I don’t think there’s anything nicer than home-canned fruit. Whether you’re preserving the hard-earned reward for your labor in the garden or you just don’t want to see that perfect produce you brought home go to waste, canning is the answer… And canned fruit has a special quality all its own. It’s just so yummy! … Read more
If you own ducks you probably already know that they’re quite self-sufficient. They are seemingly impervious to wet and cold weather, and that means it’s easy to keep them in a wide variety of environments, even ones that are truly frigid! But ducks aren’t invincible, and they still need a warm, safe shelter to stay … Read more
I don’t think too many people would disagree that mice are very cute, but for those of us who have had to deal with them in any context except as pets, there is no arguing that they are destructive little critters. A single mouse can ruin food in your pantry, chew on wiring and of … Read more
Owning livestock, of any kind, entails a lot of calculation. How much food to get, how much they will cost, etc. If you plan on free-ranging your animals and allowing them to live or eat on a pasture, figuring out how many your acreage can support is one of the most important calculations of all. … Read more
If you’ve got your heart set on homesteading, but you’re currently cooped up in an apartment, it’s easy to feel like your dream will never come to pass. Without land of your own and space to do all of the things you need to on a working homestead, you might as well give up, right? … Read more
Sugar is one of those indispensable kitchen staples. You’ve got to have it for pretty much every kind of dessert and our morning coffee and tea just isn’t the same without it. Probably the best thing about sugar is that it doesn’t really spoil like so many other foods, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t … Read more
Dehydrating veggies at home is one of the best ways to store them at room temperature for months on end and still keep them ready for quick and convenient use in recipes. One of the best veggies you can possibly dehydrate out of all of them is squash. All different kinds of squash dry wonderfully, … Read more
If there’s one kind of protein that is actually indispensable in the world, I would have to say that it is eggs. Aside from being a crucially important food source all by themselves, eggs are also an indispensable ingredient in countless dishes and recipes. It’s no exaggeration to say that many of the things we … Read more
If you didn’t know better, you might think that those perfectly plump, ripe, and appealing strawberries you brought home from the grocery store are clean and ready to eat. Spoiler warning: they most certainly are not. Commercial strawberries are one of the biggest offenders when it comes to retaining pesticide chemicals and other nasty things, … Read more
Have you stopped to think about what your garden plants need, the very first thing you think of is probably water. The next thing you think of is probably sunlight, and that’s what good reason. All plants, no matter what kind, need sunlight in order to photosynthesize and produce energy. But where many gardeners go … Read more
Chickens are rightly known as hardy and generally healthy birds, but even they can fall victim to dangerous weather conditions, particularly extremely high temperatures. Depending on where you live, summer can mean dangerous days for your birds, as the mix of high temperatures, high humidity, and blazing direct sunlight results in dramatic heat stress and, … Read more
Out of all the garden veggies you might grow, broccoli has a reputation for being one of the trickiest. Many gardeners report that it is difficult to get big, thriving heads from their plants and if they do, much of the time they are bitter, woody, and generally unpleasant. I know too many people that’ve … Read more
For so many homesteaders, getting fresh milk daily from your very own cow is as close to heaven as it gets. Farm fresh-milk tastes better, is better for you, and is more sustainable and environmentally friendly compared to the factory processed stuff. But if you are smart you’ll still pasteurize that milk. Raw milk, for … Read more
Lettuce is one of the most versatile, and prolific, garden veggies that you can plant. So many new gardeners, and that includes me back in the day, got started by trying our hand at growing our own lettuce. It’s about as easy as it gets, but if you want a truly stellar crop of lettuce … Read more
Once you get into keeping chickens, and I mean really into it, you’ll discover that half the fun is learning all about the different domestic breeds out there. Just like dogs and cats, different chicken breeds have their own unique attributes, quirks, and personalities… Suffice it to say that there is a chicken out there … Read more
Gardening is a great way to save money on your grocery bill and also enjoy beautiful flowers and greenery throughout the year. As rewarding as it is, it’s also a lot of work: year in and year out you’ll be planting, caring for, pruning, and harvesting. The worst is when, through no fault of your … Read more