If you live out in the country on a farm or homestead and keep animals, you know that flies are an unfortunate, constant, and maddening part of life. In the end, you and your animals, goats in our case, will always have to put up with them to a degree, but your goats will be … Read more
I think every homesteader by now understands the importance of storing food for a rainy day, or just storing it to prevent waste. Whether you’re preserving and stashing produce or other food that you grew yourself, or just stocking up on grocery store staples, it’s a great idea and a good way to improve your … Read more
One of the most common and prettiest wildflowers you are likely to see spring up in your garden or elsewhere on your property is Queen Anne’s Lace, a.k.a. the wild carrot. Also known as the humble wild carrot, scientific name Daucus carota, it produces large, showy umbrella-shaped structures of tiny white flowers and is an … Read more
When it comes to milk production, there are few dairy goat breeds that can rival the legendary Alpine. These large, graceful, and beautiful goats are known for producing gallons of milk a day and also for extraordinarily long lactation periods. Even a couple of healthy does can keep a large family, and all of your … Read more
For beginning gardeners, one of the trickiest things to manage when you want healthy plants and huge harvests is the pH level of your soil. Soil is either acidic, neutral, or alkaline, and for the vast majority of plants we grow, including many fruits and veggies, acidic soil is not optimal. Many plants will fail … Read more
Whether you keep ducks as pets or just as productive livestock on your homestead, I have little doubt that you care for your flock with all the love and diligence they deserve. And that’s why it’s such a tragedy when you come out one day and find one or more of your precious feathered friends … Read more
Cucumbers are some of my very favorite garden veggies. I love them sliced up in salads and, of course, turning them into all kinds of delicious pickles. But, ounce for ounce, cucumbers are some of the trickiest veggies to deal with. They have precise spacing requirements, a tendency to vine and climb, and are very … Read more
No matter why you are raising chickens, no matter how many you have, no matter the breed, they’ve got to have a coop. That’s where they will go to sleep at night, and the coop is a central fixture in their lives. The problem is that, unless you let them free range at all times, … Read more
If you’ve spent any amount of time in survival and prepping circles, you’ve probably heard of pemmican before. Knowing nothing else about it, you might be under the impression that it is basically old-fashioned beef jerky. But that isn’t quite the case! Pemmican is an ancient food first developed and used by Native Americans, and … Read more
Is there anything more aggravating than flies buzzing around your kitchen and elsewhere in your home? I don’t think so, and doing even a cursory search on the subject will give you endless results on getting rid of them, trapping them, and repelling them. Particularly, safe, DIY fly repellent is something that most homesteaders seem … Read more
Goats are herbivores, and that means they eat all kinds of plant matter, fruits and vegetables included. However, some vegetables, despite an excellent nutritional profile, may be harmful for goats or are generally disagreeable to them. How about asparagus? Can goats have it? Yes, goats may eat asparagus safely, though truly excessive amounts might be … Read more
If you want to make a go of it on the homestead raising cattle, picking the right breed is a crucial part of your success. Every different domestic cow breed has its own attributes, good and bad, that you must learn to maximize or minimize accordingly. And, of course, you should pick based on what … Read more
If you think of meat with a long shelf life, what do you think of first? I’ll bet you’re probably thinking of spam, canned tuna or chicken, or some other home-canned animal protein. All good answers, to be sure, but what you might not know is that long shelf life meat is hardly a modern … Read more
Powdered milk is one of those pantry staples that everyone has, but if I’m being honest, I feel like most people don’t know how to use it. It’s nice to have just in case, but when’s the last time you actually reached for it? When was the last time you made it and drank it? … Read more
No matter what kind of chickens you have, no matter how many, and why you’re keeping them, they’ve got one thing in common with every other flock: they’ve got to have a home! And the home your chickens need is a chicken coop, of course! No problem, just mosey on down to your local farm … Read more
I guarantee that if you’ve been on the internet for any length of time, you’ve seen myotonic goats before… I’m talking about these: Myotonic goats, also known as fainting goats, live up to the name: when they get startled, these goats go stiff-legged and then topple over hilariously. Most folks can’t help but try to … Read more