"Urban Homesteading" is a term we've been hearing in the news and around the web more and more often. What does this concept mean to you? Would you describe yourself as an urban homesteader?
posted originally from: TheKitchn
Urban Homesteading: What Does That Mean to You?
To us, urban homesteading means finding a level of self-sufficiency no matter where we happen to be living.
It encompasses the pounds of winter squash and bags of potatoes currently lining our basement stairs as well as all the foods that we buy in bulk. Many of us in this community have also started canning and freezing to stretch out summer's bounty and avoid buying expensive off-season fruits and vegetables during the winter.
It's also in how we cook. Doing things like eating our meals at home and baking our own bread also give us a level of self-sufficiency. It's knowing that our pantry is stocked and a good meal is never more than a few minutes away.
There's also an aspect of global awareness. With our economy on the ropes and new concerns over commercial sources of food emerging every day, it makes a lot of sense to pull back and lower our impact. This has an immediate affect on how much money we're spending on food every month and (hopefully) a long-term impact on global food issues.
But would we call ourselves urban homesteaders? Hmm...we're not sure. To us, this isn't just a trend. A lot of these steps toward self-sufficiency just seem logical and like the responsible thing to do. They're habits that we hope to maintain long after our economy has recovered.
Plus we have no illusions - our great-grandparents were probably a lot more deserving of calling themselves homesteaders, urban or otherwise!
What do you think?
Related: From the Files: Recipes that Freeze Well
(Image: Flickr member sashamd licensed under Creative Commons)
Comments (5)
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I'm trying... But I consider myself more of a budding urban homesteader. This year I had a considerably large herb garden, but my vegetable haul was pretty sad. That being said, I've started getting seed catalogs in the mail and am planning to buy a dehydrator and deep freeze around tax return time, and then I'll be well on my way...
view lovelainie's profile
Me and my boyfriend are trying as well, but it's tough going living in just an apartment in Brooklyn. We tried growing food in containers last summer, only to be foiled by squirrels (trust me, we tried everything). I would love to buy more in bulk and build a root cellar, but we don't have the space. We're still going strong on our commitment to only spending $30/week on groceries and making a lot of holiday presents. It would be nice to grow some vegetables though.
view mstinagray's profile
For the squirrels, the best thing I found is that if you put out some corn, they're much happier with that than your veggies. Try a hardware store to get the corn-- I think the brand I had was called "critter corn" and it was dried on the cob... Which leads me to think that it may be just as easy to grow a few plants just for the critters.
view lovelainie's profile
Hmm, that sounds interesting. I just don't know if NYC squirrels would take to that, but I am willing to give it a shot next summer! Thanks!
view mstinagray's profile
My sister helps run a community garden so I'm never short on vegetables in the summer. But I rent such a small space with a shared kitchen that sometimes it's hard.
I have purchased a breadmaker from a thrift store for eight bucks and started baking my own bread. I've also decided to make most meals from scratch which makes me have to actively think about what I'm eating and I'm learning how to plan accordingly with mixed results.
view swandiver's profile