Homesteading

So just exactly what is homesteading? I think every homesteader has a different answer, but they all have a common theme. Homesteaders are trying to increase their self-reliance and reduce their consumerism. Survivalists who talk of setting up a "retreat" to live on "after the crash" are anticipating a homesteading lifestyle, whether they know that's what it is called or not.

My advice to "retreaters" is similar to that found in the featured essay by Fernie, Find you a place you want to live after "tshtf" and move there now. You will be learning a lot once you start depending on your own hands and the land for your food and supplies. Start now before it becomes a matter of life or death. I also encourage you to find a group of other people who want to live the same way. Adjacent farms offer a "safety net" in many ways - help is nearby, neighbors may (and should!) have skills you don't, and a cluster of houses is easier to defend than a single isolated home. Villages existed for a reason, after all. You can visit The Gulcher's Guide for more information on how to set up your own community.

Homesteaders should be interested in survival,
and Survivalists should be interested in homesteading

I can't make this a "complete homestead resource" site, nor should I. There are a number of good sites already out there and I have put in links to those pages. What I will do here is post info gathered from newsgroups, mailing lists, emails, and other resources that I run across that I feel is valuable and worth your time.

When it comes to making your life from the land, there is much to learn. One of the main reasons I started this site was to learn, myself. I decided there were probably lots more out there just like me who needed a guiding hand, so I'm using this site to show others where I have gone and what I have learned.

The Outlands Homestead
is divided into different areas of activity, such as The Homestead Kitchen, The Shop, The Barn, etc. Rather than overload you with links here, I've scattered most of them throughout the various areas where they fit. I've included a number of "general interest" sites below that address areas The Outlands doesn't or that cover multiple categories. A selection of community-oriented, mailing lists, and "general stores" round out this page.
The Celtic Homestead
covers a number of "lost arts" of the homestead; small 'site, but an excellent beginning - I'm looking forward to seeing their 'site grow almost as much as I am my own!
Homestead.Org
is a well-laid out site with tons of info on all aspects of homestead living. Be sure to check them out.
JR Whipple's self-reliance website
is a mecca for those interested in taking care of themselves. His site offers basic information on a multitude of different subjects for the neophyte. His search engine is a tremendous help, too.
Heart & Home directory - Information you can live with!
A directory of websites broken down into categories such as Homesteading, Frugal Living, Simple Living, How-To, Alternative Energy, and more.

Community-related Sites:

Context Institute
sustainable culture information service
The Gulcher's Guide
on-line draft of a book on forming communities
Windward Community
Wow. What a 'site - and what an approach! If you want to see what an intentional community can be, go check them out..

General Stores:

Lehman's Non-Electric Catalog
Serving the Amish and others without electricity with products for simple, self-sufficient living
Serving the Amish since 1955. Click now!
Shop Lehmans and help support a growing Outlands!

Cumberland General Store
Old-Time General Merchandise

Mailing Lists:

I can't even begin to tell you what the "good" homestead mailing lists are, anymore. Sometime after 1/1/00, my favorite list pretty much disappeared. Currently, I subscribe to three lists, all run from eGroups - or I guess now it is YahooGroups - Homestead Friends, Homestead-2000, and Homestead-Earth. HF is the highest-trafficked list, coming in somewhere under 25 messages a day. I'm sure there are other lists out there, I just don't know where they are. Here's a couple that might still be active:

Homestead Youth Need Homestead Friends -
- Subscribe to Young Homesteader
Send E-MAIL to Yonderway
in the body of the letter type subscribe ystdr

To subscribe to the list FRUGAL-ED, email to Listproc with the following request:
subscribe FRUGAL-ED


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