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Homestead Survival

  • Mistakes to Avoid when Raising Chickens
    Raising chickens can look like a win to win situation; you’ll be having healthy supply of eggs, getting to keep nice animals in your backyard, and reaching for an overall more sustainable lifestyle. However,...The post Mistakes to Avoid when Raisi…
    - 21 days ago 25 Apr 21, 7:32pm -
  • How to Preserve Onion Tomato Sauce For 1 month/week?
    How to preserve onion tomato sauce for one month/week? Our lifestyle has become hectic, so we often want shortcuts to making our life easy. In the kitchen, shortcuts help a lot in saving time...The post How to Preserve Onion Tomato Sauce For 1 month…
    - 21 days ago 25 Apr 21, 5:58pm -
  • When Should I Start Vegetable Gardening?
    When should I start vegetable gardening? You can start planting seeds or seedlings of vegetables according to seasons, like cold-season vegetables, warm-season vegetables, and spring-season vegetables. Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash Growing delicious v…
    - 21 days ago 25 Apr 21, 5:52pm -
  • Common household pest problems and their solutions
    Pests are a nuisance that can cause many problems if left unchecked. Some pests, such as rats, rodents, and cockroaches, lead to food contamination which inadvertently causes food poisoning. Other types of pests, such...The post Common household pes…
    - 24 days ago 22 Apr 21, 9:38am -
  • Simple Ways to Reduce your Daily Waste
    Each year tons of trash get dumped into the ocean or pile up in the landfills. We all saw the negative impact this has on the environment, animals, and humans. Even though it looks...The post Simple Ways to Reduce your Daily Waste appeared first on…
    - 28 days ago 18 Apr 21, 7:32pm -
  • 6 Tips For Planning And Building A Garden
    Have you ever dreamt of creating a garden that will be the envy of your neighbors?  The gardens that look easy to maneuver, but hold studding plants are the best to have. These types...The post 6 Tips For Planning And Building A Garden appeared fir…
    - 31 days ago 15 Apr 21, 11:38am -
  • Can I Use Plastic Bottles For Canning?-Home canning guide
    Plastic bottles for canning Today, home canning has become more widespread than ever. Home canning is a technique used to preserve food so that it lasts longer without losing its taste and nutrition. Home...The post Can I Use Plastic Bottles For Can…
    - 36 days ago 10 Apr 21, 6:00pm -
  • 5 Maintenance Tips for Keeping Your Garden Looking New
    Living through a global pandemic gave people a newfound appreciation for spending time outdoors being surrounded by nature. Those of us who were lucky enough to have gardens suddenly had enough time on our...The post 5 Maintenance Tips for Keeping Y…
    - 38 days ago 8 Apr 21, 8:26am -
  • Defending your house – indoor challenges
    Engaging myself in the firearms and training sectors, I often hang around with people who wear a gun on a regular basis. Such guys spend a lot of their work time in a “yellow”...The post Defending your house – indoor challenges appeared first…
    - 39 days ago 7 Apr 21, 7:43am -
  • 4 Ways Trees Personalize and Protect Your Backyard
    Until it comes time to landscape your own backyard, trees are kind of one of those things that are easy to gloss over. You take them for granted. They are always just “there.” But...The post 4 Ways Trees Personalize and Protect Your Backyard app…
    - 62 days ago 15 Mar 21, 9:28am -

Common Sense Homesteading

  • newBlue Eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium montanum – Weekly Weeder #48
    Blue eyed grass is a perennial wildflower that looks like grass, but is actually a member of the iris family. We'll share where to find it in the wild, growing tips for your garden, and historical uses. Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium montanum There ar…
    - 18 hours ago 15 May 21, 3:14pm -
  • Sage Benefits for Home, Health & Personal Care
    Salvia means “to save”, and with all the wonderful benefits of sage, you're sure to want it in your garden, kitchen & medicine cabinet. We'll share simple tips to help you use this versatile herb. Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial, evergre…
    - 7 days ago 9 May 21, 7:20pm -
  • 20 Home Remedies for Bug Bites and Stings that Itch & Swell
    It's that time of year again! Along with fun in the sun, one often ends up dealing with insect bites and stings from mosquitoes, bees, wasps, spiders and all things creepy crawly. These home remedies for bug bites and stings are easy to use and featu…
    - 12 days ago 4 May 21, 2:00pm -
  • Lavender Plants – Growing Tips & Uses in the Kitchen & Home
    Lavender plants make a great drought tolerant addition to gardens, plus the flower spikes attract pollinators and ward off insect pests. We share tips to help your plants thrive, and some of my favorite lavender uses. A Little Lavender History Lavend…
    - 15 days ago 1 May 21, 12:45pm -
  • Attracting Beneficial Insects to Help Your Garden Thrive
    Creating a healthy garden doesn't just mean eliminating bad bugs – you also want to welcome good bugs. These “good bugs” are also known as beneficial insects. We'll talk about what beneficial insects do in the garden, common species, host plant…
    - 16 days ago 30 Apr 21, 1:22pm -
  • The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Review – Worth the Money?
    The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: The Healing Power of Plant Medicine by Dr. Nicole Apelian and Claude Davis is not quite as advertised. We'll discuss the good and the bad, and whether or not it's worth $37. The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Review Th…
    - 22 days ago 24 Apr 21, 10:07am -
  • The Lost Ways Book – Does it Live Up to the Hype?
    We saw “The Lost Ways” by Claude Davis being advertised widely and purchased a copy. It has a a few interesting items, and a lot of recipes. Overall we do not recommend it. We'll explain why, and share the books that we prefer. The Lost Ways Book…
    - 22 days ago 24 Apr 21, 8:39am -
  • Comfrey – What’s the safe way to use it? (& Why You Should)
    Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) may show up in your yard, but you're not likely to find it in the herbal supplements. We'll share why it has a questionable reputation, and tips to use it safely. Range and Identification of Comfrey Comfrey is native to…
    - 29 days ago 17 Apr 21, 3:31pm -
  • Are Wild Strawberries Safe to Eat? (Wild Strawberry Q & A)
    Wild strawberries are some of my favorite wild fruits, but they do have a look-alike (mock strawberries). We'll help you find the right berries, and share tips for growing and use. Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is also known as Virginia straw…
    - 36 days ago 10 Apr 21, 5:28pm -
  • When Do Chickens Start Laying Eggs? (And Why They Stop)
    Let's face it, most of us start raising chickens in order to have fresh eggs daily. The question of the day is “when do these freeloaders start paying rent?” If you've had your chickens for a couple of months or more and haven't enjoyed collectin…
    - 50 days ago 27 Mar 21, 8:08pm -

Rural Revolution

  • newLife as a hobbit
    We love our new home. It has everything we need, but on a smaller scale than our old home. However we've discovered one drawback: It's made for giants.Tall people don't have it easy fitting into a world made for shorter folks. Here is a photo essay o…
    - 20 hours ago 15 May 21, 1:17pm -
  • Dear esteemed customer
    Sheesh, do people actually fall for this? I found this in my inbox this morning. What a shame "Mr. Raymond Lee" will "face jail terms" if I don't return the affidavit._______________________FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLCPlot 1611 Oyin, Jolayemi Street…
    - 2 days ago 14 May 21, 6:01pm -
  • The hunt for blueberries
    We love blueberries. One of my favorite things to do in our old garden was head out and harvest the ripe fruit. But here in our new home, we have nothing yet by way of food plants (except the garlic I planted in January), so we're starting over at th…
    - 3 days ago 13 May 21, 1:10pm -
  • Mother's Day gift
    For a Mother's Day gift, Older Daughter came up to visit and we all went for a walk in the woods after church.We brought along Mr. Darcy, of course, and followed the same logging road we followed a few weeks ago, only going farther up in elevation. W…
    - 5 days ago 10 May 21, 10:50pm -
  • Weather whiplash, Part II
    If you remember, a couple days ago we were expecting some weather whiplash in the form of dramatic temperature swings between Thursday and Friday.I was marveling at the prediction of a thirty-five degree variance between one day and the next. Well as…
    - 8 days ago 8 May 21, 6:10pm -
  • Happy birthday, Younger Daughter!
    Today, Younger Daughter turns 23!Poor kid is "celebrating" her birthday by launching on a six-month deployment from her overseas duty station. Such is Navy life.So, while it hasn't been much of one, happy birthday dear daughter. We love you.
    - 9 days ago 7 May 21, 1:39pm -
  • Keeping out the little things
    It’s the little things in life, y’know?We have some glass doors opening out onto a lovely deck with a beautiful view. As the weather warms up, we've been leaving the doors open to invite the spring inside.But there are other things besides the sp…
    - 9 days ago 6 May 21, 11:26pm -
  • Weather whiplash
    Spring is here. The trees are blooming......the grass is almost neon in color......and the temperatures are balmy.Until they're not.Seriously, this Thursday they're calling for a high of 83F. A little warm for this time of year, but nothing unusual.B…
    - 11 days ago 5 May 21, 2:19am -
  • Geek Day!
    Coming as I do from a family of geeks, I'm always amused by geeky celebrations. Today is International Star Wars Day because -- are you ready? -- it's May 4th. As in, "May the fourth be with you."Here's a little history behind the quasi-holiday. S…
    - 12 days ago 4 May 21, 2:24pm -
  • The Mystery of the Little Brown Jobbie
    I have a bird feeder and some spilled seed on the deck of our new house, and I've been enjoying seeing what kinds of birds show up.Taking photos helps me identify some of the birds, because many are what my ornithology professor used to call LBJs (Li…
    - 14 days ago 1 May 21, 10:39pm -

New Life on a Homestead

  • Top 20 Summer Bedding Plants and Flowers to Grow
    Bedding plants are either annuals or biennials and are grown for the continuous color they provide over many months. The plants are normally short-lived, but because of the huge range available, you can have color in the garden almost all year by usi…
    - 3 days ago 13 May 21, 6:06pm -
  • 19 Ways To Get Rid of Weeds Without Chemicals
    No-one wants the hard work, money and energy that they have invested in creating a garden to be ruined by weeds. It’s sometimes a temptation to go to the store and buy an environmentally friendly product that say it will eliminate the problem. But…
    - 6 days ago 10 May 21, 1:24pm -
  • How To Grow Tarragon in Your Garden
    Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus) is a super addition to any herb garden if your growing conditions permit. There are different types of tarragon, Russian, Mexican and French. It’s not a great looking plant, but it is hardy and a sophisticated addit…
    - 11 days ago 5 May 21, 11:25am -
  • Foraging for and Using Milkweed
    The flowering perennial milkweeds (falling under the genus Asclepias), grow all throughout the United States. Milkweed flowers range from soft pink, to green, to scarlet, and many colors in between. These plants aren’t just nice to look at. Milkwee…
    - 11 days ago 4 May 21, 10:14pm -
  • How To Grow Echinacea in Your Garden
    The blooms of the Echinacea Purpurea, also known as the coneflower, are resistant to drought and attract songbirds, butterflies, and winged insects; their daisy-like look appeals to a range of pollinators. Hummingbirds are attracted to its rich necta…
    - 16 days ago 30 Apr 21, 9:46am -
  • Silver Appleyard Duck Breed Guide – Start Here
    Silver Appleyard ducks are sometimes a little difficult to find, but are an eagerly embraced meat and egg breed by both amateur homesteaders and commercial keepers. Members of this breed are classified as a dual-purpose or multi-purpose type of duck.…
    - 26 days ago 20 Apr 21, 9:41am -
  • 93 Darn Useful Homesteading Tips and Tricks
    When I first got started homesteading, I had no idea how challenging it would be – or how rapidly our backyard garden and “just a few chickens” would explode into something that became a lifestyle and later, for us, a full-fledged business. Tod…
    - 30 days ago 16 Apr 21, 11:46am -
  • Try These 10 Teas Against Headaches
    Headaches – we’ve all had one at one time or another. They can cause a lot of discomfort, so understanding how to ease that discomfort without pharmaceutical intervention can go far to helping you feel better fast. One of the first things to do i…
    - 32 days ago 14 Apr 21, 12:12pm -

The Prairie Homestead

  • Old-Fashioned Sourdough Gingerbread Cake Recipe
    The wind is blowing mach 9 and the snow drifts have formed mini-mountains on my deck… Welcome to winter in Wyoming.  People ask how we survive our brutal winters here, and honestly, I’ve just learned how to be content with lots of indoor project…
    - 16 Dec 20, 9:49pm -
  • How to Can Tomato Sauce (My Favorite All-Purpose Version)
    I’ve shied away from posting a canned tomato sauce recipe forever. Not because it’s hard… Not because I don’t make tomato sauce… Not because I don’t have tomatoes… Mostly just because I’ve just been too lazy to write down my ingredien…
    - 21 Sep 20, 6:20pm -
  • How to Can with a Water Bath Canner
    I got my first water bath canner at a garage sale for $1. You would have thought I’d won the lottery. I left that garage sale feeling giddy… I kept wanting to look back over my shoulder because I was certain they’d realize I’d just made off w…
    - 18 Sep 20, 8:14pm -
  • Easy Homemade Dill Relish Recipe
    I did it again. I PROMISED myself I wouldn’t let my pickling cucumbers turn into monsters this year. And then I did. In my defense, I was checking the plants regularly… one day the cucumbers were the size of my pinky finger, and the next day, the…
    - 11 Sep 20, 8:46pm -

Homestead Bloggers Network

  • How to Easily Dry Your Own Fresh Rosemary
    It’s no secret how costly dried herbs are in the baking isle at the supermarkets. Learn how easy it is to dry your own fresh rosemary and save on the family budget. You’ll be amazed at how much better freshly dried rosemary tastes as well. Try th…
    - 23 Aug 19, 1:00am -
  • Oven Canning: Should You Try It?
    Oven canning used to be popular around the turn of the 20th century, where it seemed a handy way to keep the house cooler (before air conditioning, better home insulation, etc) than water bath canning. Some found that their fruit and veggies canned h…
    - 22 Aug 19, 5:00pm -
  • Best Way To Sterilize Canning Jars
    Lookup sterilizing canning jars and you’ll get all kinds of ideas from putting them into the oven, the microwave or running them through the dishwasher. But just what is the correct way to sterilize jars and do you have to do it every time? You’l…
    - 22 Aug 19, 9:00am -
  • Learn How To Control and Get Rid of Tomato Fruitworms
    If you pulled an almost ripe tomato from the vine only to find that it has an eraser size hole in it? Nothing is more frustrating than picking a tomato off the vine only to find that it is rotting from the inside out and has this pencil eraser size h…
    - 22 Aug 19, 1:00am -
  • Best Summer Blog Posts
    Summertime is a fun time and these summer blog posts will take you from homemade crafts to the kitchen, to identifying wildflowers to the right way to cut off shorts, and to making delicious homemade drinks. There are a few tricks to making perfect c…
    - 21 Aug 19, 7:00pm -
  • Chicken Breeds for Colorful Eggs
    When you have your own backyard flock, you don’t have to settle for boring white and brown eggs. To get a colorful, varied egg basket you will need a variety of chicken breeds. Chickens can lay a variety of egg colors, depending on their breed, but…
    - 21 Aug 19, 5:00pm -
  • The Best Tuna Salad Recipe Ever
    This is a very flavorful tuna salad recipe. Once you try this recipe, I am sure you’re going to take your old boring tuna salad recipe and toss it to the curb.
    - 21 Aug 19, 3:00pm -
  • How to Get Started With Caning Food – FREE Printable Guide
    Not sure how to get started canning food? Canning food can be intimidating if you’ve never tried it. But following some simple canning instructions, you can preserve your spring harvest for long-term storage. Get your free printable guide and learn…
    - 21 Aug 19, 1:00pm -
  • How to Make Southern Style Sun Tea
    I have been enjoying sun tea as long as I can remember. I had a gallon of it seeping outside recently when a friend dropped by and she asked me why I had a jug of dirty water sitting out. Making sun tea is great for many reasons but the main reason i…
    - 21 Aug 19, 11:00am -
  • How to Perform Beehive Inspections
    A good beehive inspection will let you know how your bees are doing. Honey bees are very competent and can take care of themselves for the most part. Taking a peep into the hive will make sure that they are healthy and don’t need any outside help f…
    - 21 Aug 19, 9:00am -

The Homesteading Hippy

  • What is the Actual Shelf Life of a Clif Bar?
    If you are into an active life; running, hiking, cycling, or any other sport, you burn calories fast and need energy fast. Clif bars are designed to fuel your muscles for exercise that lasts for an hour or more. But what is the shelf life of Clif bar…
    - 2 days ago 14 May 21, 12:12pm -
  • Farm Versus Store Bought Eggs What Are the Differences?
    The idea of being able to go out to your hen house and collect some fresh eggs for breakfast, or buy pasture raised eggs at a farmers’ market, is appealing. But is there really a difference in the color, taste and nutritional content, or are we jus…
    - 4 days ago 12 May 21, 3:30pm -
  • Starting a Backyard Plant Nursery – The Complete Guide
    If you’re good with plants and want to make a little money on the side, you might want to start your own backyard plant nursery. You don’t need a lot of space or money to get started; you just need a little bit of yard, a little knowledge of plan…
    - 6 days ago 10 May 21, 4:49pm -
  • The 14 Most Effective Non-Electric Washing Machines
    If you’re anything like me, your washing machine is probably your favorite appliance in the entire house. I use my washer and dryer practically every day, but that’s not exactly something I’m proud of. After all, the average washing machine use…
    - 9 days ago 7 May 21, 10:19am -
  • So, Is Birch Good Firewood?
    When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time on hiking trails and in campsites. A major part of those experiences was the wood fires that we used to burn. As a kid I never considered which types of wood are used. I didn’t know what type of wood we were…
    - 11 days ago 5 May 21, 10:02am -
  • These 10 DIY Mosquito Repellents Really Work
    I have always adopted a holistic, multiple attack attitude in my life. I have used almost every aromatherapy oil available to cure anything from bronchitis to an injured toe. It turns out, mosquitoes are also sensitive to certain smells. In the past,…
    - 13 days ago 3 May 21, 5:48pm -
  • How to Use a Smoker to Calm Your Bees
    Working with bees can often be a very painful and even dangerous endeavor. It does not need to be. If you use the correct safety gear and you correctly use a smoker, your chances of being stung will be greatly reduced. The key to using a smoker to ca…
    - 16 days ago 30 Apr 21, 11:22am -
  • Here’s How to Set Up a Chicken Brooder
    We just brought home our final batch of meat bird chicks for the year. Now we have more than 100 little peeping, fluffy chicks under a heat plate in our basement. I don’t like having chicks this late in the year (August), but with meat birds, it do…
    - 27 days ago 19 Apr 21, 9:35am -
  • Are Pigs Profitable to Raise?
    Pigs have a reputation for being smelly, so who would want to keep these animals? Well, these animals are quite clean, and providing they have plenty of space to move around in the smell is dissipated. There are plenty of people who do not worry abou…
    - 30 days ago 16 Apr 21, 9:03am -
  • Top 10 Animals You Can Breed for Money
    If you have ever bought a purebred animal, you will know that they are expensive. Expensive may just mean a greedy breeder, or it may mean a quality animal. My first medical service dog was a purebred golden retriever. I got him as a pup, and paid a…
    - 34 days ago 12 Apr 21, 4:11pm -

New Life On a Homestead

  • Top 20 Summer Bedding Plants and Flowers to Grow
    Bedding plants are either annuals or biennials and are grown for the continuous color they provide over many months. The plants are normally short-lived, but because of the huge range available, you can have color in the garden almost all year by usi…
    - 3 days ago 13 May 21, 6:06pm -
  • 19 Ways To Get Rid of Weeds Without Chemicals
    No-one wants the hard work, money and energy that they have invested in creating a garden to be ruined by weeds. It’s sometimes a temptation to go to the store and buy an environmentally friendly product that say it will eliminate the problem. But…
    - 6 days ago 10 May 21, 1:24pm -
  • How To Grow Tarragon in Your Garden
    Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus) is a super addition to any herb garden if your growing conditions permit. There are different types of tarragon, Russian, Mexican and French. It’s not a great looking plant, but it is hardy and a sophisticated addit…
    - 11 days ago 5 May 21, 11:25am -
  • Foraging for and Using Milkweed
    The flowering perennial milkweeds (falling under the genus Asclepias), grow all throughout the United States. Milkweed flowers range from soft pink, to green, to scarlet, and many colors in between. These plants aren’t just nice to look at. Milkwee…
    - 11 days ago 4 May 21, 10:14pm -
  • How To Grow Echinacea in Your Garden
    The blooms of the Echinacea Purpurea, also known as the coneflower, are resistant to drought and attract songbirds, butterflies, and winged insects; their daisy-like look appeals to a range of pollinators. Hummingbirds are attracted to its rich necta…
    - 16 days ago 30 Apr 21, 9:46am -
  • Silver Appleyard Duck Breed Guide – Start Here
    Silver Appleyard ducks are sometimes a little difficult to find, but are an eagerly embraced meat and egg breed by both amateur homesteaders and commercial keepers. Members of this breed are classified as a dual-purpose or multi-purpose type of duck.…
    - 26 days ago 20 Apr 21, 9:41am -
  • 93 Darn Useful Homesteading Tips and Tricks
    When I first got started homesteading, I had no idea how challenging it would be – or how rapidly our backyard garden and “just a few chickens” would explode into something that became a lifestyle and later, for us, a full-fledged business. Tod…
    - 30 days ago 16 Apr 21, 11:46am -
  • Try These 10 Teas Against Headaches
    Headaches – we’ve all had one at one time or another. They can cause a lot of discomfort, so understanding how to ease that discomfort without pharmaceutical intervention can go far to helping you feel better fast. One of the first things to do i…
    - 32 days ago 14 Apr 21, 12:12pm -

Homestead Honey

  • How to Select Fruit Trees for Your Homestead
    Do you dream of harvesting bushels of ripe fruit from your homestead? Crunching on apples and nibbling on sun-ripened plums? Because fruit trees are a perennial planting – a gift of food that keeps on giving – they are an extremely valuable asset…
    - 17 Jan 21, 8:00pm -
  • Acorn Pancake Recipe and How to Process Acorns for Eating
    If you are serious about foraging for wild edibles, you’ve probably wondered how to add more starch, fats, and proteins to your foraged diet. After all, berries and wild greens are delicious, but they don’t fill your belly. Acorns and other wild…
    - 9 Nov 20, 6:36pm -
  • Building a Yurt for our Off the Grid Homestead in Vermont
    After months of dreaming and preparing, a group of friends joined us in building a 25 foot yurt for our off the grid homestead! It must have been 6 or so years ago that we met Ken of Two Girls Farm and Yurts. At the time we were living in Missouri an…
    - 3 Aug 20, 10:43pm -
  • Wild Ramp Pesto Recipe
    One of the most revered spring wild edibles is the wild ramp, Allium tricoccum, a North American member of the garlic/onion family that is found the eastern United States and eastern Canada. A truly seasonal delight, one of the easiest ways to preser…
    - 25 May 20, 5:39pm -
  • 30+ Homesteading Skills to Build With Your Kids
    Sharing the homesteading lifestyle with the kids in your life can be incredibly rewarding. But sometimes it’s hard to get past the question of “How do I teach my kids how to homestead?” Having homesteaded throughout my entire experience of bein…
    - 26 Apr 20, 4:26pm -
  • Planning and Planting a Root Cellar Garden
    What is a root cellar garden? I like to think of it as a garden that provides you with a large quantity of food that you can store in a root cellar. Think root vegetables, apples, pears, potatoes, squash, onions, some brassicas, etc. Planting a root…
    - 25 Jan 20, 5:17pm -
  • Root Cellaring 101 – What is a Root Cellar, Ideal Conditions, and Use
    I don’t know about you, but by the time September and October roll around, I am ready to put down my canning pot and take a break from food preservation. Luckily, there is a method of food preservation that requires very little effort: Root cellari…
    - 18 Jan 20, 9:41pm -

Nifty Homestead