Introduction to homesteading

March 17, 5:26 PMGardening ExaminerRobin Ripley

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I was at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore the other day and was surprised to notice a whole display labeled “Modern Homesteading.” What was most surprising, however, is that nearly all the books were gone. Apparently, even in affluent Annapolis, MD, there is a desire to learn more about homesteading.

The traditional images of homesteaders are of rural and earthy people shunning the luxuries of modern life in exchange for communing with livestock and living off the land. (In my mind, there is often a tornado or drought involved, but perhaps that’s from watching too many TV westerns as a youth.)

While that image may still be true in some cases, “modern homesteading” is more accessible for most people because it encourages the philosophy and behaviors that are the underpinnings of traditional homesteading—but without requiring large amounts of land or giving up our current lifestyles altogether.

In essence, homesteading is an effort to live a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle. In many ways, modern homesteading incorporates the ideas of simple living that have become popular for the past couple of decades, but also suggests the ethical motivations of trying to live with a smaller footprint on our environment. What’s more, modern homesteading—or urban homesteading—is also for people who live in neighborhoods with small yards or even in apartments. Modern homesteading is about taking steps to sustainable change—not a plunge into a new lifestyle.

I have to wonder about the people in Annapolis snatching up all those homesteading books. Is it the proximity to Washington, D.C. and the jittery nerves over the stinky state of the economy that is prompting people to explore self-sufficiency as if it is a new idea? Is it that spring is just around the corner and the news is filled with the idea of the new Victory Garden, preserving the harvest and eating fresh? Is it that chickens are the new pug, as they are described in The Urban Homestead (one of the much-sought-after books at my Barnes & Noble)?

Whatever the reasons or the motivations, there is interest in the activities and the philosophy behind homesteading. If you’re interested in exploring more, here are some excellent books—some of which were even on display at Barnes & Noble before all those yacht-owning Annapolis people snatched them up.

The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City, by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen

Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth, by Barbara Berst Adams

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community, Chelsea Green

Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses, Ricki Carroll

Putting Foods By, Janet Greene

Keeping Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces, by Barbara Kilarski

Living with Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Flock, by Jay Rossier

Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cows, by Gail Damerow 

You for reading! You can reach me at gardeningexaminer@gmail.com and can follow me on Twitter at @RobinRipley.

Did you also know I write about fresh foods? You can read my food columns at the D.C. Fresh Foods Examiner.

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