What if you could walk out your front door and pick the ingredients to make a simple dinner? It seems to be the goal of a lot of Americans these days, and sometimes people question themselves on how they will ever achieve 100% self-sufficiency. Except for some outstanding individuals and extreme cases; I don’t think that level is ever truly attainable to be honest. Even people in the 1800’s were usually not totally independent; they still had to go to the general store for basic staples; so don’t be too hard on yourself.
For those just starting out; baby steps are the key. You will end up discouraged and frustrated if you try and learn everything at once; I have seen it happen time and time again.
With a well thought out plan; you can slowly work towards the goal of a self-sufficient life. What that life looks like is totally up to you; do you just want a small garden to offset rising food costs, or do you want to be out milking cows twice a day? Only you can answer that.
Personally, our biggest achievement was the first time we were able to make that simple dinner out of our front yard.
That is over 15 years of our lives wrapped up in those 29 pictures; for example; building raised beds, building a pig shelter, learning to raise pigs, learning to raise chickens, planting fruit trees and a litany of other projects. We wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Start slow; don’t try to attempt too much, and one day you will be making that simple dinner from your front yard. It doesn’t matter if that meal is a basic salad, or a 9 course feast; your sense of accomplishment will far outweigh the hard work. Good luck with your journey.
