A Journey to Self-Sufficiency
Katie Krejci, a 38-year-old homesteader from the north woods of Minnesota, has taken on a lifestyle that revolves around self-sufficiency. She grows 99% of the produce she consumes, only making a trip to the grocery store once a month to purchase tropical fruits, toilet roll, and white vinegar for about $50. Her journey began in 2008 when she planted her first vegetable garden, growing tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers. Over time, this small endeavor expanded into a full-fledged homesteading lifestyle.
In June 2023, Katie and her husband, Ryan, a mechanical engineer, bought five acres of land and moved into a 960 square foot hunting shed. The couple now grows their own fruit and vegetables, keeps chickens for eggs, and raises them for meat. In addition, they hunt deer on local land during the winter months. According to Katie, the couple could survive indefinitely from their produce, though it wouldn’t be pretty. With balanced meals, they estimate they could last a solid year without relying on outside sources.
Katie also engages in bartering with neighbors, trading eggs for raw milk from a cow they own. This practice saves them hundreds of dollars a month, eliminating the need for a weekly grocery shop. She quit her full-time job as a registered dietician in August 2023 and now earns three times more as a content creator, sharing tips on food preservation and crop harvesting online.
Katie has always had a deep love for the outdoors and nature. She never imagined her life would lead her to where she is today. Starting with gardening, she gradually added fruit trees, learned canning, and built a sustainable lifestyle. Today, the couple grows 99% of the produce, poultry, venison, eggs, and maple syrup they consume. They produce 65% of their total food on their homestead. While they occasionally buy citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and bananas because they can’t grow these in Minnesota, they haven’t done a traditional weekly grocery run in four years. Instead, they make a quick trip for essentials, spending just $50 per month.
It took Katie seven years to fully embrace the homesteading lifestyle, especially dealing with the harsh winters in Minnesota. Only a few months of the year allow for fresh food, so she relies heavily on preserved foods. She does a lot of canning, which can last one to two years, and uses a large chest freezer to store berries, meat, green beans, broccoli, and tomatoes. Fermenting is another method she uses, preserving items like green beans, pickles, and sauerkraut. Two years ago, she invested in a freeze dryer to preserve eggs, which are tricky to store. With 30 chickens, egg production varies by season, but she uses a water glassing technique with a mixture of water and pickling lime to keep them fresh for up to a year.
Katie still bulk buys certain items from an organic food site, spending about $300 a month on staples like rice, oats, olive oil, nuts, jarred olives, and cheese. Although the initial investment into homesteading was costly, she found long-term savings. For instance, she spent $200 on a 1,300 sq ft garden, $100 on a rented tiller, and $100 on composted cow manure from a local farm. She emphasizes that starting a garden doesn’t require a large budget, as even a small setup can be affordable and effective.
Health benefits have also been significant. Both Katie and Ryan noticed improvements in their gut health, sleep, and energy levels after adopting a clean eating lifestyle. They rarely eat out due to the distance to restaurants, and when they do, they often feel unwell afterward.
Katie left her job as a hospital dietician because she felt her work wasn’t helping people thrive. After retraining as an integrative and functional nutrition certified practitioner (IFNCP), her social media presence grew significantly, allowing her to quit her job completely. She now makes three times the income she did as a dietician and feels she can make a bigger impact through her homesteading lifestyle.
Looking ahead, Katie and Ryan plan to move completely off-grid within the next three years. They intend to build their own house on their land and use existing solar panels and a septic system to achieve full self-sufficiency.
Foods Grown or Raised
The couple grows and raises a wide variety of foods including:
- Eggs
- Chickens
- Apples
- Berries
- Vegetables
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Butternut squash
- Zucchini
- Pumpkins
- Carrots
- Onions
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes (five different kinds)
- Peppers (10 different kinds)
- Cucumbers
- Snap peas
- Bush beans
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Romanesco
- Cabbage
- Brussel sprouts
- Radishes
- Pak choi
- Kale
- Arugula
- Lettuce (six different kinds)
- Green onion
- Sage
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Basil
- Thai basil
- Dill
- Thyme
- Lemon balm
- Cilantro
- Mushrooms
- Maple syrup
Gardening Tips from a Homesteader
- Start small and cheap – Katie began her journey with just $50 and basic plants like tomatoes and peppers.
- Expand slowly, let it snowball – She added fruit trees, learned to can, and gradually built her skills.
- Use affordable materials – Her 1,300 sq ft garden cost $200, including composted cow manure and a rented tiller.
- Grow what you eat most – Focus on high-yield staples like potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, kale, onions, and herbs.
- Plan for preservation – With harsh winters, she relies on canning, freezing, fermenting, and freeze-drying to store food for up to two years.
- Think beyond summer – Maximize summer harvests to feed the family year-round.
- Add chickens for fertilizer and food – Chickens provide eggs, meat, and valuable compost.
- Improve soil with local resources – Use cow manure from nearby farms to enrich the soil.
- Store smartly: water glassing for eggs – Preserve eggs using a water and pickling lime mix for up to a year.
- Grow herbs for flavor and health – Herbs like basil, oregano, cilantro, thyme, dill, and lemon balm are easy to grow and offer multiple benefits.