half-acre homestead

WARNING: This is a vent and will most likely offend some. If you continue reading and are offended you can do one of two things. Leave me a nasty comment and never come back. Or, you could examine your heart to see just what nerve I might have hit - then leave me a nasty comment.

When we moved into our town we purchased a small lot (what we could afford at the time) among farm lands. There were a few other small lots with homes interspersed among fields and farms. If you traveled just a couple miles west you would be in the very urban city - sidewalks, apartments, etc. In the last few years many of the farmers have sold their land to developers who slap McMansions down every few feet. Our quiet farming community is turning into suburbia. Soccer moms and minivans have replaced the deer and wild turkeys. Big chain stores are replacing mom-and-pop hardware and feed stores that have had to close their doors after generations. (After all, you don’t need a feed and farm store if you aren’t raising or growing anything. )

The real tragedy in suburbia is happening to the next generation. These huge houses are filled with latch key kids who never go outside. I took a walk in the middle of a beautiful Sunday afternoon recently. I observed meticulously manicured lawns and nearly every other house had a swing set in the back. Two things struck me. First, I did not see or hear one child, not one. Second, the grass under the swings was just as beautiful as the grass in every other part of the yard. You know those worn down sandy areas you get under a well used swing? There were none.

When we moved onto our land there was a five acre plot next to us. We tried to buy it but the developer who owned it would not sell it without building first. Eventually he slapped down a McMansion and it did sell. We thought, at least there is only one home on all five acres. A nice two-income family with three children moved in. We never see the family outdoors. The children come home and play video games all afternoon. Now the family has decided they don’t want to pay taxes on five acres so they are subdividing to sell lots for other homes! Why not just buy one of the already small lots? The houses all look just like theirs anyway.

I have always had a strong dislike of suburbia. Urban atmosphere does not bother me like suburban atmosphere. There is a similarity between city people and farm people. Both are trying to survive the best they can. They are real people dealing with the world around them. Both see work to be done and do it. The city is fast and loud while the country is slow and quiet, but the people in both embrace reality.

In suburbia everything seems so plastic. Everyone works hard at keeping up appearances. If there is something the soccer moms want you to know about their family they use a bumper sticker to tell you. They use their minivans as mobile advertisements for how awesome their kids are- honor roll students, baseball champions, best girl scout troop, etc. They want you to know all this about them as you sit behind them at a red light or look across the street to their driveway. They never take the time to sit and talk with you, there is too much to do, too many PTA meetings to attend and meals to …buy. It is much more expedient to wear a sign. Besides, if they had to talk about their kids they might have to admit that little Jimmy had two cavities during his last dental visit or how Jane was caught with a boy under the bleachers.

Oh, how I long for a community in the country and a plot of land large enough to keep the developments our of view. I seem to be drifting away from contentment this morning. I’ll go repent now.

Last week I planted seven fruit trees on our property. This has proven mentally and spiritually challenging. Sounds strange, I know. Please bear with me while I explain.

Planting trees means putting down roots (literally and figuratively). They are really just sticks that require commitment, faith and hope. The time and attention paid now will, Lord willing, produce dividends in three to five years. This is not like the annual vegetable crop that will be on the table in a few weeks.

Until my “stick orchard,“ I have worked diligently at being as self sufficient as possible on this postage-stamp property with the thought that some day the Lord would provide the perfect homestead land; acres of fields and woods surrounded by like minded believers with the same. This year my husband said we would be ordering fruit trees. To me, that meant committing to THIS property for the foreseeable future. That started me out on a whole spiritual journey regarding contentment. I won’t bore you with those details except to say that I am thankful for the lessons from the Lord.

So, in the process of “renewing my mind,” I had to take a good look around and see what homesteading really means and what we really have right here in our community.

In our church family there are many farmers / agrarians. We have blueberry farmers, horse farmers, vegetable farmers. We also have families who raise/grow much of their own food and supplies. We barter with one another as well as just give gifts of the “fruits” of our labor. Those who do not have any property are invited to use the extra land of others in the fellowship. I have taught a couple of ladies about grinding wheat and baking bread. I have been taught how to use the grey water from the house to water the garden. I have helped a friend in her garden and she has helped in mine. Our pastor, who lives on 2.5 acres on a lake has made it known that if/when the economic collapse happens, anyone in the fellowship who needs to, can stay on his land, cook on his wood stove, etc. It is commonly known that things will probably only get worse and when they do, we will not be alone.

The men in our fellowship are real men. They can work with their hands as well as their minds. The women are encouraged to be wives that real men need. We home school and train our children in this lifestyle. The boys and men hunt and fish and build together. The girls and women sew and cook with and for one another. There are different levels of attachment to the world among our members but there is a steady progress away from it by all. (those who do not want to move away from the worldly pleasures do not stay long.) We are accountable to one another

Did I really think I could find another group of like minded believers who practice agape love like these? Maybe I could but why would I want to look elsewhere? We are not a perfect fellowship but there is no perfect fellowship on the earth. It is true that homesteading and farming is done on a much smaller scale here than most agrarian areas. After all, we are in NJ. So, maybe we are not rich according to the world or even other agrarians. However, we are rich in love, our needs are met, we are traveling our journey together and we are content.

On the practical side of things, here is a list of what is or can be done on our half-acre homestead:

Keep a large (2 year supply) of food and necessities.

Collect ashes from our fires and make lye water for soap.

Make our own soap from our own lye water and kitchen fats/oils.

Collect rain water from our house, garage, and shed roofs. It is more than sufficient for the garden and animals and would provide enough for the people if needed.

Raise a year supply of chickens and rabbits for meat and enough laying hens for our eggs.

Grow enough fruit and vegetables for our family for fresh and canned throughout the year.

Grow most of the feed for the chickens and rabbits (and store whole grains for the rest)

Wash clothes by hand with rainwater and homemade soap.

Cook and heat with a wood stove.

Use a composting toilet. (instead of the city sewer for which you need to be on-grid)

We also eat fish that we catch and venison the men get hunting.

We have two dogs. One is an excellent guard dog, a much needed job in our area. The other is wonderful at keeping the varmints away or dead.

It would be nice to be able to have a couple goats for milk, butter and cheese. However, we really can’t do that on only a half acre along with all the growing and rabbits and chickens, etc. We can barter for fresh milk within our community and make butter and cheese that way.

 If the Lord does not provide another property, we could be completely off-grid right where we are. However, Bill still keeps a look out for land opportunities. Being content with what we have today does not mean we have to limit what the Lord wants for us tomorrow. Who knows, we just might be led to a property with a fully mature orchard! ;)

Lorie