Amanda

When it comes to homesteading, half of the battle is education – learning a world of lost arts that are rarely still being passed down through the generations. Thankfully though, those that still have the skills and the knowledge are sharing it with the rest of us through books, blogs, and other consumable media (Hi!). For your benefit, here is a thorough list of the top rated homesteading books.

In general, farms tend to be more diverse in terms of the crops and livestock they produce, while ranches tend to focus more on raising grazing animals. However, there is often overlap between the two, and many farms may also have grazing animals, while some ranches may also grow crops. While the difference between a ranch and a farm is the focus of a ranch on animals and a farm on crops, they both lean toward large amounts of production for commercial purposes while homesteading is doing everything a ranch or farm would, but on a smaller scale for the provision of the family. Homesteading has a value system and lifestyle associated with it moreso than ranching and farming do.

If you’re like me, it’s well below freezing temperatures where you live. The garden is napping under a blanket of snow and your animals are huddled up in the corner of their shelters, nestling into hay. Trees are bare. Ponds are ice rinks. The world is quiet and has slowed from a spin to a crawl. This universe looks the opposite of what it did six months ago when all hands were on deck sowing, harvesting, and preserving the fruits of our labor. How does one make the most of their time when you go from all to nothing? I’ve learned that just because I’m not outdoors and in the garden during this season of the homestead, certainly doesn’t mean that this season doesn’t produce. Here are the winter homesteading projects that keep me busy and allow me to invest back into my homestead during these slower months.

Homesteading doesn’t require you to sell your house, buy a hundred acres in the rural mountains of Montana (even if you are secretly hoping to become the next John Dutton), and start chopping down some trees to build a cabin. Homesteading starts with a mindset that is resourceful, tenacious, resilient, and courageous – all of which are qualities you can foster throughout every season of life.

Homesteading is the lifestyle that emphasizes self-sufficiency and independence, often in a rural or suburban setting. Homesteaders typically grow their own food, raise livestock, and produce other goods and services for their own consumption and use. The goal of homesteading is often to live in a sustainable and self-sufficient way, with as little dependence on outside resources as possible.