Memoirs of A Modern Mom: December 8th: Maegan: Homesteading

"Not everyone can be a farmer. But that's not the only way to cultivate a connection to the earth and buck the trend toward global market uniformity and standardization." - Sandor Ellix Katz

When we bought our first house in central east Austin in 2010, a need to be more self-sufficient sort of solidified for both my husband and me. We found ourselves with a sizable yard to cultivate, the house needed (and still needs) lots of updates, and we knew we were going to be relatively fixed, geographically, for the next few years.

Our homesteading journey really began with the procurement of four glossy hens, and quickly assembled itself into a dedication to trying things ourselves first, coupled with a desire to feel that we were "in" but not "of" the city environment.

We now proudly boast a flock of 7 chickens in the backyard, a killer compost pile, several wicking beds for growing vegetables and herbs, a monstrous kombucha mother, jars of various fermenting foods on the counter, an 80-pound dog, about a million DIY home improvement projects going on at any given time, and more-than-full-time jobs.

Framing studs are visible in certain sections of our house. We do tend to start more things than we finish.

Since we don't have children, we don't think twice about leaving knives on the edges of countertops, whether a certain piece of half-demolished cabinetry presents a clear and present cranial hazard for people under 4 feet tall, or how to get the people seated at our dinner table to eat their vegetables.

Some of the time we save on these issues is spent daydreaming about extended vacations. The rest, to conducting more experimental homesteading projects. Below is an annotated digest of a few projects we attempted and lessons learned in 2013.

Homemade deodorant

A blend of coconut oil, baking powder, cornstarch, and essential oil (we chose tea tree), this stuff is great for weekends, camping, and other times when you're not wearing dry-clean-only fabrics or silk. It is the result of an examination (through narrowed eyes) of the ingredients in my daily antiperspirant, and a desire to eliminate the absorption of substances with unknown properties through my skin.

Result: Thumbs up. The baking powder is abrasive, so easy-does-it on those application. Keep a stick of antiperspirant around for days when you have a job interview or are a bridesmaid.

Sourcing & drinking raw milk

A dear friend was reading into the work of Weston Price, a 20th century dentist from Cleveland (also, in my opinion, the nutrition & wellness equivalent of L. Ron Hubbard.) Anyway, the idea of raw milk is that it's probiotic, it subverts the process of factory farming, etc etc. It's also illegal for grocers to sell in the state of Texas, as well as lots of other states, so you have to a. produce it yourself; or b. find a dairy that will sell it to you. Long story short, the closest place we found was a goat farm outside of Bastrop, so we've been drinking raw goat milk for about a year now.

Result: Thumbs way, way up. It's pricey, but we know our money is going to a sustainable local process. I know the woman that runs the farm and milks the goats. I've met the goats, too. I get to take a pastoral drive out to Bastrop every few months when it's my turn to make the milk run, and the milk itself is DELICIOUS, substitutes perfectly for everything from coffee to baking, and actually keeps fresher longer than store-bought.

Cheesemaking

Paneer is a type of vegetarian cheese that originated in India. It uses acid from vegetables (lemon juice, vinegar) rather than animals (rennet, for instance, is derived from the lining of cow's stomachs) to curdle protein out of liquid milk. Paneer is easy to make and doesn't require any special equipment. So, thought I, why don't we just make it at home and have a constant supply of fresh cheese?

Result: Thumbs down. The paneer itself was tasty, but unless you find yourself with an excess of milk, just buy your cheese at the store or farmer's market. It's fun to try, but you will be very disappointed at how little cheese results from a gallon of milk. I mean you'll literally get a palmful of cheese from a whole gallon. Very discouraging.

Urban chickens

We originally got chickens in 2009 thinking that we'd get closer to a cycle of sustainable food: chickens lay eggs (yum), eggs hatch into new chickens, older chickens go in the pot on Sunday. Repeat.

Due to forces beyond my control and largely unrelated to owning a flock of chickens, I became vegetarian and no longer had an interest in making food of our resident birds. Besides that, to get eggs that will hatch, you need a rooster, and roosters are not only obnoxious (they crow ALL day long, not just in the morning) but they are also incredibly mean and scary. And, as it turns out, illegal to have within our city limits.

Like other animals, though, chickens fall victim to all kinds of ills - urban predators, extremely cold and extremely hot weather, pox (!), and something called prolapsed vent (google if you dare). Unlike other animals, veterinarians simply refuse to see poultry as patients. If your birds are not outright killed by above-mentioned forces, you will be required to either heal them or put them out of their misery. Just how you go about doing that is something that quickly becomes a very intimate and soul-crunching experience if you did not grow up on a farm or are otherwise out of the habit of taking the lives of small animals.

Results: Thumbs up, with one reservation. Backyard eggs are amazingly delicious, nutritious, and visibly different from the store-bought variety in both shape and color, but the birds are fragile - relentlessly stupid - and need protection. A good, sturdy coop is easy to come by or create out of salvaged construction materials. Access to a feed store is mandatory, and you will need to add a step to your morning and evening routine to care for the birds.

Here's the reservation: Your birds will die, or otherwise require you to make them dead. The intimacy of this transaction came as kind of a surprise to us, even though we understood it in principle. We now approach the task of chicken euthanasia with a gravity that before was reserved for sudden tragedy among loved ones. The taking of life, of any perceived size or quality, with one's own hands comes with a weight that has changed the way I view my own presence on this planet. If you are unwilling or unready to bear this weight, I strongly recommend rethinking having your own backyard chickens.

We still shop at H-E-B, drive a gas-fueled pickup, get haircuts and all that other "normal" jazz. But at the end of the year, it's incredibly rewarding to look back and think of all the incremental ways we've worked, successfully or not, to minimize our impact on the planet and at the same time, cultivate our connection to it.

I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store (or, in keeping with my theme, "at home") for us to learn. I am more than happy to share additional details and experiences with anyone - the Modern Mom has my contact info.

My homesteading journey, like any other, began with a single step, and continues the same way: step by step, project by project. Happy Homesteading!