Homesteader Chit Chat #4

Welcome back to another installment of Homesteader Chit Chat!

Today we have the privledge of talking with Kristi from The Mind to Homestead. She’s jut a hop, skip and jump away from me…pull up a seat with a cup of herbal tea and enjoy!

Please go show Kristi some Simply Living Simply love and visit her really amazing website ——->HERE

Kristi, how long have you been a Homesteader? Where do you homestead and how big or small is your homestead…describe it for our readers.

My name is Kristi, I’m 46 and have been homesteading our .18 of an acre for about 3 years now with my husband Todd. We have three children (2 adults, 1 teen). We are a homeschooling family, living in Southern California. We have 300 square feet of garden and 7 or so fruit trees. We are working on a berry patch as well, and we have a small flock of chickens, and a small herd of rabbits. We also have two dogs and three cats.

Did you always want to be a Homesteader, or is this a realization that came over a period of time, and where do you originally hail from?

I grew up largely in beach cities in SoCal, and actually, didn’t even know about homesteading, or that anyone in an urban setting could live off their land in any capacity at all. I always was fond of the thought of having a farm since I was a child.

Could you explain your decision to Homestead, how you came about making and implementing that decision?

Actually, I learned of urban homesteading when I ran across a video of the Dervaes family, who homestead their very small piece of land here in SoCal. I was flabbergasted and delighted that there was hope that we might be able to do the same here on our property.

What has been you biggest challenge since being on your homestead? How did you overcome that challenge?

Time—while my husband does much of the big stuff here on our homestead, the daily working of it all falls to me. My health doesn’t always afford me all of the time I need to make it all work, so that’s probably my worst issue, and the hardest to overcome. I haven’t yet, but I’m forever working on it.

Share with our readers….what has been your most rewarding moment?

Every time I harvest something that we grew, or collect eggs from the chickens or fiber from my Jersey Wooly; Alice.

Has Homesteading taught you something that you consider life-changing?

Yes—that I can homestead. I can grow my own food and be more self-reliant. It is possible with the right attitude and attention.

In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception that people have about Homesteading and Homesteaders in general?

That we have to do it all to be considered ‘real’ homesteaders. I often find myself even having that attitude, which creates nothing by a miserable feeling. I try to remind myself that even if I am only growing one type of food and mastering that one thing, I can still be a homesteader.

If there is one thing you have learned, that you feel is very important for you, since moving and living on your homestead…what would that one thing be?

To stay focused. There are so many other things to do with my time that are easier than making my homestead work, but nothing will be as rewarding.

Do you have any advice or tips for our readers?

Don’t try to do it all. As a person who has tried almost everything and spend a lot of money doing it, I am having to go back and figure out what is most important for me to do, and let the rest fall. There’s no way I can do it all, and you can’t either, and it’s unkind to expect that from ourselves.

As a bonus for our readers, could you please share with us your favorite recipe and the story that goes along with it.

I don’t really have a favorite recipe, but I do have a recipe to share. This recipe is one that my late grandfather made every week to eat over all of his food. It’s a recipe that my cousins and I hold very dear, because we lost him back in 2005 and it’s one thing that we remember him for. He shared this recipe with me a few years before he passed. It’s fantastic, but so hot! Perfect on bean tostadas, just like Grandma used to make for us when we would visit them.

GET IT HERE – Grandpa’s Spicy Chili Recipe

We thank our good friend Kristi so much for allowing us into her homestead, her life and her dreams/goals. I hope this little peak into her homestead life will inspire and encourage you where you are right now!

Go visit her site and let her know you saw her homestead on Simply Living Simply!