Homesteader

I was fortunate to have nomadic parents who were not fazed by change nor challenge. Working creatively off the land, well that's in my DNA after living for some years as a youngster without electricity and the distraction of modern living.

I've had my fair share of city living as an adult, believe me. But even living in suburbia I have always found a way to grow, to fish, to fix, to make, to preserve - just as my adorable grandmother did in the 1920s.

Modern homesteading to me is working towards a self-sufficient lifestyle where possible. I don't live off-the-grid, but I do plant from saved seeds and grow organically (I'm smirking as I often refer to my veggie patch as a 'food jungle' due to the amount of weeds). I eat with the seasons, preserve for off-seasons, recycle, upcycle, and have a healthy appetite for DIY projects, making the most of what the land and weather offers.

In 2013, I bumped homesteading up a notch. Over the dinner table, I presented a challenge: to grow our own vegetables from seed successfully enough that we needn't buy them at the supermarket for a whole year. We went from zero to gardening hero in three  months and launched my website REDISCOVER to share my homesteading adventures with whomever may be interested. We nearly made it to 12 months but due to pure variety and space, opted to purchase store-bought produce we just couldn't produce ourselves (namely avocado and long-growers such as leek).

After writing hundreds of blogs for REDISCOVER, I started writing for a number of magazines and food brands too who had requested special interest content - from seasonal eating, preserving gluts in harvests, upcycling and recycling projects, and DIY renovations. I've been a recipe developer, food photographer and all-round Love Food Hate Waste enthusiast - all through my love of writing and homesteading.

I've been living rural for some years now. While my veggie patch is extensive, as with the time spent pruning fruit trees and chasing off possums, I feel very much at home. My chooks are amazing and I haven't bought store eggs in years. Any surplus harvest that I can't eat or preserve, or give away to friends and family, finds a happy home at my local monthly Crop Swap meet (which a friend and I started several years ago).