Examples on how to be self sufficient as a beginner
Do you want to know how to be more self sufficient as a beginner? Learn from our experience as beginning homesteaders. In this blog I share examples and tips on how you can get started today.
What does it mean to be self sufficient?
The dictionary says that being self sufficient means that you can provide for everything you need, without the help of others. The term is often used for people on homesteads, growing their own food and living off grid. But according to this definition solar panels and a plastic water tank is not really self sufficiency. If I hear self sufficiency I think about ‘surviving on your own’. However there are many areas on which you can strive for self sufficiency: you can provide your own food, clothes or housing, but you also take ownership over your emotional and spiritual needs.
In this blog I will give examples of little steps on how to be more self sufficient in food as a beginner.
Why being self sufficient?
You might ask the question: why do you want to do things yourself if it takes more effort than just use products other people made? I think there are many reasons on why people want to be more self sufficient. For me the most important reason is feeling safer that the needs you have will be met – obviously, because you will meet them yourself. You could also call it independence or empowerment.
Not only are you less vulnerable if there is a shortage of something, you have more control over the quality and ethics behind your consumption. That’s why i think it is important to learn how to be more self sufficient especially as a beginner.
Why complete self sufficiency is not what I strive for
To be a 100% self sufficient you probably would have to live without electricity and definitely without a device to read this blog. I like many parts of my lifestyle and the infrastructure I can use in my country. You can call it luxury but I think about hospitals, cars, flushing toilets and the light weight but still waterproof camping gear we used in our holiday in the mountains. All things I don’t want to miss.
I think as humans we are made to work together and provide to one another in all of our needs. God created us in communities to serve and complement each other.
How to be more self sufficient as a beginner – food
Food is the first thing that comes up in me when I think self sufficiency. Often people have gardens to be more self sufficient. And even though gardening is amazing we often we forget that from tomatoes and zucchinis alone you will not survive very long on your own.
Trees
So before you start a vegetable garden I would do this first: Plan trees. If you have very limited space, you can plant a low stem apple tree right on your balcony and harvest already a few years down the line some delicious self grown apples. Other fruittrees that grow in my climate and are easy to maintain are cherry, pear and plum trees. If you have a little more space I would immediately plant a nut tree. Walnuts and hazelnuts are both great options. With the walnut you have to wait a little longer than with the hazelnut but both are great options to provide fats and proteins.
Gardening
If you want to be self sufficient in gardening seed winning is a challenge. Some veggies are easy to grow but hard to win seeds from. If winning your own seeds is a priority to you I would suggest you to start with the following 4 crops:
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Squash
- Garlic
All those crops are easy to grow and easy to win seeds from. And corn, potatoes and squash are also very nourishing foods that will actually keep you full.
If you are willing to buy seeds in the store which will still make you able to grow your own food in the best quality possible I would suggest you to start with those veggies:
- Beetroot
- Salad
- Kale
- Onion
- Broad bean
All those crops provide a good harvest, are easy to grow and from different plant families to make sure you can rotate them in order to avoid diseases.
Herbs
No matter if you have a big peace of land or not even a balcony: I am sure you want herbs there! Herbs tast good and are so healthy. And let’s be honest, they are absolutely most delicious when they are fresh. Here are my top 6 herbs who will survive frost easily, grow bigger every year and are truly low maintenance:
- Rosemary for your baked patatos
- Matcha for your smoothies, soups and stews
- Lavender for you teas
- Oregano for your pastas and curries
- Chives for your salades and sandwiches
- Lemon balm for your lemonades and teas
Chicken
In a guide on how to be more self sufficient as a beginner chickens are a must. Even if they would lay no eggs, I still would have chickens just because of how funny they are. Did you even watch a chicken run? That provides me with all the joy I need to come through a intense day. But I am honest, the eggs are no punishment ether. There is nothing better than to eat a freshly laid egg first thing in the morning (just don’t cook them freshly, they are not fun to peal like that!).
Chicken are not only great in laying eggs, they also don’t need that much. They are happy with relatively little space and a great way to do it better than in the factory farms that treat them like products rather than living beings.
Being content with what you have
Sometimes I dream about having more land, grow more of my own food for my family, living off grid… The list can go on and on. Self sufficiency as a beginner can be frustrating because it feels like a drop in the bucket. But for me it is not only about producing and providing yourself. I believe that God ultimately provides for us and we don’t need to be afraid of a crisis or collaps of the economie.
Stil I try to be more self sufficient because I believe it makes us happy as humans to create things with our own hands. It makes me grateful of what God gives when I see that little seed turning into a full grown corn plant. It helps me to consume more mindfully and also simply consume less.
So after all even if I am far from being completely self sufficient, the little examples on how to be self sufficient as a beginner thought me to be grateful for what I have and that God provides me with everything I need. And that ultimately leads me to be more self sufficient emotionally.
