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Posted on December 9, 2021 by Katie

Hey there! I’m Katie, the face behind The Sweetgum Spot. I hope you find it a great place for inspiration, relaxation, and information on all things handmade, homegrown, and from scratch. Take a look around, and enjoy your visit!

sweetgumspot

Sharing our backyard homestead journey so you can do it too!
🐝 Beekeeping
🐇 Meat rabbits
🥖 Cooking from scratch
🌱 Gardening
Start here ⬇️

Katie | Urban Homesteader & Backyard Beekeeper
Before you come at me... Yes, we raise rabbits fo Before you come at me... Yes, we raise rabbits for meat. And YES, we include my daughters in the process. When we started homesteading I told my husband I'd NEVER raise rabbits for meat. They're too cute! But as it turns out, they are PERFECT for suburban homesteading! There are so many benefits to raising your own protein. Rabbit meat is higher in protein than chicken, we know how they've been raised and exactly what's gone into producing them, and we also know that they've been loved and cared for throughout their whole lives. The best thing about raising meat rabbits is getting to teach my daughter about the cycle of life, about being grateful for our food, and instill a sense of responsibility by helping feed and care for them. These things will be invaluable as she grows up. In addition to raising meat rabbits, our family gardens, cooks from scratch, and keeps bees in our suburban backyard! I am passionate about sharing these things with others so they can see how possible it is to homestead where you are! If you're interested in what we're doing, here's a few things you can do: Comment BUZZ to check out my beekeeping guide! While you're there, get on the wait-list for my honey cookbook coming out in spring of 2024 and I'll send you my 10 favorite recipes right now! #urbanhomestead #meatrabbits #backyardbeekeeping #homesteadinglife
Goodbye homesteading FOMO ⬇️ When we bought o Goodbye homesteading FOMO ⬇️ When we bought our first house, we knew one day we wanted land to homestead and steward for our family. But before long, the thought of waiting til the day we got land just felt more and more unbearable. We started a garden. Which expanded. But it still wasn’t enough. We wanted animals. Why didn’t you get chickens, you ask? Our HOA prohibits them (I know, big bummer). So, after lots of discussion and research, we decided our first homestead animal would be our very own hive of backyard honey bees. And they have changed our life. NOW, we’ve got five gallons of honey we can just fill our jars with any time we want. NOW, our garden is booming because of the pollination. And NOW, I have found something I’m so passionate about sharing with you because I truly believe it’s something anyone can do in their own backyard! I wrote a guide that walks the COMPLETE beginner through year one of beekeeping. From install to harvest. I wrote down every single step, plus shared our experience, so you can get started without the overwhelm that comes with beekeeping. Right now is the season to start your research. So comment BUZZ if backyard beekeeping is in your future for 2024! #suburbanhomestead #backyardbeekeeping #beekeeperslife #urbanhomestead
My grandma told me a story about how she got up at My grandma told me a story about how she got up at 4:00 a.m. once to cook breakfast for my grandpa and his friends before they went hunting. I think she tells it as a funny story because she was super tired and the breakfast didn't go as planned. But that's not what I remember. I remember how she woke up early and got out of her comfort zone to do something lovely for her husband. To make him feel loved and comforted before a big day of providing for his family. This morning is the last day of deer hunting for my husband. I woke up, made him pancakes and eggs and coffee, and sent him off into the woods hoping for a successful return. I didn't even think about that story until I was plating up his food, but it made me happy to know that I'm carrying on that tradition in a way. Homesteading is about self-sufficiency and knowing your food, but it's also (and more arguably) about keeping traditions alive and passing skills down from generation to generation. This Christmas I'm focusing on creating new traditions and sharing the skills I've learned through handmade and from scratch gifts. I put together 10 ideas as well as a bonus family recipe that's lasted generations, and I'm sharing them with you in The Homesteader's Holiday Gift Guide! Comment MERRY and I'll send it right over!
HERE 👇 We’ve all gotten handmade gifts that HERE 👇 We’ve all gotten handmade gifts that are less than stellar. We smile, say thank youuuuu, and shove it to the back of a cupboard where the things we feel too guilty to throw out go. BUT. You CAN give handmade gifts that will make someone’s Christmas. For real. If you’re thinking of making some handmade or from scratch gifts this year, here are my top three tips: 1. Think practical. Give a gift someone can actually use! 2. Make it an experience. Start a tradition or gift time with your loved ones rather than material goods. 3. Make it look not handmade. Take the extra step to make nice labels, nice packaging, etc. Comment MERRY to get 10 from scratch gift ideas you can make from your homestead today. From recipes, to crochet & knitting patterns, and even instructions for homemade kitchen and beauty products, there’s something for every member of your family! #fromscratch #handmadegift #homesteadlife #simpleliving #handmadechristmasgifts
STEP BY STEP 👇 With Christmas right around the STEP BY STEP 👇 With Christmas right around the corner and prices higher than ever, handmade gifts are a great way to give meaningful gifts without breaking the bank. My favorite part of homesteading is getting to share the blessings of our homestead with the ones I love! It’s a great way to pass traditions down from generation to generation. To share the skills you’ve learned. And to give loved ones unique, personalized gifts made with your own two hands. But it can be so easy to get lost in Pinterest boards and end up not making anything.  So… I wrote up The Homesteader’s Holiday Gift Guide! A guide full of TEN handmade gift ideas with recipes, patterns, and instructions for making each and every gift yourself!  PLUS my Grandma’s famous Candy Cane Cookie recipe! Comment MERRY to get the guide today so you can get your handmade Christmas gifts in the works! #homesteadkitchen #homesteadchristmas #handmadegifts #homemadechristmas
It's not just for tea 🍯 I heard something rece It's not just for tea 🍯 I heard something recently that “flu season” is actually just sugar poisoning season. I don’t know how much truth that holds, but it does seem interesting that we all get sick right when we’re eating all kinds of sugary sweet foods around the holidays. White refined sugar has been processed so much that it doesn’t have any nutritional value whatsoever. And it is one of the most highly addictive substances out there. Raw honey, on the other hand, is full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants that help fight sickness and can actually bring about healing, in addition to providing long lasting energy. Also, since it’s sweeter than sugar, you naturally use less. Therefore less calories and less sugar, insulin spike, etc. Since honey is a natural sweetener, our body has an easier time knowing when enough is enough, rather than overdoing it like with processed sugar. I’m writing a cookbook with over fifty recipes all using honey instead of refined sugar. My goal is to help you eliminate refined sugar from your kitchen, stop buying things from the store and start making them at home, and create delicious from scratch meals without a ton of hassle! The cookbook comes out in spring of 2024, but comment SWEET and I’ll send you my top ten favorite honey recipes right now! #cookingfromscratch #homesteadkitchen #rawhoney #suburbanhomestead
Here's the tea ☕ Making your own beeswax wraps Here's the tea ☕ Making your own beeswax wraps is a great DIY gift you can make for Christmas. But if you don’t have time to make them yourself, @netzerocompany and @basicgoodstradingco have a beautiful set you can gift just as easily!  Made with organic cotton, beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil, the wraps are a great natural and reusable option for food storage. All you need to do is scrunch them up to warm up the beeswax, then wrap around whatever you want to store!  On behalf of Net Zero Co., enjoy 15% off your purchase of beeswax wraps (or any of their other amazing products! I recommend the glass coffee mug and silicone storage bags) with the code ECOFAM15! #beeswaxwraps #urbanhomestead #sustainablelifestyle #netzerocompany #basicgoodstradingco
Here's the real strategy ⬇️ Five years ago I w Here's the real strategy ⬇️ Five years ago I was shedding tears because of how bad I wanted this lifestyle, and how impossible it seemed. I lived in the suburbs. REAL homesteaders lived in the country on at LEAST 20 acres…. Can you relate? But one day, instead of getting sad, I got mad. Mad that I was wasting my time here on Earth pining for something instead of making it happen! So, I decided that even if it was as small as growing a garden, I would start learning the skills so I could start to piece together the lifestyle I longed for. Fast forward five years and I have a 1,000 square foot garden, raise meat rabbits, and keep bees all in our twelfth of an acre backyard. Next year we’re adding quail, and maybe sometime down the road a couple ducks! I also used those five years to learn skills in the kitchen: canning & preserving, baking bread, and cooking from scratch. So start small and take it step by step. If you don’t have room outside, start in the kitchen. Shop local. And get a community! I wrote a beekeeping guide specifically designed for beginners. It walks you through every single step of the process of getting your own backyard hive up and running, and getting that first harvest of your own homegrown honey. And most of all it works to keep you informed, prepared, and not overwhelmed! Comment BUZZ to start your homestead journey with bees, and I’ll send the guide right over! #urbanhomesteading #backyardbeekeeping #homesteadlife #suburbanhomestead
Plus some bonus tips⬇️ Making your own butter Plus some bonus tips⬇️ Making your own butter is amazing. But what if you live in the suburbs and don't have your own dairy cow? This Thanksgiving, I took some regular grass fed butter from the store and transformed it into something that was the highlight of our entire meal. HONEY BUTTER 🍯🤫 It was seriously the absolute easiest thing ever, and made every bite of roll taste luxurious and upscale. And I was able to use the raw honey from our backyard beehive to do it! And next time I've got some ideas for add-ons to make it even more special. 🐝 Cinnamon 🐝 Salt 🐝 Rosemary I think any of those would make a delicious combination with the honey! I've fallen in love with using raw honey for all kinds of things, because we have it in abundance and because we can ditch refined sugars! I've found all kinds of ways to use honey that doesn't include just drizzling it on toast, or in a cup of hot tea (though those are very valid!) And I feel strongly that everyone should learn how to incorporate natural sweeteners like honey. So I'm writing a whole cookbook about it! With over FIFTY recipes! The recipe for this honey butter will be included in the book, Using Honey on the Homestead, coming out in spring of 2024. Comment SWEET to get on the wait-list for the cookbook today! You'll get early bird pricing when it releases, and as a thanks I'll send you my top ten honey recipes right away! #homegrownhoney #honeybutter #homesteadlife #suburbanhomestead #homesteadinglifestyle
Hey there! My name's Katie, and I'm a suburban ho Hey there! My name's Katie, and I'm a suburban homesteader living in the Midwest with my husband and two little girls, Charlie and Evie. We keep bees, raise meat rabbits, and grow a garden lol on a quarter acre ten minute from downtown. This coming spring we plan on adding quail! As beginner beekeeper's ourselves, I'm passionate about getting others to give backyard beekeeping a chance. It has truly changed our lives and empowered us since we can't homestead like others living in the country. Other beekeepers talk about how expensive and complicated it is. And how you shouldn't start. But I think it's important to share our journey and show how doable backyard beekeeping is, even when you start from scratch! And of course, with bees come HONEY! I love sharing how we incorporate honey in our kitchen in all sorts of ways. I'm actually in the process of writing a cookbook with over FIFTY RECIPES all using honey! Comment SWEET to get on the wait-list for the cookbook, and BUZZ to get my step by step beginner beekeeping guide! Can't wait to help you create abundance in your own backyard! #urbanhomesteader #homesteadlife #backyardbeekeeping #homegrownhoney #suburbanhomesteadlife
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