What Is A Homestead?

What is a homestead? Here at Secret Life of Homesteaders, we LOVE homesteading and today we’re going to answer the question of what is a homestead.

The homesteading lifestyle has been around since the first human beings began to settle and cultivate the land. Nowadays, homesteading is defined as a type of sustainable lifestyle that generally involves growing your own food and engaging in homemaking activities such as sewing, bread making, and gardening.

Many homesteaders grow their own organic vegetables and fruits using eco-friendly gardening principles. They may also raise livestock like chickens and goats for food or for homesteading purposes like making soap.

The homesteading lifestyle is not just about sustainable living. Homesteaders are resourceful people who try to use what they have in an efficient manner. Besides cultivating land with crops, homesteaders preserve food, clean and sew clothing, raise livestock or poultry for food purposes, make homebrewed beer and wine, preserve the bounty of the homestead (through canning and smoking), and practice self-sufficiency.

The homesteading lifestyle is about more than just growing your own food supplies – it’s a life philosophy that helps homesteaders become more self-sufficient. Homesteading brings homemakers closer to nature and allows homesteaders to live a life that is simpler and happier in many ways.

The homesteading lifestyle is enjoyable, natural, and uncomplicated. It involves all aspects of homemaking and natural living including growing your own food, living “off the grid,” homemaking skills, homesteading animals, and oftentimes even making money off of your efforts.

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Do You Have To Own Land To Learn How To Homestead?

While it is traditional for homesteaders to own at least a little bit of land, in today’s modern world, you don’t have to own land or have a big yard in order to enjoy aspects of the homesteading lifestyle.

We talk a little bit more about this in our article entitled The Basics Of Homesteading.

Instead of turning a huge yard into a haven for a garden and some livestock, you can turn a small corner of your kitchen or your back porch into some homegrown production efforts.

At The Secret Life of Homesteading, we have a plethora of information and resources for you to reference. Pick one or two projects, or perhaps even more, and learn how to create your own miniature homestead.

We’ll teach you how to grow food from kitchen scraps or preserve your own food. For those with a bit more space, we’ll teach you how to raise chickens or rabbits, or perhaps even worms! Learn how to build a safe home for all of your critters. And learn how to lead a sustainable life without having to break the bank.

Whether you have a tiny apartment or a huge farm, rest assured that homesteading can be for anyone!

What Kind Of Skills Do Modern-Day Homesteaders Have?

There are so many skills that go into the life of a modern-day homesteader. Here are just a few examples of some skills that homesteaders in today’s modern world might have to master.

The specific skills you might focus on will be dependent on your interest, your resources, and the amount of space you have to work with. (Don’t let anybody tell you your apartment can’t be a miniature homestead!)

• Cooking
• Gardening
• Knowing when to start seeds (indoors and outdoors)
• Raising small animals (knowing how to take care of chickens, rabbits, etc)
• Butchering animals
• Making money outside of a job
• Raising medium-sized animals (goats, etc)
• Simple building skills
• Sewing
• Food preservation
• Housekeeping
• Handicrafts
• Cooking without fuel
• Beekeeping  

None of these skills are out of reach if you wanted to learn how. Homesteading is not hard, and it doesn’t require years of experience or an agricultural degree to get started.

Read – Homestead Daily Schedule Tips and Free PDF

We’ll teach you everything you need to know about each topic

So what are you waiting for? Prepare for your own sustainable adventure with The Secret Life of Homesteaders.