Feasible First Year Homesteading Goals
Inside: Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It's possible to achieve homesteading goals if you start small and are realistic.
Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, and it is becoming more and more popular. If you are new to homesteading, it can seem like a daunting task. But it is possible to achieve your homesteading goals if you start small and realistic.
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Feasible First Year Homesteading Goals
As with any new adventure, it's essential to start with achievable goals, especially during your first year on the homestead. These initial steps can set the tone for your entire homesteading experience.
Goals can help you establish a solid foundation and make your homesteading dreams come true.
The first year of homesteading can be daunting, but if you set realistic goals, it can be a very rewarding experience. Here are some feasible first-year homesteading goals to get you started on the right foot.
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Learn to Cook From Scratch
If you want to learn to cook from scratch, there are a few things you need to know.
Cooking from scratch takes time and patience. There are no shortcuts when it comes to learning how to cook. You'll need to be prepared to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, trial and error is part of the process.
Fresh ingredients make all the difference in flavor and nutrition.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Cooking is an art, not a science. The more you experiment, the better you'll become at it. Go ahead and add that extra pinch of salt or substitute one ingredient for another.
The only way to become a great cook is through practice. And everything has a substitute.
Learn How to Can Food
Canning is a great way to preserve food for later use, and it can be done relatively easily with the right tools and instructions.
You do not have to can whole or diced tomatoes. Turn those tomatoes into something you use often, like pizza sauce. I turn as many of our tomatoes as possible into pizza sauce because we eat a lot of homemade pizza here.
There are two main types of canning: water bath canning and pressure canning. Water bath canning is best for high-acid foods like fruits and tomatoes, while pressure canning is necessary for low-acid foods like meats and vegetables.
Grow A Garden
When you grow a garden, you are not only providing food for yourself and your family, but you are also getting exercise and fresh air. It can be a very rewarding experience to see the fruits of your labor grow and mature. And then to be able to enjoy those veggies all winter because you canned them.
If you have the space, starting a garden can be a great addition to your homestead. Not only will it provide you with fresh produce, but it can also be a beautiful addition to your property. Plus help out with bee and butterfly food.
There are many different ways to grow a garden, so do some research to find what will work best for you. We will be taking time, energy, and money to turn our in-ground garden into raised beds. Easier for weed control, and for accessing plants.
I also much prefer greenhouse gardening, but that is because I like to be in complete control.
Gardening is a great way to get outside and enjoy the weather while getting some exercise. It can be a very rewarding experience to see the fruits of your labor grow and mature.
Your Homestead Goals
Everyone has different goals for their homestead journey. For us, it has been to grow more food for ourselves. This year our greenhouse and garden more than doubled giving us more food. Now, the garden didn't produce as much as we'd have liked, but some is better than none.
I have also learned how to make pickles, relish, salsa, and pizza sauce, and how to can. I don't want to waste anything that we have grown, so I am finding more recipes for spicy peppers, and learning how to dehydrate and grind them into seasonings.
I have bought more jars this fall than I could have imagined. But jars are a cost that won't be recurring each year, minus new lids. We have put up a lot of food, more than ever before, and that is something I plan to do each year.
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