When you think about homesteading you might just think that it is all done in the summer months. We generally think about the animals, gardening, canning etc. and I will admit that most of the work is done in the summer months. But you can do things through the winter not only to keep you busy but also to get ahead for the summer. If we left everything for the summer there is no way we would get it all done.
I am actually getting to the point where I feel like things are evening out a bit and when I take the time in the winter to plan and prepare the summer goes so much better!
Today I am going to share with you 14 winter homesteading ideas….so let’s dive right in.
1. Canning
Now I know what you’re thinking what am I going to can in the middle of winter? I don’t have any fresh produce. Well, Believe it or not, you can throw things in the freezer during the summer and when winter comes and you have more time you are then able to can it.
Let me explain…So let’s say you had lots of strawberries but you were to busy when they were ripe to make jam. Or in my case, you just can’t think about getting your house that hot when you are so pregnant. Anyway, you can just throw them in the freezer and then when you have the time pull them out and make your jam.
Or maybe you did not have enough in one picking and needed to wait until you had enough for a full batch. Or you wanted to make mixed fruit Jam and needed to wait for the other berries to ripen….okay you get the idea.
What about meat? Did you get a deer during hunting season but it was to much work to think about butchering the whole thing and then canning it? Again, throw it in the freezer and pull it out when you have the time in the winter. Oh and if you are thinking spam think again! Canned meat is actually delish and ready for your meals because it is already cooked. I know it almost too good to be true!
What about chicken broth? DId you know you can make chicken broth in like no time at all? Check it out here.
This actually will make your year go quite a bit smoother if you can spread out the work a little bit and not have to do it all during those few warm months.
2. Pass on your knowledge
As a homesteader, I am sure that you have knowledge in areas that most people do not. Winter is a great time to teach others what you know. Trust me even if you don’t feel like it, you know more then you think. And believe it or not, teaching is fun. And it can be fairly easy. You can set up in person classes but with the technology that we have, you could also teach people things over YouTube. It is nuts how many people you can affect in this way. You can start a channel on YouTube in about 2 minutes and then just upload your videos. You could almost use it as a journal of your homesteading journey and others can watch and learn from you along the way.
I have actually done that and really enjoy sharing my journey with others…
It made me a little nervous putting myself out there at first and yes I look very silly in my first few videos but once you get in a groove it starts to get fun. And like I said it is cool to look back and see where you started and how far you have come.
If a video is not your thing you can also pass on your knowledge through writing. Which as you are reading I have done as well. I personally really love writing and have enjoyed this journey. Again, it is fun to see how I started and where I am now. You can start a blog like this one or just get a free blog if you just want to keep it more low key.
I know it seems like a lot but you would be surprised how easy it is. I would just encourage you to it yourself out there. You may think that you are just starting out and don’t have much to offer but the truth is you are much further than most other people and most of us want to learn from people that are just ahead of us and not way above us. We want to learn from people like us who are just going for it. Just share your journey the things that worked and the total flops. That is real life and what people really want to see.
3. Plan ahead
I am a natural born planner so this one comes easy for me. I love making lists and getting ahead on things. But even if this is not your thing I still would recommend doing it. When you plan ahead you can make your year go so much smoother. And you can save money.
- You can plan your garden. You can make a blueprint of exactly how you want it to look and what you will be planting. You can plan what you want in the garden and where to buy your seeds/plants. Trust me this will make your gardening season so much better.
- You can plan your animals for the year. You can decide what animals you will be getting that year, how many you are getting and when and where you will be getting them. You can do your research so that you can get the best price.
- Plan your finances. As you are planning everything that you want to do you will need to know what you can all afford. So I would advise you to sit down and figure out what your budget is for the year. If you are not used to budgeting it can seem hard and overwhelming. I have found that a simple app such as “mint” works great. You just plug in your expenses and it keeps track of your spending for you. Winter is a great time to sit down and figure this out. And I would highly recommend doing this before you rush into any big projects.
There are plenty of things that you can plan depending on your life and what you all do. This is just a few ideas to get you going.
4. Stock your pantry
Again, this might seem odd because your thinking that you already did when you preserved your food. And most likely you already have a decently stocked pantry but because I am an organized freak and slightly OCD I like to have my pantry in order for the year. And I for one am not at the place that I can stock my pantry 100% on my own so I have to buy certain things. I have written a post about how to stock your pantry. It tells you everything from building the pantry to shopping, organizing the pantry and putting it all away.
If stocking your pantry is something that interests you I would highly recommend you check out the post. It will make your life much simpler. And I am not being prideful when I say that but as I mentioned before I am just figuring things out and sharing them with you as I do them. So in this post, I am just sharing with you my process and how I did it. I also share my homestead pantry list and everything I like to have in my stocked pantry.
5. Get your house in order
I don’t know about you but my house tends to get turned upside down in the summer. I am so busy with all the work outside that the inside of my house gets very little attention. There is just not enough time in the day! Winter is a great time to hunker down and catch up on all that inside work. I try to get things organized and do some deep cleaning during the winter.
I also try to do any bigger inside projects that got pushed off during the summer. Maybe painting or smaller remodel projects Etc. I find that if I don’t do them in the winter it is just not gonna happen. Winter is a great time to start working away at that “to do” list that kept growing all summer and kept getting avoided.
Another thing I try to do in the winter is to get rid of things. With the holidays you seem to end up with so much more stuff and it is nice to rid your house of all the things you don’t need or use anymore. I go through our clothes bins and the toys and do my best to get rid of as much as possible.
Trust me you will not regret minimizing…
I recently went through the toys and got rid of a ton of them. I kind of felt bad at first and wondered if I would regret it. But I do not regret it at all! The toy room stays so much cleaner and honestly, my kids can play so much better without so many toys. Before there were so many that they could not even see what they have to play with. I am so glad that I did it!
Same with clothes. I have saved so many clothes and it is very overwhelming having bins and bins full of clothes. I have found that when I simplify it takes such a burden off.
We really don’t need as much we think we do and believe it or not when we get rid of it the stress starts to go away. It takes a lot less work to clean and organize when you have way less in your house messing everything up!
6. Getaway
Speaking of stress and burdens…
Consider using the winter as a time to get a little R&R. Homesteading can be a lot of work and everybody needs some time off. If you can’t afford a big vacation at least try to get a weekend away.
Just like any job in life we all need some time to relax and refocus. I can assure you that you will appreciate what you do so much more when you have some time to unwind. Not only that you will also feel ready and more motivated for a new year of homesteading. It always surprises me how much better I feel after some time off. You will not regret it!
7. Start plants inside
This is something I have personally not tried yet but would really love to one of these years. From what I have read and heard it is not that hard and it will really give you a head start on your garden.
I have found that when I plant my garden from seeds it takes much longer then if I buy the plants that have already been started. But when you do this it will cost more…
If you plant your seeds in the house you can save the money by still buying seeds, but your garden will be able to reap the benefit from having the plants already started.
The process is fairly simple. Basically, you buy the seeds plant them in small containers such as an old strawberry container and water them. If you want a little more detail on how to do it check out my post here.
8. Prepare food for the busy days
I always notice that cooking in the summer really stinks. Not only does it make the house hot when you use the oven but because of all the work that needs to be done outside you just really don’t feel like cooking when you come in from a long day.
The winter is a great time to do some extra cooking and put it away for the summer. Now if you have already canned some meat then you have some meals basically ready to go. But you can also make meals and freeze them.
I personally like to make my normal meals and just double them and then put the extra into the freezer. You can also make crockpot meals and put them in zip locks. This is great for those super hot summer days. You can just throw it in the crock-pot and that way you never even have to turn the oven on.
9. Keep learning
Never forget your own education. Even though we are adults we still need to be learning and educating ourselves. There is so much to learn about homesteading!
I personally am a hands-on learner. I prefer to learn by doing. But there is also a place for book learning. (or video) The winter is a great time to read about the things you hope to do on your homestead. Or watch videos.
As I mentioned lots of people blog or have a YouTube channel with so much valuable information. If you have something specific you want to learn type it into Google or YouTube and see what you can find.
If you love reading books that is awesome too! But with the internet, we have so much valuable information right at our fingertips…and the best part is its free!
It is so easy to waste our time in the winter because we feel like there is not as much to do. But if we spent just a fraction of our time in the winter learning we could be doing so much more with our summers!
10. Make homemade beauty products
I am not super into makeup so I have not played around with that a whole lot because It is not something I use or need. But I have friends that have made their own makeup and they love it. You can buy the ingredients in bulk and it will last forever and it is SO much healthier then what you can buy at the store.
I have on the other hand played around with making my own shampoos and body wash and those things. There are so many recipes out there and to be honest you just have to try them for yourself to see what works for your hair and body…
Because what works for me might not necessarily work for you! I will tell you that it is a process to figure out what works but again you can save yourself so much money by making your own. And it will not be filled with a bunch of chemicals.
And the goal of homesteading is to become self-sufficient. I understand that this is not 100% self-sufficient but if you have the ingredients in bulk you will be all set for years and years. And I don’t know about you but I think it is awesome when we can make as much as possible ourselves. Even if we have to buy some things to do it.
11. Make homemade cleaning products
If you read my post about norwex you will know that I hardly use any cleaning products anymore. If you have not had a chance to read it I would highly recommend that you do. As a busy homesteading mom I have very little extra time and norwex is seriously a lifesaver.
Anyway, whether or not you use norwex you will still need certain cleaning products. Making them yourself is so easy and saves a lot of money. I personally only need dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, and soap thanks to norwex but you can make anything that you might need!
Just like the beauty products you will have to play around with recipes and see what you like and what works for you. Most of the recipes are fairly similar and usually use vinegar. Which is great because it is so cheap.
The greatest thing about making your own cleaning supplies is that you can know for a fact that they are chemical free. Even though I feel like I am careful my kids get ahold of my cleaning supplies and are playing with them in seconds. It is very relieving to know that is they do happen to spray something it won’t hurt them. And even more then that I can let them help me clean and not have to worry about anything!
12. Brew kombucha
I know kombucha seems like a “faddy” thing but it has actually been around for a long time we are just finally seeing the benefits. Personally, I have seen it work wonders. My digestive system is awful and I need all the help I can get. Kombucha has really helped my digestive system work the way it should. I love when I can drink something that tastes amazing and is good for me…but the price tag is a bit daunting.
I could not believe how simple it was to make it! It is really as easy as making tea…well and waiting for 2 weeks. But really it is not that hard at all and the cool part being that you can do a continued brew so you always have some ready.
If this is something that interests you make sure to check out my post on all things kombucha and also other fermented foods.
13. Ferment foods
Speaking of fermented foods this is another great thing to do in the winter. Fermented foods are so great for your gut health and again when you buy them in the store they can be super pricey. But just like the kombucha, you can make them yourself super easily!
I have tried different things but my favorite would probably have to be the pickles I made this year. My cucumber plant went crazy and I fermented them all. All I did was cut up the cucumbers place them in a quart jar and add the following seasonings…
Dill Pickles
2 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of fresh dill
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 whole peppercorns
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sea salt
I also made them with hot peppers instead of the pepper flakes and that was amazing as well.
In the end, you can add an onion on the top to make sure the cucumbers stay submerged in the water. Then just leave them on the counter for about 4 days.
You can ferment so many things and like I said it is so awesome for your gut. And oh my word it is so easy compared to canning! Again, if you have any questions about fermenting check out my post here.
14. Make homemade gifts
Now I know what you’re probably thinking…who wants some lame homemade gifts. But I have come to realize that most people can buy themselves pretty much whatever they want and a homemade gift really stands outs nowadays.
And you can make some pretty cool stuff! They really won’t take that much time. I mean just look at the few things I have talked about already. You could make people homemade cleaning supplies or beauty products. You could cook for someone. To be honest as a mom that is the greatest gift ever. You could also offer to watch someone else’s kids so they can get a break.
There are so many cute ideas. Did you know that you can manage vanilla extract yourself? It is super easy. You just buy vanilla beans and vodka or rum put them in a jar and wait a few months. This makes such a great gift.
I mean I could go on and on with the not lame gift ideas but you get the idea! Don’t forget to let me know in the comments what you have done that worked out super well and the things that were total flops! I want to see it all!
Final thoughts
I hope this list has been helpful as you look forward to your winter and how you can be better prepared for your homesteading year. I find that I can keep myself just as busy in the winter months as I do in the summer.
Not that I always want to be super busy but like I mentioned it does help the summer run smoother when I have used my winter well and was able to get ahead and be prepared for my summer. Not saying I am perfect but I feel that each year I figure things out a little more and learn how to do things better then I did the year before.
Homesteading is a process and we are always learning and growing. It will not be something that we get overnight unfortunately but don’t give up you will have your rough days but I promise it will be worth it in the end.
As always I love to hear from you so please let me know what you are up to or things that you would like to hear from me next!
Happy Homesteading!
-Courtney