Homesteading In The Hunley Acre Woods

It’s true! In October 2021 we closed on our very own piece of land in Tennessee. We’re now the happy owners of 5 acres, a pond, and a country cottage! Watch out Laura Inglalls Wilder, we’re a new homesteading family!

Like many folks, the last couple of years opened our eyes to the realities around us. We realized how heavily reliant our family was on others for the necessities of life.

The urge to move away from the hustle and bustle of a busy city, find a nice quiet spot to call home, and shorten our dependence on the food supply chain burned bright.

A few logistics came into place in a way only God could weave and before we knew it, we were loading up a U-Haul and heading down the Western Kentucky Parkway on our way to Memphis! 

I want to personally welcome you to what I affectionally call our home, The Hunley Acre Woods. 

What Modern Day Homesteading Means To Me:

Homesteading is essentially living in a way that reduces your reliance on other people.

Whether that be using well water over local municipality water, growing a garden, milking your own cow, or simply cooking from scratch. 

Homesteading can even be as simple as making your own laundry detergent!

As a born and raised city girl, this way of life is entirely new to me. Having to drive 20 minutes into the closest town is something I have only seen in Hallmark movies.

Our plans are humble in our first couple of years:

• Reduce our reliance on supply chain
• Start a garden
• Raise chickens for eggs
• Find a local farm who sells grass fed cattle and poultry to support 

As we dive deeper into these areas, I’ll document the process and allow y’all to learn alongside me. There are sure to be moments of failure and success we from which we may all learn!

What Do I Know About Homesteading?

Funny you should ask that. Truth be told, not a whole lot. 

Before we moved, I found myself craving simplicity and quiet. I wanted room to breathe and to dig in the dirt and cultivate something worthwhile.

The suburban mom rat race had worn me down. And it dawned on me quite quickly that I wasn’t alone in those feelings.

I fell down the rabbit hole that is homesteading and have yet to come out. It just made perfect sense to me even though I knew nothing about starting a garden or collecting chicken eggs. 

There are so many younger families around the country, and world, who have dedicated themselves to preserving older ways of life and carrying on age old traditions, sometimes in more modern ways. 

Thankfully, they share their knowledge on the internet so people like me can learn.

We are learning everything as we go which is part of the charm. I watch endless Youtube videos (ahem, ahem, Roots and Refuge), have my favorite follows on Instagram, and research online constantly. I’ll list some of them at the bottom of the blog post.

Ways I Am Already a Modern Homesteader

You don’t need a lot of land to homestead. In fact, there are many urban homesteaders doing as much as they can on a half acre or less in big cities!

Here are a few things I have done for a long time that are considered homesteading: 

• Cook from scratch by eliminating boxed mixes, canned food, etc.
• Shop at local farmers markets or butcher shops
• Make meals stretch by repurposing leftovers
• Growing herbs and small vegetables on my back patio
• Swapping conventional grown foods for all organic, non-GMO, and ethically grown products
• Growing a garden
• Making my own household cleaners

Do you do any of these things at your home? If so, then you are already homesteading too!