The Beginning

I never classified myself as being "eco." I didn't grow up being anal about recycling. I didn't concern myself with eating fresh, natural ingredients. My parents didn't teach me to live in that way. My dad once mused, tongue in cheek, that when he takes out the recycling he "sings the National Anthem." In other words, our family comfort foods were not hummus and pita but chocolate and breakfast pastries.

However, with growing up came moving on to different and new life choices. Roommates came and went, two of whom were vegetarian and vegan, respectively. I dabbled in both dietary options but found myself craving meat too much to properly embrace either lifestyle. Sorry friends!

Marriage brought with it a spouse who majored in Community and Environmental Planning at the University of Washington. He is an ex-vegetarian, has his LEED Green Associate, and loves everything eco-friendly. Ironically, while not a fan of the outdoors, he is a fan of sustainable living.

The idea of self-sufficiency arose, oddly enough, through knitting—perhaps not directly, but in the round about way that these sorts of things normally arise. Because I knit (and love "cute" things and animals), I took an interest in sheep. This interest in sheep led to an interest in perhaps having our own farm someday. This interest in farming led to my checking out a book from our local library entitled "The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" by John Seymour.

Now, almost a year later, we have our own home and, although it is not a farm, it did come with a small garden and large enough backyard. Coincidentally or not, I am also now without full time employment while preparing to have our first baby, leaving me with not only time but also the ability to make our family more sustainable.

With all these factors on my side, I have decided to begin my personal quest to follow some of the tips in John Seymour's classic (which has since become a permanent resident of our home library), as well as hints, recipes, and ideas from magazines and on-line sources to become more self-sufficient.

Feel free to comment and follow my family's step-by-step journey to become more reliant on ourselves and the things that nature has given us rather than taking the easy way out!