Welcome to the Back Acres Homesteading page!
Self Sufficiency. Better Tasting, Nutrient Dense Produce. Lower Grocery Bills. Community Building. Quality Life.
What is homesteading?
By definition, homesteading is “life as a settler on a homestead.” Thanks Google, you really cleared that one up…NOT! How about instead of looking at the technical meaning of the word homesteading, let’s take a look at what homesteading means to me…
When I think of the word homesteading, I picture land filled with gardens and orchards that are bursting at the seems. I can hear living critters, such as chickens clucking (or in my case, quail chirping) and a few barnyard cats meowing. Maybe, there’s even the splashing of fish in my fully stocked pond.
I envision shelves filled with mason jars and homegrown, home-dried herbs and spices. The smell of freshly baked bread and dinner simmering on the stove seeps into every room in my country barndominium home. More family and faith. Less technology and societal influence. My feet are filthy, my hair is messy, and I’m glowing with sunkissed skin and a sense of satisfaction when I go to bed every night. That’s what homesteading means to me.
Why the abrupt lifestyle change?
Anytime someone decides to take a 180 degree turn in life, it garnishes a lot of attention. Some responses are in support of your new found adventures. However, the majority of attention tends to fall in the category of “whys” and “how comes.” But, let me ask you this simple question…do you know anybody who has emerged from the nationwide pandemic and global shutdown the same person as they were before? I don’t! Whether it be weight gain, weight loss, mental health, a career change, or a values shift…no one is the same.
For me, the last two years have highlighted just how much my family and I need (and probably the entire world needs) to rediscover the “back to basics” way of life. My goal is to embrace less busy schedules, improve family relationships, live and eat healthier, reinforce homegrown values, and develop better work ethics.
Change can be good, but in my experience the world has focused so much on the wrong endeavors and we’re finding ourselves at the end of a road we didn’t intend to go down. It’s never too late to turn things around. What better place to start than in our own homes. So, my husband and I bought 2.57 acres of land, named it Back Acres (because it will be back breaking work), and set out to find the right balance between old world values with new world knowledge. Wish us luck!
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.”
-Claude Monet
Our Adventures In Homesteading Are Just Beginning!
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