Making the Most With What We Have: God’s Wilderness Forest Homestead

Making the Most With What We Have

Welcome to our series here on Little House Living, “Making the Most With What We Have”! This series will showcase individuals and families all over the US (and even outside the US!) that are making the most of what they have. We know that you can be a modern homesteader without 160 acres of land and a mule so this series will share the stories of these families so we can get a peek into their lives and learn from each other.

Today enjoy this interview with God’s Wilderness Forest Homestead about their experience with Making The Most With What We Have!

Where Do You Live?

We live in Northern Minnesota, near a township called Holyoke, Mn. We live in a log cabin, with a loft. The square footage of the cabin is 1000 sq. Ft.We live on forty-five acres of forest and a little bit of pasture for our horse. We garden, we use one ingredient food, and we cook from scratch.

What Are Your Dreams and Goals for Your Homesteading Journey?

Right now, we are working on Permaculture, We are also challenging ourselves to provide most of our food in 100 days.

What Are Some Things You Have Learned So Far?

Homesteading can be hard work, but if you zone your homestead in a manner, and have your animals work for you, it can be less work, and so much more enjoyable.

Have your chickens near your Kitchen garden, so that they can “till” the garden ( before planting) and fertilize the garden too. Then when you weed the garden or have spoiled vegetables, feed those to your chickens.Your zone one should be where you have your bird feeders, kitchen garden, and your chickens. So when you want to make your morning omelet you can go to collect your eggs, and your fresh herbs, all collected from zone one, but if your slippers get wet from dew, then they were placed too far from home.

So you plan your zones by how frequent you make “visits” to your zones.

Share Your Favorite Recipe!

Garden Vegetable Salad Ingredients: • 2 large tomatoes • 1/2 cucmber • 1/2 medium red oinion • 1 yellow bell • 1 red bell • 1/2 cup herbs, such as Italian parsley, cilantro, or a mix • zest of 1 • lemon juice ( start with 1/2 a lemon, more to taste) • 4 Tablespoons olive • salt and pepper, to taste Method: 1.Chop the first 6 ingredients into very small fine dice. 2. Place in large bowl and toss with the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 3. Serve with Grilled chicken. We like Grilled Shawarma with ours.

 

Share With Us One Unique Tip That Has Helped You

I have discovered “One Ingredient” food. Since most packaged foods have so much sugar, soy, hydrogenated oils, I make my own mayo from my chicken’s eggs, my own ketchup, from my garden tomatoes. We are eliminating processed foods. So finding this method of “One Ingredient” foods has helped us eliminate processed foods, soy, sugar, and chemicals. We are all feeling so much better eating “One Ingredient” food.

Your Favorite Useful Homesteading Item

My two homemade shelves that I store our fruit and vegetables on.

How Are You Making the Most With What You Have?

We forge our property for wild berries, hazelnuts, wild weeds, wild Sun Chokes, to add to our meals and preserve. I make most everything from scratch even our mayo and ketchup. I made two shelves from wood we had and pipe fittings. The cost was Free. The shelves are always in use for our fruits and vegetables, and our items in glass jars.

Anything Else to Share?

We also homeschool, and our homestead is our classroom without walls. My daughters, ages eight and twelve, help garden, take care of the chickens, and now we are getting goats to make cheese, goats milk soap, and drinking the milk. We are becoming more self-sufficient on our homestead.

Want to be a part of the Making the Most With What We Have Series? You can read about it and fill out the interview questions here.

Thank you God’s Wilderness Forest Homestead for sharing your story with us!