I have just realised that I am an urban homesteader.  I do not have any land, I live in an apartment but I do like to grow things, make things and reuse things if possible. It saves us some money and is better for the planet, all in one.  

So idea of homesteading is not about having a big plot of land where you grow everything yourself and go totally off grid.

It is more of a lifestyle where you recycle what you can, conserve if possible, cook fresh produce, grow some things if you have the space.  And that is what I have been doing for the last 2 years without knowing I was a homesteader

It just took Steemit for me to put those things together and I have the big homesteader community here to thank for that with @papa-pepper being the best know example.

So here are the reasons (with proof because I know you all like to see proof) why I think that Urban homesteading is a thing:

- I grow lots of different herbs and spices on my balcony (and inside in winter)

- We recycle like pros

- I keep my coffee grounds and egg shells and use them in my plant ground (gives acidity and calcium)

- The apartment building we live in is built with local products and runs on green energy and on energy conservation (solar panels, solar water heating, pellet heating, etc)

- As much as possible we buy our vegetables at the local farmer

- I really try to cook with fresh produce  (95% of the time and at least I cook and do not buy that preprepared stuff)

- I make my own syrups (mostly from my homegrown mint, thats why the plants in the pics look a bit bare, I plundered them last week)

- Last week I made my own little birdhouse in a wave of creativity (already in use now)

- I have a healthy stock of prepared seasonal veg in the freezer for when the mood strikes us

- Sometimes we pick wild herbs we recognise on walks to use in the salad

- My next project was going to be making my own cheese but still researching that one on feasibility

- There must be a few more things that we do that would qualify us but these are the most obvious ones 

So here are a few pictures that prove some of the things above...

This is my ladder of herbs (a nifty system that is outside on the balcony wall but when its colder I can just move and hang inside by the kitchen window, not enough light to flourish be enough to survive winter.

All around the edges I have 4 of these double flower pots that have a very handy water storage system but are better used for herbs and strawberries then flowers... both are colorfull but you can usually only eat one. (I really am loving the amazingly vivid red on the strawberry plants)

This is the rest of the lavender that is now dried and providing an amazing scent in our closet

Here you can see proof of 2 things, my little birdhouse in active status as you can see with the food hanging in there (which I created https://steemit.com/animals/@felander/free-wood-to-project-birdhouse) and if you look closely on the roof in the background you can see the same solar panels that are on our roof and there are some more on the side of the house on the right

So do you think I am what I claim to be?? Am I an urban homesteader or not?? Let me know if you are as well...