At-home dehydrating is one of my favorite methods of food preservation. It’s easy, straightforward, and very cheap, and dried foods can last anywhere between a month and a year at room temperature. It’s the perfect way to preserve meat, veggies, fruit, and a lot more… And maybe best of all, dried foods can be really … Read more
When it comes to keeping livestock on the homestead, one of your very best choices is chickens. These birds are cheap, extremely productive in terms of meat and eggs, and very easy to keep compared to larger livestock species… Today, chickens are more available than ever, and you don’t have to go any farther than … Read more
Carpenter bees might not be the worst pests you’ll find around your homestead, but they can be quite problematic all the same. They aren’t aggressive as a rule, but these big, chubby bees bore large holes in all kinds of wood surfaces. At best, it makes them unsightly, but at worst, they can significantly weaken … Read more
We’ve talked about it a lot here on New Life on a Homestead: compost is one of the very best things you can possibly use in your garden, your raised beds, your containers, and anywhere else you happen to be planting. All-natural and packed with nutrients that plants need, it’s easy and cheap to make … Read more
When it comes to the at-home preservation of potatoes, I don’t think anything beats freezing. Freezing is straightforward and simple, it provides excellent shelf life, and in my experience, it results in the best flavor and texture when preparing your batch of spuds. My very favorite way to freeze potatoes (there are a few others) … Read more
If you’re just getting started with keeping chickens, or you are a veteran keeper, one of the most fun and also most challenging aspects is picking the right breed. There are many dozens of breeds out there from all around the world, each with its own unique attributes, temperaments, and characteristics. Picking the right breed … Read more
Berries, of all kinds, can be some of the most rewarding but also the most challenging fruits to grow. There’s nothing better than perfectly ripe berries, picked fresh and still warm from the sun. But sometimes, instead of a sweet, delicious bite, you are greeted with a tart, even sour taste. It’s frustrating and can … Read more
What’s the first method you think of when it comes to at-home food preservation? If you said canning, you aren’t alone. But I’m here to tell you that freezing is usually where it’s at when it comes to pure convenience and quality. Tougher veggies, especially, hold up much better when frozen and maintain better flavor … Read more
If you want to preserve the crisp, crunch of your fall season leafy vegetables, like cabbage, you’ve got to learn how to freeze them the right way. Sure, anybody can just pop a quartered head into the freezer and forget about it until they need it, but if you do that, you’ll wind up with … Read more
Nothing beats perfectly ripe fruit, and if I had to pick my favorites out of all of them, I would have to say that berries beat them all… Raspberries especially are terrific when at peak ripeness, but whether you’ve grown them yourself or are hauling them home from the local farmers market, you’ve got to … Read more
It’s happened to most girls and ladies with long hair at least once before: your round curling brush gets stuck, hopelessly entangled, in your tresses. The more you fidget, the more you struggle, the worse it gets. Pretty soon your ears start ringing and you start sweating: are you going to have to cut it … Read more
This may be the only place where you will find a recipe for canning fresh orange juice. And there’s a good reason why…
Some of my favorite garden plants are herbs. They’re generally easy to grow and take care of, and they are some of the most useful plants there are: fresh herbs are amazing in all kinds of recipes, and they also have health-boosting and aromatherapy benefits. But what you might not know is that choosing the … Read more
For most of us chicken keepers, the major appeal of having a flock of our own has got to be the eggs. Fresh eggs that you raised yourself, with a little bit of help from our birds of course, taste better than anything you can buy in the grocery store… But if you want to … Read more
For so many gardeners, the planting season is synonymous with warmer weather. Springtime is when you put in all the work, and later on, toward the middle or end of summer, is when you harvest. After that, it’s all about getting prepared for next year. Right? Not exactly! There’re actually lots of vegetables out there … Read more
Chickens have a good reputation for being generally hardy and healthy, but as always, they have their own unique health conditions that you need to be aware of. One of the most shocking and scariest is wry neck. One day your bird seems fine, and the next, they’re unable to stand or walk straight, and … Read more