The Reason I Do Urban Homesteading on my Urban Homestead

When I moved to Humboldt County California 15 years ago I barely knew what the words recycling, green, or sustainable living meant.  I had come from a large city where we did curb recycling and nothing more to help the environment.  I was rapidly inundated with a community that demanded its participants to care for the Earth in all areas.  There is nothing like peer pressure to get a person to toe the line!  Recycling was an easy thing to get "down", but this whole green living thing took time and effort.  Living in a town where people use Diva Cups and bring their own plates and silver to potlucks was a bit strange at first, I must admit, but in time I grew to love my eco-centric community and I realized that we were truly making a difference for our town, community and ultimately the Earth.  I admit there are areas I need to work on towards my goal of sustainable living, but I feel that creating an urban homestead is a huge part of this commitment.

Food is such a huge part of our lives, and what we put into our bodies can either make or break us health wise.  Having dealt with health issues and food sensitivities most of my life I am constantly trying to come up with ways to eat healthier and more responsibly.  Our town is huge on organic and local foods, but with only one partner working and two kids there was no way we could afford to buy all of our organic veggies.  Enter the urban homestead!  I am lucky to be married to an amazing gardner who loves planting veggies year round, and the more the better.  I think our kids got tired of the greens we had last summer, "Mom, is it veggie stir fry again??"  But, in time they grew to love them and now ask for their green smoothies!   Not only do our kids love the greens, but our friends and neighbors do as well.  We love sharing the love so to speak and teaching others how to grow their own greens, make good compost, and build from sustainable materials.

Urban homesteading has become a way of life for us.  Once our garden was up and running we realized we needed a greenhouse due to the fact that we don't get a whole lot of sun, if any, in our area.  So we went for it and recycled the windows we had pulled out of our house when we did some construction a few months back.  Now we're working on a chicken coop, and I'm sure some big project will be in the works soon out in the garden!  It's been an amazing journey, tilling our land and watching our little harvest grow.  I feel like the Earth has given back to me, by honoring it and using it to create healthy sustainable food.  It has actually changed my life, for the better in so many ways, and what more can you ask for than that?