Self-sufficiency doesn’t start with a tractor, a root cellar, and a five-year plan. It starts with one thing you stop buying and start making. Mine was Lipton onion soup mix.
I got tired of paying for a little foil packet of dried onion, salt, and mystery when I already had the same stuff in the pantry. So I mixed my own. It took less than five minutes. And I use it to this day for pot roast, meatloaf, onion dip, and anything that needs that “I actually cooked” taste without a grocery run.
That’s the whole trick. Don’t wait until you can do everything. Pick the one thing you use constantly and make it yourself. Then do the next one.
Homemade onion soup mix (equals one packet-about 3 Tbsp):
- 1/2 cup dried minced onion
- 2 Tbsp beef bouillon granules
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Mix it. Done.
I make a bulk amount by increasing my amounts. Lasts for months. No extra trip, no extra markup, no ingredients you can’t pronounce.
You already have time to scroll. You have time to mix a jar of this. Start there. Then look at your list: taco seasoning, ranch mix, salad dressing, jam, soap, stock. One thing. Then another. Self-reliance isn’t a personality. It’s a habit you build one jar at a time.