When we are out meeting with folks and sharing on our site, we often get the question “What are Some Homesteading Basics?” Now, we realize that this is primarily for new families who are considering a homesteading lifestyle, or maybe a review for the more experienced homesteader. We hope it will be helpful to everyone.
If you’re going to can, prepare food and homestead, basic homesteading concepts are great to know. Becoming self-reliant is a skill that you will be able to take forward in your life. If the economy becomes unstable or you just want the satisfaction of knowing you can provide for yourself, homesteading is for you. That means becoming completely self-reliant and able to provide for you and/or your family.
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Becoming self-reliant to Homestead means that you will need to learn some new skills—you may or may not know how to do some things which means you might have to do some research. But, that being said, it is not difficult to learn how to do things for yourself! Homesteading and self-reliance is a wonderful and very rewarding lifestyle, but it will require some work.
We all have to Eat so… The important skill of providing food is essential. You will want to learn how to pick foods that will supply you with repeated cycles of food. By that I mean the ability to continue replanting a garden over and over.
- The number one seed for continuous food cycles is called “heirloom seeds.” After planting heirloom seeds, they can be used again. Store the seeds from the fruits and vegetables you harvest and then replant them the following gardening season.
- Important reminder: grow enough food for the current season but if you live in a temperate climate, be sure to grow enough to store or preserve for the months when you can’t grow anything in your area.
- Another smart choice is to learn how to construct, buy and grow chickens. Purchase a minimum of four chickens so that you will have eggs all the time. A rooster is not necessary unless you want to produce more chickens.
- If you live on acreage, buy a pig for the meat. Cows will produce milk and/or meat. Goats will give you plenty of dairy to use for goat milk cheese. Bees are another commodity that people buy in order to help pollinate their fruit trees, vegetables and, of course, producing all that wonderful, sweet honey!
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Don’t forget one important item you will need: Water! You need to have access to water at all times. Rain 
barrels are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased locally or online (connect to a downspout currently on your home). You will need water for cooking, drinking, bathing and providing for your livestock and garden.
If you do live near a stream or lake, be sure to have a way to purify the water so that it will be safe for drinking and cooking. Don’t forget to purchase something to carry or transport the water.
If the education services shut down, you will want to continue educating your children. Lots of people homeschool right now so there are plenty of educational supplies at homeschool stores. Stock up now to provide for each of the years left in your child’s education.
If you don’t want to purchase any books or supplies, you may have books around your home that will work just as well. Do you have classic pieces of literature? What about your college textbooks? Or, just teach real-life skills like math, measurement, building, etc.
You can survive with a few Homesteading Basics. Educate yourself now while the opportunity is still available.
