Every forager knows that the best plants aren’t just pretty or tasty, but have many practical uses as well. So, it’s no surprise that modern foragers value wildflowers and weeds for the healing properties they have as much as they do for their taste. Certain plants have numerous health benefits, and can be used in … Read more
Incubating and hatching duck eggs is vitally important if you want to keep your flock growing should the breed you are keeping be excellent layers, but lousy sitters. Some duck breeds both lay and sit their eggs well, but that is definitely not always the case. In such circumstances, investing in a quality incubator and … Read more
With the rainy days sweeping through our forecasts with the warmer temperatures, the soil is moistening and loosening up for the new planting season. Permaculture gardening is about more than just letting nature do most of the work for us, it is also about working with nature for the Earth’s well-being. Permaculture is about giving … Read more
Bees are great to have on your homestead. The term “worker bee” is an apt one, since bees can be an amazing asset to any homesteader, farmer, or even someone with a little bit of space on their urban rooftop. Honeybees are tremendous pollinators, and can ensure larger and healthier yields of the fruits and … Read more
Indian Runner ducks are perhaps the easiest of all breeds to identify due to their unusual body style. Watching these attractive poultry birds run about while free ranging can be quite entertaining. They look like colorful penguins rushing around the barnyard. In fact, when members of this duck breed were first imported to America they … Read more
Well, it’s winter here in South Africa now and the temperatures are dropping to between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius on some days. You know what that means? It means warm clothes, tons of hot chocolate, and heaters are on – a lot! Now, last year we used halogen heaters; they’re relatively cheap and they … Read more
When it comes to foraging, there are always plants out there that are important to recognize, but better left alone. On the top of any homesteader’s “hands off” list should definitely be white snakeroot. This plant, while it does have some purported medicinal uses, is a plant best left alone, or limited to some plantings … Read more
I’ve always liked biltong, it’s one of South Africa’s favorite snacks; it’s easy to get as most butchers have it in stock and it equally easy to make. I’ve made some myself many times, and it’s one of my favorite foods to make. Now, beef jerky is the American equivalent, and many people think they’re … Read more
Discovering that you have a queenless hive is quite an upsetting set of circumstances. Not only has all of the money you spend on honeybees just gone down the drain, your fruit grove, or garden just lost its pollinators. While you might think a queenless hive would be both quickly and easily to spot, that … Read more
When I was a kid, my parents used to take us out on hiking trails almost every weekend. I was also a cub scout for a few years, and so I spent a lot of time in nature reserves on hiking trails. One thing that I learned every quickly was: leave. plants. alone. This is … Read more
How much water does the average duck drink every day? It can vary depending on the breed and age of your ducks (as well as the time of year), but on average, each mature duck in your flock will consume roughly 0.25 gallons (1 liter) of water each day. Water isn’t only necessary for hydration, … Read more
If you’ve ever wanted to figure out how to get your chickens to lay more eggs, you aren’t alone. I’ve had this problem many times myself – often, due to a change in the seasons – and have more than once found myself researching how to boost production. There are a lot of factors that … Read more
Nature has a way of offering amazing benefits in not-so-pretty packaging. Wild lettuce blends in with nearly any bed of weeds or forest ground, but offers a wide variety of benefits that can be mixed into salads, added to tea, and harvested for the latex-like sap. A great herb for preppers and homesteaders alike, wild … Read more
When most people think of clover, what comes to mind are the staple green leaves and the folklore of luck when you find a four-leaf clover. Clover is often viewed as a weed or derivative of grass, when actually it is a great crop cover and overall addition to landscaping. If you’re a homesteader, then … Read more
Anyone who keeps animals will understand that the biggest, and often most expensive task is feeding them. Buying commercially produced animal feed is convenient. This type of feed has the nutrients required to supply a balanced diet for your animals. However, we often have a surplus of homegrown products. Any surplus is great, we can … Read more
First if you haven’t yet got around to starting your permaculture garden, Summer is the very best time to start planning what you will do come the fall. But for the rest of this article, we are assuming you have already got things in place and been developing your garden during the previous seasons. Early … Read more