Homesteading without Livestock

I've heard other homesteaders say this before and it's something I've struggled with for years....

Am I fraud if I call myself a homesteader but I don't have any livestock?

We do have chickens though. Laying hens. Our plan for 2024 is to add a few meat birds/broilers. But, we will likely never have cows or pigs or any other large animals here.

I love and hate labels. On one hand it feels good to call myself something that I resonate with and that feels legit. On the other hand I feel like a fraud for calling myself something that I can't check off all the boxes to. I know I'm not the only one and I know many homesteaders have thought or felt this before.

The truth is though, you don't need anything to call yourself a homesteader. Maybe you just love cooking from scratch or sewing clothes for your kids or canning everything you grow in your garden each year. There are lists upon lists of skills/things they say we "should" have to be a homesteader but we don't have to have all of them and we definitely do not need to have them all at once or before we even start/call ourselves homesteaders.

Homesteading to me is a journey. It's personal. It's individual. It's a lifestyle, and not just some Instagram/Pinterest worthy white kitchens and coops that barely look lived in or pooped in. It's hard. It's messy. There are fuck ups but also glorious memories to be made.

So... here we are 10 years later and I've finally come to terms with the fact that for the time being my homesteading journey doesn't include large animals and that is ok! I don't have to be like everyone else and my journey doesn't have to "look" like anything.

When we bought our property back in 2013, I had zero intention to homestead, I'm not even sure I knew that term back then. All I knew was that since I was a little girl (who grew up in the city) I dreamed of living in the country and farming. No one in my family farmed but it felt like it ran deep within my soul and I knew it was where I belonged.

Unfortunately our property doesn't have anywhere to house animals, or really even to build anything bigger than a chicken coop or two, but I am committed to living this Homesteader Lifestyle anyway I can.

Do I still dream of having more land and a barn? Absolutely. And someday maybe we will. But for now, I will utilize what I've got and learn, grow and give back in the meantime.

Becoming a homesteader doesn't really happen overnight. For me its taken years of research, learning, trying new things, making mistakes (lots of mistakes) and building upon the previous years knowledge.

There are many things you can do to live this lifestyle and become a little more self-sufficient, connected to your land and food, and take your family back to some old time ways if thinking & living.

If you want to start living a homesteader lifestyle, I hands down recommend starting in the kitchen. The relationship you have with food is one of the most important things you will ever do for yourself and your family. The joy and satisfaction you feel when you cook from scratch or buy produce from your neighbour (or grow your own) is something else. If you've ever baked bread you will know this feeling I'm talking about. Watching your family devour that first loaf of sourdough bread is something you will never forget. Knowing you can nourish your family with something as simple as water, flour, salt and a homemade sourdough starter is next level.

Here is a list of a few things you can dip your toes into that will bring you back to the way we were intended to live:

• Plant something, anything. Herbs, Veggies - in a garden or on a deck or windowsill. Save your own seeds! Dry your own Herbs.
• Cook from scratch. Start with something simple like banana bread.
• Learn about foraging - I get the whole family involved picking dandelions for my dandelion jam.
• Barter with friends and family. I used to trade my homemade deodorant to my best friend in exchange for hair cuts.
• Hunt or Fish if you can or trade/buy extra from someone you know you does.
• Use Cash - this isn't really an absolute homesteader thing but if we don't use it we're going to lose it and lets be honest, the government doesn't need to know everything we do with our hard earned money.
• Read! Research! Learn! Never stop learning new skills. Add something new to your homestead every year. Deep dive into Self-Reliance or Permaculture for example.
• Make your own cleaning, bath & beauty products. I will be posting more about this later.
• Learn to Ferment. Make Kombucha or a Ginger Bug or a Sourdough starter. Probiotics are in. Gut Health is key. Research this!!
• Chickens or Rabbits can work in small spaces. If you're in town, check the rules on this and give it a go.
• Compost! I have a traditional compost set up as well as worms. Worm Castings are like gold for your garden!
• Teach your kids where their food comes from. Show them how to grow something. It will be one of the most invaluable lessons you ever give them.

Learn to live with the seasons of your life. Start small and learn and grow. No one became a homesteader overnight. It takes dedication and dreams, tears and fuck ups. But it's totally doable even if you have no animals or land to work with. Don't let labels define your journey.

Lastly, if you feel like a homesteader, you are a homesteader. Don't let labels or a lack of something on someone's "homesteader must have list" slow you down, make you feel like a fraud or keep you from getting started.

~ K ~