Homesteading

Have you ever just wanted to leave the modern day world behind and just say to heck with you I can make it on my own! I've always had the romantic idea of living off of the land, working hard and reaping in the harvest. My attempts have not been that great, my gardening skills are seriously lacking. I can grow spinach and peas very well, but all other things need much more practice. From the post below you would know that we certainly aren't in the position to buy a prime piece of land and grow all manner of fruits, vegetables, and stock on it. We currently reside on a "large" quarter acre plot in the heart of Brigham City. Lucky for me this plot has things going for it, when we first moved in I called it my little dessert, you see we get plenty of sun in the backyard and nobody had watered the dead weeds in quite sometime. We do have 5 pine trees in our backyard (I think they are all different species to boot) that dot the perimeter, they don't offer much shade but that's okay. We left a home with 3 mature wonderful pear trees and you would think with the "fruit highway"so close by we would of found a home offering a fruit tree in Brigham, but ours was probably the only yard without a fruit tree in the whole of the city. Fruit trees to me means easy reliable food for the most part, so I planted 4 beautiful fruit trees when the weather stopped being so hot. I've got a Cameo apple, Breaburn apple, White Princess peach, and a Montmorency cherry tree. So you can see I'm well on my way to being self reliant right? I have some pretty big plans and dreams for my yard and I love seeing information on what someone would have to do to grow all of the produce necessary to feed a small family.
 This spring I'll be getting some chickens for free from my moms neighbor, he doesn't have the time or interest in them anymore, and I wont have the accommodations for them until spring. My husband who has been absolutely against the idea of chickens our whole married life has finally agreed that we could get some and so I am quiet pleased that it is all working out so smoothly.
My aunt received some grape cuttings that she propagated and gave me about 40 (I'm serious, 40) and I planted lots of them this fall. From what I read grapes usually don't start providing fruit until their 3rd year or so, and that is if they end up being strong enough to stand a Utah winter. It will be a couple years I think until I see much of any fruit come from this property but you gotta start somewhere.
We have water shares here that water our backyard two times a week. I'd like to put a garden in next to the corner of our yard where a pipe brings in a fair amount of water that doesn't make too much of a current. The neighbors said that at one point in time someone who lived here had an awesome garden in that very spot, he was Hispanic and really knew how to garden. I'm hoping I can figure it out too. I just seems smart to provide what you can for yourself and your family, then share with extended family and neighbors when you get the hang of it.
This next month I'll be starting some seeds indoors, especially since I have a kitchen with a big window that faces south and will provide the much needed light for seed starting. Tomatoes are definitely on my list for indoor starting and I may try a couple of seeds that I have left from past years indoors if they transfer well. What have you successfully started indoors? Could you make it on your own with your backyard?

Basic Pantry Food Staples

My husband was told recently that his job working at Convergys for Microsoft will be once again shipped to a new location, which may be India, Canada, or the Philippines. He right now helps people with limitations such as being blind, deaf or things of that nature program or fix computer issues they are having. This is the second time in this past year he has been told his job from Microsoft will be no longer. Because of the nature of the layoff, he could take part in the government fair trade act, that would pay for him to finish his school so he would be able to get another job. This would be fantastic but he really cannot work while doing the fair trade act, unless he is making less than he would be bringing in on unemployment (which figures to about $5.00 an hr). Since our little family cannot afford to live on $5.00 an hour, he will be transferring to a new job position within Convergys making 6 dollars less an hour than before. We've been though this type of thing almost countless times in the past 4 years, so my reaction to the news isn't the typical crying and despair it used to be. I know that there are many avenues we could go down to "make things work", but right now were going to try to keep it simple, and let Jared take the work in the different department and continue to have me home with the kids while he pursues work and school.

I don't know if any of you reading this have also been through this sort of thing in the past couple years or are experiencing it now, If you are you have my condolences its never an easy thing to figure out. Since we will be experiencing a giant pay cut, the cash that we normally use to purchase food will be slim to none, gas for his commute and our bills will more than likely suck up the whole paycheck. Because we are not extreme "fasters" and need sustenance I have yet again applied for WIC (we way more than qualify) to help bring in some basic food stuffs.

From past experiences I found that I could make a whole lot of stuff with just very basic food supplies, things to have on hand that certainly make living more comfortable include a good stock of these pantry items:

• Pasta noodles
• canned tomato sauce
• cream of chicken soup
• rice
• flour
• sugar (white and brown)
• salt
• oil
• canned chili
• oats
• spices- cinnamon, Italian seasoning, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper etc.
• chicken and beef bouillon (great for gravy, soups, to make chicken or beef stock cheap)
• Potatoes and Potato pearls
• shortening
• honey
• vinegar
• chocolate chips
• vanilla
• bread crumbs
• baking powder, baking soda
• peanut butter (my son is allergic, so right now we don't have it)
• beans
• syrup
• dried or fresh onions
• garlic

The items I like to have stocked in my fridge or freezer include

• butter
• eggs
• milk
• yeast
• soy sauce
• cheese (mozzarella and sharp is the way we go)
• bread/ tortillas (but you can make these with the items above)
• jam
• carrots
• frozen peas, corn, broccoli, spinach - other vegetables you like or your kids will eat
• fruit
• ground turkey
• frozen or fresh chicken breasts
• Parmesan cheese
• cream cheese
• sauces- BBQ, ketchup, mustard, ranch, mayo or miracle whip

Those are the items that really can make the world go round if you have a decent supply of them before you get a huge dock in pay. Of course your list may be different from mine but if your new to having to make everything you eat with little money this list really can create many meals.
If your still unsure, here is a list of what I can think of off the top of my head, that can be made :)

• waffles
• pancakes
• BBQ chicken pizza
• spaghetti
• cinnamon rolls
• Navajo tacos
• Hawaiian haystacks (you may want more toppings but you'll at least have the gravy and cheese)
• baked potatoes
• mashed potatoes
• from scratch hamburger helper type meals
• chicken and broccoli casserole
• burritos
• grilled cheese sandwiches
• quesadillas
• chicken stir fry's
• cheese pizza
• fettichini Alfredo
• biscuits and gravy
• hamburger on sliced bread (you can also make your own buns)
• meatless burger (made with beans)
• chicken and dumplings
• chicken noodle soup
• chocolate chip cookies
• sugar cookies
• oatmeal cookies
• cake
• sweet and sour chicken
• Parmesan chicken
• french toast

you kinda get the idea. Luckily there are many ways to get recipes and how to's in this day and age but I do have a favorite cookbook that I turn to when I want to do my basic recipes and that is the book below. I use its biscuits, pancakes, waffles, pie crust, cake and cookie recipes all of the time. This edition is a couple years old but there newer (and older) additions would probably still have those basic made from scratch recipes, or you can always try google or pinterest.