The first chickens I ever took care of were my parents' chickens. They bought a couple dozen Plymouth Rock chickens, and for a few months, everything was great. We had fresh eggs every day, and the chickens seemed very content in their large chicken yard. Then one day, we found one of the chickens dead. Its body was covered with bite marks and … [Read more...]
19 Crucial First Aid Items for Homesteaders
Living off the grid--oftentimes a full boat-ride away from the nearest hospital or doctor’s office--has shown me that I’m more capable of treating my own injuries and illnesses than I have been taught to believe. When I lived fully immersed in the modern world, I would run to the doctor as soon as I had a sniffle or the smallest bit of blood. This … [Read more...]
Build a Raised Garden Bed for Under $30
I've often recommended raised bed gardens to new gardeners, and for many reasons. First of all, it's easier on your back and joints. Since a raised bed is usually a foot or higher, you can sit on a stool and work rather than on your knees. Second, you'll have fewer weeds and pests to deal with. And third, the loose soil means you'll have less … [Read more...]
7 Primitive Tools and How to Make Them
The whole point of homesteading is to become as self-sufficient as possible. That doesn't mean you can't buy products that were made by others, such as tools made in a factory. For certain items, there's simply no other choice. That's why I said, "as self-sufficient as possible." Meaning, if there's something you can make on your own, you … [Read more...]
9 All-Natural Ways To Keep Pests Out Of Your Garden
If you're a gardener, you'll probably never forget that first time you went to the garden--a big smile across your eager face, basket in hand, ready to harvest the fruits of your labor--but instead of your carefully tended plant, you found a nibble-ridden or colorless, spotty shell of its former glory (or worse yet, no plant at all!). For many, the … [Read more...]
Fried Chicken from the 18th Century
If you're interested in off grid living, you should check out the Youtube channel, Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc. They teach you what it was like to live in the 18th century, and especially the kinds of foods they cooked. Most people think of fried chicken as a modern food, but it's actually been around for at least several hundred years, as … [Read more...]
What to Keep in an Herbal Medicine Chest
There are millions of people who would love to take medicinal herbs instead of over-the-counter medications. But unfortunately, herbs aren't very convenient. Whereas store-bought medications come in a box that lists all the symptoms they treat, herbs grow outdoors, can be hard to find, and don't come with any instructions at all. This causes … [Read more...]
25 Essential Kitchen Tools for People Who Love to Cook
If you’ve wanted to cook from scratch only to see a recipe that uses a bunch of kitchen utensils you don’t own, you’re not alone! Learning to cook from scratch isn’t that hard and will save you tons of money, which is why it’s absolutely worth it to invest in a few good kitchen tools. It’s absolutely worth it to invest in a few good tools. … [Read more...]
12 Lessons in Frugality from The Great Depression
One of the reasons most people don't know how to be frugal is because they don't have to be frugal. Sure, many people struggle with their bills, but few people have to choose between, say, food and electricity. During the Great Depression, people had to make choices like that all the time. In order to keep food on the table, people had to save … [Read more...]
7 Tips and Tricks for Beginning Gardeners
Spring is right around the corner, and if you’re starting your own vegetable garden for the first time, it may seem like a daunting task. There’s a seemingly endless array of plants to choose from, information on what plants to grow where, and perhaps most importantly, how to grow them! Most garden-know-how is hard won by experience and lots of … [Read more...]
The Easy Way to Make Compost
If you love gardening, you should be subscribed to the Youtube channel, Growing Your Greens. They have hundreds upon hundreds of videos that teach every aspect of gardening you can imagine. And the host, John Kohler, is one of the most enthusiastic Youtubers out there and very fun to learn from. To give you an idea of the kind of videos they … [Read more...]
10 Homesteading Hacks That Will Save You Money
The whole point of homesteading is to be self-sufficient, so once you've paid for your property and all the basic tools you need to manage it, your monthly expenses should be less than they were before you started homesteading. If they're not, then you're doing something wrong. In fact, you're probably doing many things wrong. In this … [Read more...]
5 Fermented Foods That Anyone Can Make
Beyond the microbrewery, a growing number of households are using fermentation techniques that preserve fruits and vegetables all year long, without the use of electricity. Long before the advent of refrigeration, ancient food preservation techniques, one being fermentation, were utilized to make fruits and vegetables safe for consumption, long … [Read more...]
5 Simple Tips for a Rodent Free Coop
If you raise backyard chickens, then you've no doubt noticed that chicken coops tend to attract rodents. It's not the chickens themselves that attract them, but rather the chicken feed, table scraps, fresh eggs, and water. Not to mention the warmth of the coop. When mice come across chicken coops, they see it as a nice place to settle down and … [Read more...]
45 Homestead Tools for Off the Grid Living
Laura Ingalls didn’t have a power drill, but I bet you her life would have been a lot easier if she did. Listen, your homestead isn’t going to collapse and crumble without having every single one of the tools on the list--at least not right away. But over time as weather wears on your roof and rain mucks up your roads, you are certainly going … [Read more...]
25 Wonderful Ways to Use Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is an amazing yet little-known plant that, when turned into a topical astringent, has numerous uses. If you are new to the world of natural medicine, you may not have heard of this little gem. If you have heard of it, you may be a little put off by the name. Or maybe you remember your grandma using it to fix an owie when you were … [Read more...]
