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Homestead Survival

  • 5 Ways to Take Care of Your Body During Periods
    How To Take Care Of Your Body During Periods? That one week of every month can be challenging for every woman in different ways. Everyone has their coping mechanism to deal with periods and...The post 5 Ways to Take Care of Your Body During Periods…
    - 21 days ago 23 May 21, 6:00pm -
  • 8 HVAC Ashburn Tips For Cleaner Air And A Healthy Home
    It’s common for people to step out of their homes to get some fresh air. This is understandable because, in a confined area, it can feel claustrophobic. Sometimes it can even be dusty or...The post 8 HVAC Ashburn Tips For Cleaner Air And A Healthy…
    - 28 days ago 17 May 21, 8:21am -
  • 4 Indoor Homestead Hacks Everyone Should Know
    From using old sweaters for storage to use egg cartons for organizing jewelry, here are some top Indoor Homestead Hacks Everyone Should Know. Why Homestead Hacks? Hacks make our life easy and reliable; We...The post 4 Indoor Homestead Hacks Everyone…
    - 28 days ago 16 May 21, 6:00pm -
  • 7 Exceptional Installations And Feature You Should Never Ignore When Looking For A House
    We are living in challenging times. As people migrate from the crowded cities to suburban to avoid getting Covid-19, the term affordable housing is becoming irrelevant. The cost of owning a home is increasing....The post 7 Exceptional Installations…
    - 31 days ago 14 May 21, 8:38am -
  • 4 easy gardening tips 
    Is this the first time you’ll start gardening? Simply because you haven’t had a garden for years or because you thought gardening wasn’t something you could do? No problem! Gardening isn’t as hard as...The post 4 easy gardening tips  appear…
    - 34 days ago 11 May 21, 7:30am -
  • 3 Gorgeous Landscaping Ideas for Your New Home
    Our home is our sanctuary where we get back to relax and unwind after accomplishing our daily ventures. The homeowners are always on the lookout to make their interior serene and inviting. It is...The post 3 Gorgeous Landscaping Ideas for Your New H…
    - 34 days ago 11 May 21, 6:30am -
  • 3 Easy DIY Skin Care Products
    Afraid of using chemical products. Still, feel trust issues with buying organic products? Well, I’ve got your back! Keep reading to know how to make homemade DIY skincare products that may do wonders on your...The post 3 Easy DIY Skin Care Produc…
    - 36 days ago 9 May 21, 3:05am -
  • Detailed Instructions on Choosing Home Generator
    Constant outages are a widespread problem for many areas. If you live in one of them, probably you are already looking for the 12000-watt dual fuel generator. The problem with electricity may appear suddenly,...The post Detailed Instructions on Choo…
    - 42 days ago 3 May 21, 6:39am -
  • 3 Practical Ways to Avoid Pecking In Roosters
    How To Avoid Pecking In Roosters? Pecking hens is a natural habit of roosters. Roosters pull out the feathers from the neck and wings of hens. This pecking is often safe for hens, but...The post 3 Practical Ways to Avoid Pecking In Roosters appeared…
    - 42 days ago 2 May 21, 6:18pm -
  • Walk-In Showers Are Perfect for Seniors 
    Not all seniors want to live in a nursing facility. Others want to be independent. If your loved ones wish to stay independent and live in a house, try to make it as safe...The post Walk-In Showers Are Perfect for Seniors  appeared first on The Hom…
    - 46 days ago 29 Apr 21, 7:03am -

Common Sense Homesteading

  • How to Pit Cherries Without a Cherry Pitter (Easy Video)
    Learn how to pit cherries without a pitter, using a simple method taught to us by a cherry grower. This method works best for tart cherries or very ripe sweet cherries. If you have firm cherries, we have options for those, too. How to Pit Cherries Wi…
    - 1 day ago 12 Jun 21, 2:46pm -
  • Oil Pulling – Does it really work? (Plus How to Do It)
    Does oil pulling really work? For some things, the benefits are clear, for others, it's questionable. I'll share how to oil pull, and what benefits you may see from the practice. What is Oil Pulling? Oil pulling is a dental hygiene practice that invo…
    - 8 days ago 5 Jun 21, 5:23pm -
  • Bay Leaf – Fresh or Dry, It’s a Plant with Many Uses
    Bay leaf is a common spice, but what's the best way to use it, and what does it do? We'll cover uses for food, medicine, and pest control. Once you're done reading, you may want to buy in bulk, or grow your own plant. There are a number of different…
    - 15 days ago 29 May 21, 3:41pm -
  • DIY Portable Toilet (Emergency Use Bucket Toilet)
    I wish our first experience with a DIY portable toilet had been somewhere fun like a camping trip, but unfortunately when we needed an “Emergency Relief System” (ERS), it really was an emergency. Our toilet would not flush and there was nowhere e…
    - 23 days ago 22 May 21, 11:54am -
  • Blue 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…
    - 29 days 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…
    - 35 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…
    - 41 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…
    - 44 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…
    - 45 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…
    - 51 days ago 24 Apr 21, 10:07am -

Rural Revolution

  • Ferengi gookla and other culinary disasters
    A few weeks ago, I saw a fabulous recipe for red lentil curry. I love red lentils and I love curry, so this seemed like a sublime combination.I had to wait until after a trip to the city to make it, however, since the recipe called for a couple of sp…
    - 2 days ago 11 Jun 21, 7:37pm -
  • Rainstorm extraordinaire
    For the last week, we've been watching a prediction of rain in the forecast:It seemed like a solid prediction, but we've seen rain predictions fizzle before, so we didn't want to get our hopes up. We could use the moisture.Well, those predictions tur…
    - 3 days ago 10 Jun 21, 6:25pm -
  • Tied to the keyboard
    Holy cow, have I been doing a lot of writing lately.I have deadlines coming out my ears this month. Sometimes it works that way, where all the separate threads of the various outlets I write for come together at the same time and results in a deadlin…
    - 4 days ago 9 Jun 21, 11:46pm -
  • Finished moving, at last!
    Even though we officially moved into our new home on December 20......we had an awkward situation in that at least half our household goods were still in a couple of storage units in our old town. Items included shop equipment, farm tools, summer clo…
    - 6 days ago 7 Jun 21, 3:46pm -
  • Planting potatoes ... sort of
    We won't have a garden this year, but there are a couple of things I brought with me from our last place that I wanted to propagate. One is garlic (which I planted in January). The other is potatoes.I brought a few potatoes from our old garden with t…
    - 9 days ago 5 Jun 21, 2:12pm -
  • Broccoli from here to eternity
    As some readers know, broccoli is my all-time, hands-down favorite vegetable. I adore it in every permutation possible.But it's notoriously difficult to preserve.I can hear you scoffing. Just freeze it, you're saying! Every grocery store has packages…
    - 11 days ago 2 Jun 21, 8:12pm -
  • Feed me!
    Yesterday I noticed a new type of bird at the feeder with darling little tufts of facial feathers above its eyes.For a moment I wondered if it was another species of LBJ (Little Brown Jobbie) until I noticed it engaging in classic fledgling behavior:…
    - 12 days ago 1 Jun 21, 3:56pm -
  • Memorial Day
    As I often do on Memorial Day, I like to draw your attention to a set of remarkable photos taken a few years ago by a reader (Katie) and her husband, who were formerly stationed in Germany. Katie learned that Don's uncle, Donald Sowers, who was kille…
    - 14 days ago 31 May 21, 2:04pm -
  • Tearjerker
    This gif brings me to tears every time. Here's a man meeting the officer who saved his life 19 years ago. Watch it here. Get the Kleenex.
    - 14 days ago 30 May 21, 3:28pm -
  • Homemade Hamburger Helper
    A few years ago I put up a post called "Recipes for the boxed stuff" in which I invited readers to submit homemade versions of boxed (or canned) common food items, such as macaroni and cheese, bread stuffing, chili, muffins, etc.  It was a lively di…
    - 15 days ago 29 May 21, 3:50pm -

New Life on a Homestead

  • newIndian Runner Duck Breed Guide – Start Here
    Indian Runner ducks are perhaps the easiest of all breeds to identify due to their unusual body style. Watching these attractive poultry birds run about while free ranging can be quite entertaining. They look like colorful penguins rushing around the…
    - 7 hours ago 13 Jun 21, 7:09pm -
  • How Long Does Heating Oil Last?
    Well, it’s winter here in South Africa now and the temperatures are dropping to between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius on some days. You know what that means? It means warm clothes, tons of hot chocolate, and heaters are on – a lot! Now, last year we u…
    - 1 day ago 12 Jun 21, 3:30pm -
  • White Snakeroot Weed: Toxicity and Why You Should Avoid It
    When it comes to foraging, there are always plants out there that are important to recognize, but better left alone. On the top of any homesteader’s “hands off” list should definitely be white snakeroot. This plant, while it does have some purp…
    - 2 days ago 11 Jun 21, 4:30pm -
  • So, What’s the Difference Between Bitlong and Beef Jerky?
    I’ve always liked biltong, it’s one of South Africa’s favorite snacks; it’s easy to get as most butchers have it in stock and it equally easy to make. I’ve made some myself many times, and it’s one of my favorite foods to make. Now, beef…
    - 4 days ago 10 Jun 21, 9:55am -
  • 7 Telltale Signs That Your Hive Is Queenless
    Discovering that you have a queenless hive is quite an upsetting set of circumstances. Not only has all of the money you spend on honeybees just gone down the drain, your fruit grove, or garden just lost its pollinators. While you might think a queen…
    - 6 days ago 8 Jun 21, 11:17am -
  • Is Poison Hemlock Deadly?
    When I was a kid, my parents used to take us out on hiking trails almost every weekend. I was also a cub scout for a few years, and so I spent a lot of time in nature reserves on hiking trails. One thing that I learned every quickly was: leave. plant…
    - 7 days ago 7 Jun 21, 1:23pm -
  • How Much Water Does A Duck Drink Each Day?
    How much water does the average duck drink every day? It can vary depending on the breed and age of your ducks (as well as the time of year), but on average, each mature duck in your flock will consume roughly 0.25 gallons (1 liter) of water each day…
    - 11 days ago 3 Jun 21, 12:23pm -
  • 16 Clever Ways To Make Chickens Lay More Eggs
    If you’ve ever wanted to figure out how to get your chickens to lay more eggs, you aren’t alone. I’ve had this problem many times myself – often, due to a change in the seasons – and have more than once found myself researching how to boost…
    - 12 days ago 2 Jun 21, 10:47am -

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

  • How to Get Your Chickens to Lay More Eggs
    If you are raising chickens, there is a good chance that you are doing so to enjoy their delicious, nutritious eggs. The average chicken will lay about one egg every other day, although this varies significantly by breed, disposition, climate, and ot…
    - 3 days ago 10 Jun 21, 3:15pm -
  • These 20 Chicken Coop Must Haves Will Keep Your Birds Happy
    It doesn’t matter whether you plan on raising five chickens or fifty – it’s essential that you outfit your coop with the right gear. The ideal chicken coop will not only be safe from predators, but it will also be easy for you to access. It wil…
    - 7 days ago 7 Jun 21, 1:47pm -
  • 42 Recipes for Leftover Oatmeal
    Yes, you can reheat leftover oatmeal. It’s one of the easiest ways to use up the leftovers and a quick means of making breakfast. But if reheated, oatmeal doesn’t get your tastebuds all excited, you might want to try some of these amazing recipes…
    - 11 days ago 2 Jun 21, 3:09pm -
  • Bobotie – Traditional South African Casserole Dish
    Bobotie (pronounced Bab-oor-ti) is a casserole dish that South Africans get very excited about because of the depth of flavor in the curried ground beef combined with fruit like apples and raisins. It is one of those comfort foods that remind people…
    - 13 days ago 31 May 21, 8:17pm -
  • What is the Difference Between Biltong and Beef Jerky?
    I am 100% proudly South African. The land of biltong and droë wors. I have had to explain the difference to both South Africans and foreigners, as many people think that because they are both dehydrated meats, they are one and the same products; how…
    - 17 days ago 28 May 21, 2:12pm -
  • 10 Things Homesteaders Always Get Wrong
    Homesteading is not the idealistic, blissful lifestyle that magazines and news articles make it out to be, at least, not all the time. Realistically, it requires a lot of good planning, researching, preparation and maintenance of land, finances, reso…
    - 19 days ago 25 May 21, 3:44pm -
  • How Much Gypsum to Add to Clay Soil?
    When I was a kid, we tried to start a little vegetable garden in the back yard…it didn’t really go all that well. One thing that I remember most about that project was the near-constant need for fertilizer. On one of those bags, I remember seeing…
    - 25 days ago 20 May 21, 10:10am -
  • 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…
    - 31 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…
    - 32 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…
    - 34 days ago 10 May 21, 4:49pm -

New Life On a Homestead

  • newIndian Runner Duck Breed Guide – Start Here
    Indian Runner ducks are perhaps the easiest of all breeds to identify due to their unusual body style. Watching these attractive poultry birds run about while free ranging can be quite entertaining. They look like colorful penguins rushing around the…
    - 7 hours ago 13 Jun 21, 7:09pm -
  • How Long Does Heating Oil Last?
    Well, it’s winter here in South Africa now and the temperatures are dropping to between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius on some days. You know what that means? It means warm clothes, tons of hot chocolate, and heaters are on – a lot! Now, last year we u…
    - 1 day ago 12 Jun 21, 3:30pm -
  • White Snakeroot Weed: Toxicity and Why You Should Avoid It
    When it comes to foraging, there are always plants out there that are important to recognize, but better left alone. On the top of any homesteader’s “hands off” list should definitely be white snakeroot. This plant, while it does have some purp…
    - 2 days ago 11 Jun 21, 4:30pm -
  • So, What’s the Difference Between Bitlong and Beef Jerky?
    I’ve always liked biltong, it’s one of South Africa’s favorite snacks; it’s easy to get as most butchers have it in stock and it equally easy to make. I’ve made some myself many times, and it’s one of my favorite foods to make. Now, beef…
    - 4 days ago 10 Jun 21, 9:55am -
  • 7 Telltale Signs That Your Hive Is Queenless
    Discovering that you have a queenless hive is quite an upsetting set of circumstances. Not only has all of the money you spend on honeybees just gone down the drain, your fruit grove, or garden just lost its pollinators. While you might think a queen…
    - 6 days ago 8 Jun 21, 11:17am -
  • Is Poison Hemlock Deadly?
    When I was a kid, my parents used to take us out on hiking trails almost every weekend. I was also a cub scout for a few years, and so I spent a lot of time in nature reserves on hiking trails. One thing that I learned every quickly was: leave. plant…
    - 7 days ago 7 Jun 21, 1:23pm -
  • How Much Water Does A Duck Drink Each Day?
    How much water does the average duck drink every day? It can vary depending on the breed and age of your ducks (as well as the time of year), but on average, each mature duck in your flock will consume roughly 0.25 gallons (1 liter) of water each day…
    - 11 days ago 3 Jun 21, 12:23pm -
  • 16 Clever Ways To Make Chickens Lay More Eggs
    If you’ve ever wanted to figure out how to get your chickens to lay more eggs, you aren’t alone. I’ve had this problem many times myself – often, due to a change in the seasons – and have more than once found myself researching how to boost…
    - 12 days ago 2 Jun 21, 10:47am -

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