Ever wonder what it's like to swap computer screens for green pastures, fresh air, and experiencing the wonders of nature?
Greetings from Malcolm and Elizabeth Gravette, former IT specialists turned homestead enthusiasts. Our journey from IT to homesteading has taken some time. Homesteading involves creating a self-sufficient environmentally friendly lifestyle while still living in urban, suburban, or rural communities. It's more than just gardening - it involves cultivating a mindset focused on reducing waste, living sustainably, and creating a close connection with nature. The ultimate goal is to rely less on outside sources, produce healthier food, and reduce your carbon footprint.
Following our retirement, we made the move to homesteading in 2014 by relocating from Oklahoma to the River Valley area in Arkansas. As we were looking at properties, we came upon a house with 20 acres of land. The house needed some work, but we saw some potential and thought this might be the ideal sanctuary that we had been hoping to find. We spent a few years just improving the existing home, which needed some work. This involved many DIY efforts, along with help from some local contractors for jobs beyond our expertise. We also began planning and building our garden. We also brought animals onto the homestead; goats, sheep, cows, and chickens.
As we've gotten older, we have converted all our garden beds into raised beds. They are so much easier for us to maintain and harvest. We now have a good assortment of fresh produce and herbs which we greatly enjoy, and often have extra to preserve for future use by canning or freezing.
The preservation process is hot and messy work and leaves a kitchen in great disorder. That led us to build a screened-in outdoor kitchen, which has evolved into a wonderful place of enjoyment all on its own. Other than canning and vegetable prep, we have a great outdoor space for our family gatherings, and just to watch the peaceful beauty that our homestead provides.
While in our outdoor kitchen, we watch beautiful sunsets, herds of deer and other wildlife, and the antics of the offspring of our farm animals. We relish the scent of fresh-cut hay and meadow flowers. With trees around the kitchen, we hear the chorus of birds and the hum of bees. Our senses are engaged with the beauty surrounding us. Life on the homestead offers so much!
In closing, I'd like to mention just a few of the benefits of Homesteading:
- Can eliminate or reduce the use of pesticides.
- Reduce the carbon footprint, becoming more environmentally friendly.
- Provide healthier food.
- Reduce exposure to harsh chemicals by making your own cleaning and beauty products.
- Reduces the cost of food when homegrown.
- By learning new skills (gardening, canning, cooking from scratch, making sourdough bread, carpentry, sewing & quilting, composting) one becomes more self-sufficient.
- Harnessing the sun and wind energy for homestead use to reduce utility bills.
Even if you don't have a lot of space in your current environment. there may be one or more of these benefits you might try to obtain in an urban or suburban environment. We encourage you to try, the rewards are so great!
Elizabeth and Malcolm
Bethany Homestead
