What is a Modern Homestead? | Old Ways, New Technology

What makes a modern homestead different than a traditional one?

Today I want to answer this question for all those who may be wondering. I wouldn’t have even known what this was a year ago. It’s all been this crazy, unexpected adventure for us, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.

Old Ways, New Technology

There is no real definition for modern homesteading that works for everyone. For us, modern homesteading is embracing old ways, while using new technology. It is jumping into a lifestyle because we are excited about it and because it brings us joy, not out of obligation or necessity.

Homesteading is all about re-connecting with the processes that allow us to live. Like growing our own food, decreasing waste, and composting everything back to the earth. It’s about sustainability, self-sufficiency, and connection with the planet that gives us everything we need to thrive.

Modern homesteading takes the old ways, and makes them more efficient using tools from the modern world we live in.

It allows you to adopt the homesteading lifestyle while working a full-time job, or even living in an urban environment, using innovative tools and technology. Whether it is using a dehydrator, a pressure canner, a tractor, or heated water tanks, modern technology decreases the work load, so that you can live a homesteading lifestyle, without necessarily having the time to do what it took back in the day.

Some people have modern homesteads by creating a rooftop garden, an urban chicken coop, or focusing on zero waste. There is no right way to have a modern homestead. It is simply living with a focus on connection and self-sufficiency while also adapting to the culture and modern climate that we are in.

For the Joy of It

In the world we live in, we can easily access peppers in the middle of January. I don’t have to preserve summer tomatoes to enjoy marinara in the winter and spring. I could quickly go to the store, spend a few bucks, and make some pasta for dinner. We did not adopt a homesteading lifestyle because we needed to, we embraced it because we WANTED to. Even though I can buy pasta sauce for just a few dollars, it pales in comparison to cooking up a dinner with ingredients you grew from seed.

This modern homesteading lifestyle brings us joy, even though modern amenities would technically allow us to avoid it entirely. Chris and I could have continued working our 9-5 jobs, living in the city, and buying our food from the store, but we did not find our day to day meaningful or fulfilling. We were bored, seeking adventure. Modern homesteading has provided us with so much more than we ever could have imagined. It is a life full of adventure, meaning, and connection. 

What does modern homesteading mean to you?

That’s all for now friends,

All my best,

Jenn