“Every year at Achille Agway, more customers are expressing a strong interest with growing their own food, raising poultry… along with other livestock… and beekeeping for the health benefits of honey,” described store manager Matt Wasserloos.
Jodi Turner, owner of Imagine That Honey!, an educational resource for beekeepers, has witnessed the same trend. She’s been passionate about bees for nearly 20 years, and also has gardens, fruit trees, and chickens at her home.
“I think it’s where we’re at right now because a lot of the younger people are driven to be more environmentally sustainable,” she said.
While growing food and raising animals is now an integral part of her lifestyle, she said it’s easy to see why it’s not the norm these days.
“Things have just gotten different because things are so much faster now,” she said. Life’s distractions draw people further from the outdoors, and easy access to food via grocery stores takes away the need to produce food at home.
But rising concern about the quality of commercial food and the effects of pesticides is driving an increasing number of people to take a second look at what they’re consuming.
“We just don’t know what’s on our fruits and vegetables that will not wash off,” Turner described.
People are looking for more control over what’s going into their bodies. “I think that the backyard homesteaders – they are going to be able to sustain themselves when there is a problem with the food system,” Turner noted.
She cited young couples and families as the people you often see at the forefront of the homesteading movement and pointed to the Casertas, a farming family in Walpole, as a great example. The Casertas own Walpole Valley Farm, as well as The Hungry Diner, a restaurant with a farm-to-table focus.
“They’re growing their own food, sharing it through their restaurant, trying to make a living doing what they believe in,” Turner said. “That lifestyle is what a lot of people are looking at,” she added.
Wasserloos sees it as a way of getting back to basics. “Backyard homesteading is fun for the family and great for the children, and teaches them responsibility,” he said.
But if you didn’t grow up gardening or raising animals, how do you know where to begin?
First, Turner said, “You have to look at your whole picture of where you’re at with your family.” If you have young children, you have to consider how much time you have available.
“I think where I would start is with a garden first and sort of take baby steps,” Turner suggested.
“When you grow your own food, there are so many unique varieties that you can choose from that you would not find at grocery stores, from unique, heirloom vegetables to unusual fruits,” Wasserloos described.
He also recommended fruit trees as a great option. “Cold-hardy Reliance peaches, Cortland and Macintosh apples, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are some of the popular varieties people start with,” he said. Other small fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are also favorites.
Because of local demand, Achille Agway expands their selection annually, now offering more than 50 varieties. Wasserloos said it’s important to consider cold hardiness, pest resistance and pollination requirements when choosing.
Once your plants are in place, raising chickens for eggs or meat is another great place to start.
“They don’t require a lot of land and are easy to care for,” Wasserloos noted.
There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, from Americauna’s which lay green eggs to Guinea hens for natural tick control. “Common breeds such as Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks are a good place to start,” he said.
It does require an investment, including a coop, fencing for protection from predators and necessities like heat lamps, feeders, waterers and shavings. But the benefits are numerous. Not only do chickens provide a food source, but they also take care of kitchen scraps and produce manure for the garden.
Another homesteading approach with significant advantages is keeping bees. As pollinators, bees have widespread, positive impacts on the environment. Not to mention the delicious honey they make and the other useful byproducts, like beeswax, that they offer.
Though the rewards are great, beekeeping requires knowledge, practice and substantial startup costs. “You probably are going to spend at least $600 your first year and that’s low-ball,” Turner said.
Bees, a hive, and additional equipment like electric fencing to fend off predators, are all part of the initial investment. “I would really encourage people to research before they jump into it,” Turner said.
She also suggested finding a mentor or attending a class to get your questions answered. “In my point of view, it’s all forward thinking… How can I make this experience good for my family, my neighbors, my community?” she said.
Many of the people she works with are empty nesters.
“They have a little bit more income; they have a little bit more time,” she described. They also tend to be focused on causes like protecting the environment.
While it’s not for everyone, most people who come to her classes are hooked. “Once you understand a little bit more about bees, it is a total Zen experience,” she described. She goes into the hive almost every night after work to decompress.
“I’m so relaxed I feel like I did a yoga class,” she laughed.
“That’s what all of homesteading does,” she reflected, whether it’s getting your hands dirty in the garden or hunting for freshly laid eggs.
“It all connects you; it grounds you to where you need to be,” she said.
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