While some may think that cooking for oneself and cooking for a homestead are one and the same, there’s actually a significant distinction between the two. One key difference is the source of our ingredients: instead of relying on grocery stores, homestead cooks often grow their own fruits and vegetables as needed, as well as raise and butcher their own livestock.
This means that we’re not just limited to what’s available in stores, but can harvest herbs fresh from the soil or store food for later use. Additionally, many homesteads have dairy herds, allowing us to make our own cheese, yogurt, butter, and other treats using freshly produced milk. Of course, there are still some ingredients that we may not be able to produce ourselves, which is why we often opt for bulk purchases or support local farmers when necessary.
And when a particular ingredient isn’t in season, we’re quick to find suitable substitutes to ensure our meals remain flavorful and satisfying.
The Definition of “From Scratch” Cooking
The concept of ‘from scratch’ begins long before the shopping list is even considered. It starts with the raw materials – in this case, the food scraps that become chicken feed and manure for our gardens. When you take control of growing your own food, you gain a deep appreciation for the effort involved. This newfound awareness translates to a more thoughtful approach to using these resources to nourish your family.
Every part of the plant or animal becomes a valuable component in supplying wholesome meals. For modern homesteaders, this way of thinking is often two generations removed from our ancestors’ experiences, where ‘from scratch’ literally meant growing and harvesting food from one’s own backyard. As such, there’s a significant learning curve to overcome when transitioning from being skilled with bought ingredients to cooking what you’ve grown.
Fortunately, there are some straightforward ways to accelerate your homestead cooking skills.
Tip #1: Cook Like a Homesteader Before You Become One
Before diving headfirst into the world of homesteading, it’s essential to gain hands-on experience with whole ingredients. Visit local farmers’ markets and stock up on seasonal produce, then experiment with cooking methods that mimic traditional homesteading practices. This trial run will not only help you develop valuable ‘from scratch’ skills but also give you a chance to explore your culinary preferences and figure out what types of livestock and foods align best with your lifestyle.
For instance, if you’re new to cooking whole chickens and find the breast meat more appealing than the rest, it may not be worth raising entire flocks. Conversely, if you enjoy eggs and can trade them for occasional breast meat, laying hens might be a better fit. By trying different dishes and exploring your taste buds, you’ll gain valuable insights into what works best for your homestead kitchen.
To get started, consider cooking recipes that incorporate whole ingredients like chicken, beef, or vegetables. This will give you a sense of the time and effort required to prepare these foods, as well as help you determine which ones are worth growing or raising yourself.
Strategy 1: Prepare a Whole Chicken, Duck, or Rabbit
Optimize your food storage by investing in a few whole chickens, ducks, or rabbits. Master the art of breaking down each carcass into usable parts for a multitude of meals. Take it a step further by utilizing organs to create pâté, a rich and savory spread. Divide one breast between two distinct dishes – first, incorporate it into a hearty salad, then use another portion mixed with fresh vegetables in tacos served with homemade tortillas.
Next, slow-cook the legs with long-shelf-life ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and onions to create a comforting meal. Finally, repurpose leftover bones and necks to craft a nourishing soup.
Strategy 2: Make Dairy Products at Home
When contemplating the establishment of a dairy herd, it’s crucial to consider the volume of milk you anticipate producing on a weekly basis. To effectively manage your surplus, it’s essential to develop a plan for processing and transforming that milk into various products, such as cheese, yogurt, and butter. A single goat can produce an impressive amount of milk in a day, which can be overwhelming without a strategy or the necessary skills to convert that milk into valuable byproducts.
Strategy 3: Use All Edible Parts of Vegetables
When it comes to growing your own garden, consider investing in fresh, seasonal produce from local CSAs, farmers markets or direct from the farmer. Don’t overlook the nutritious leafy greens like turnip greens and beet tops – incorporate them into your meals. For added depth of flavor, use carrot and onion tops to enhance your bone broth. Take it a step further by experimenting with fermentation and pickling techniques to make the most of your harvest.
With a simple solution of 3% salt, many foods can be fermented, while others can be pickled and water-bath canned with minimal effort. To simplify homestead cooking, try improvising your favorite recipes using seasonal vegetables. For instance, cabbage is a spring or late fall delight, while kale thrives in winter, fall, and even early summer. Lettuce may bolt in the heat, but sweet potato greens and purslane offer equally appealing alternatives.
As you gain experience, let’s explore some ideas to make growing food for homestead cooking easier.
Tip # 2: Learn to Appreciate and Cook Foods that are Easy to Grow
One of the reasons you’ll notice a prevalence of kale, collards, mustard greens, radish, chard, kohlrabi, beets, and turnips on farmers market tables is that they’re relatively low-maintenance crops compared to broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. These easy-to-grow vegetables have adapted to thrive in less-than-ideal weather conditions, boasting better disease and pest resistance as a result.
Moreover, they can be harvested within 60 days or less, whereas some of their more finicky counterparts require 85-105 days for maturity. By focusing on these simple yet flavorful options, you’ll simplify the planning and maintenance process for your garden.
The good news is that these veggies are not only easy to cultivate but also incredibly delicious when grown in your own backyard.
The downside is that we often overlook them at traditional grocery stores, where more exotic or high-maintenance produce takes center stage. To truly appreciate the bounty of your homegrown harvest, you’ll need to broaden your palate and learn how to prepare these underappreciated gems.
Tip # 3: Plan Your Homestead Harvests to Match Your Grocery Store Quantities
As seasoned homesteaders, we’ve all experienced the thrill of over-planting summer squash or salad cucumbers, only to be overwhelmed by the abundance that follows. The initial excitement gives way to frustration, as even our non-gardening friends start to tire of the bounty. For those new to homesteading, avoiding this scenario is a simple matter of planning ahead, just as you would when stocking your pantry or shopping at a grocery store.
Some items, like canning tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, and potatoes, are worth the investment in quantity. However, for most garden produce, harvesting fresh when needed is often the better approach. To achieve this harmonious balance between supply and demand, it’s essential to plan your plantings thoughtfully, ensuring that you’re able to head out to your garden and harvest what you need as the mood strikes. By doing so, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor without being burdened by excess.
Strategy 1: Avoid All-At-Once Mass Plantings
When it comes to planning your garden’s crop rotation, don’t feel pressured to plant a year-long supply of any one vegetable or herb right from the start. Instead, consider building up a two-week supply every two weeks, allowing you to maintain a consistent harvest throughout the season. As you use and enjoy your freshly picked crops, be sure to replace them with new plantings to keep things fresh and thriving.
Strategy 2: Plant Dwarf Vegetable Varieties
With the rise in popularity of container gardening and square foot gardening, seed suppliers are now offering compact versions of plants specifically designed for smaller spaces. While these tiny varieties may have initially been marketed towards urban gardeners with limited outdoor areas, they’re also beneficial for those growing directly in the ground who want to control production levels and avoid waste.
By choosing compact plants, even gardeners with ample space can enjoy the benefits of tailored harvests.
Strategy 3: Grow Heirloom Varieties
Hybrid vegetable seeds are often praised for their consistent yields, making them a staple in many commercial farming operations. Yet, home gardeners may not always appreciate the bounty that comes with these varieties. In contrast, heirloom vegetables grown from seed tend to mature at unique rates, effectively spreading out the harvest over time. This staggered ripening is particularly beneficial for home growers, as it eliminates the need for multiple plantings.
A great example of this is indeterminate heirloom tomatoes, which produce a steady stream of fruit over an extended period. With just one plant, you can enjoy a fresh crop every week or so for months to come.
Tip # 4: Start With a Well-Equipped Homestead Kitchen
While it’s undeniable that honing the skills to cook from scratch takes time, having the right kitchen equipment can significantly reduce frustration and streamline your cooking process. In my opinion, kitchen tools can be categorized into two essential groups: gadgets and staples. Gadgets, such as specialized utensils or appliances, make certain tasks easier and more efficient, allowing you to achieve high-quality results without compromising on your ‘from scratch’ principles.
On the other hand, staple tools are the fundamental items that I would deem absolutely indispensable if I were forced to start anew in a primitive setting – they’re that vital.
Useful Kitchen Gadgets
While homestead cooking can be incredibly rewarding, it’s also important to have the right tools to make the job easier. Here are some essential kitchen gadgets that I rely on for my daily cooking routine.
One of my go-to tools is a tabletop mixer. It may seem old-fashioned to mix things by hand, but when you’re doing it multiple times a week, it can be a real time-saver. I use mine almost daily to make everything from bread and batters to pasta and quiche.
Another crucial tool in my kitchen is a kitchen scale. Homestead cooking often involves recipes that use weight measurements rather than cups or spoons. This is particularly important when making things like cheese, bread, and fermented foods. A scale gives you precision and consistency, which is essential when working with ingredients you’ve grown yourself.
My food processor is another workhorse in my kitchen.
It’s incredible for tasks like pureeing vegetables and sauces, flaking dried herbs, and grating cheese. I also use it to make pesto sauces and tapenades. With the right attachments, it can even be used to julienne vegetables.
A high-quality blender is a nice-to-have tool that’s not essential but makes life easier when working with watery ingredients like smoothies or soups.
And finally, my coffee grinder is a convenient way to grind whole herbs and seeds into powders, saving time and elbow grease.
While these gadgets may seem like luxuries, they’ve become an integral part of my daily cooking routine and make the process much more efficient.
Kitchen Staple Tools
While homesteading supplies may vary depending on individual pursuits, a common thread among many is the presence of staple tools. For instance, cheese-making enthusiasts typically require specialized equipment like molds, drying mats, and presses. Upon visiting numerous homestead kitchens, I’ve noticed a consistent core list that includes a range of essential items.
The basic toolkit for many homesteading cooks might include a boning knife, utility knife, meat cleaver, and knife sharpener.
Pots and pans are also crucial, with cast iron skillets, pots of varying sizes, and roasting pans being staples in many kitchens. A colander, sieves, pressure canner, and assortment of mixing bowls, cutting boards, and spatulas are other common features.
What may not be as ubiquitous are specialized tools like a salad spinner, garlic press, mandoline, vegetable peeler, and tongs. Additionally, fermentation enthusiasts will require equipment such as crocks, weights, airlocks, and funnels.
Equipment Don’ts in a Homestead Kitchen
In many homesteader kitchens, you’re unlikely to find certain staples of modern cooking. For instance, plastic is often absent from these spaces due to a general aversion to the material and its tendency to degrade over time. Additionally, non-stick pans are often replaced with well-seasoned cast iron alternatives, as even slight scratches can render them unusable.
Furthermore, homesteaders tend to prioritize durability and sustainability, opting for high-quality tools that can be passed down through generations or inherited from family members. While old tools may not always meet the highest standards of quality, they’re often used until worn out before being replaced with more suitable alternatives.
Spice is the Variety of Life
The beauty of homestead cooking lies in its diversity, much like the saying ‘spice is the variety of life.’ While you may not be able to cultivate every type of produce or raise every kind of meat on a small homestead, there’s a world of possibilities when it comes to growing herbs. Classic culinary favorites like basil, thyme, and rosemary are surprisingly easy to grow, requiring minimal fuss.
Beyond these familiar flavors, countless other herbs await discovery – think marjoram, sweet mace, anise, French tarragon, and the numerous varieties of basil. Even rare spices like saffron can be coaxed into production at home with a bit of extra effort. With some dedication, you can also successfully cultivate turmeric, ginger, and galangal. Mastering the art of growing, harvesting, and cooking with herbs is a surefire way to elevate your from-scratch culinary game.
As with any new skill, start by experimenting with dried herbs purchased online or at specialty stores. Once you’ve discovered what works for you, take the leap and learn how to grow your own, incorporating these fresh flavors into your ‘from scratch’ kitchen garden.
Conclusion
One of the most rewarding aspects of homesteading is cooking from scratch. As you build skills, work with whole foods, and plan a garden that reflects your culinary preferences, you’ll experience a profound sense of satisfaction. This journey also reveals the surprising ease with which cooking can become second nature, much like mastering any new skill. With each step-by-step effort, you’ll find yourself gradually returning to cooking’s roots in the comfort of your own backyard.
