Homesteading

Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. People who subscribe to the philosophy, called homesteaders, may make small lifestyle changes such as growing and canning fruits and vegetables or raising a few chickens. Others opt for greater self-sufficiency, up to and including living off the grid—without any connection to outside utilities, including electricity and water.

Homesteaders have many reasons for choosing their lifestyle. Some cite the satisfaction of growing their own food, knowing exactly what is in or on it—such as pesticides—and their happiness with the quality and flavor of what they eat. Many enjoy preserving foods, which can be very economical. Other reasons include a desire to escape the stresses and technology of modern life and dissatisfaction with nine-to-five careers.

Some communities have laws that limit what people can do on their properties. For example, some do not allow people to raise poultry on their property, or have rules about where a vegetable garden can be placed, if it is permitted at all. People may have to limit the extent of their homesteading practices, or may decide to relocate to live the lifestyle they wish.

Background

Self-sufficiency was a necessity for humans for centuries. Modern homesteading can be very similar to the lives lived by American pioneers on the frontier.

The US Homestead Act of 1862 promised settlers the chance to own land. The government set up terms for land usage and people applied to work 160 acres of public land on the western frontier. If they fulfilled their part of the agreement, developing the land and living on it continuously for five years, they became the owners. Homesteaders cleared the land, dug wells, built homes, hunted and fished, raised animals, and produced the food they needed to feed their families. On the frontier, the nearest neighbor could be days away, and the closest town farther still. Those who prepared, and overcame setbacks such as storms and drought, survived. Self-sufficiency became easier with the expansion of the railroad and development of road systems.

Although large farms began to provide much of the food Americans needed, some people continued to practice some self-sufficiency. Even people living in large cities might have a small backyard where they grew some vegetables, kept a goat for fresh milk, or raised a few chickens for fresh eggs. Such activities were much more common in small towns and rural areas. The government encouraged self-sufficiency at various times of hardship. Many people dug up lawns during the Great Depression (1929–39) to grow vegetables. During wartime, the government urged people to plant Victory Gardens—First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even dug up part of the White House lawn to grow vegetables in 1943, during World War II (1939–45). By the end of the war, Americans were growing 40 percent of the country's vegetables on their own.

Self-sufficiency returned energetically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The United States was caught in the turmoil of the Vietnam War and increased concerns about air and water pollution. A back-to-nature movement developed. Up to one million young Americans, often college educated and from middle-class families, moved to farmhouses, forests, or mountain regions, where they aspired to live much as the pioneers had. They raised animals and vegetables and lived off the land. Some developed solar and wind power. Many lived on communes, where everyone worked together and shared what they had. Society often called them hippies or radicals.

Near the end of the twentieth century, self-sufficiency drew new attention. People were increasingly asking where and how their food was grown. During the early twenty-first century, more Americans became interested in growing their own foods. Many cited concerns about pesticides and genetically modified crops. Some were upset about corporate farming. Society turned its attention to several movements, including farm to table, farm to fork, and locally sourced foods. Organic produce grew increasingly popular with consumers.

With the arrival of a recession in 2008, many people sought ways to reduce their grocery bills and grew more of their own food. A number of people organized new community gardens, where members were assigned a plot of land in which to grow and tend their plants. Some community groups began offering new classes, such as home canning instruction and lessons on raising chickens. First Lady Michelle Obama revived the White House Victory Garden, complete with vegetables, herbs, and honeybees.

Homesteading also gained renewed interest in the 2020s following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time many people began to work from home. As that trend continued, even after the pandemic ended, the flexibility of remote work allowed more people to pursue homesteading without giving up their careers. Social media also increased the popularity of homesteading during this period. Many people, especially younger generations, became interested in the activity after seeing it featured on TikTok, where it became something of a social media phenomenon in the 2020s, as creators made videos that made homesteading more appealing and accessible to a wide audience. Rising inflation and its impact on grocery store prices in the 2020s further increased interest in homesteading as people sought to cut costs by growing food at home.

Overview

The growing interest in backyard gardening was accompanied by interest in other aspects of self-sufficiency. Homesteaders often participate in a number of do-it-yourself activities. Composting, for example, creates rich soil from food scraps and can be both economical and organic, and keeps organic matter out of landfills. Vermicomposting, or feeding food scraps to earthworms in a controlled environment, can be undertaken even in a small apartment—worm bins can be kept under a sink. Homesteaders who do not have enough space or time to raise meat animals, such as pigs, may buy animals from a small local farmer, and even slaughter and butcher the animals themselves. Some may forage for wild mushrooms or other foods, knit, crochet, spin yarn, make cheese, can or dry food, or smoke their own fish and meat. Pottery making, basket weaving, building structures and fences, beekeeping, baking bread, brewing beer, making wine, and quilting are other do-it-yourself activities. Homesteaders may participate to different degrees—for example, some may knit yarn purchased from a local shepherd, or spin and dye raw fiber from that shepherd, while still others will go so far as to raise the sheep that produce the wool themselves.

For many homesteading families, chickens are the livestock of choice. Backyard chickens were quite common in the United States until the middle of the twentieth century, and many adults fondly recall seeing them in their grandparents' yards. The birds take up little room and eat weed seeds and insects, helping to protect vegetable gardens. They keep their owners reliably stocked with fresh eggs, which are less likely to be contaminated by salmonella. From the age of eighteen weeks, a hen will produce six eggs a week for two to three years. Some communities permit only hens because roosters crow and disturb neighbors. Many communities are more receptive to rabbits, which can be raised as a meat source.

To varying degrees, homesteaders often conserve resources. For example, they may harness solar or wind power. Laundry may dry on a clothesline outdoors. Rainwater, collected in rain barrels, may irrigate the garden. Many homesteaders embrace the philosophy of self-sufficiency as well as the ideal of conservation.

Bibliography

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