Homesteading Hobbies

Wood carving is easy to get into and you can start out with just a few tools, a knife and some gouges. Don't skimp on the quality. There may be a woodcarvers' group that offers classes in your area. You don't need to be particularly artistic--I can hardly draw a stick figure, but I made decent carvings. You can do figures, or chip carving on things like plaques. It is a hobby that is quite portable, and can be done inside or outdoors.

Brew Beer

Great rewards.

WWW

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If the grass looks greener it is probably over the septic tank. - troy n sarah tx

Our existance here is soley for the expoitation of CMG

a lot of peole around here spend their off seasons building things like birdhouses, birdfeeders, and such and then selling them in the spring..planters are another good woodworking idea..then around the house you can be building fences, trellises, arbors, etc..(note in my blog I do that..I have a lot of hand built things)..I built all the decks and porches on our property, three sheds and a garage with addition..I had help with the roofs I'm not a good height person.

also welding and metal working is another choice

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

I like smoking meat and making sausage. Here is some reading http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making
http://www.lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm
Here is the smoker I use http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Outd...moker/12429510
You can use the smoker to make jerky and to smoke butts.

One of my hobbies is Genealogy. I've worked on mine off and on for over thirty years. I also consider it a prep, as it is partly history education for my children/grandchildren when I'm gone. I try to add a time line to each ancestor, a synopsis of what was going on in the world during their lifetime. It's something I can do in the evenings on the computer, when I've run out of steam for the day, but it's also portable.

Good luck finding your hobby!
~RM

IF you've truly got a (farm), then I suggest you get into a hobby that aligns with the activities on the farm. Raise an animal s you don't currently raise. Build a green house and work it. Restore a tractor, OR a farm machine you can use. Find something that is beneficial to your family, and as such, can be taken as a hobby.

I was going to suggest guitar or piano (keyboards are relatively inexpensive and will do for starters).

Leather-crafting. I spent a number of years winters doing leatherwork. I made all sorts of holsters, purses, belts, wallets, on and on. I sold most of them at local craft fairs. It was a hobby that I started while recovering from a heart-attack and kept at it for quite a few years. Pretty much paid its own expenses plus I never had a shortage of gifts to give for Christmas and birthdays. Tandy Leather co. is a good place to start, then you can freestyle to bigger projects.

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* I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one. .*-

while it doesn't seem like you have any problems with money (there's no way I could start out a hobby by spending "several hundreds of dollars") I like the suggestions of doing things that you could sell and then bring money back into your homestead like building things on a scroll saw, making bird houses, etc.

Also if you have a two year old and your wife is pregnant, maybe helping more with the housework would be a good hobby And I didn't mean to sound snarky about the money!

My favorite hobby lately is power kiting. I build and fly massive kites and use them to tow me around on the snow and frozen lakes. You can sail upwind, and reach speeds up to 100mph (not me though!)

You can spend a ton of money buying kites, you can spend not too much buying used kites, or you can spend little money and lots of time building and tuning kites (what I mostly do, I have a few purchased kites too). There is something pretty satisfying about building basically a 2hp airplane from scratch and using it to tow you around, skiing without mountains or lifts!

It is a fairly dangerous "hobby" though, the wind must be treated with extreme respect, especially if you are out by yourself.

Music is also great, I play drums and bass guitar. Both instruments which people are always looking for for a jam. Piano is great too but it is hard!

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Check out my farm/ranch blog - www.evansranch.ca

Oh wow.. another kiter.. I had almost mentioned this.. I'm down to one.. my brother built it for me as a present.. Haven't gotten it out in years.. it's a smaller one.. 8 foot.. Not what I'd call a power kite, but it will wear me out fast and still drag me across a field wit my heels dug in..

I've been wanting to take up kite water skiing but man are those high dollar rigs.. ..

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Never let your fear decide your fate!
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit

I've Got a lot of Hobbies and Diversions.

I like to build and create things One thing I've been doing is 3d Modeling.
Bit of a learning curve ,but I'm getting there.

You do need a decent rig for the serious stuff.

Not sure on your PC but you can download Sculptris from Pixologic for free.

http://pixologic.com/sculptris/

Its a really cool program.

You can do stuff like this


It will eat up any Free time your willing to through at it, Once you have a model you can do a lot of things with it.
Such as 3d printing,CNC, Render out to 2d, Animate.
Its a good tool to learn on, and trust me easier then MS Paint!
If you like it there are other programs that can build on you capability.

3d modeling as a Hobby there are pluses. its there any time you feel like it. Doesn't take up any space.You probably have a decent enough computer to handle it(so no additional tools) though a digitizer would be nice. No material to purchase.
And Your Work may be able to be sold.

If it interests you, need a pointer or two to get going Just shoot a PM.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Like the rest said find something you have a passion for and go for it. I always had an interest in carving and about 1 1/2 years ago I found a peice of wood and started carving. I had know idea I could do it but found it was fun. I used knives chisels and some home made tools to do this carving. I can't even draw a stick man. LOL Here is the first carving I did. Have fun and find something you want to do.

I have/ have had a number of hobbies over the years, everything from quilting and embroidery I learned from my grandmother to lapidary work with agate and jade for jewelery. I still continue with my artwork, though exclusively in pencil and colored pencil/pastel now. I also have always used a camera a great deal, though primarily for my own reference for art and for advertising for my horses rather than anything 'professional'.

I've also been fortunate to have know a great many talented people as well. DH does some woodworking and wood carving, mostly for pleasure but some presentation boxes for guns and knives. A cousin did a great deal of leatherwork for many years, from simple belts and watchbands to very detailed briefcase insets and notebook covers. A neighbor used to do some incredible rawhide braiding, hackamore bosals, headstalls and reins. My father was a rockhound and started with just tumbling display rocks, eventually did quite a lot of slabs. My grandfather did leatherwork, mostly practical things, but some rawhide braiding and we had several fur rugs that he had tanned, coyote and deer mostly, but I remember one fair sized steerhide rug. A friend of mine collects deer antlers and saws them to make bone 'buttons', knife handles and handgun grips ... also does some scrimshaw work with them.

I've recently decided to get into bee keeping. Doesn't take a lot of time or money but the rewards are tangible. I have done most of the hobbies mentioned and a few that haven't; golf, woodworking, reading, lathes, scrollsaws, archery, radio control cars and planes, 3d modeling, sculpture, carving, photography, coins collecting or stamps, building computers, audiophile, kiting, fishing, etc. I could go on but to be honest you need to find what interests you and then talks to your soul. Good luck and don't forget to include your family if you can. For instance, if you decide on photography or fishing take the family camping to let them enjoy it too.

model boat … not much tool needed, you have to buy the electronic but it can be transferred from boat to boat, I am starting a new model this week end 9*4 will be the foot print should not cost me more than $60 on out of pocket plus the recycling of a transmitter and receiver from an older retired boat

simi, you remind me I should have mentioned stunt/sport kites as well - definitely tamer from an athletic standpoint, easy to get into and tons of fun to fly without the costs of an R/C plane.

I don't really fly any non-power kites much anymore though... if there is enough wind to fly a kite, there is enough to go kite skiing, so that's what I do! I built a 7.5 square meter kite that will fly in wind you can't even feel and drag you hard on your boots in under 10mph. I kind of want to make one even bigger, like 10 or 12 meters I want to ski in the wind you can't feel, or maybe hitch up my old set of moldboards and do some plowing

I don't ride water, none of my kites float. But buying used kites is not too painfully expensive. You can get into a decent used inflatable in the $200 range. I have heard water kiting can be much more dangerous though, and should be avoided unless you have taken some lessons.


I am always amazed when I hear about people who have no hobbies, as there is no limit to the things to do. I've always focused on things that produce a useful product, develop a transferable skill or are plain old fun with low input costs. As a very incomplete list, personally I hunt, fish, shoot bow and gun, kite (an expansive hobby which runs the gamut of sewing, splicing lines, international collaboration, aerodynamics and high-speed skiing), XC and downhill ski, keep tropical fish, play music, work leather, brew beer and wine, bake bread, build and maintain my equipment, garden and grow fruit and berries, collect old and useful farm things, modernize my old farmstead, hold down a full time job and spend time with my lovely wife!

A big reason I got into homesteading is to have more time to do the things I love. Next year you can scrap the pesky full time job from that list and add "full time" sheep ranching, and the following year, possibly grain farming as well once I get hold of the last piece of equipment I need.

Tricky Rick, I plan on getting into bees either next year or the one after that. Where I live the average yield is near 200lbs/hive... I'm sure I can find a use for that much honey!

I would say the first thing you gotta do is cancel your cable or satellite, shut off the pipe that brings that toxic waste into your house. All it does is tempt you to sit on your butt! As a bonus you will have probably near $100/month to spend on things that are more enjoyable and useful!

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Check out my farm/ranch blog - www.evansranch.ca

Tanning leather and furs. It takes a two week soak to prep the hides and then a few days to finish them Also encourages breeding rabbits to GET those furs and then you also get meat and great fertilizer... But some rabbit breeders for meat will just GIVE you juvenile hides to work with from their fryers. You might even get to work out a deal where you tan the hides and give them back in exchange for rabbit meat!

It would be really good for you because it is a small activity that you let sit for two weeks at a time.

Music of any sort. My husband and I are rural jazz musicians, so I guess we're oxymorons of a sort (emphasis on moron...).

If you already tend a practical edible garden, it's an easy step to branch out into ornamental gardening, and very rewarding.

It's a bit of a busman's holiday for me as a graphic designer, but I love drawing just for fun.

Writing is a fantastic, rewarding hobby that can also have money-making potential. Check with your local newspaper for writing possibilities. You could write a column on farming/homesteading or features on sites of interest (say, directions for a drive touring the old barns of your area). If you're a good photographer, all the better.

Photography by itself is a great hobby.

I train our small horses to drive (pull a carriage), which is very rewarding.

Anything that requires dedication and offers an opportunity for continual self-improvement is worth your time.

My favorite Hobby/passion is guitar playing and singing Folk songs. I use to play Guitar and Bass with a Folk Trio. My dear Son has my electric bass, But I still have 3 good acoustic guitars in the house of various types. One is a classical with nylon strings, one is a regular 6 string. And one is a 12 String.

A couple of my Ear Brothers are likewise Singers. One is a solo and the other sings with a couple of Quartets. My Dear Dad was a musician & singer. too.

My other Hobby is feeding the wild birds around our rural woodland home. In Winter I feed the seed eaters. And, in Summer I feed the Hummingbirds. This is one that gets pretty expensive, at times. Those little birds sure like to eat a lot.

Edit to Add... I forgot I have over the years done some Wood Carving as a Hobby, too. I have numerous little wooden animals & folks around the house.

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Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John