How to Achieve a Simpler, More Sustainable Way of Life
Join the move to slow food, slow living and homesteading.
07/11/2023
In today's world, where the cost of living
continues to rise and environmental concerns
loom large, many people are seeking a simpler,
more sustainable way of life. The desire for
living with less, being more present in our
daily lives, and strengthening our connection
with nature has seen people embrace activities
like making jam, starting a herb garden, buying
old vinyls, and taking up nostalgic crafts like
embroidery and macrame.
Slow cooking
posits that food should be grown and bought
locally, prepared with care, and consumed with
appreciation, while slow living is a mindset
whereby a more balanced, meaningful life is
curated through slowing things down and
appreciating the world around you. While
humanity hurtles down the post-pandemic path to
its old helter skelter rush, interesting
insights from the Google Culture and Trends team
show a growing amount of searches for content
around slow living, with people looking for
content revolving around gardening, baking
bread, upcycling furniture, and, quite simply,
making a proper cup of coffee.
Alongside
these trends is homesteading, a lifestyle
whereby you rely on natural resources wherever
possible and make environmentally conscious
choices for a more self-sustainable life. Born
of necessity in different historical eras in
various parts of the world, its resurgence has
been dubbed “modern homesteading, and is being
adopted by those with a desire for a simpler
life and living off the land more
self-sufficiently. Millennials especially have
taken to its tenets, cultivating practices like
growing their own food and living lighter on the
earth with more natural lifestyles.
Modern homesteading, slow living and slow eating
are all set to grow in 2024 as people recognise
the value in living intentionally and lowering
their cost of living. If you’re interested, here
are some practical aspects you may want to
consider:
Recycling or collecting water
Water scarcity is a pressing concern in South Africa with droughts and water shortages affecting various regions. As a response to these challenges, many have already adopted the water collection aspect of homesteading by digging boreholes or installing water tanks for the collection and storage of rainwater. Other ways to reduce water usage include reusing grey water for purposes such as flushing toilets.
Recycling and repurposing
As the ultimate goal of homesteading would be
to achieve a zero-waste lifestyle, recycling and
repurposing waste products are key. This often
involves thinking creatively and finding new
uses for items that might otherwise be
discarded. For example, old jars can become
storage containers and worn-out clothing can be
upcycled into quilts or rags. By adopting these
practices, homesteaders are not only reducing
waste but also minimising their contribution to
landfills.
You can also use food waste in
your garden, advises Chef Norman. “If you have a
compost heap or bin, you could add your off cuts
from fruits, vegetables and even egg shells,
while coffee grounds can be used as mulch and
fertiliser.”
Growing your own food
While you may think that growing your own
food is reserved for those with large properties
and gardens, this is not necessarily the case.
From small balcony gardens to pot plants, people
are finding creative ways to practise this in
urban environments.
The benefits of
growing your own food extend far beyond cost
savings, explains Norman Heath, Head Chef at
Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront. “While many
people grow their own food to cut costs or
reduce their carbon footprint, what they often
don’t realise is that homegrown, freshly picked
food is also higher in nutrients and more
delicious.”
By growing your own produce
at home, you significantly reduce the time
between farm and table. This means that the
flavour and nutrient content are preserved and
any need for unhealthy preservatives is
eliminated. Growing your food organically also
allows you greater control of what fertilisers
and pesticides come into contact with your food.
Eliminating the need for food transportation
from the farm to your home further reduces your
carbon footprint and eliminates packaging that
could contribute to environmental pollution. If
you can’t grow your own, opt for only buying
seasonal produce, advises Chef Norman.
“In-season fresh produce is nutrient dense and
is much more flavourful. Buying it also supports
local farms, markets and employment.”
Food preservation
Seasonality in fruits and vegetables means
that there are times of abundance and times of
scarcity. Food preservation is an aspect of
homesteading that helps maintain variety in your
diet while minimising food waste.
Canning, fermenting, seed saving, pickling,
freezing and jam-making are among the
homesteading methods used to ensure that no food
is left to rot but instead enjoyed at a later
time. Cabbage can be fermented to make
sauerkraut, and cucumbers, beetroot and carrot
can be transformed into pickles - that most
unexpected of hot new items, with
pickle-flavored products having climbed their
way up the foodie charts to become one of the
top food trends in 2023.
Upcycling food
“As the cost of living rises, some of the
changes we’ll make in our kitchens arise out of
necessity too. Opting to upcycle food - using
the same ingredients for multiple meals or
growing home garden plants out of used veggies -
is a means to make eating more affordable and
sustainable at the same time,” says Chef Norman.
Upcycling food is about consuming anything
made from ingredients that would normally be
discarded. It's an inventive approach to
reducing food waste while exploring new culinary
horizons. It can be as simple as using
yesterday’s roast chicken in today’s chicken
mayonnaise sandwich, and tomorrow using the
bones to make broth.
Chef Norman
underscores its potential for culinary
innovation: " As a chef, I am passionate about
keeping waste to a minimum in our kitchen and
ensuring that everything is used to not only
save money, but to reduce our impact on the
environment. I see the potential of maximising
the creative potential of every element.
Countless unexpected possibilities exist for
transforming undervalued ingredients into
surprisingly delicious meals, like mashed
potatoes and garlic used for crispy potato
cakes, beef chuck and beans for a tasty ragu,
and butternut to add depth to a veggie mac and
cheese.”
As the famous philosopher Ralph
Waldo Emerson once said: ”Adopt the pace of
nature: her secret is patience”. Slow living,
eating and homesteading may take more time, but
their rewards are profound, affecting you and
the world around you in a more positive way.