Off-grid foraging-fed independent homesteading (e.g. this guy) is an aspirational dream for me that I know I’ll never pursue. There’s aspects of this way of living that we can pull into our lives without committing to living in the woods and building our own shelters out of clay and straw.

Buying in-season produce from local producers gets you cheap and tasty veggies. You can end up with an absurd amount of produce though, which is where traditional recipes from regions that grow the produce you have too much of can help. I accidentally bought way too much zucchini last year and made spaghetti alla nerano, a pasta dish where the zucchini is broken down to become the sauce. Pickling in vinegar is a good way to make use of veggies that you’d otherwise have to toss.

One way to get in season produce in the Dallas area is Profound Foods grocery delivery. Profound marks which producers are local and what produce is sourced elsewhere. Farmers markets are another way, but I’ve had some lackluster experiences at the ones near me. CSA’s may be an option for you, but I haven’t been able to get signed up on any local to me.