What Is Homesteading?

Homesteading is an umbrella term for a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency, sustainability, and a deeper connection to nature. My take on homesteading is apolitical and informed by my training as a holistic dietitian, shamanic herbalist, and yoga therapist. It may involve growing more of your own food, reducing waste, or making more homemade goods instead of relying on store-bought products. More people are thinking about homesteading as a way to live healthier lives while reducing their environmental footprint. 

As I write this post, America is swirling – our government is changing rapidly, and much of the public health and medical structure might have been smashed. Could it be that preppers – people preparing for the fall of civilization – were right? Hopefully not, but now is a moment to think about what you can do to simplify, or become a bit more resilient in ways that you can.  

This post is a guide that explains how to start homesteading, even if you live in a city or suburb, and how it can enhance your health, deepen your relationship with nature, and maybe even create a better future.

Homesteading & Sustainable Living

Your Choices Can Help the Planet

Homesteading with a mind to sustainability allows you to reduce your environmental impact. How? 

Here are just a few ways: 

• Less reliance on industrial farming: Farms in the US today are a far cry from what you saw growing up. today, 99% of our meat is raised on factory farms – farms that aim to maximize production through synthetic chemicals or inhumane animal practices. Growing more of your own food, or connecting with local farmers who don’t use destructive farming techniques, means fewer chemicals and less pollution.
• Lower carbon footprint: Transporting food long distances uses energy. That increases the carbon footprint (a measure of fossil fuel usage) of the people who eat it. There are many easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Homegrown food cuts down on fuel use, so will reduce your carbon footprint.
• Healthier soil: Techniques like composting, learning about companion plants and crop rotation help maintain nutrient-rich soil and support biodiversity.
• Water conservation: Water is fast becoming a scarce resource – and clean water even moreso. Globally, more and more people suffer from inadequate water. While we can’t yet send our extra water to parts of the world that need it, we can conserve. Using rainwater collection systems and drip irrigation reduces water waste.

Reducing Waste at Home

Homesteaders motivated by sustainability often follow a zero-waste mindset. Once you get started, it’s amazing how much you can repair, reuse or recycle. Here are just a few ways you can reduce waste at home:  

• Composting: You can turn food scraps, eggshells and even some paper into rich soil for gardening. Even if you live in the city, composting is a practical idea that supports eaters and gardeners. 
• Upcycling and repurposing: Almost 90% of all clothing in the US ends up in a landfill. In addition to giving your gently used clothes to a local cause that accepts donations (or young relatives), you may be able to sell them to a thrift store, find a textile recycling program or recycle with a group like TerraCycle. Finding creative ways to reuse materials – from pillows to new clothing to rags – are also there waiting for your imagintion. 
• Using more natural cleaning products: Using ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, essential oils and muscle grease to reduce toxins in the home. 

The Spiritual Connection: Homesteading as a Shamanic Practice

Honoring the Land and Its Energy

Many homesteaders feel a deep spiritual connection to the land they cultivate. Practices that foster this connection include:

• Planting by the moon cycles: Some gardeners believe that the moon’s phases influence plant growth.
• Mindful gardening: Taking time to appreciate and respect the plants you grow.
• Offering gratitude to the earth: A simple practice, like saying thank you before harvesting, can enhance your bond with nature.
• Connecting shamanically with plants: This meditative practice can help you deepen your connection with nature through your heart and breath. Interested in giving it a try? Here is a link to a video replay of a workshop & a downloadable guide where I lead you through the experience. 
• Foraging: Learning to identify and gather wild edible plants.
• Herbal medicine: Growing healing plants like chamomile, peppermint, and lavender.
• Ancestral farming techniques: Looking to traditional knowledge for sustainable farming practices. For example, some plants and animals do particularly well together. Lifelong learning! 

Homesteading’s Potential Health Advantages

Nutrition & Health Benefits of Gardening & Re-physicalizing Life

If you’re a gardener, be it a container in the window or a full garden out front, you know how delicious fresh food tastes. You can’t get more direct from earth to plate – so, food from your garden is Food of the Gods (that’s you). When you grow your own food, you get:

• Nutrients, including probiotics: Fresh-picked vegetables and herbs just haven’t had the time to lose vitamins – they are full potency! Also, putting your hands in the dirt is a nutrient – as you connect with the soil, you exchange microbes – so your microflora improves with a natural probiotic. 
• Fewer synthetic chemicals: You control what goes into your soil and onto your plants. You can make your soil naturally rich with compost, and use your own philosophy for when and how much assistance you need for animals, bugs and creepies that also want to enjoy your garden’s bounty. 
• Diversity in diet: Over time, you can grow unique heirloom varieties not found in supermarkets.
• Physical activity: Tending a garden is work! To begin or maintain a garden is a practice in staying with it. I’ve found that perennials – plants that return year after year – are a great strategy to help make gardening a little easier.

Nutrient-dense Plants to Grow at Home

Some of the most nutrient-dense plants are easy to grow, including:

• Leafy greens: Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber while being low in calories. 
• Herbs: Even more so with green herbs like basil, rosemary, and spices like turmeric – they are among the richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants.
• Fermented foods: Homemade sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are made through the action of live bacterial cultures that contain gut-friendly properties.

Get Started Homesteading: Start Small & Grow Your Skills

Choosing the Right Homesteading Setup

• Urban homesteading: Grow herbs in pots, compost food scraps, and support local farmers.
• Suburban homesteading: Start a backyard garden, keep a few chickens, and make homemade products.
• Rural homesteading: Expand to fruit trees, livestock, and alternative energy sources.

Simple Steps to Get Started

• Start with easy-to-grow foods: Tomatoes, lettuce, and herbs are great for beginners. Slowly expand if and when you can based on your interest, time and energy. 
• Practice composting: Turn kitchen scraps into soil-enriching compost. 
• Preserve your harvest: Learn simple methods like freezing, drying, and fermenting.
• Follow your passion: Accept that you can’t do everything all at once. So, start small and choose one or two new skills – that are interesting to you. Remember that when you first learn a new skill, you may not be very good at it. Practice makes – better. 
• Make a budget: The shift toward sustainability can be either a budget buster or a cost saver. It’s all about planning and doing your best to be clear on the things you need. Keep it simple, and begin with common materials that you can find or refashion around the house.
• Benefits of chickens, bees & goats: Animals and plants feed each other beautifully. If you are so inclined, bringing these beings into your world has benefits. Chickens: Provide fresh eggs and natural pest control. Bees: Help with pollination and provide honey. Goats: Offer milk, cheese, and help clear weeds.

Overcoming Common Homesteading Challenges

Balancing Homesteading with a Busy Life

Homesteading doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small and gradually build your skills. Here are few tips for success:

• Set realistic goals: Don’t try to do everything at once.
• Use your time wisely: Dedicate just a few hours a week to gardening or food preservation.
• Keep it simple from a budget perspective: Each of the ideas listed is a college plus life course unto itself! Take it slow, learn a little something, keep it simple and try simple, inexpensive solutions first. 
• Find a community: Join local homesteading groups or online forums for support.

Finding Resources and Support

• Connect with other homesteaders: Farmer’s markets, online forums, and social media groups are great places to start.
• Look for local workshops & experts: Many communities offer gardening, canning, and animal care classes. Check out your local Cooperative Extension – they tend to offer free or inexpensive classes in the skills most important to homesteading. You may also have a Master Gardener in your community – they’ve likely encountered your issue many times and have solutions you’ve never thought of. 

Homesteading Your Way – for a Healthier, More Sustainable Life

Homesteading is not one set lifestyle, but a flexible mindset with intention to reconnect with nature, nourish your body with real food, and simplify in order to live more sustainably with the earth. Whether you start with a small herb garden or go all-in with livestock and food preservation, every step can bring you closer to a more sustainable and fulfilling life. Practice not perfection – there is mud, dead plants and failed crops, and you’ll have your share of kitchen disasters along the way. But, keep at it. It’s worth rethinking and experimenting with your choices. They matter. 

Ready to start your homesteading journey? Begin today with one small change, and watch your connection to nature and self-sufficiency grow.

Namaste! 

Annie 

Check out my blog & easy tasty healthy recipes for more ideas & inspiration on whole health.