandpa always told me when I was looking for a place to call my own, to find a farm … [Read more...]
8 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food
Although most people seem excited to learn about our self-reliant lifestyle, every now and then, someone doesn't get it. Or they may think that we do this simply to save money. But the reality is that there are a lot of benefits to growing your own food. Chemical free When you grow your own, you know exactly what was or was not sprayed on it, as well as what was used to … [Read more...]
4 Questions You Must Ask Yourself Before Homesteading
We've met so many people through the years who've told us that we're living their dream. We totally understand. We dreamed about homesteading for about a decade before we dove in and did it. But we've learned a lot in the last 15 years. Sometimes I feel like the crash test dummy of homesteading. So, before you quit your job and head off to the middle of nowhere to live off the … [Read more...]
Cob ovens: a sustainable option for summer baking
Because we don’t have central air conditioning, we try to keep our house naturally cool during the summer. That means we cook indoors as little as possible. Through the years, we’ve used a modern grill on our deck and then we added a solar oven. Ultimately we built a cob oven. The main thing I love about having a cob oven is that it gets us one step closer to self-reliance. … [Read more...]