Welcome to the Can You Homestead Without A Homestead Fall Stock Up edition. Today you and I are going to take the idea of using your community, aka grocery store, to help you make the frugal mindset of homesteading your own. Let me explain!

But first answer these questions.

Do you have to have land to be a homesteader?

Do you have to grow a garden to provide your family with healthy food?

Can not the frugal mindset of a homesteader be used by those who don’t have a homestead?

That is what you and I are going to discuss in this blog post. Can you, a person who doesn’t grow a garden or have a homestead, still use the homesteading principles of collecting your harvest at its peak and storing it for your family for later use?

I have heard it many times from my friends, “it must be nice to have all that land to be able to grow your family all of that healthy food, or I would love to provide healthy food for my family but I live in town and rent an apartment so I just can’t, or maybe someday when we move out into the country.”

And I am going to share with you the answer I give to my doubting friends and just maybe it might enlighten you.

Is not homesteading also a mindset or a point of view.

The principle of homesteading is to, yes, grow healthy food but is it not also the mindset of using what we are given and making the best out of it?

So what, if you can’t grow your food, in the extreme that I do. So what if you only have a yard the size of a postage stamp. The main point of homesteading is to provide healthy food for your family the best you can.

And if that is only growing a few pots of lettuce and one tomato plant on your counter then that is all it is.

But what about the idea of community? As a homesteader, there is no way that I can grow all the food my family needs. We don’t have the space to grow our beef but I do have a neighbor down the road who can. So we purchase or sometimes trade what I have grown to acquire healthy beef for our family. And what about apples? I am trying my darndest to grow an apple orchard but we are just not getting enough from our trees to last us through the whole year. So I have another neighbor that shares part of her harvest with me and I pay her by watching her livestock now and then.

Homesteading is a community. We like to say we are self-sufficient but in truth, a homestead is just resourceful when it comes to finding healthy food for our families.

So what about you?

What can you do to provide your family with healthy food year-round and who can be your community?

Well first off, just because you live in a city doesn’t mean you don’t have a community around you. There may be a local community garden or a local farm or ranch outside of town that you can glean a harvest from.

But is not your grocery store or farmers market a part of your community? It is certainly part of mine. When I want to add healthy options to our plates, like say oranges or pineapple, that don’t grow well in our area. I go to my local grocery store and purchase that item when it is at its peak and when it is in season.

Have you ever noticed that when you go to buy strawberries in the fall and you find some but there are only a few packages and they just don’t look like the strawberries you purchased that spring?

The reason why is because we have fallen into the idea that we should be able to get any food item we want anytime we want. But the truth is that even though there are apples on the grocery store shelves in the middle of December, those apples were grown and harvested in the Fall. And then stored in undesirable gas filled containers so the apples do not decompose.

Apples in the Fall look better and even taste better then Spring, Summer, or Winter. And that is also usually why the price of those apples are cheaper in the Fall.

I got off on a little sidetrack but I promise this is all going to come together in a moment.

So back to you using the grocery store or farmer’s markets as means to provide your family with healthy food the best you can.

The main concept of consuming healthy food is to pick that food at the appropriate time, or when it is in season, and storing that food to be eaten when it is out of season but without losing too much of its natural nutrition and flavor.

This is my main job as a homesteader, right? So why can’t you do the same but just from your grocery store or farmer’s market?

And the answer is you can!

You can buy fruits and vegetables that are in season and usually on sale in bulk from your grocery store and farmer’s market.

You can then preserve those same fruits and vegetables in some way so that your family can enjoy those delicious tidbits all year round.

And thus become an honorary homesteader!!

And I want to help you out! So below is a list of ten of my favorite Fall stock ups. I also share with you how you can use each of them, as well as a few recipe ideas. And be on the lookout because every season this year I am going to be sharing more stock-up ideas for Spring, Summer, and Winter!

Fall Stock Up Ideas

Apples

To me Apples just screams Fall. But just like explained above Apples may be available all year but are the freshest in the Fall! It is hard for me to give you advice about picking the best apple because we all have our preferences. In our own home my husband prefers yellow to green apples, like Golden Delicious or Granny Smith. But I love the greenish pink apples like HoneyCrisp and Pink Lady. But I would say that you need to pick your apple for how you want to use or store it. Granny Smith is the best for pies and freezability. I guess it would be easier for me to tell you what does not store very well and that is Red Delicious or any soft meated apples. You want firm meated apples for long storage.

Also when picking your apples avoid bruises or worm holes as just like the saying “one bad apple will ruin a bushel'' is so true.

As for preserving apples, my favorite is freezing. I like to peel and thinly slice my apples and then store them in portions and seasoning for apple pie or apple crisp. I also love to make applesauce. This is the easiest canning method for apples. I will take work to mill all the apples but just a few apples can go a long way!

Beets

Beets are a dual purpose vegetable because both the root and the tops are edible. And you may not know this but beets are great at repairing or improving liver function. I have tried to add beets to our menu plan once a week. Sorry, back to picking beets. You want to pick beet that are firm and with the tops if you can. This will make them last longer in the fridge and the beet tops are a great addition to salads. I should also tell you that beets come in different colors and flavors. If you want a robust, earthy beet flavor go for the deep almost blood red beets. And if you want a more mild earthy taste, go for the golden beets. But if you don’t want that earthy taste but still want the benefits of beets go with the white ones.

I know this will sound gross but do be aware that deep purple beets will change the color of your toilet droppings and it is perfectly normal. Oh and it will change the color of hands as well when slicing or peeling so be sure to wear gloves if you have somewhere important to go after you process your beets.

And speaking of preserving, beets are best pressure canned or pickled. If you are wondering what pickled beets taste like, think sweet earthy pickles.

Broccoli

Broccoli can be in season in both Spring and Summer as well. But Fall Broccoli is going to be sweeter and more tender. This is because broccoli loves cooler temperatures when flowering. Yes, the part of the broccoli that you eat is the flower. Who knew you ate flowers, right! Sorry, back on topic. When picking your broccoli you want to make sure the flower is tight and firm. Oh wait I wrote a whole post on broccoli, Planning Beyond the Harvest with Broccoli. In this post I go through the 5 steps of making a plan for beyond the harvest with broccoli and include a few recipes we love here on the farm. Go check it out!

Cauliflower

Oh, I also wrote a post about Cauliflower too. You can check it out HERE! I again share tips for growing, harvesting, preserving, and a few recipes like our favorite, Cauliflower Pizza Crust!

Celery

I know celery can be found year round. But Fall is when it truly shines!! Because that is when it is harvested here in the northern hemisphere and is the freshest for you and me. The rest of the year it is brought in from other countries down south!

Celery is best preserved by freezing. You can freeze it pureed, diced, sliced, or in whole stocks. I like to dice it then lay it on a baking dish to freeze, so it does not stick together in the freezer. And I can just place it in freezer bags and pull out how much I need for a recipe. You can also pickle it! I personally have not tried this but it does sound delicious.

Cranberries

Oww, cranberries are my favorite fall berry. They just remind me of Thanksgiving and family get-togethers. Our table always has a dish of cranberry jelly on it. You might also notice that is only in the Fall that fresh cranberries are even available. Once the leaves begin to fall I check my grocery store every week to see if they have arrived yet. Yes, cranberries do not grow locally here in Wyoming so here I have to be like you and what the grocery store shelves.

But once they come in I buy them by the case! I make cranberry juice for my men. They just love it and I know that it will be juice that is not loaded with sugar. I also freeze at least 10 bags so that I have cranberries for making cranberry jelly and Cranberry Lemon Muffins, you can find the recipe HERE. My men love them for breakfast in the middle of the Winter, it reminds then of the summer for some reason.

Pumpkin

And of course you know that Fall is when your grocery store or farmers market has tons of pumpkins, they are truly another sign of Fall! But did you know that if you buy your pumpkins in the fall when they are on sale, they can just be stored in a cool room in your home. They don’t need to be preserved in any way then you can just cook the pumpkin when you are ready for it.

What I like to do though is to pressure can chunks of pumpkin and then use them to make pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is very dangerous to can but if you feel more comfortable using puree in your pie filling recipe then you can freeze it. Also when you pick a pumpkin for preserving or cooking be sure to get the small pie pumpkins they have a better taste and the meat is not as milly. Oh and an added benefit is less seeds to pull out. And don’t forget you can make your own toasted pumpkin seeds.

Sweet Potatoes & Yams

Sweet Potatoes are not only good for you and delicious but are also really easy to store. They can be stored just like potatoes. In a cool, dark room or area in your home. Then you can buy them when they are on sale at your local farmer’s market or grocery store and store them until you are craving sweet potato fries or sugared yams for Thanksgiving!

Turnips

Now I think turnips get the short end of the stick when it comes to serving them for our families. Many don’t know how to cook them or use them in recipes. I know this because that was me. I knew they were really easy to grow but I just could get myself to cook them for my family. But then I learned that if you get the whiter turnips they can be used in many potato recipes as a substitute. They do have a slight sharp taste. But mashed with gravy or in turnips al garaten they are delicious!

Oh and they again store just like potatoes!

Winter Squash

Did you know that Winter Squash got its name because they are a type of squash that is known for being able to be stored through the whole winter. They are just like pumpkins but unlike pumpkins they are able to be sun cured so that they will store for longer than any other squash. And it is true I have had a butternut squash on my counter for 11 months now and it is still good. I plan on cooking it this week but still that is a long time.

Winter squash are harvested and cured on the farms in the Fall and then brought to you and me so that they will last. So don’t hesitate to get a few for yourself, I promise you that they will last!

Now, this is just my top 10, there are many more fruits and vegetables that are in season in the Fall. The best way to find them out is to be watching the produce aisle in your favorite local grocery store and farmer’s market.

Be on the lookout for sales!

Be on the lookout for when your favorite produce looks and tastes the best!

Have a blessed day,

Crystal