Ironweed Medicinal Uses (and More)
Ironweed is not the nuisance weed many rural folks think it is, not by a long shot. The beautiful purple weed that flourishes in horse pastures and fields offers a bounty of medicinal benefits.The wildflower […]
Articles by Tara Dodrill
Medicinal Herb Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe
This whole roasted chicken is absolutely delicious! Although I typically roast the whole chicken in the oven, I also make it one a “drunk chicken” stand in either our charcoal grill or wood smoker. Yes, […]
This Month on the Homestead – September 2018
It was another busy month here on our homestead. Summer is commonly thought of as the busiest time, but in reality, those weeks between the end of long sunny days and the falling of leaves […]
How to Start Homeschooling
Homeschooling and homesteading just seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Sure, each one is good separately, but together, well, now you have something really special to sink your teeth into. Millions of […]
How To Trim and Shoe Horses and Medium Livestock
Do you know how to shoe a horse or trim the hooves of livestock? No farm would (or should) be complete without horses. During a long-term disaster- and beyond, horses will almost assuredly once again […]
How To Make Waldorf Toys: Branch Blocks And Memory Matching Blocks
When I first stumbled upon tree branch blocks online, I was shocked by two things: how beautifully natural and fun they would be to play with and how super ridiculous the price was. Those two […]
How To Make Deer Jerky Step by Step
Deer jerky is both delicious and incredibly simple to make. Yes, that’s right, I said simple. Far too many folks think that making beef, deer or any other type of wild game jerky is a […]
How To Use The Entire Corn Plant For Food, Medicine, and Crafts
The corn plant might be the most useful item growing in your garden right now. It is simple to grow and pick, a bit of a time-consuming pain to preserve, and offers the chance to […]
Homestead Money-Making: Grapevine
Thick grapevine like the ones in the photo above are incredibly sturdy, making them perfect for using to build furniture and large garden decorations. Chances are if you live on a rural homestead in most […]
Homestead Money-Making: Free-Standing Lace Jewelry
Do you want to ditch your day job and work full-time for your homestead? It is a dream many, if not most homesteaders share. Maybe you want to become a homesteader but just are not […]
How To Bale and Store Hay
Hay baling is hard work, really hard work. But engaging in traditional farm chores will vastly cut down on animal feed costs while ensuring meat, milk, and recreational livestock. Typically, a hay field can be […]
Dealing with Yellow Jackets Quickly and Easily
Save the bees..but kill all the yellow jackets you can find. I love honeybees, without them we would all die because they pollinate 70% of the food we consume. But, I never feel even the […]
This Month on the Homestead (July): Learning and Losses
It has been a tragic couple of weeks here on our survival homesteading retreat. We lost our most long-standing and skilled self-reliance tribe member, the last of my ducks, and my favorite chicken. We have […]
The Most Deadly Predators On The Homestead
Keeping the livestock safe on the homestead, no matter how large or small the land, can seem like an insurmountable chore. Barnyard and even backyard livestock live under constant threat of attack. Before you can […]
How to Build A Massive Wood Playhouse For Less Than $350
If you possess at least moderate construction skills and have some “junk” lying around you homestead, you too can build an enormous wood playhouse on the extreme cheap. I could no longer stand all of […]
How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles Naturally
Japanese beetles can destroy the bulk of your garden crop in just days. They not only have a devastating impact on growing plants, but are extremely difficult to kill. Short of standing in your garden […]