Tag: homestead

  • Embracing Homesteading: A Journey to Self-Sufficiency

    Hi there! I’m Becky J and I’m thrilled to welcome you to my homesteading blog. Sharing my journey with you fills me with excitement, and I hope to inspire you as you embark on your own adventure in this fulfilling lifestyle. Life doesn’t hand us a guidebook, and there’s truly no right or wrong moment to pursue your dreams.
    Let me share a bit about my background. My roots are firmly planted in a small, rural town where I’ve spent my entire life. From a young age, my heart yearned for farm animals and the satisfaction that comes from gardening. However, living in an apartment or a small lot in town made those dreams feel out of reach. While my friends flourished in 4-H clubs and agricultural classes, I found myself on the sidelines, missing countless opportunities to get involved in growing plants in the school greenhouse or diving into advanced animal science classes. Instead, I gravitated toward cooking, baking, and art classes—skills I still cherish and utilize today.
    Meeting my husband was a game changer; we discovered that we shared the same ambitions. Our vision was to embrace a life grounded in self-sufficiency, nurturing animals, and cultivating our own food. We devised a plan to save up for a home with some land. Our perseverance paid off after a few years, and we secured a little over three acres, which suits our family of five perfectly.
    Our homesteading journey took off with chickens(doesn’t it always😄). We found an old shed on our property and transformed it into a cozy coop, home to six laying hens. Our first garden was modest; it produced enough for a few harvests, but for me, it was a significant victory considering my previous struggles with plants.
    As the seasons rolled on, my husband expanded our livestock by adding a few cows to our pasture. Meanwhile, I decided to adopt a pet pig—just for funzies! I committed wholeheartedly to this lifestyle; there would be no more half-measures. With newfound energy, I immersed myself in learning about raising livestock, butchering, and food preservation.
    Today, we proudly have chickens, ducks, turkeys, two guinea hens (which my husband definitely isn’t fond of), several pigs, goats, and cows. And let’s not forget the myriad of beloved pets inside our home! This year, our garden thrived, yielding enough produce for us to enjoy fresh meals, share with friends, and can for the colder months ahead.
    My mind is always buzzing with ideas on how to enhance our processes and what new endeavors we can undertake to achieve our homesteading goals. It’s a continuous journey filled with learning and discovery. There’s such joy in connecting with nature, and each day, I strive to nurture the life we’ve built together.
    These baby steps have guided me onto this rewarding path, and I’m committed to turning my dreams into reality. Together, we can transform yours into something tangible, too!