It's easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to put together a simpler life for yourself and your family. There are so many things that could be done, the tasks seem countless and huge. In a way, they are, because most modern day living is so far removed from anything that resembles simple. There are indeed many, many steps that need to be taken. But they are just that. Steps. And it doesn't really matter which one you take first, just start walking.
There is no correct starting point. I think most of us on this journey daydream about rolling acres of fertile land and off-grid homesteads. We hope to someday collect heirloom vegetable seeds and never buy a market egg or potato for the rest of our lives. But reality is such a funny thing isn't it? It often (for most of us) does not feel or look like those daydreams. Maybe some day it will, but for today, it's okay if our steps lead us in a slightly different direction. As long as we are walking.
Most recently those steps led us to turning our two loaf weekly batch of bread into one loaf of bread and nine burger/sandwich buns... because it is grilling season, and we happily have just found one less thing we need to buy at the store in a package! The step we took to start baking our own bread happened a long time ago, now we'll rely only on ourselves to put the buns on the table too! It might not seem like much, but these steps really do add up to miles in no time at all.
I wonder, what is the latest step you've taken?
22 comments:
The latest steps I've taken is making homemade rice milk for baking and cooking, mending rather than replacing, a few container garden spots...hoping to continue to add to the list.
My most recent post was about the small steps I am taking to reduce the amount of packaging we consume.
My dream for "simple living" is to own and need as little as possible. Every step I make is toward that end.
Heather, I always enjoy your thoughts here.
Ha ha! I just started baking my own bread! And I also took the extra 10 minutes to shake a jar of cream into my own butter.
Those are my baby steps for this week.
:)
I've returned to more 'from scratch' cooking, joined a CSA (have my own gardens, too) & (though it comes from far away) am using coconut oil & milk more - good fats!
As it gets (finally) nicer here in Oregon, I'm getting my bike out for my nini *commute* (only 13 blocks each way!
I've lived in community, a truely 'simple life' - love it!
Bread making is most likely the one thing I'd name to be my most "bang for the buck" baby step.... Being off the commercial bread has shown me that I can learn a skill I never thought I would (i.e. yeast bread - my family always made flat bread when I was a child) - and the taste, varieties.... there is just no comparison. The feeling of seeing it rise, bake, getting my hands in the dough.... it gives a great sense of satisfaction, not to mention the cost savings.
Hi, thank you for your blog!
I've been baking my bread for 4 months now - I use a breadmaker. I usually make my soy milk (either using the machine or by hand) and of course my tofu and once in a while the seitan.
I'd like to try baking "by hand" and using the oven, but I simply don't have the time for that; isn't it more expensive to use the gas oven if I were to bke just one loaf?
Heather, that burger and mac salad sure makes me hungry. We started living a simpler life about 10 years ago and it's still a work in progress. Every day I learn something new. Baking my own bread and planting a vegetable garden is probably the most rewarding for me. I'm hoping to have chickens in the near future.
Hello! Can you give the recipe for your bread and buns? They look WONDERFUL!!! I'm new to bread baking and trying to find a we'll tried recipe. Thank You and Have A Blessed Day!!!!!! Amber
aacc442@yahoo.com
Growing our peanuts... this combined with homemade bread and jelly from your recipe will truly give us a homemade PB&J!
Tastey looking bread & rolls. Latest steps we have taken is cooking at home from what we have on the pantry and yard. Last night we had a salad of lambs quarters and radishes and boiled chicken breast. Yummy!
My last step was sewing some vegetables to build my own containergarden in my almost totally tiled backyard.
I am trying to purge our home. I already bake bread, have raised bed gardens, chickens, goats, rabbits, make clothes and buy thrift, but for some reason, I cannot simplify our home environment....it's a task!
Starting up my garden this year was my big step. It is a big garden, and I have no experience. And though it hasn't been turning out quite as I expected, I am learning a lot.
Perennials were a major project this spring: asparagus, cherries, pears, and various berries. I'm also becoming more and more interested in perennial herbs - some of the less common culinary herbs as well as the medicinal ones. Perennial = plant it only once, which is good in my book.
My latest steps have been drying my own herbs for herbal teas and other uses. No more store-bought herbal teas for me :-)
These little steps can be so freeing, and are often fairly easy. I've posted a tutorial for drying herbs on my site, if anyone needs encouragement to get those herbs out of the garden and into the kitchen.
Another step has been learning to weave rag rugs and other fabrics. I was recently given a old floor loom and find immense pleasure in creating with this latest addition to my homestead, even though I have a LOT to learn about the process.
Ducky, I'd like to learn how to make my own rice milk! I'll have to add that to my ever growing list of "Simple Steps"!
My latest step - taking my homemade yogurt, draining off the whey (for use in soaking grains and fermenting) and using the resulting yogurt cheese.
My latest step is to really commit to meal planning and tracking my grocery budget. I'm hoping to incorporate into this "shopping" from my pantry to use up some of the whole grains and dried beans we've had for a while.
I also baked bread this week for the first time in a while. My compromise is to use the bread machine's dough cycle and then bake it in a pan - I just like the shape of the loaf so much more.
Another simple step I've undertaken - and this may seem weird - is to keep my kitchen sink empty. This is such a simple step but it so profoundly impacts my psyche. A clean, empty sink makes me much more willing and able to cook there - I don't have to pre-wash anything for the next meal, and it's so much more inviting and relaxing. And it also means less eating out.
That's a great suggestion. I never even thought of making my own buns! I will definitely try that, thanks!
Lately I've tried making my own granola bars and my own granola cereal, as well as trail mix for snacks.
Everyone is very inspiring. I've bought a second hand pressure cooker on ebay and have been making lots of dishes using dried beans and stews, but much quicker and no more cans of beans to bring home.
Anna in Sydney
I would also love it if you'd share your recipe for those awesome looking hamburger buns. Very nice job in shaping them. Thank you!
~Anissa
My latest step is making my own yogurt - I do use a yogurt maker (EasiYo) but it was only $20 and doesn't use electricity to run. This step has not only saved me money on yogurt, and been beneficial to our health, but has cut out a mid-week grocery trip (I don't drive and there's a limited amount I can get home on the bus with a baby and preschooler). Cutting out that trip has saved me more money than just the cost of the yogurt, cos I'd always get sucked in and buy something extra.
I have recently begun making my own stock (bouillon or broth). I've blogged about it here: http://knitsewbakegrow.blogspot.com/2009/05/make-your-own-stock.html.
Next step is to try to vary the bread-based products I make. I want to make pizza bases, buns and tortilla from scratch.
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