Grow Your Own Food (Podcast)

Wanting to grow your own food and feed your family from what you raise and preserve yourself means taking a closer look at your daily choices.

A boy holding an armful of produce standing between multiple raised garden beds.

If you can believe it, there was a Jess before there was a Roots and Refuge. Ten-plus years ago, the pre-Roots and Refuge Jess worked in my city's permits and planning department.

There was a lot of paperwork, but also large periods where I didn't have anything to do. During that time, I was really big into reading blogs. I followed Ashley English from Small Measure. Ashley is still making content and has written some incredible books. Another person I followed was Sara Jansen of Nesting Gypsy. Of course, I followed Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead and Shaye Elliott of The Elliott Homestead.

I just hung on to every single word of homesteading that they shared. Before YouTube, blogging was where it was at. Yes, there are still blogs today (case in point, you're here!), but many people prefer to watch via platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

No matter how you like to learn, I can't encourage you enough to continue learning. Fall in love with learning. This is why I say turn your waiting room into a classroom. There is always something we can do to move forward toward our goals.

You are here, so I'm assuming this is speaking to you! Enjoy this podcast filled with my tips on how to grow your own food.

butchered and labeled pork.

In This Episode

  • My journey into homesteading before being a “homesteader.”
  • We'll discuss growing and producing foods you can completely mark off your grocery list.
  • How to practically apply this no matter where you are, even if that's still in an office job.
  • How to alleviate the pressure of fully “living off the land.”
  • Considering what it truly takes to grow and preserve all your food for your family.
  • How to rely on the community and locally grown foods to help supplement the food your family eats and preserves.
  • What you eat and preserve doesn't always have to be food from your land.
  • Tips to closing the gap between the land and what your family eats.
  • Get to know your local farmers.
  • Get to know what grows well in your area and when they're in season so you can be prepared to preserve and put up that food.
  • Being honest with those items that you can't produce yourself. For me, that's coffee, honey, maple syrup and chocolate.
  • Consider what products you're still purchasing and improve where you source them.
  • How to gear your daily life choices toward thriving, not survival.
  • Growing your food makes you reexamine how you eat.
  • The Standard American Diet is filled with processed sugar, refined oils, and a lot of grain. If you can't grow that food at your house, you need to reconsider what you're eating and what you'll replace it with.
  • Raising your meat will be the most significant offset to your grocery bill, even above growing a garden.
  • Consider growing herbs! A bundle of herbs from the grocery store costs about as much as a plant start from a local nursery. But that plant will provide so much more than one single bundle.
  • Consider eating more seasonally. I don't eat fresh tomatoes when they're not in season. The same goes for cucumbers and lettuce (although I can grow fresh lettuce year-round with this method).
  • Think about adding ferments to your diet. This is a great way to extend the shelf life of your fresh produce in a way that the nutritional benefits are improved with time.
  • Plan for “convenience meals.” Nights that you don't feel like cooking will happen, so have a plan for them that allows you to throw dinner together with minimal effort quickly.

Image of a woman holding up vegetables from the garden.
I want to share this beautiful life with others and teach them the lessons we've learned along the way. Welcome to Roots and Refuge, friend. I am so glad you're here.

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