I find myself in a state of overwhelming gratitude this week for what we (hubby and I) have accomplished on our little homestead in two short years. The funny thing is… we didn’t intentionally set out with the goal of self-sufficiency in mind, but it has just sort of organically evolved into our version of food independence and de-toxifying our nutritional intake.
We are not new to cultivating, foraging and hunting/fishing for our own food. When we lived in the city we had a small backyard garden, we foraged in the woods on weekends for mushrooms and edible weeds and tried to throw a line in the lake whenever possible. It was, and still is, so satisfying to sit down and eat a meal that was completely grown or caught by us.
When we moved to our acreage, we immediately saw the potential for a super large garden to support ourselves and had five laying hens in residence before we had even lived here for two weeks! We are also lucky enough to have many acres of forested area on our property which have produced a few edible and medicinal goodies like false solomen seal, spruce tips, mushrooms, arnica, fireweed, goldenrod… to name just a few!
Fast forward two years… to why I am so overwhelmed with gratitude this week😊
Our freezers are bursting with garden produce we grew ourselves, berries and mushrooms we have picked, and meat that we have raised. I do most of my grocery shopping in my own cold storage room, freezer and cupboards! Almost 100% of our meals are 100% our own doing … and that is beyond fantastic!!!
I didn’t even know how immensely satisfying it would be to secure most of our food source ourselves. It was a lot of work and at times exhausting and worrisome but now I am filled with pride that we did it! We have plenty… enough to share with family and friends and that also brings us joy.
We raised two piggies this summer… this was something new for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of having them. They were processed last weekend and although that was really hard for me, and I cried quite a bit, I know that I gave them a good life and cared for them immensely. I reached a whole new level of gratitude … for the animals that will feed my family this next year. I always thank the plants and mushrooms that I pick in the forest, and I did the same for the animals we raised. This is something that I think is vitally important – to feel ultimate gratitude to the plants and animals that give us sustenance.
We have also started to pay more attention to the other things we are putting into our bodies and have ditched many processed foods and make many of our favourites from scratch ingredients … sans preservatives and chemicals. We now make our own cheese, ice cream, bread, pasta, tomato sauce/juice, salsa, sauerkraut and much more! Doing all of these things takes time, but it is time well spent and we are definitely reaping the benefits.
We are the healthiest we have ever been in our lives… and with this great feeling of well-being comes a sense of happiness and contentedness I never knew could exist for us.
Maybe I was a pioneer woman in a past life! Ok... that might be a bit of a stretch, but I do feel strong and accomplished and am starting to appreciate how whole foods are nourishing our bodies and a busy, yet simple, homestead life is contributing to natural & functional healing for both of us.
This lifestyle isn’t for everyone and not everyone will appreciate the same things that I treasure, but it is so much more than growing and gathering our own food. It is about getting your hands in the dirt, spending time in nature and observing the interconnectedness of everything in our environment.
Feed your body good food, be grateful for what Mother Nature provides and always thank her for her gifts.❤️
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