#self sufficiency

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

#homemaking #homemaking resources #gardening #urban gardening #self sufficiency #self sufficient living #sustainability #sustainable living #homesteading #nontrad homemaker #nontrad housewife #urban homesteading #solarpunk #cottagecore #kitchen witch #kitchen witchcraft #crunchy to alt right pipeline #book rec #book recommendations #resource #long post #mine #racism tw #racism mention #transphobia tw #transphobia mention

[forestduck]

#camping #bell tent #canvas tent #round tent #hot stove #aesthetic #camping aesthetic #hiking #bush craft #fire #fire aesthetic #wood #wood aesthetic #forest #forest aesthetic #forest core #off grid #off grid property #self sufficiency

[keepingitneutral]

Happier Camper's !

#art #design #nature #interior design #interiors #trailer #glamping #camping #california #happier camper #camper #travels #nomad #modular #sustainability #self sufficiency #fun #retrofuturism #glam #summer #holidays #freedom

[christenhelm]

Bring back the victory gardens ✌️

#victory garden #garden #self sustinable #self sufficiency #urban homesteading #homesteading #gardening #vegetable gardening

[toadstoolgardens]

Low-Maintenance Gardening

There are so many reasons to choose a low-maintenance garden. Gardening should be a peaceful and fulfilling hobby, not something that adds stress or causes pain. A beautiful, bountiful, low-maintenance harvest is possible!

Annual Crops for the Low-Maintenance Garden

These set it and forget it crops have a long season, don't need a lot of babying, and usually get harvested all at once. Many of these can also be grown in raised beds, and some in containers (potatoes grow great in a 5 gallon bucket!!) if that's best for you.

Ideal Annual Crops: These can all go into cold storage for up to 8 months.

Garlic

Onions

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Winter Squash

Beans

Pretty Good Annual Crops: These need some attention after harvesting for them to last as long as possible.

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage ^^^Refrigerate these 3

Watermelon (Go into cold storage whole and last 2-3 weeks)

Tomatoes (You can grow determinate tomato varieties for a bumper crop that's harvested all at once. Sit tomatoes at room temperature 2-3 days and then process. Freeze, can, make sauce with them, etc.)

Herbs for the Low-Maintenance Garden

Herbs are the ultimate low-maintenance crop. So many options and they don't mind being ignored and can easily be grown in containers.

Ideal Herbs: These herbs are perennials and come back every year with just a little work on your part. All you need to do is prune them down to 5 inches once in the late spring and once around August to keep them growing indefinitely!

Chives

Oregano

Thyme

Rosemary (If you live in hardiness zones 7-10)

Pretty Good Herbs: These are annual herbs so you'll have to plant them each year. Both of these are also favorites of pollinators and beneficial insects!

Basil (put basil sprigs in a glass of water in the kitchen, change the water every few days, and after a while they should root for easy planting)

Cilantro

Fruits for the Low-Maintenance Garden

If you have the space and means to grow fruit trees or shrubs, they're an excellent low-maintenance choice. They bear a crop year after year with a little pruning (prune once or twice a year) and adding some compost or organic matter (once a year).

Ideal Fruits: These have a long storage life and require little processing after harvesting.

Apples

Citrus Fruits

Grapes

Pears

Pretty Good Fruits: These have much shorter storage life.

Berries (Grow a ton of fruit without much coaxing, but highly perishable so need to be eaten or frozen/processed after harvest)

Pawpaws (If you live in hardiness zones 5-9)

Plums

Some Tips for Low-Maintenance Gardening

Spend 15 minutes a day in the garden, whenever possible. This daily visit doesn't have to be spent working, especially if you're lacking energy, time, spoons, etc. It can be spent observing, enjoying, and just being in the garden, which is just as important as the doing!! Notice the changes as the days, weeks, and seasons change. Enjoy the plants, insects, birds, and other critters you've invited into your garden.

Mulch like a motherfucker. After planting, mulch that garden! A good mulching keeps weeds at bay, making less work for you.

Stagger harvest windows. Plan your planting times so you only have one or a few crops coming to harvest at the same time. This also allows for full appreciation and enjoyment of each crop, hopefully without burnout or overwhelm!

Put it on the calendar. Write down planting, harvesting, and pruning windows for each crop.

Most importantly, BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. Gardening, even a low-maintenance garden, is hard! You will lose plants. You will lose crops. You will make mistakes and have failures. You weren't able to get to the garden and all your sprouts died? That's totally okay and you can always start them again! You weren't able to harvest in time and the birds got all your berries? You're welcome, birds! Do your best, do what you're able, and you're doing amazing!!💖

Source

#gardening #low maintenance #low maintenance garden #self sufficiency #cottagecore #solarpunk

[whatawonderfulexistence--blog]

How to become self sufficient on a ¼ acre!

(OP was a white nationalist, so take this one instead)

#gardening #homesteading #self sufficiency #self sustaining #gardenblr #garden

[hedgewitchshit]

Just a little chicken enjoying the greenhouse on a sunny afternoon 💫

#cottagecore #cottage aesthetic #cottage witch #solarpunk #countryside #green witch #naturecore #goblincore #self sufficiency #gardening #grow your own food #hopepunk

[mywaysthehighway]

I like meeting real anarchists. Anarchist do things. Things for their community, for the maintenance of every crucial aspect of their communal infrastructure. Anarchists don’t wait for the government to pave broken roads, the police to patrol the neighborhood for safety, or the messed up food industry to provide them with staple foods in times of need. We can do it ourselves. I love that.

#anarchism #anarchist #eco anarchism #eco anarchist #modern anarchism #pro gun #self sufficiency #self sufficient living

[country-corner]

Limited Space Back Yard

Whether you live in an old neighborhood that has become crowded with people dividing their lots to put in more homes or a newly constructed neighborhood built with cookie cutter homes on postage stamp lots, you can still put in a garden within that limited space.

You could even go with a vertical garden if the yard is really, really small.

#survival #preparedness #self sufficiency #prepping #gardening #garden

[slowfalter]

Rain falls hard through the ceiling

———

Soon you’ll be living

In the house right next to mine

And when I borrow a cup of sugar

You’ll say you love me for all time

Your cats will be cautiously fond of me

Like a father

I’ll feed them all the fish I catch

Soon I’ll be learning fishing

Soon I’ll be self sufficient

I’m knitting my own crossbow

And pickling my own poetry

And whittling my own company

So some day I can live in a cabin in the trees

But I will never do it

I know you like the finer things in life

Like electricity

And running water

And I like the finer things in life

Like you and me

Together

———

#poetry #poem #spilled ink #poeticstories #love poem #spilled thoughts #original poem #poetry tumblr #queer poetry #nature #self sufficiency #love #original poetry #smittenbypoetry #bitsofstarglow #writeblrcafe #writeblr #creative writing #twee #poems on tumblr #original poets on tumblr

[samwisethewitch]

Actually, I love that cottagecore has given Gen Z a word for "I want to have a big garden and cook my own food and keep chickens" that isn't casually invoking colonialism and manifest destiny. I get so goddamned uncomfortable every time someone refers to their urban hobby farm as a "homestead" and I'm glad to finally see it being replaced with other terms. I will buy a million books about how to live a cottagecore lifestyle if it will convince publishers to stop marketing the "homesteader" lifestyle and will get white city dwellers to stop unironically self-identifying as colonizers.

#like??? words mean things #anyway #kill the cringe #cottagecore #cottage vibes #cottage life #slow living #slow life #simple living #homesteading #urban farming #hobby farm #solarpunk #gardening #self sufficiency #farmcore #mine

[forestduck]

#pinterest #cabin #off grid #mountians #snow #pine trees #hills #stone #wood cabin #self sufficiency #nature

[justalittlesolarpunk]

Solar dyeing with turmeric and weaving wool on a hand loom - I feel intensely retrofuturistic today

#solarpunk #cottagepunk #hopepunk #self sufficiency #heritage crafts #dyeing #weaving #loom #natural dyes

[barbedwirechain]

what can you tell me about thomas sankara

I can throw together the few facts I know off the top of my head and give some semi-coherent shallow description of who he is, what he stood for, and the time period he existed in but since I learned directly from a currently available PDF of his book on women’s liberation and watching many, many YouTube videos, it makes more sense to link those. People have already done the work in varying degrees of depth. I’ll only link what I’ve watch and can find quickly but I encourage you to find more!

youtube videos:

his book:

Women's Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle

#thomas sankara #anti-imperalist #pan africanism #self sufficiency #marxism #R.I.P. #burkina faso

[thestudentfarmer]

Good afternoon everyone~

It's cold, windy and it's been raining on and off all day but I finally got out to harvesting the sweet potatoes.

I started with the 'L' bed.

This is the bowl I'll be using to collect the spuds for this deep raised bed.

Those are full size scissors btw. This is the absolute biggest strainer I own and when I do harvesting I'm always glad to have it! Helps with carrying and washing off dirt outside so much easier!

It was pretty fun digging round for the spuds and to be honest the size and shape of some of them really suprised me!

For some size comparison, my hand is right on top of them.

All cleaned out!

Next was the little round bed in the corner. I wasn't really expecting much, but it filled the bin pretty good.

I've washed the spuds off and am letting them dry off but I'll be finding a spot inside soemwhere to let them sit and cure for a bit of time. (I probably will let them cure until end of febuary.)

Curing your sweet potatoes is what makes them sweet, you can eat them right away but their said to be bitter. (I will be trying 1 potato to see if this is true!) Curing them should be done for at least 2 week in a cool dry space (around 80*f). If you under 80*f space add 7 more days.

I thought this was neat and wanted to share it. since I've not seen a sweet potato grown or dug up before

I wasn't expecting so much differance in spud size from one single root.

And one last pic,

The ducks quite like the greens, while there's not much left of it I'm going to leave the vines a couple days so they can use it as enrichment/snack opportunity.

Weigh in on the spuds later!

🍠🌱Happy Homesteading and Harvesting!!

🌱🍠

1.11.2024

#self sufficient living #homesteading #thestudentfarmer #studentfarmer #self sufficiency #food #garden #gardening #low waste #duck #sustainability #smalls scale differences #urban animal keeping #urban biodiversity #urban homesteading #urban gardening #urban farming #grow what you can #simple plants to grow #multipurpose crops #right to grow #human right to clean food #right to grow food #raised garden beds #start to finish #will it grow? #food sovereignty #whole foods #first time growing #going green as can be

[veiligplekje]

#harvest #farmcore #farm aesthetic #gardening #kitchen garden #self sufficiency #homesteading