Long before we moved to the south of Portugal to start our Monchique homestead, my dream was to create a small, self-sufficient farm in the countryside. At first, I had planned to move to the Pyrenees, but that changed when Tom and I fell in love with the south of Portugal.
I had always envied people who could live their dream and move to the countryside. Then, in 2010, my dream came true, and we took the big leap.
Changing Our Lifestyle
And it was a big leap. Leaving our home in Holland and starting to build a new life from scratch was a challenge. Between dreaming of being self-sufficient and actually becoming self-sufficient, there were many steps to take. Some were quite challenging—like adjusting to a much lower income than we were used to. Although Tom was still partly living in Holland to earn money with his comedy so we could stay afloat, we had to manage with only half of what we were used to.
There were also many practical changes. In Holland, our days were filled with commuting from work to home, and at home, everything worked with the press of a button or the turn of a tap. Here, we had to provide for everything—firewood, drinking water—we never realized how much we had taken for granted. In the early days of our homestead, our daily life was filled with these practical tasks.
Now, looking back at all the years we’ve worked on our homestead, I realize how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned along the way. And despite the hardships, we have truly enjoyed the journey.
A Different Climate for a Vegetable Garden
Moving from Holland to the south of Portugal meant adapting to a completely different climate. We exchanged the wet, temperate climate for a much warmer, drier, and milder Mediterranean climate. Planting times were different, watering required an irrigation system, and the soil conditions were nothing like what we were used to in Holland.
For the first two years, we were not able to grow any vegetables at all because we were busy with more urgent practical tasks. Later, we started gardening on our land, and as water became scarcer, we expanded our vegetable garden to a larger plot in town.
Over time, we learned the ins and outs of vegetable gardening in the Serra de Monchique, adapting our knowledge to this specific climate. Thanks to advice from our Monchique neighbors and plenty of trial and error, we are now able to grow over 30 different vegetables and eat from our garden year-round.
How to Make a Living
Another challenge we faced was how to make a living from our homestead. Growing vegetables for our own sustainability was great, but it didn’t generate enough income. We tried various things, like growing flowers and selling eggs from our chickens, but these ventures brought in very little money.
At one point, I took on jobs managing holiday homes for other people. Although this provided more income than selling eggs and flowers, it also took me away from developing our self-sufficient homestead.
Building a Holiday House
That’s when we decided to build our own holiday house. With financial support from some of our friends, we made the investment and, since 2017, have been renting out our holiday cottage on Airbnb and through our website.
We are very proud of our holiday house—it offers a stunning view of the valley and a relaxing atmosphere. At the same time, it has a comfortable interior, with a fully equipped kitchen, a modern bathroom, and quality beds.
Tom is a wonderful host who makes sure guests feel at home. You’re very welcome to try it out for a holiday!
Sharing Our Knowledge Through Courses
Over the years, we’ve gained so much experience in building and running a self-sufficient homestead that we now share our knowledge through courses.
With the help of professional teachers in our family, we designed our vegetable gardening courses, which we currently offer in person and will soon be available online. More courses on goat keeping, homestead management, and self-sufficient living are in the works.
By the way, our cheese-making course is already available online!
What We Want to Offer You
Our goal is to help anyone who wants to be self-sufficient achieve that dream. That’s why we focus not only on providing practical knowledge but also on giving people the confidence to take the steps needed.
Whether you want to move to a homestead or simply start your own year-round vegetable garden in a suburban area, it takes courage to make the necessary changes.
One way to gain that courage is through practical skills and knowledge, but another important aspect is understanding that there are many different paths to self-sufficiency, and mistakes are part of the journey.
Sometimes, things seem more complicated than they actually are. One of our biggest lessons from building our homestead is how to simplify challenges and take action. That’s what we want to share in our courses—along with all the practical skills and knowledge we’ve gathered over the years.
Hope to see you soon,
Tom & Monique
