The Haphazard Homesteader

By Renae Brabham

I believe that homesteading is a state of mind that can be projected into our daily lives whether we have a 50-acre farm, an acre lot, or a small raised garden bed.

Homesteading, I can hear my ancestor’s laughter from beyond their graves. 

“Homesteading??? Girl, that’s just called living!”  

And I would have to reply, “Yes, but it makes for a better story title than — Living.”

To some, the word “homesteading" evokes dreamy reels of the homesteads that we follow on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Think — old farm houses on mega acres of land, amber waves of grain glowing in the sunlight and cutesy barns strategically placed that house various furry adorable animals. 

Although I do love that picture and actually know people living like this, I am well aware there is a reason that these phenomenal farmsteads look and operate the way they do. It’s called work. Rewarding work, but work. I believe that homesteading is a state of mind that can be projected into our daily lives whether we have a 50-acre farm, an acre lot, or a small raised garden bed. It can encompass total sustainability, partial homesteading in a double-wide on an acre, or — as the late comedian on SNL, Chris Farley, would proudly declare, “In a van down by the river!”  The bottom line is that homesteading is making the most of what you have while striving for harmony with land and animals. 

Yeah, we have to drive a half hour for a decent bottle of wine, but that’s the trade off, the sacrifice we pay for a simpler way of life.

I would say that hubby and I are “The haphazard homesteaders.” We don’t get all wrapped up in legalities about what a true homesteader looks or acts like. We do we.

While I was thinking of the ways we identify with homesteading on our acre, I don’t have to look far. As I type this I look out of my office room window to a 75-square foot fenced vegetable garden that Don toiled in early spring. It is fenced in with wire and cedar poles that were cut from the property with a leaning fence gate and simple latch and nail closure.The garden is completely encapsulated with native Spiderwort or Indian Paint flowers, some call weeds, but they are great pollinators and we let them grow until the veggies are past pollinating time. The dreaded Florida Betony, hides a bevy of delicious tubular roots that we can enjoy if we like. 

We don’t use any chemicals at all on the property, and are on a “no spray” list for mosquitoes spraying. The bats and dragonflies are prolific here and do their job of keeping the mosquito population down. Our garden is weeded by me trampling between the rows. The little garden gives us so much produce! We make our own fertilizer by mixing aged chicken manure mixed with our compost. Two years ago I canned 99 pints of green beans from this small plot. Could I have gathered enough for one more? Nope, it was over. This year we have 15 tomato cages, 2 rows of squash and zucchini, a few bell pepper plants, ginger, cucumbers and about 15 rows of green beans.

Just beyond the garden, I can watch the chickens in the coop we built named the “Over Easy.” At this time I am concerned about an old girl that we have had for almost 8 years. That’s a long time for a chicken. I believe her time is nearing. We have eight Rhode Island Red hens, they produce around 4 to 5 eggs a day. None of them will tell me who is holding out on me, but I’m pretty sure it would be the 3 older gals. I don’t blame them. Let the young whippersnappers take over that chore.

Homesteading is sitting in a rocker, on a log, or a bucket at the end of the day with a glass of sweet tea, wine, beer, sore back and — feeling good about the work you have done.  

The canopy of centuries old Angel Oaks provides shade for what needs shade and the sultry southern hot sun gives us a long growing season. We have neighbors and friends that gift us venison in the fall and winter months. Yeah, we have to drive a half hour for a decent bottle of wine, but that’s the trade off, the sacrifice we pay for a simpler way of life. 

I make my own laundry detergent, bar soap, deodorant, room sprays, and perfume. All with simple ingredients. I grow a lot of herbs and dry them for cooking and tea. But — I won’t turn down a bottle of Calvin Klein perfume either. 

The satisfaction one gets from using their handcrafted product, the smell of hay and rich toiled dirt, the time outside with nature, the knowing of your little/big slice of earth, the sadness of losing an animal that you have raised, the joy of rebirth of another — can't be bought.  

Homesteading is sitting in a rocker, on a log, or a bucket at the end of the day with a glass of sweet tea, wine, beer, sore back and — feeling good about the work you have done.