Back in 2007 when I first discovered Rhonda from Down to Earth Blog [sadly the blog is no longer available] however I discovered her via a magazine at the time. I was in Melbourne visiting my in-laws and read all their gardening magazines cover to cover as they had an amazing veggie garden. I really wanted to grow veggies when I got back to Brisbane and this was the start of my journey into simple living. I learnt one new skill or recipe at a time and over the years there are many things that I make from scratch from home made vanilla extract to my own washing powder.
Homesteading is a lifestyle centred around being more self-sufficient, living simply and making more of what you need rather than buying everything.
Traditionally, homesteading meant living on a piece of land, growing food, raising animals and providing for your family's needs.
Today, however, you don't need a farm or acreage to be a homesteader. You can practise homesteading in a suburban house, townhouse or even an apartment.
I started by growing a vegetable garden, followed by keeping chickens. Both were wonderful experiences to share with my kids, teaching them where food comes from and helping them appreciate the value of growing and producing it themselves.
We had 2 veggie boxes and did the lasagne method of dirt, compost and sugar cane mulch etc and the herbs and veggies thrived. I ended up making a photo book of this little veggie garden which you can see the photos here.
One year my sister and I went to a cupcake cooking/decorating course and I learnt that you make your own vanilla extract by using vodka and vanilla beans so of course this is what we make now and it's super simple. In fact my daughter was only 7 years old at the time and wanted to make it so I let her. By involving the kids early they learn along with you and gain different skills they might not otherwise learn. Back then I wanted a nice bottle to put it in however these days I just pop the vanilla beans straight into the bottle of vodka and then decant into a small glass bottle for everyday use.
Did you know you can make your own Golden Syrup? It's pretty easy and whilst this one is made in a thermomix I'm sure with a therometer you could make it on the stove.
First time we made home made tortillas in 2013 the kids thought the tortillas were a thumbs up. We have made these lots of times over the years and perfect for the kids to roll them out too.
Next up was yoghurt which to me was a little bit scary and I'm not sure why. The first time I made yoghurt was on the 19th December, 2023 and I was very impressed. I did make it using my Thermomix TM31 which I purchased in 2011. I had a Thermomix Bowl which was basically like a thermos so I heated up the bowl with hot water for 10 mins and when the yoghurt mixture was ready, emptied the hot water out, poured the milk mixture in, put the lid on and wrapped it up in a beach towel for 24 hrs. After that it goes into the fridge and proud of myself that I made something that I was a little bit intimated by.
In January 2014 I came across a lovely lady from New Zealand who had a blog which is no longer available however I did end up making her wonderful home made baked beans recipe which the kids and I loved. From memory I bought her little tiny printed paperback cook book to support her and try her recipes. Once you have made your own baked beans you'll never go back to the canned stuff. One tip that I have is using fresh thyme rather than dried if you can get it because it just makes all the difference to the flavour.
Another January 2014 recipe we loved making is Turkish Bread and nothing beats the smell of home made bread which the kids approve of.
A couple of blog posts on making home made pasta here and here.
When it comes to cleaning products, I haven’t bought any chemical-based cleaners from the supermarket in over a decade, because I make my own instead. They're cheaper to make and it means we are not breathing in nasty chemicals. If you haven't watched "The Plastic Detox" on Netflix yet I can highly recommend it. Chemicals can disrupt hormones among other things.
This is the recipe I have been making for my laundry powder since 2013 and it saves so much money as well. I make up 2 batches using the thermomix or you could use a food processor or just grate your soaps by hand.
Toilet pods are an easy DIY product to make as well and I wrote about it recently.
Years ago on A Current Affair TV program they had featured Wendy from My Abundant Life talking about the way their family lived on one income and paying off their mortgage. One of the things she talked about was cleaning products because she cleaned houses and she said you don't need to buy lots of products that cost lots of money. One of the recipes she talked about was "Miracle Spray" Wendy has lots of budget tips and recipes for you to read through even though she no longer posts on her blog but there is heaps of great info on there.
I also have made soap a few times although not for many years. Think I might have to put that back on the 2027 to do list.
As you can see, by simply choosing one new thing to try or learn at a time, the skills gradually build up over the years. When you stop and write down everything you’ve made, grown or learnt along the way, it’s quite surprising just how many homesteading skills you’ve developed without even realising it. I've only mentioned a few above and it's great to really think about it because when you start listing out things you make it's a great feeling.
What things have you learnt over the years that you added to your homesteading skill set?
