How to Live Off The Land – The Beginners Guide

Have you ever wanted to live off the land?

It’s a romantic idea, isn’t it?

Living in a beautiful tiny home, growing your own food, feeding your ducks & chickens, and most of all living in harmony with nature.

But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies – living off the land takes hard work and dedication. If you’re thinking of making the switch and would like to live off the grid.

Here are a few basic things you should know to get started with!

Things You Will Need To Be Self `Sufficient

Start with a small garden and grow your own fruits and vegetables

Starting a garden of your own can be an exciting way to explore the marvels of gardening and experience all the perks that come with it.

Growing your own fruits and vegetables, along with various other herbs and plants, is a great way to produce your own fresh produce right in your backyard.

Not only is it healthy and cost-effective, but it’s also incredibly rewarding seeing the fruits of your labour yield delicious food!

Plus, you get to be outside in the sun and work with nature, which can be both calming and fulfilling.

So why not give it a try – start small with one or two vegetables or herbs and see where it takes you!

Collect rainwater to use for watering your plants or even cleaning

If you’re a gardener looking for a more sustainable way to water your plants, or a homeowner interested in reducing their water waste, then collecting rainwater is something you should definitely consider.

Not only is it significantly more environmentally friendly than using municipal water sources, but it can also be surprisingly affordable to set up.

With some basic equipment and preparation, you can collect rainwater that’s great for watering your garden or even use it around the house as an alternative to tap water when cleaning.

Even if rainfall is limited in your area, the effort of setting up a system and collecting the rainwater can pay off within months of starting.

As an added bonus, capturing rainwater for non-drinking tasks helps lower your monthly utility bill!

Get chickens for fresh eggs every day

What better way to enjoy fresh, delicious eggs than to raise chickens of your own?

It’s a fun and rewarding task that saves you money in the long run and provides a great connection to the food you eat.

You can keep your chickens safe within their coops while also giving them space to roam around outside.

If you have backyard chickens you’ll need to give them access to clean water and food, plenty of room outdoors and a dust bath.

When you get fresh eggs daily, it’s oh-so rewarding!

Getting chickens fresh eggs every day is an easy task that rewards you with benefits all year-round.

Learn how to preserve food so you can enjoy it all year long

If you love the taste of homegrown or freshly foraged fruits and vegetables, then learning how to preserve them is a great way to enjoy them all year long.

There are so many great preserving methods out there – from pickling, freezing, canning and drying—all of which keep food fresh, safe and nutritious long after it’s first harvested.

Mastering the art of preserving brings you delicious goodness all year round, but it’s also an incredibly sustainable way for food too!

Learn some basic cooking skills

If you are going to live off the grid then you will need to know how to cook.

Knowing how to cook has a unique way of making people feel more independent and empowered.

It not only gives you the ability to make meals for yourself, but it can also contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Fortunately, some basic cooking skills are relatively easy to learn – setting you up for success in future cooking projects.

Break it down into small tasks by starting with something like boiling water or frying an egg and gradually building from there.

With practice and dedication, soon you’ll be whipping up delicious meals with ease! And you can find plenty of great recipes online or purchase one of the many recipe books available on the market today.

Getting & Storing Fresh Drinking Water

Contrary to popular belief, it is not that hard to get fresh water.

Sure, in some remote regions of the world, getting water may be tricky but there are many simple solutions to bring safe water right into your home.

Digging your own water well is an amazing way of becoming self-reliant.

Not only do you tap into the wonders of nature, but you’ll also save money since you won’t be dependent on your local water supplier.

From figuring out the right location to successfully boring through all layers of rocks and dirt, fulfilling your dream of having a self-reliant source of water requires immense planning and effort.

Once completed, it can be incredibly gratifying as this modern-day pioneer task will enable you to access clean, healthy and abundant groundwater – a valuable asset going forward!

A great way to kickstart a fresh water supply is to install a filtration system that would screen out any impurities or possible contaminants.

This would allow for much more cleanliness and can also be installed with a recycling option, so after being filtered the grey water could go back into your yard or garden in order to prevent waste.

If you are unable to dig your own water well, you could always buy water in bulk and just rebuy when needed. The great thing about buying still water is that it never really goes out of date.

Regardless of which one you choose or what works best for you and your living situation, getting access to clean drinking water isn’t as hard as it seems!

Power & heating Your home off the grid

Living off the grid has many amazing benefits and one of them is that you no longer need to rely on a traditional power grid for your electricity needs.

One great example of this is powering and heating your home.

With renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, etc., you can take control of how your home is heated while also producing the energy you need to power all the electrical gadgets in your house.

Not only does living off the grid have possible financial benefits due to not having to pay power bills, but it also helps reduce your carbon footprint in ways many don’t even realize.

Once you have decided on what method you would like to install to run your electric & heating, it’s a good idea to purchase a petrol generator.

A generator will be handy on the day nature hasn’t produced enough energy or if something breaks down.

Going off the grid may seem daunting at first thought but it can be easier than you think!

Make your own a compost heap

Making your own compost heap is an incredibly rewarding task.

Not only does it make your garden look beautiful, but it can also help reduce the amount of waste you send to landfills as well as nourish your plants and/or vegetable patch with essential nutrients.

Setting up a compost pile is fairly simple. All you need is some shredded leaves and twigs, soil, water and kitchen waste (such as vegetable peels, egg shells and tea bags).

Layer the ingredients into a pile and cover the top with soil or dry leaves – this will help to keep the heat in and the pests out.

The heap should then be stirred on a regular basis to allow air in which helps break down the matter faster.

With a bit of patience (it usually takes between 3-5 weeks), you can turn your unwanted kitchen scraps into nutritious compost!

Conclusion

Living off the land isn’t a walk in the park, but with hard work and determination, you can be self-sufficient!

We’ll soon release more articles on building chicken coops, composting heaps, and growing fruits and vegetables to help get your journey going.

If you are still interested in living off the grid then you might enjoy reading best places to live off the grid and what it cost for an off-grid lifestyle.

If this sounds like something for you then sign up for our newsletter – we’ll make sure that news of all upcoming content reaches right into your inbox!