In the effort to try to live the “Natural Beauty and Homemade Everything” slogan, we’ve been trying to make most things ourselves. There are many many reasons, but the top three are 1) It’s healthier 2) It’s frugal 3) We learn more.
I grew up in a house where we made a lot of things from scratch. In Africa, there were a number of times we couldn’t find a part, had a shortage (like the time we had a shortage on toilet paper…but that’s another story), or you just couldn’t buy things at the store like you can here in America. No big deal. You adjust rather quickly and make what you can and live with what you have. I actually really really miss that life. Well, all the burden was on my parents, not me. But my mom is always one to jump in and try whatever she can get her hands on and she kind of passed that on to me. Want to rewire a house? Sure, I’ll help you. Want to make soap? Build a barn?..sure, why not?! 🙂 So, preserving your own food in various ways is a natural step to make for me.
