NBR: Homesteading?

DoulaTog13 · March 2017

I learned to make yogurt, yogurt cheese, and cottage cheese over the weekend and I CANNOT stop. My next ventures are actual cream cheese, butter (both sweet cream and cultured), mozzarella, and ricotta cheeses. Anybody else make their own staples? What do you make from scratch to save money and eat healthier?

We also grow our own produce and make our own beer. Unfortunately, we cannot have chickens, but we do try to buy farm fresh when local hens are laying and we buy our pork and beef from a friend of ours that owns a farm.

I'd love to get down to only buying what we absolutely have to from the grocery store to reduce our grocery bills.

**I use the term "homesteading" because I couldn't think of a better term for trying to become more self-sustainable.

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happylifex3 · March 2017

I haven't done any of my own food like that but I do make all of my own cleaning supplies.

I use vinegar, water and dawn dish soap for just about everything (all purpose, windows, bathroom, and mopping). I even have a swiffer that used the disposable wipes so I cut a few of my old dish towels in half, folded them in half and put them in the plastic container the disposable ones came in and pour the mixture over them so they're easily accessible for quick mops.

I also make my own stain remover with peroxide and dawn and use it for stains on literally anything.

And I made my own laundry soap. About a year and a half ago I made two 5 gallon buckets worth and am about half way through the second one.

Lauradi1010 · March 2017

I have a dream about making all my own bread. I don't have a bread maker, but I would love to learn to make a great loaf of white sandwich bread. Awhile ago I started making my own tortillas when we ran out of taco shells. Best decision ever. They taste better and are cheaper. Love that the additives aren't there either. Trying to eat healthier, but really hate wheat flour/ bread.

belmont1785 · March 2017

I make 90 percent of my daughter's food homemade. She has life threatening allergies (about 20 of them) and it's just too risky to buy her food.

I cooked a lot before, but since we've had her I've learned to make a lot. And honestly I'm so burnt out, just once I'd give anything to be able to just feed her normal kid food.

This week I've made homemade pizza for her, all her bread, chicken broth. I make so much for her I have no energy to make food for me or my husband and we end up eating out...

DoulaTog13 · March 2017

Lauradi1010 said:

I have a dream about making all my own bread. I don't have a bread maker, but I would love to learn to make a great loaf of white sandwich bread. Awhile ago I started making my own tortillas when we ran out of taco shells. Best decision ever. They taste better and are cheaper. Love that the additives aren't there either. Trying to eat healthier, but really hate wheat flour/ bread.

You don't need a bread maker! All you need is a stand mixer or be really good at kneading. And an oven. It's actually super easy!

DoulaTog13 · March 2017

belmont1785 said:

I make 90 percent of my daughter's food homemade. She has life threatening allergies (about 20 of them) and it's just too risky to buy her food.

I cooked a lot before, but since we've had her I've learned to make a lot. And honestly I'm so burnt out, just once I'd give anything to be able to just feed her normal kid food.

This week I've made homemade pizza for her, all her bread, chicken broth. I make so much for her I have no energy to make food for me or my husband and we end up eating out...

oh man...yeah, I'd imagine that having to be so particular about what you feed her and with what ingredients you're using that it would be exhausting.

Mango517 · March 2017

I garden! I love gardening and am obsessed with growing tomatoes. I'm planning on putting in a nice veggie garden, a few peach trees, and hopefully a grapevine in my next house.

No chickens or other animals because I don't feel like dealing with pet sitters for them when we travel.

I love learning stuff about preserving and pickling. Only dabbled in that though, but I plan to actually can a lot more fruits and veg once my weekends open up.

Mango517 · March 2017

happylifex3 said:
I also make my own stain remover with peroxide and dawn and use it for stains on literally anything.

Peroxide and dawn is a magical combination. I've never not had it work for getting stains out of clothes.

SpotConlon · March 2017

@happylifex3 I love the dawn/vinegar combo for my bathtub--nothing else gets the weird grimy stuff off.

I like baking, so when the mood strikes, I enjoy making bread or rolls. My husband and I have done a little vegetable garden the last couple summers. Tomatoes seem to work well for our climate. We keep experimenting with other stuff. My peppers last summer were a bust, but the year before did well.

HappyToBeHere · March 2017

@happylifex3, @Mango517, @SpotConlon - what is the amount of peroxide to dawn you do for stain remover?? Same question for the dawn/vinegar/water for all purpose cleaner?

belmont1785 · March 2017

@DoulaTog13

It's gotten a lot better now that I have tried and true recipes...

I'm just terrified and having a lot of anxiety about the fact that this baby is high risk for allergies, and that they might be different from my daughters, so then I'll have to figure out how to make food for two kids with special diets.

On a positive note, we eat healthier (especially her) than almost anyone I know because her diet is literally, fruits, veggies and some meat. And a few carbs.

My favorite tool is my bread maker. I have a super nice one that makes bread, dough, you can make meatloaf in it and jams. It also has a timer. I also use crock pot and instant pot a lot. My next investment is a good food processor and probably a slicer so I can make our own deli meat.

DoulaTog13 · March 2017

@belmont1785 I am obsessed with my Instant Pot. lol. I love it.

We also can and freeze a TON of stuff.

SpotConlon · March 2017

@HappyToBeHere I usually just do one part vinegar to one part Dawn (equal amounts) and put it in a squirt bottle. I really only use it on the bathtub, and that seems to work for me.

middy411 · March 2017

Gosh I wish I did some or any of these things. Jealous.

SouthernMama15 · March 2017

I grew up with my grandparents farming. Pigs when I was little, cows until recently, and 4 full gardens. We always helped in the garden as kids. I would love to have a small garden but it's not doable where we live. I did can some peaches last summer. I would love to have a few chickens and goats.

bumpybump · March 2017

As some of you have mentioned, I make my basic household cleaner of water/vinegar.

Growing up we raised and butchered our own chickens, had a garden, have bees (I had my own hives for 10 years), fruit trees, fruit bushes, etc. DH and I discuss putting in a garden and fruit trees here but the thought of another LO coming along and that work load is haunting it. We've also talked about putting a few beehives here but turns out the field behind us already has some and you can't populate an area with too many so that's a no go too.

@happylifex3 I used to make my own laundry "detergent" but then read up on it and found out it was really just soap and not detergent. It wasn't truly getting things clean and also left build up. So I stopped doing that.

shyviolet-2 · March 2017

I always thought once we owned a home we would have a huge garden and can a bunch of our own stuff. But we live in the mountains and while we have a small garden it doesn't produce much. I don't think it is worth the effort but DH loves to garden and it is a good learning experience for DS. Maybe someday we will get more then 20 cherry tomatoes from it.

I made my own laundry detergent once and DH had an allergic reaction to it. He has really sensitive skin but I thought it would be more gentle then store bought. Apparently not.

I also love dish soap with vinegar for the bathroom. I don't even use Dawn and it still works great.

lynkat · March 2017

Next week is my spring break and I can't wait to work on my garden!

I'm a homesteading "dreamer" lol. As in I pin all the homesteading ideas and execute very few of them. @bumpybump your upbringing is what my dreams are made of! Minus butchering my own chickens haha.

@belmont1785 & @DoulaTog13 I just got an instant pot and love it but I've had a learning curve. I'm excited to use it when LO gets here. I would love some favorite recipes to try!

bumpybump · March 2017

@lyndshurt both my parents grew up on dairy farms and were (still are) rather self sufficient. We actually have a beekeeping business that my dad started as a hobby. My brother took it over last year when my dad retired. We also chopped our own wood for our boiler to heat the house too. My job when butchering the chickens at a young age (not yet in school) was plucking feathers and feeding the chicken feet to the dog. I do have memories of doing both and helping my mom with it all (she still does it now and my nieces and nephews have my old jobs). My mom also sewed/sews and we never bought a dress or skirt from a store. I sew but not to the same extent. I fully admit I feel like such a lazy person compared to my parents.

DoulaTog13 · March 2017

shyviolet said:

I always thought once we owned a home we would have a huge garden and can a bunch of our own stuff. But we live in the mountains and while we have a small garden it doesn't produce much. I don't think it is worth the effort but DH loves to garden and it is a good learning experience for DS. Maybe someday we will get more then 20 cherry tomatoes from it.

I made my own laundry detergent once and DH had an allergic reaction to it. He has really sensitive skin but I thought it would be more gentle then store bought. Apparently not.

I also love dish soap with vinegar for the bathroom. I don't even use Dawn and it still works great.

My son is 4 and LOVES to garden. We put the cherry tomatoes and some sunflowers in his little garden patch and they went crazy. We had so many cherry tomatoes that they were going bad on the vine. lol. I still have bags frozen in the deep freeze that I need to use. But, I do agree that even if you don't get a lot, it's a great teaching tool for children. My kids LOVE going to the farms and gardens and learning where their food comes from. but, that being said... we also eat our fair share of fast food chicken nuggets so.. lol Some things are better left to the imagination.

middy411 · March 2017

@bumpybump Did the chickens react when you plucked them? I'm imagining a Brazilian wax right now and it's making me cringe. Sounds like you have a lot of good life skills. I, unfortunately, kill even the most resilient of house plants. My father owned a landscaping business growing up. I guess it's clear that I'm adopted LOL

bumpybump · March 2017

Warning...my comment below may be a bit too graphic for some about butchering chickens.

@middy411 the chickens are dead when you are plucking their feathers. Mom already chopped off the head, feet, and then they are placed in hot water to help with the feather plucking.

shyviolet-2 · March 2017

@DoulaTog13 DS loves his garden too. e goes out and waters it everyday and always wants to go and check and see if his cherry tomatoes are ripe. I wish we had your problem with getting to many. We only get a couple a day and DS normally eats them off the vine. Every year we are getting better at gardening at a high elevation, there is a big learning curve. So hopefully this year we will get more but it will never be a huge amount.

@middy411 and @bumpybump I laughed when I read @middy411's question because I knew what @bumpybump's answer would be. My grandmother grew up on a farm (they didn't have electricity until she left home) so we have heard all the stories growing up. She laughs at people who "homestead" today. She thinks chicken from the grocery store is the best thing ever to mention not having to can your own produce.

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f · March 2017

@belmont1785 Do you mind me asking how you know your child will be high risk for allergies? I always thought allergies were random/unpredictable.

belmont1785 · March 2017

@secicc12

I knew NOTHING about allergies until DD. She has both IGE and a rare allergy called FPIES. Allergies ARE very unpredictable but there are a couple things that put our new baby at high risk. Eczema, food allergies and asthma are related and eczema and allergies run strong in both sides of our family. Also having a child with FPIES puts you at greater risk for having another child with allergies.

Our daughter has an allergist, gastroenterologist, dermatologist and immunologist and they all agree that we have about a 50/50 chance that the second baby will have FPIES....and that we are at "high risk" for a second baby with IGE allergies.

It's hard to explain over text but to a certain degree allergies can be genetic. It's not the specific allergy itself, but the tendency to be allergic. For example, a cousin of mine has 3 kids, all 3 have life threatening allergies and all 3 have DIFFERENT allergies.

My husband and I have no known food allergies. But my husband has eczema and I have some medication allergies as well as environmental allergies. Then I have several cousins with allergies, and grandparents. My husband's side has lots of various allergies too. So in general we are at higher risk. But that does not mean that someone with no history won't have an allergy.

This is a terrible explanation but hopefully it makes sense. I highly recommend strictly adding one food at a time when baby gets to food age. And always having childrens benadryl on hand especially when introducing new foods.

PinkPrincessPiper · March 2017

I'm not much of a homesteader, but we've already agreed that our next house will be further out from the city & have more land to accommodate chickens & a garden. I cannot wait to have chickens!

In regard to allergies, DS2 has severe nut allergies. He reacted the first time I gave him peanut butter. Our allergist recommended giving our subsequent kids peanut butter around 6 months. We did with DD & she practically lives on PB&Js.

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f · March 2017

belmont1785 said:

@secicc12

I knew NOTHING about allergies until DD. She has both IGE and a rare allergy called FPIES. Allergies ARE very unpredictable but there are a couple things that put our new baby at high risk. Eczema, food allergies and asthma are related and eczema and allergies run strong in both sides of our family. Also having a child with FPIES puts you at greater risk for having another child with allergies.

Our daughter has an allergist, gastroenterologist, dermatologist and immunologist and they all agree that we have about a 50/50 chance that the second baby will have FPIES....and that we are at "high risk" for a second baby with IGE allergies.

It's hard to explain over text but to a certain degree allergies can be genetic. It's not the specific allergy itself, but the tendency to be allergic. For example, a cousin of mine has 3 kids, all 3 have life threatening allergies and all 3 have DIFFERENT allergies.

My husband and I have no known food allergies. But my husband has eczema and I have some medication allergies as well as environmental allergies. Then I have several cousins with allergies, and grandparents. My husband's side has lots of various allergies too. So in general we are at higher risk. But that does not mean that someone with no history won't have an allergy.

This is a terrible explanation but hopefully it makes sense. I highly recommend strictly adding one food at a time when baby gets to food age. And always having childrens benadryl on hand especially when introducing new foods.

@belmont1785

Not a terrible explanation at all. It must be so stressful always worrying about DD coming into contact with one of her allergy triggers. Good advice on introducing foods one-by-one. Thanks for taking the time to explain your situation!

lyse01 · March 2017

I've kept a sourdough starter off and on for a few years, but moving and the current commute to SO (he's living on the mainland near his parents to help with his dad's illness; I'm on an island) makes anything with a daily maintenance requirement a no-go. Loooove my sourdough bread when it comes out of the oven though.

I've also kept the occasional garden, but the moving has done quite a number on that too. I'm best at potted herbs, and am very much looking forward to living in one house for a long time.

I've made beer (not good) and mozz/ricotta (better) and want to do it again. The cheese was actually pretty hard because I needed to get to a specialty store to get the preferred milk.

I want to learn to can - the issue is mostly that I rarely eat canned goods, so they'd more or less go to waste. Except tomatoes - I use canned tomatoes for everything. My mom used to make applesauce off the tree in our yard when I was little - more fruit trees in my life would be good!

megaroo42 · March 2017

What a great thread! My husband and I live in a semi-rural area and we enjoy doing homesteading things together. We grow a pretty large garden each year with raised beds and this year DH is starting seeds inside. I'm blaming it on nesting, haha.

We also freeze and can fruits and veggies to eat all year round, plus I make fruit jam and pasta sauce. We're also part of a CSA for 24 weeks where we get veggies, fruit and grass-fed meat. Personally, I'm really happy that we enjoy doing this together since it's a fun way to spend hours and it'll save us money this year going from two salaries to one.

Lauradi1010 · March 2017

Would love a garden, but don't really have yard. It's covered in trees and not a whole lot of sunlight. We tried lettuce a few years ago and it was horrible and spicy. We should have k own something was wrong since the bunnies wouldn't touch it. We do some container hardening small cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes. Hoping to do rasberries/ strawberries in a container this year.

belmont1785 · March 2017

PinkPrincessPiper said:

In regard to allergies, DS2 has severe nut allergies. He reacted the first time I gave him peanut butter. Our allergist recommended giving our subsequent kids peanut butter around 6 months. We did with DD & she practically lives on PB&Js.

That's awesome! Our daughter was exposed to peanuts before 6 months and unfortunately it didn't do anything for us. Her earliest allergic reaction started at 6 weeks old. This baby will be exposed as early as the allergist will allow. I want to do everything we can.

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