Tara Dodrill 
So, you want delicious, naturally raised, farm fresh eggs on your homestead but cannot decide which is better to raise – ducks or chickens. That question is becoming pondered more and more, as duck keeping (for eggs and not just as cute farm pets), is becoming more popular. If you live in a rural area, … Read more Raising Ducks vs Raising Chickens – Which One Is Right for You?
Making the decision to officially become a goat farmer is an exciting moment for many homesteaders. A few seconds later reality sets in, and you have to actually get to work figuring out how to actually buy and raise the goat herd. Keeping goats, be they dairy, meat, fiber, or brush clearers is not rocket … Read more How to Raise Happy Goats
Cultivating medicinal herbs indoors increases the homegrown seasonings and herbal remedy ingredients available on the homestead year-round. Unlike traditional crops, herbs and medicinal flowering plants do not take up much space nor do they require deep soil to thrive. Windowsill herb gardens were once commonplace throughout America. Growing your own spices or even an aloe … Read more 20 Medicinal Herbs You Can Grow Indoors
Dandelions have gotten a bad rap for far too long. They have summarily been dismissed as mere weeds, and get sprayed with chemicals to kill them every time their cute little flower heads pop up out of the dirt. Not only are these common backyard flowers edible, they may also boast natural healing properties. Dandelion … Read more How to Make Dandelion Salve – and Why You Should
Pigs, or hogs as we call them in my neck of the woods, are omnivores. The traditional farming and homesteading type of livestock are incredibly biologically similar to people and can eat nearly anything recommended for a healthy human diet. Hogs are largely “opportunistic” eaters. The bulk of a pig’s diet is based on what … Read more 150 Things Pigs Can Eat and 43 They Shouldn’t
Olive orchards can be cultivated on nearly all homesteads, no matter where they are located or how much acreage they sit upon. While these fruit trees are subtropical, dwarf versions can be cultivated outdoors (except during the winter months when they must be moved into a greenhouse or indoors). Starting an olive orchard also brings … Read more Here’s How to Grow Olive Trees
Making floral soap is a beautiful way to not only enhance the bar you are making visually, but also harnesses any herbal benefits the flowers, herb plants, or roots they may possess. The type of soap base you are using must be considered when collecting flowers to dry to suspend in a bar of soap. … Read more How to Dry Flowers for Soapmaking
Stevia is a natural sweetener that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose – table sugar. The FDA has approved highly purified stevia for use in food, but has not done the same with raw stevia grown at home and used in the raw due to a lack of safety testing. This herb plant … Read more How To Grow Stevia… and Why You Should
Shea butter and oatmeal soap simply makes the skin look and feel great. No matter what scent you decide to use (if any) your skin will smell fresh and amazingly soft to the touch after using this simple melt and pour soap recipe. I used goat’s milk melt and pour soap base to create shea … Read more Shea Butter and Oatmeal Melt and Pour Homemade Soap
Learning to monetize your homestead not only allows you to make more money doing what you love to funnel back into the land, but can even lead to a full-time job working from home. Whether you are monetizing a homestead as a side hustle or in hopes of turning the project(s) into a full-fledged career, … Read more 33 Legal Ways to Monetize Your Homestead
Comfrey is a beautiful and medicinal herb. You can easily grow this shrub style herb plant in either ground plots or containers. Comfrey can be cultivated in an apothecary patch on the homestead, or used as part of an edible landscaping project in traditional landscaping flower beds. This healing herb typically grows to reach heights … Read more How to Grow Comfrey… and Why You Should
Dying candles with mica powder allows you to make truly unique homemade gifts that may look like a million bucks but cost only a few dollars. Not only can you dye candle wax with mica powder, you can also paint the finished candles either free hand, or by using molds with intricate or raised designs. … Read more How to Dye Candles With Mica Powder
Marjoram is a superb “plant it and forget it” type of herb plant. Aside from being a little cold weather sensitive, marjoram thrives equally well when cultivated indoors in a pot, or outside in a raised bed. This member of the Lamiaceae family is a cousin to oregano, basil, summer savory, rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, … Read more How to Grow Marjoram… and Why You Should
Orange zest soap can rejuvenate not just the skin infuse a little bit of happiness into the day when using it as part of the morning shower routine… especially during the long, cold months of winter. If you make orange zest soap with a clear glycerin melt and pour soap base, the dried tiny bit … Read more Orange Zest Melt and Pour Homemade Soap Recipe
Training your chickens to come when you call them might sound impossible, but it really is not that difficult at all. Not only is this homesteading task one of the easier ones you may ever learn how to do, it is an important one, as well. Teaching your chicken flock to come when you call … Read more 3 Ways to Train Chickens to Come When You Call Them
Preserving onions is not usually high on the top of a homesteading garden “to do” list simply because they keep so long with extra effort and processing. When bushel after bushel of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and other garden staples must be canned or dehydrated, onions often get lost in the shuffle… and ultimately go … Read more 10 Clever Ways to Preserve Your Onion Harvest