The Slow Season

November 18, 2021
Jessica // Three Rivers Homestead
No Comments

Jessica is a homesteading and homeschooling mother of seven living in northwest Ohio. She has a passion for encouraging other mothers to grow and preserve nutritious food for their families.

Jessica may receive commissions for purchases made through links on this post. Thank you for all your support!

The bushels of produce that cluttered the kitchen floor are now neatly tucked into a rainbow of jars on the pantry shelves. Days spent weeding and harvesting will now be spent indoors by the woodstove and in the kitchen enjoying the meals we worked so hard for over the growing season.

Some people grow food year-round, but here in Ohio the winter months are a period of rest. They are the reward for the busyness of the other seasons.

Animals will still need cared for, but for the most part the work turns inward. Other months focus on the outdoors, but winter is when the inside of our home comes alive.

Besides allowing us more time to focus on homeschool lessons and family togetherness, winter is also the time for learning new skills and trying new things. Each year focus on a new homesteading area in which I either want to learn or improve – things that I rarely have time to do during the busier seasons.

In past years I decided to do things like learn how to bake gluten-free, make soap, or knit. I am still deciding what this year’s focus will be. My goal is always to try to learn an old-fashioned skill so I can one day pass that knowledge down to my children – any skill that brings us closer to our goal of self-sufficiency.

If you’re like me and you’re looking for ideas to work with your hands through the slower months, I thought I would share a list of things that might inspire you to expand your own homesteading skill set this winter:

1 – Learn a new baking skill – sourdough, gluten-free, grain-free, or focus on a specific item you want to get better at making

2 – Take the time to increase your recipe collection and try things from the cookbooks you have on your shelves

3 – Take up a hobby like sewing, knitting, crocheting, or quilting

4 – Dive into the art of soapmaking, and if you’re really brave, take a stab at making your own lye from your wood ash

5 – Try out different recipes for various homemade cleaners

6 – Learn to make your own shampoo, toothpaste, lip balm, lotion, and other toiletries

7 – Expand your home apothecary and learn the art of natural healing

8 – Try growing some greens indoors through sprouting or microgreens under grow lights

9 – Grab some mealworms from the pet store and create a mealworm farm for chicken treats

10 – Experiment with new methods of food preservation

11 – Take a beekeeping class or a class on any other topic to gain the knowledge you need to start raising more food next year

12 – Learn to make healthy, non-toxic candles

13 – Get your hunting license and fill your freezer. Learn to tan the hides of what you catch

14 – Build something to make next year better – a solar dehydrator, cold frames, a new chicken tractor, etc.

15 – Find some trees you can tap and learn how to harvest and make maple syrup

16 – Learn more about fermenting – kombucha, ginger ale, vinegar, or anything else you have been putting off

17 – Play around with natural dyes and upcycling faded fabrics into something new

18 – Learn about weaving – textiles or baskets – and make something beautiful for your home

There are so many skills my ancestors possessed that I want to learn, but it’s hard to find the time to dive into the activities during the busier times of the year. Not much grows during winter, but we can definitely grow our own abilities and even include our children in the process. Making it part of homeschooling will kill two birds with one stone!

So, homestead mamas, I hope you will join me in setting some fun goals for the coming months!

COMMUNITY

Please join us by sharing, continuing the conversation below, and connecting with Jessica at the following:

Youtube

Instagram

Deeply Rooted

Laura // Cotton Hill Farm

I am not well traveled. I’ve never flown on a plane. I’ve never been north of Ohio or west of Texas.I’m not as well traveled as some may say one should be, but this piece of land has housed all of my fondest memories…

Embracing Joy on a Humble Life Journey

Jenny // Jenny from the Bawk

Do you ever worry that your kids will miss out because of this homesteading lifestyle choice? This fear crosses my mind time to time. I’m sure many, if not most of you, could agree that it can be extremely difficult to get extended time away from the homestead for more than a full day, especially in the busy summer months when daily chores demand our regular attention…

Healing on the Homestead

Alicia // The Holistic Homestead

“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us’ … the land knows you, even when you are lost.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass…

Babies, Business, and Bumper Crops

Angela // The Miller Homestead

Babies, Business, and Bumper Crops: How I am Learning to Homestead with Babies in Tow

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the days when you are cleaning the baby’s diaper, milking the cow, scooping poop in the barn, wiping noses, and cleaning more poop off of kids’ shoes…

Frontier Homesteading

Rachel // Frontier Homesteading

Hey there, Homesteading Mama’s!
I’m Rachel from @frontier_homesteading. My husband Ryan, three children and I have been homesteading for about 10 years now, first in Wyoming and now in Alaska.
We currently have milk goats, pack goats, sheep, a pig, a cow, chickens, rabbits, bees and a dog. Seasonally, we also have more pigs, meat chickens and turkeys….

Holiday Stained Glass Windows with RuthAnn

RuthAnn Zimmerman // Homesteading with the Zimmermans

Stained glass windows date back to the 7th century. With the earliest known reference dating
from 675 AD when workmen were imported from France to Britain to Glaze the windows of a
monastery…

Returning to Nature

Isobel // Paddys River Farm

Homesteading and growing food is not the easy way out of this life, i would say it is the hard way as there’s nothing convenient about it. It’s a lifestyle, a life change not a trend or hobby. Well, that’s my opinion any way…

Awakino Station

Jaz // Jaz.Mathisen

Awakino Station is a child’s dream. There is the river to splash in, tussock covered hills to explore, animals to raise and a bustling kitchen with a baking tin full of something yummy to eat…

Quick-Rise Weeknight Pizza Dough

Joelle // /from Scratch Farmstead

Like many in this homesteading space, this has been a completely unexpected journey for our family.
Even 10 years ago I would have laughed at the thought of getting up to milk a cow each morning and
canning endless amounts of tomatoes…

Join In The Conversation

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

A Patchwork of Homestead Mamas

Collections

The Slow Season

Jessica may receive commissions for purchases made through links on this post. Thank you for all your support!

COMMUNITY

Share

MORE Stories

Join In The Conversation

A Patchwork of Homestead Mamas

An inspiring & encouraging community of Homestead Mamas. For growers, hunters, foragers, & explorers; with little hands & little hearts alongside.

Join Our Community

HOMESTEAD MAMAS 2020

Sign Up For Our Newsletter