Are there still green tomatoes hanging on the vine and a hard frost is coming your way? For far too long gardeners have shaken their collective heads in disgust at the loss of robust and juicy looking tomatoes that simply are not going to ripen in time to beat Mother Nature. Sure, you can try … Read more
The gardening season is over, and it is time to put your vegetable garden to bed. Fall is the time to get your garden ready for the next springs planting cycle. The list of work can be long but it all doesn’t have to be done in one day. Do the work as it comes … Read more
Not only can you freshen and deodorize your carpets and upholstery with DIY recipes, you can remove stains from your carpets naturally, as well. I would be shocked if you did not have all the ingredients needed to create a homemade carpet stain spray sitting in your homestead pantry right now. There are two major … Read more
If you’re in a hurry and don’t have a lot of time for kneading bread, you may prefer this Artisan bread recipe. I like it because it has only 4 ingredients and I don’t have to take the time to knead the dough. We use it often when we need some bread and perhaps don’t … Read more
As a little kid, I was not fond of trying new vegetables – a reluctance that I believe many of us share. However, parsnips were never even an item on our dinner table because they weren’t part of our standard rotation of vegetables. We pretty much stuck to the classics – green beans, carrots, corn, … Read more
Is there anything better than the sweet taste of fresh carrots? I don’t think so. Except, perhaps, the taste of fresh carrots that you’ve just harvested from your own garden. This year, I harvested over a hundred pounds of carrots grown in just two small raised beds in my backyard. I’ve never grown that many … Read more
Stop, do not pitch your little girl’s favorite dress, that blouse your splurged on, or your husband’s best dress shirt just because it has a big bad stain. You do not have to use harsh or potentially toxic chemicals found in a plethora of manufactured stain pre-soak products to get that stain out. Natural DIY … Read more
There is a great sale at the market, or you had a lot of leftovers, maybe you have too many roosters or some hens that are finished, what do you do? Why, you get busy canning chicken, of course. Your family and your wallet will thank you later. There is nothing quite as good as … Read more
In our household Christmas was associated with Scottish relatives bringing across beautifully packaged traditional shortbread, when they came to stay with the cousins in South Africa. My mom would get busy in the kitchen preparing the shortbread, according to the way her great aunt from Edinburgh had taught her. What makes Scottish shortbread different to … Read more
Another popular recipe from Hawaii, this oxtail soup recipe includes a hearty base and plenty of braised meat. It is generally served with ramen noodles as well as fried garlic chips, but you can, of course, serve it anyway you like – as long as there is plenty of it!
If you are interested in raising chickens, you likely have made this decision because chickens are one of the easiest kinds of livestock you can raise. While there’s not much you need to do in order to help them thrive, it is possible for your backyard flock to be infected with one of many different … Read more
DIY carpet freshener recipes get rid of odors naturally, without exposing your family and pets to potentially dangerous chemicals. Wall-to-wall carpeting in homes is becoming less commonplace, but throw rugs, sectional rugs, and pet beds still scream out for freshening and deodorizing to keep the whole house smelling fresh and clean. Carpet fresheners soak up … Read more
My great grandparents purchased their homestead via the Homestead Act of 1862. My family and I were curious as to what the Homestead Act actually entailed so we did some research. Per the law that was signed into effect by then President Lincoln in May of 1862, the Homestead Act was designed to encourage people … Read more
So you’re finally on a homestead. You’re excited and overwhelmed and have no idea where to start. Setting homesteading goals is important, have you taken the time to set goals for your homestead? If you’re not setting goals, you’re likely wasting a lot of time and money. The first step to owning a homestead is … Read more
In any television show or movie you have watched that depicts farm life, folks are often shown simply opening up a door on a nesting box, and easily reaching in to retrieve nice clean eggs quickly without a threat to bodily harm. Oh, the magic of Hollywood… Getting farm-fresh eggs to scramble, bake, or cook … Read more
