Thankfully, we are blessed to live in a country where we still have choices to make that impact our lives. It is our job as Christians and citizens to make good decisions that affect us and others. The window of opportunity to have choices is getting narrower, soon it will be closed. Some folks laugh at homesteaders for doing things the hard way. You won’t be laughing later if something happens and you have to fend for yourself. Wake up people, and learn how to provide for yourself and your family. Make good choices. Learn from elders and experienced people in your community.
Homesteading is hard work but rewarding and some of it is very enjoyable. I love spending time in the garden. Last year I was finally able to focus on flower gardens after years of just growing vegetables. Even my husband commented on how nice they look! I can’t change the world but I can make my little corner of it nice! Cooking and raising animals is hard work but also enjoyable. You feel so good at the end of a productive day and sleep like a baby, except in our home where the dogs hog the bed!
WHY GARDEN?
I spend a lot of time and effort raising food for my hubby and myself. At times it is very hard work. Plants are fickle and seedlings even more so. The weather does not cooperate, bugs and birds are eating my plants!!! As I complain, someone always comments that they don’t waste time doing this stuff as it’s easier to just go to the grocery store. Why yes, it is much easier to drive a half hour to the grocery store but have you seen what passes for fresh produce on the shelves? Have you looked at the prices? I know that my garden-fresh produce is organic and I don’t need a sticker on my vegetables to tell me that. I often wonder if a package of lettuce marked organic really is organic or are we just paying more for a label? You can’t tell the difference if it’s organic or not by looking at the product.
You can get nice, fresh produce at local farm stands but you will be paying for it so why not just try your hand at growing a tomato plant. You don’t have to go for the raised beds and greenhouse, just get a big container, like a five-gallon bucket, and drill some drainage holes. Add dirt and a plant and take care of it accordingly. Grow herbs in a window or flower box.
There was some media coverage a while ago about mRNA being introduced to lettuce and leafy greens. I don’t know if the idiots actually accomplished this crime but the threat alone should make most people get serious about growing something. I obviously can’t grow tropical fruits in Zone 3 and I do love citrus fruit so it must be purchased. Look over very carefully what you are purchasing. It should have a good color, no soft spots or mold, and smell good. Get the best you can find for the high price you will be paying.
Yes, it would be much easier to just purchase all of our produce but I am in awe of watching a seed grow into some beautiful plant that bears fruit/vegetables. It truly is amazing! Try a homegrown tomato and compare it to the tasteless, uniform globes in the grocery store. Yes, they look pretty but have no taste. The same goes for every vegetable that comes out of a garden, the taste is always better. Gardening, whether small or large scale, gets you outdoors and interacting with nature. I am responsible for the health of my plants and I take that role very seriously. I feel close to the Creator when I am digging, weeding, watering, and taking care of plants. I get the same feeling when caring for the large number of house plants I have.
I process my produce to eat all year. There is nothing like opening up a new jar of homemade blueberry jam in the winter and smelling summer in the jar! Green beans and carrots are pressure canned, and so easy. Homemade pickles, relishes, jardinieres, fruit spread — you get the idea. I never liked applesauce until I made it and canned it. What a difference from the commercial stuff. Anything you make will taste much better than the grocery store version.
HOME COOKING
I laughed myself silly when the COVID lockdown occurred and the people freaked because they could not cook. How can you not know how to cook? You don’t know how to make scrambled eggs and toast? Spaghetti and a jar of sauce? The term slow food became popular during this time. Slow because you actually make it with real ingredients rather than pick up a greasy bag from a drive-thru window.
Cooking is a basic life skill. They taught home economics in school years ago for a reason! Growing up mom always made sure us kids could cook, maybe not a gourmet meal but basic meals. Fast food and takeout was not an option as that whole industry was then in its infancy. Yes, we went out to nice restaurants periodically but mom was always in the kitchen making a wonderful meal, three times a day. Grandma’s ethnic cooking and meals were always a treat. Mom makes a fruit cake I would walk across hot coals for. I would love to taste Grandma O’s stuffed cabbage again. If you really like a particular food, spend the day with the relative who makes it. They would be honored to teach you so you can carry on the tradition. Get real ethnic cookbooks or copy down family recipes. Nothing in any restaurant will ever even come close to my mom’s cooking.
My husband is a wonderful cook. He does most of the day-to-day cooking and is always on the hunt for new recipes. I tackle the baking and canning. Look at the ingredients in a package of grocery store cookies. Now look at the recipe for homemade cookies. Thirty ingredients versus ten. We could drive a ½ hour, one way, into town for some chicken under a heat lamp, bring it home only to be reheated again when we get home. It would cost about $22 for both of us for chicken and fries that were shipped here frozen and reheated. It’s not even freshly made!
We don’t have many take-out options in this area of Maine and delivery service doesn’t exist so it’s either know how to cook or purchase prepackaged frozen food. The Frugal Gourmet cookbooks by Jeff Smith are wonderful and the recipes are not intimidating. If you can lay your hands on any of his cookbooks, get them. Learn to cook, your family and friends will appreciate it! Cooking from scratch, 3 meals a day, times 7 days a week, requires planning and keeping staple food ingredients on hand. If you haven’t already done so, then start stocking your pantry. It never hurts to have extras on hand in the event of an emergency or unexpected company.
WHY WE RAISE CHICKENS
We have tried our hands are various other livestock and now in the golden (achy) years, we have pared down to chickens. Once you have eaten fresh eggs, with yellow-orange yolks and full of flavor, there is no going back to supermarket eggs. Except for a coop, startup costs are small. We keep a flock of about 20 layers and a rooster or two. I have another flock that is only 1 month old to replace the existing layers in October. I prefer leghorns, practical over pretty. The hens lay approximately 300 eggs a year, great bang for your buck. They are gritty, dirty working hens, with a good temperament. I have read that leghorns are flighty and easily startled but have not found that to be the case. I have
tried many other pretty chickens but have had leghorns for over 12 years now. Chickens are easy, fresh water and feed, a clean coop, and your set. The occasional clean-out is not strenuous or overwhelming. I have raised meat birds in the past and the taste is unbelievable compared to a store bird. We stopped raising meat birds as the cost of the feed got out of control and at this time, it’s just easier to buy it at our local butcher shop. The meat is all local and the flavor is the same as our raised birds.
WHY WE HELP PEOPLE
I am one of those people who hate to ask for help and I am sure there are many others out there like me! There are still many good people in our world who will drop what they are doing and help those in need. If you need help in some form or another, ask. It’s foolish to hurt yourself because you are stubborn ( I have yet to learn this!) When you help someone, you feel good about yourself too. We have some neighbors that require help periodically and we are always available should they reach out. If you see someone struggling to load their car/truck at the store, ask if they need help. Don’t just jump in without asking as they may think you are trying to steal their purchases.
Years ago, if your car broke down, people would stop to help you. I still see that in rural Maine but certainly not in cities. If someone is on the side of the road during a storm, always stop to see if they need help. In winter it could literally be a life or death situation with extreme cold. There are still large chunks of rural and wilderness areas that are dead zones for cellular phone service. We have certain people we reach out to during snow storms to make sure they don’t need extra help. If you are fortunate enough to have good neighbors, thank the Lord. Good neighbors and friends are rarer than any precious metal or gem. The media has done a fine job of dividing the country, neighbor against neighbor, family member against family member. We can all have different opinions and still be civil to one another. People are still people.
WHY WE VOTE
I must admit I am really struggling with the whole election process. I have no issues with the local elections as I feel they are honest but anything state and up, well, I think many folks feel the same way. I don’t feel as if my vote for president will make any difference at all. I am on the fence about voting in the presidential election this year, I change my mind weekly. We will see what happens come November but I will still vote for local issues. We have ranked-choice voting in Maine which even the state government can’t explain how it really works. What a sad state of affairs our country is in. Neither side has kept any promises they made. Make good choices when you vote.
WHY I CHOOSE CHRISTIANITY AND GO TO CHURCH
Finding a good church requires some homework. My husband sat down and interviewed pastors before he made a decision about where to attend. He is well grounded in doctrine and scripture and the last thing he wanted was to end up in some woke church that refers to God as “she” or expose us to false doctrine. As we were warned, there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing out there. Do your homework carefully before choosing where to attend. Christianity is a personal choice for me. I have seen the work of the Lord and trust Him with my life fully and that has made all the difference. We have made many good friends in our church community. I know the outreach I can expect if I have an issue and I find it comforting. It’s a good community of like-minded people. Pray for our country and its leaders.
We all have choices to make every day and those choices may impact just you, your family or a whole community. Think about how your actions affect others. Be a positive role model to others or maybe a mentor to someone.
As I am finishing up writing this article we are in the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. We have received about 4 inches of rain so far and the only way out is over a dirt bridge which is pretty much gone at this point. I have faith that it will be fixed by tomorrow but what if it never got repaired? Then it’s a whole new ball game and I am thankful for all the supplies and full pantry that we have.
I have done my best to make my home comfortable and cozy. Books, plants, antiques, and comfortable furniture. My mom’s other half, Bob, whom my husband and I love dearly, just gave me a beautiful Tiffany rose table lamp that was in his home. It now lights up our loft and adds to the comfort of our home. The house is clean and quiet. My gardens also look good. It’s a nice place to be. If we we are stuck out here forever it would be difficult after some supplies run out but God will provide. Make your corner of the world comfortable and welcoming. Make good choices and take the time to help others. And hug your family members.