In the name of Allah, the self-sufficient, the most Generous
We live in an apartment for now but eventually our goal is to purchase some land that we can cultivate into our own little family homestead. In the meantime however, we’re working on living more sustainably (as well as more minimally) in our current season of life. We are also working on developing some skills that would be very helpful, if not necessary, for us to have when we are really “in the trenches”.
I feel like homesteading is as “catch-all” of a topic as minimalism these days and so, I tend to try to be a bit careful with my own use of the term. That said and the reason I even mention that, though some people would consider what I’m talking about in this post as basically being “urban homesteading”, I simply consider it learning homesteading skills.
Now, just to clarify, as I’m looking more into the concept of “urban homesteading”, I do like the overall idea. It’s really cool to make whatever you have (whether that happens to be an apartment or acres upon acres) and use it to live a life that is more connected to the Earth, less connected to technology and overall moving you toward a life that allows you to slow down and simply focus on the important things in your life. The bigger reason why I’m not sticking myself into this “box” is simply because I don’t think we need to always label ourselves and stick ourselves into boxes.
Anywho, I digress… now let’s jump in!
These are 10 skills I’m trying to learn as we journey toward our goal of homesteading:
1. Gardening.
I’ve been working on developing my green thumb. It’s definitely been a process. To paint a clearer picture, I accidentally killed a cactus my mom gave me about ten years ago… But alhamdulillah, I actually had a nice herb garden and a few houseplants that were doing well before we just moved! Because we live in an apartment and don’t currently have outside space, I’m feeling a little limited on what I’ll be able to grow. Once we’re a bit more settled in and adjusted, I definitely plan on growing a couple herbs again and going from there. Having greenery in your home is also a part of gardening and it is not only beautifying, you can choose plants that purify the air (like snake plants) or have medicinal properties (such as aloe).
2. Composting.
I have tried, unsuccessfully, twice so far to start a composting bin. They’ve gotten lots of bugs and the stuff just didn’t seem to be breaking down. I’m pretty sure I should have been turning it more or something but to be honest, I have no idea why it wasn’t working. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to manage composting here at the apartment but we’ll see. Maybe I’ll experiment next year. It would definitely be helpful with the gardening I suppose. It also helps me feel better about peeling veggies and things like that.
3. Foraging.
For me, part of homesteading is realizing our own capabilities that we have been blessed with and part of it is realizing how sufficient and gracious Allah is to us and living within that. Just over the past few years I have been very fascinated with foraging wild plants and learning which “weeds” are actually herbs! I think it’s beautiful to look at your surroundings and see all the wonderful things that our Lord has provided us with, without any interference on our part. Those little plants that lots of people get annoyed by, you can smile and recognize it for the treasure it truly is. I’m super excited about some elderberry bushes we have right across from our parking lot!
4. Canning & preserving food.
This has been something that I’ve been talking about for who-knows-how-long but I really would like to jump into it next year. I think I would start off with stuff that I already feel super comfortable making like pasta sauce, jams and beans. I’ve seen some really cool recipes that I’d love to try later on down the line too. It’s so cool being able to prepare your own food and having it stored for whenever your family may need it. On top of canning though, I also want to learn about dehydrating foods, better ways of storing food through freezing and learn more about the other ways of preserving foods.
5. Storing (bulk) food.
So far we’ve only ever ordered beans in bulk. In the near future we’d like to venture into some bulk grains, getting meat in bulk and things like that. It tends to be more cost effective, it helps you plan for larger periods of time and it helps you be more prepared as a family with regards to having food. The biggest thing for us with regard to purchasing foods in bulk would be making sure we are storing it correctly because we definitely don’t want stuff to spoil before we’re able to eat it.
6. Making vinegar and other condiments.
Am I the only one that feels a little intimidated, as a Muslim, by the idea of making vinegar. I’m a little worried about making sure it’s at the right stage in the fermenting process so that I’m not accidentally drinking wine or something… I did try to make apple cider vinegar once but it molded like 3 days in…so I want to try again. I also want to try making hot sauce and ketchup and a few other condiments that we really like to use as a family.
7. Making personal care / first aid products.
I already try my best to avoid personal care products that are not natural. Most of our stuff, I order from my mom’s shop and I love that I’m able to do that. There are definitely some things, however, I really want to be able to make for our family so that (1) I have the knowledge and confidence in doing so and (2) I can make it if we’re in a pinch and I am not able to order it. On top of the usual things like toothpaste, deodorant, soap and first aid ointments though, I’d also like to make things like cloth pads, cloth diapers and things of that nature – although I suppose that might fall under #8 a little better.
8. Sewing.
I’d love to get to a point where most of what we wear is home-made. It is such a special thing in my opinion! Everything will fit well and you can ensure that everything is well-made. Beyond just clothing though, you can make your own pillows, curtains, aprons, and all that other good stuff made from cloth. My husband has inherited a decent ability to sew from his Mom who is a seamstress but it’s definitely on my goals list!
9. Crocheting.
As of this year I can officially do a line of single crochet! I still have a lot of work to do in learning to crochet but it’s something I’m slowly working on. You can make a lot of things if you know how to crochet well enough. From socks to grocery bags, clothes to blankets. You can make dish scrubs, pot holders and all sorts of things. I think crocheting is a handy craft that can be very helpful for someone trying to live a more self-sufficient life.
10. Relying less on technology for basic, everyday tasks.
I think technology is pretty important and it’s a great resource for a lot of things. However, I do believe we have become much too reliant on this valuable tool and I think that part of homesteading is reconnecting to the Earth a little bit and being more intentional about how we use our time and our resources. With that said, one of the things we’re working on slowly but surely is trying to do everyday tasks using less technology. We’re definitely starting small – we’ve decided not to use a microwave, we’ve gotten a smaller, more conservative washing machine and we’ve started hang-drying our clothes.
Some of these will definitely come easier than others, especially in our current situation! However, I’m really looking forward to learning each of these as I continue with my family on our journey to live a more simple and holistic life.
Question for the comments: What is a homesteading skill that you are going to work on in the next year?
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