So…..
You know you’re a Homesteader When….
You watch chickens instead of TV.
You read seed catalogs instead of People magazine.
You bake bread more than once per week.
You cook in your kitchen, not decorate it.
You own more mason jars than you can count, and it is still. NEVER. enough.
You obsess think about what barnyard animal you should add to the mix next.
You have various live and active things fermenting on your countertops.
Your kids think that living science in the kitchen is normal….
You are passionate about raw milk…and cream…and ice cream… and yogurt…and cheese…and all things homemade from home dairy.
You have dirt under your fingernails during growing season.
Your life revolves around seasons….planting/sowing season, growing/watering season (these two could really be lumped together as garden season, is what usually happens around here) harvesting the garden season, hunting season, butchering season.
You have chores to do.
You know that ‘canning’ does not mean opening various cans of whatever for supper.
You have an apron and you are not afraid to use it.
You are home more than you are away.
You have a chicken bucket in your kitchen.
There is a compost pile (or 2) somewhere on your property.
Your children may or may not have been spotted skinny-dipping in the spring pond in your front pasture. ahem.
You make do.
You use it up, or wear it out.
You make your own chemical-free household cleaners.
You make your own laundry soap.
You make more gifts than you buy.
Your year-round fitness plan is cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood.
You make your own deodorant, hairspray, and beauty products.
You have more essential oils, tinctures, and home remedies in the cupboard than over the counter, or prescription medications.
You have a REDNECK SMOKER.
You have a freezer full of homegrown meats, and home cured bacon and hams.
You have a canning room somewhere in your house.
You smoke meat for fun.
You have homemade wine, beer, or ginger ale on the shelf in the canning room.
You may or may not have been seen hauling goats, through town, with their heads out the backseat window in your ’91 Mazda Protege…that still gets 35 miles to the gallon even though it hardly has any paint left on the body, and sounds like the sweetest Harley you have ever heard.
You may or may not have diapered your goats for the ride. 🙂
If any one of these things resonates with you, you may be a homesteader, or on the path to becoming one!
Shared with:
The Barn Hop on www.weedemandreap.com
wendy snobl 
Oh. My. Gosh. I am laughing out loud!! Thank you very much for this, and for allowing room for so many of us to identify with at least one of these. (And I personally know that you embody EVERY ONE, my dearest Homesteading Goddess!)
I am so glad you could share in the JOY with me!!!!! 🙂 thanks for laughing along!!!
Reblogged this on Preppin' Mamas and commented:
LOL….
This list is awesome! I hadn’t really thought of myself as a homesteader, until I realized how many of these are me! And I didn’t realize that other people also call it the chicken bucket.
Thanks Karin! Many of us homestead without really naming it, we are just doing our thing!!! The list was a little way to help connect us to our neighbors! Way to rock the chicken bucket!!!
What exactly is a “Redneck Smoker” and how can I build one? LOL
Lol! The RedNeck Smoker is a smoker my Hardworkin’ Hubby put together one weekend! You can see a pic of it at this link https://standupongrace.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/sweet-summerti…in-photographs/
The title of the post is: Sweet Sumertime, A Season in Photographs
I think it is rather brilliant as my man is our homestead engineer…he can make just about anything out of nothing! Resourcefulness is our homestead motto!!! 😉 You got me thinking perhaps a post all about the RedNeck Smoker is due…it works fabulously we have been using it non-stop since he made it!
Reblogged this on rabidlittlehippy and commented:
Oh my goodness, I do most of these! No I have not hauled my goats into the car (although I have thought about it and only didn’t do it due to there being 3 children sharing the space) and no I have not used a nappy on them either. I don’t have a redneck smoker, although I do plan to build a smoker so I guess that is another tick in my favour as a homesteader. Yup, I’m a homesteader! 😉
Hi Jesse! So glad you enjoyed the post! I thought there may be others who could relate & share in the JOY!!! Oh, and I have squeezed a kiddo or two in the car along with the goats, but my boys are older than your precious little ones now! Thanks for stopping by, and for sharing the JOY on your blog!!! Happy Homesteading!!! 🙂
I’m not doing much of these now (living in a rented condo in the city), but have done nearly all back in the day . . . I still have a smoker that was home-built for smoking fish, but we never smoked anything; instead, I used it to dry fruits and veggies. If I filled all seven trays with sliced apples, I got a gallon of dried apple slices . . .
I love that there are so many new homesteaders these days, and not all of them own land, either (we never did, and we moved a lot!).
A great post and brought back good memories. I’ve never owned a vehicle I couldn’t use for multiple purposes, including (not limited to): hauling animals or birds, feed, building supplies, hay, kids, various lucky finds. I also like a vehicle I can sleep in if necessary, so a van is good, but I prefer an extended cab truck. With the right sides, you can even haul a horse or two 🙂
Hey Linne! You are so right! Thanks for sharing some of your homesteading experiences with us! I love that you can be a homesteader at heart & homestead wherever you are planted,whether it be in a city, small town or out in the country!