Steady & Self Sufficient

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Steady & Self Sufficient

Learning to grow food, make from scratch, and become more self-sufficient living remote in the Northern Territory Australia🌱
One small step at a time.

26/06/2026

Home again ❤️

After 20 months of remote living, we’ve officially made our way back to Darwin.

This chapter was one of the hardest, but also one of the most rewarding. Living remote taught us resilience, patience, and how to adapt when life throws challenges your way. It became a major step in our journey — building on the skills, strength, and knowledge we already had, and pushing us to grow even more.

We made memories, faced obstacles, and learned lessons that will stay with us forever.

And while we’re glad to be home, I will definitely miss the breathtaking views — the stunning escarpments surrounding us, and the quiet beauty of the country.

As much as we embraced the journey, home was calling us back.

We’re grateful for everything this chapter of life gave us, but it feels good to be home, surrounded by family and familiarity.

Here’s to the next chapter

09/06/2026

Life Update 🌱📦🚚

I've been pretty absent lately, and honestly, that's because life has been moving at a million miles an hour.

Between wrapping up work, preparing to leave community, moving house, and getting organised for the next chapter back in Darwin, there hasn't been much spare time left for social media—or even checking on the garden as often as I'd like.

That said, I've been snapping a few photos here and there.

The garden has mostly been left to fend for itself, but somehow it keeps growing.

🌱 The lettuce is coming through nicely.

🥔 I've finally planted four varieties of potatoes, and the first shoots are now poking through the soil. It will be interesting to see which varieties perform best in the Top End conditions.

🍠 Started the new sweet potatoes patch as they started to take over one of the raised beds.

💜 One thing I'm particularly pleased about is the Purple Panama passionfruit. These plants were grown from seed, so it's nice seeing the next generation growing.

🌱 The herbs, tomatoes and other vegetables continue to slowly establish themselves

Inside the house is a completely different story. Boxes everywhere, pantry tubs being sorted, and sorting through stuff I accumulated while in community, slowly being packed away.

Some days it feels like I'm achieving very little, but when I look back through these photos, I realise quite a bit has actually happened over the last few weeks.

The garden doesn't care how busy life gets—it just keeps growing. Maybe that's a good reminder for all of us.

For now, it's one day at a time, one box at a time, and one garden bed at a time.

Thanks for sticking around while things have been a little quiet. ❤️🌱

24/05/2026

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy with trips to Darwin for medical appointments, spending time with the grannies, working on the garden, and helping the hubby butcher one of our pigs. This weekend was dedicated to giving the house a thorough clean as we prepare for our relocation back to Darwin.

With only 27 days remaining, life is only going to become busier from here.

Today, CJ proudly showed off her culinary skills by baking a cake completely from scratch. I could not be prouder of her effort and achievement. She chose the recipe, followed the instructions herself, and created a delicious chocolate cake.

I have to admit — her very first attempt was far better than mine ever was! My first cake turned out more like a rubber brick than a dessert. 😂

Here are a few photos from the last few weekends.

12/05/2026

A little batch‑prep trick I rely on:
I use two silicone moulds for my garlic oil — the small one for quick snap‑off pieces, and the large one that gives me 4–5 frozen discs to refill my jar when it’s empty.
Makes weeknight cooking so much easier 💛

10/05/2026

Life’s been a little hectic lately — the next 6 weeks are going to be a bit chaotic between reports, packing, and getting ready to move back to Darwin. 🌴

Honestly, I’m already tired just thinking about it all 😅

Cooking is still my way to unwind, and this slow-cooked roasted garlic olive oil is one of those staples I always keep on hand.

Things might be a little quieter here for a while. I’ll post when I can, and if not, I’ll be back once life settles down a little 💛💛💛

24/04/2026

I made this because most gardening advice doesn’t work the same in the NT.

When I started, nothing really matched what was actually happening here — heat, humidity, wet seasons… it’s different.

So, I created a simple planner based on real conditions.

Not perfect — just practical.

If you’re gardening in the NT and want something that actually makes sense, this might help.

🌿 NT Gardening Planner 2026
Link in bio

23/04/2026

I’ve been a little quiet on here — but for a good reason.
I’ve been working behind the scenes on a few practical resources that I’m finally ready to share.

If you’re trying to stay organised, garden in NT conditions, or build steady routines at home… these will help.

Today I’m sharing a FREE Pantry Basics Checklist — simple, clean, and built for real-life use.
For the full version you can download it here:
👉 https://linktr.ee/steadyandselfsufficient (linktr.ee in Bing)

Over the next few days I’ll also be sharing:
🌿 my NT Gardening Planner (2026)
🌿 my weekly meal planner
🌿 my favourite canning tools (affiliate links)
🌿 and a few new systems I use at home for remote living

Small steps create steady security.

20/04/2026

“Made bacon and cheese rolls on the weekend.

Out here, the nearest place to buy something like this is about 300km away—so if you want it, you make it.

That’s a big part of food stability. Not just storing food, but knowing how to make the things you actually eat.

Here’s the basic recipe I use:

• Flour
• Yeast
• Warm water
• Salt
• Cooked bacon
• Cheese

Mix, knead, let it rise, shape into rolls, add bacon and cheese, then bake until golden.

Nothing fancy—but it works.

If you’re building food independence, start with foods you already enjoy. That’s what makes it sustainable.”

15/04/2026

I nearly gave up on these.

The other day I planted seeds — some from my personal stock, and some for an engagement activity with the preschool class.

I came home to find them knocked over.
Egg cartons ripped apart. Soil everywhere.

I was devo. Proper angry.

I walked away… left them there for a day because I just couldn’t deal with it.

Then I thought about it.

Seeds go through a lot.
They don’t need perfect conditions to grow.

So I went back.
Picked everything up — mixed up, messy — and put them back into the cartons.
Patted them down, covered them, watered them in.

Didn’t expect much.

But this morning… I checked them.

And they’re growing.

Not all of them.
Some are struggling.
But some are pushing through.

And that’s gardening.

It’s not about perfection.
It’s about learning, trying again, and working with what you’ve got.

What works one season might not work the next.
Conditions change. Things fail.

But sometimes… you try again anyway.

And sometimes they grow — despite everything going wrong.

Have you ever had something you thought was done… and it surprised you?

12/04/2026

This meal came from my $20 pantry staples… and it fed us well 👇

Flour, rice, stock — nothing fancy.
This is what I’ve been learning on this journey… these basic staples really do stretch.

I honestly thought I wrecked it when I added the flour 😅
It went thick and sticky, clinging to everything — even the spoon — and I was thinking… yep, I’ve ruined this (there may have been some swearing 😅)”

But I kept going… and it came together into one of those proper comfort meals.

We had it with rice — always.
Big family habit, and it stretches the meal even further.

Perfect coming into the dry season, and definitely one I’ll keep making for my family
(still need to work on getting the biscuits right 😂)

Quick version is in the slides 👆
Full recipe below ⬇️

———

🧾 INGREDIENTS
¼ cup butter
½ cup onion
½ cup celery
½ cup carrots
2 cloves garlic
½ cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
½ tsp pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 can peas
4 cups cooked chicken

🥐 BISCUITS
2 cups baking mix
⅔ cup milk

👩‍🍳 METHOD
Cook onion, celery, carrots & garlic in butter until soft
Add flour + seasoning (this is where it thickens — don’t panic 😅)
Slowly add stock, stir until smooth + thick
Stir in peas + chicken

Pour into baking dish
Add biscuit dough on top

Bake 180°C for 30 mins
Cover + bake another 10 mins

🔥 MAKE IT WORK
No fresh chicken → use a hot chook
No fresh veg → use frozen veggies
Stretch it → serve with rice or add extra veggies.

🔗 Original recipe: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/chicken-and-biscuits/

Would you try this?

Address

Darwin Rural Area
Darwin, NT
0836

Website

https://linktr.ee/steadyandselfsufficient

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