What Is Homesteading Anyway?

​Nestled in the farm country of southern Minnesota lies our little homestead. It’s not much. About three or four acres with a big red barn, a shop, a shed, and an old run-down shack we’ve transformed into a chicken coop. Here, we’re building a family, creating memories, making plans, and dreaming of one day living in the farmhouse just a handful of miles away where my husband grew up...

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Our life in Minnesota is nothing like what I would have imagined my life to be like ten years ago. But there is no where I would rather be…most days. I mean, don’t we all have moments of longing for something different? Those moments, though, are fleeting. It’s usually after a rough day or when I’m tired of canning the fifty thousand tomatoes we grow every summer.

Overall, our homesteading life is better than anything I could have imagined for myself and my family. It’s a lifestyle I thoroughly enjoy and take quite a bit of pride in.

But what is homesteading?

Good question.

Honestly, I’ve only started using the word ‘homesteading’ because it’s become a trendy term. Most people will at least recognize and associate it with country living even if they don’t fully understand the meaning.
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But let me fill you in on how I view homesteading to be. Some people have much stricter viewpoints of this idea, but here’s my opinion…
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What Homesteading Is Not

• Homesteading is not living off the grid.

Sure, some people might take it that far. They’ve become so self-sufficient, they don’t need modern day conveniences. But for most of us clinging to the homesteading lifestyle, we still shop at grocery stores; we still have electricity and running water; and yes, most of us still have those Amazon and Netflix accounts.
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• Homesteading is not commercial farming.

While you can make an income off of homesteading (farm fresh eggs and homemade soaps, anyone?), homesteaders are not running with the big dog farmers growing thousands of acres of crops to sell to the large co-ops. Maybe some homesteaders are also commercial farmers, but those are two separate titles entirely. Most homesteaders have small farms with gardens and small animal herds versus row crops and large feed lots.

•  Homesteading is not always a glamor shot.

Social media has a way of glamorizing everything. Homesteading is no different. I’ve seen Instagram feeds with glamorous looking pictures of people in a white sundress and flip flops shoveling horse manure. This is not the full picture, or even an accurate picture. Raising animals is smelly work. Planting and weeding a garden are the most literal forms of dirty work. The glamor isn’t in the appearance, it’s in the results of the sweat, dirt and grit it took to get there.
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What Homesteading Is

• Homesteading is a simple lifestyle.

You don’t need 100 acres. You don’t even need three. Homesteading is a way of life, a mindset. Do you have an oven? Great, use it to make homemade bread. Do you have a backyard? Awesome. Plant some tomatoes and peppers and make your own salsa or stewed tomatoes. You only have a balcony? Set up some small pots and grow your own herbs or a lettuce garden in your window. Spend more time making your food, mending your clothes, and making the best of what you do have instead of joining the rat race of people competing for bigger paychecks and luxury cars. This is homesteading.​
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• Homesteading is rewarding

There’s nothing like canning that last jar of tomato sauce and stacking it on the storage shelf. I love to take a step back and see the hundreds of jars of food I’ve canned for my family to last us for the year. Especially in light of today’s current events, I find such great gratification in being able to provide food for my family should hard times set in. If the grocery stores closed down tomorrow, we’d be okay.

• Homesteading is limitless.
  

There are so many different directions you can take your homestead. You can grow and harvest organic food for the farmer’s market. You can raise your own meat chickens, cows, and pigs. You can raise dairy goats and make your own soaps and cheeses. You can start a honeybee farm. You can sew clothes and linens to sell on Etsy. Honestly, with a little imagination you can make your little homestead one giant adventure.
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​Where Our Homestead Fits In
Our “Little Farm in the North”, as I’ve chosen to describe it, is old and rundown, yet new and fresh at the same time. While the buildings might be showing their age, I see fresh new beginnings for my family. We’ve been here for about four and a half years now, and our hopes and dreams for our future here are still young and growing. As I’ve grown more accustomed to this way of life, I’ve begun to see the endless opportunities and the ever-growing beauty here in southern Minnesota. 

Near the home of Laura Ingalls and her Little House on the Prairie, we’re building our Little Farm in the North. And while our lifestyle will never look exactly like Laura’s (I prefer wearing jeans and taking hot showers), I love the nostalgia of raising a family on a different level than the rest of society. I get to watch my son run barefoot through the grass with his dog, chase the ducks and chickens, and eat fresh fruits and veggies right off the plants all while he learns the importance and gratification of hard work from a young age. There is nothing on earth better than that.