Today we’re talking about what it really looks like to go from a home to a homestead, and I get to answer a question I’ve been asked for years in real time: If I had it all to do over again, what would I do differently?
LFTN Stocking Exchange
- Reminder that the LFTN Stocking Exchange is coming up. Get it on your radar!
Featured Event: Soil Microscopy Class
- Soil and Microscopy Intensive
- Learn to look at what is actually happening in your soil and better understand the biology that makes healthy soil work.
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Tales from the Prepper Pantry
- Building new shelves
- Consolidating freezer fat
- Meatloaf is the big project of the week
- Processed all peppers for salsa futures
Frugality Tip: 100% Cotton Throws
- Buy a cotton blanket at Aldi for $15
- Sew it in half and you get two throws for the price of one
- No unnatural plastic yuck in your throws
Operation Independence
- SRF sponsorship has really come through!
- Holler Roast is up 20% since the weeks of the fair
- Thanks, y’all!
Main Topic: From Home To Homestead
One of the questions I get when on panels and suck is “If you had it to do all over again, how would you build your homestead?” Or “What are the 2 or 3 biggest mistakes you made early on in building your homestead?”
As homestead advising types we tend to tell people to build things one at a time and go slowly so that you can get your systems working. Or we say get a permaculture plan in place first. Or we have more practical advice like infrastructure before livestock, get your zone 0 in place before you do anything else, etc
All these things are true and not true at the same time
- What is homesteading? The eternal question, more controversial than what is off grid? (Reminds me of the how libertarian are you arguments)
- Homestead Where You Are
- Is land required?
- Mindset change
- Ongoing learning
Then came the question: If you had it all to fro over again
- Holler Hub being developed for a year with Basecamp Lodge as the event center
- Fighting a type one error at the Holler Homestead where I live
- Acceleration of the challenges this year, remediation, health impacts, processing past grief and letting things go that hold you back (Resentment episode)
So if I had it to do all over again, how would I build my homestead differently? That is a question you can’t really answer unless you are doing it
- The opportunity
- The reality: move, brought almost nothing with me, sourcing all new personal items as well as transforming basecamp into a homestead that can accommodate events AND serve as a live learning model for others who want an immersive experience in growing food and health living
- Pros: I own the property and home
- Its got good bones
- I have the experience and connections to do this right
- We are already set up with a basement classroom and open concept kitchen that works great for teaching
- I have income streams developed
- I am really good at “If I cannot do x then what CAN I do?
- Cons: this is a normal house not a home set up to accommodate pantry, power outages, processing animals and food, gardening, etc. (Now fuel efficient)
- I come to this without the funds to do it in my personal checking account
- I am still encumbered by past messes (although fewer) that I have made for. Myself
- This will be very much like when I was younger on the homestead and was just starting out, only I am not, in fact younger 😀
- Plastics
- Pros: I own the property and home
So how will we start? The assessment is this week. What have we got? What do we need? How will we navigate what to do first?
This may become the constant topic of the podcast or a segment – I don’t really know, But it is the BUILDING of the Holler Hub in real time and I am excited to finally answer the question for real – what would you do if you had it all to do over again? I guess we will find out.
But one thing is true – the one most important part of homesteading that you can never let languish – BE FEARLESS.