3 Essential Things You Need Right Now to Start Homesteading

Whether you are stuck in the city, recently country bound or have been homesteading forever…There are 3 essential things you need while homesteading that are non-negotiable. When we first started, these essentials were added in as our skills strengthened. But if we had to do it all over again and someone told us we needed to start right off the bat with these 3 things, it would’ve saved us a bunch of time.

Here is the thing when it comes to homesteading…

Everyone has a different perspective and vision in their head as to what homesteading looks like. And that is ok. What we are going to talk about today are 3 universal essentials that I can almost guarantee every homesteader has and if you asked them about any one of the four, they would look at you like you about done lost your mind. Without further ado let’s talk in depth about…

Table of Contents

• …The 3 essential things you need right now to start homesteading:
• 1. Take control of your water
• 2. Food preservation equipment
• 3. Bulk Food Supplier
• Here is how Azure Standard works

…The 3 essential things you need right now to start homesteading:

1. Take control of your water

Water is vital. If I could think of another word besides vital that would get across the importance of water, I’d use it but I can’t think of any so vital it is. It is a basic survival need. If shit were to hit the fan water would be on the top of your list. That’s why getting your homestead a Berkey water filter is one of the BEST investments you could possibly do RIGHT NOW. You do not need land in order to take control of your water. You do not need to live in the country to take control of your water. All you need is to take action and make the investment.

Here is the thing, every state has contaminates in their water that most filtration systems do not filter out. The Berkey water filtration system filters out the widest range of contaminates and chemicals compared to other water filtration systems. To check out your state and the type of chemicals and contaminates commonly found in your water click here.

There are some HUGE benefits to the Berkey Water Filtration system, one being the filters. If taken care of properly, Berkey water filters can last up to five years, if not more. We got our Berkey Water Filter close to 5 years ago and have yet to buy replacements. I say that is a huge win! Another huge win is that you can literally take swamp water put it into your Berkey and have filtered drinking water in about an hour.

We cannot say it any louder…GET YOURSELF A BERKEY FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD.

Let me just put things into perspective for you. When we packed up our entire life and moved 2500 miles across country, the only items that did not go on the moving truck and were right next to us in the van were food, personal documents (birth certificates, marriage license…) our essential oil box, AND OUR BERKEY!!

Okay…so when you are done reading this post, head on over and get yourself one for your homestead.

2. Food preservation equipment

This is where homesteading some get extremely overwhelmed. But don’t, plain and simple. There are three main items to help support your food preservation journey.

• Water bath canner: This is the basics when it comes to canning food. Water bath canners are typically for high acidic food items like tomato sauce, jams and pickles. It looks like a really big pot with a rack on the inside. This is a must, you can do quite a bit with a water bath canner. Grab yourself one and be done with it.

• Pressure canner: This is not to be mistaken with a pressure cooker. We get this question a lot. A pressure canner is a pretty hefty piece of equipment that safely preserves foods such as meat, broths and other low acidic vegetables and foods. There is no way around this one if your goal is to stock up on canned meats. There are a few pressure canners out there but we are only here to discuss one. The All American Pressure Canner. This is the mamba of all pressure canners. Here are the reasons we went with this canner specifically. All American Canners do not use gaskets. Less to check and deal with…um yes please. They are extremely heavy duty and will last a lifetime. They also have locking nuts that go all the way around the canner, so there is no chance for that exploding pressure canner scenario you once heard of.

We went with the All American 921 it holds 21 1/2 quart jars, 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars. It seems to support the type of canning we do.

• Dehydrator: This is a super easy way to dip your toes into food preservation. Not to mention incredibly fun! There many dehydrators to choose from. The consensus from many homesteaders is the Excalibur is the main mama in the dehydrating world. It holds 9 trays, has temperature settings, automatic shut-off the whole nine yards. And this will definitely be an investment. If you can, I say go for it, you won’t regret it. We however, have the Nesco dehydrator. This little dehydrator has done us right. Is it the Excalibur, no but has it supported us, absolutely. If a big investment is not in the cards for you right now, then try this one out, it will get you well on your way to food preservation.

3. Bulk Food Supplier

The words bulk food and homesteading go together like peas and carrots! Bulk food suppliers can feel non-existent when it comes to buying organic, non-GMO food in high quantities. While I have found some awesome bulk items on Amazon our main go to for bulk food that meets our needs and beliefs is Azure Standards. Azure Standards is a family owned company based out of Oregon. Their story is pretty amazing, you can read that over here.

What we LOVE about Azure is that they only support and carry companies that align with their standards of wholesome, healthy ethical products. If a company once meet that criterial but may have been bought out from a company that does not align with Azure, they will drop that initial company. For example, our go to for soaps was Seventh Generation. Until I went to buy some from Azure and they discontinued it, a note at the bottom said, “**Seventh Generation Company Sold Out to Unilever: Azure No Longer Considers this a Natural Brand for Azure**” To us, that means the world. This lead us to research the brand and make the right decision for our family.

Here is how Azure Standard works

• Head on over to their website, and find a drop near your location.
• Fill up your cart with all the goodness.
• There is a specific time each month that all orders will be cutoff. You will see a count down on the top right hand corner of their site. Until that cutoff happens you can add or remove things from your cart. Your card will be held on file until the cutoff but not charged.
• You will receive an email the day before the cutoff reminding you to make any changes if needed.
• Once the cutoff happens, you will receive another email letting you know what your final order will look like. Sometimes items are not available but they won’t know that until they fulfill orders.
• After that final email, your card will be charged and you will get a drop off date and time.
• The day of your delivery you will meet the truck, along with a group of likeminded beautiful people, and pick up your order.

Homesteading can feel overwhelming but does not have to be.

We have experienced a ton of trial and error, our goal here is to provide you with a solid foundation to build from and not repeat our same mistakes. Once you gain momentum in these three areas, you are going to feel unstoppable. In our next post we will deep dive into three more essentials. Then you will really be unstoppable! For more ways to start homesteading read this article on how to stop panicking and start homesteading!

Until next time,