Homesteading

Prior to actually getting down to business, some homesteaders have a fanciful idea of what the work will require of them. Scattering a little seed, driving a few fence posts, plucking a couple of perfect veggies from rich, yielding soil. It is an idyllic notion, alright, but one that is far divorced from reality. Work … Read more

I’ll never forget the first time I used a water bath canner by myself. I was feeling pretty smug, going off a few experiences I had when canning tomatoes with my then-boyfriend (now husband). I knew what I was doing. I didn’t need to read and follow the instructions to a T. After all, canning … Read more

There are so many different ways to use meat scraps in your kitchen. You can use them to make stocks, and sauces, or simply add them to your favorite recipes. In this blog post, I’ll give you some ideas of how you can use your meat scraps in a frugal and eco-friendly way. Remember, composting … Read more

Most of us want to live on a homestead in order to get away from the hustle, bustle, and dangers of life that are associated with living in the thick of society. But, it isn’t all fluffy clouds on an impossibly blue sky when you live on a homestead. Homesteads are usually hard-working environments with … Read more

Anyone who depends on wood for primary or supplementary heating knows that the choice of wood is nearly as important as managing the fire itself. Every species of wood has unique properties that make it a better or worse choice than firewood. Birch is certainly beautiful and plentiful, but how does it perform as firewood? … Read more

Anyone who relies on wood for heating knows what a chore it can be processing a large supply. No matter what method you use, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Some folks assert that the job can be way harder, and more dangerous, if you try to split or chop wood while it … Read more

No matter how tidy a housekeeper you are, chances are that one day you opened the door or doors to your pantry only to be greeted with a decidedly unpleasant odor. Maybe sickly, maybe tangy, or maybe just foul. It’s unusual, and definitely unwanted. All you care about now is getting rid of it. But … Read more

Root cellars might be old fashioned, but they still work wonderfully for storing food and other goods. This is because they maintain a generally constant, cool temperature and constant humidity level, both helping the gods kept in them to last longer than they would otherwise. This simple but highly effective method of preservation has been … Read more

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Unless you know where to dig! Much of the drinkable water in rural areas is pumped out of the ground. In our modern society, we use electricity to draw it up to the surface without a second thought. But what do we do when the power … Read more

Starting a homestead is a great goal – but if you’re just starting out, it’s really not possible to do so from scratch. While you can get by with just the basics, there are some homestead supply list items to always have on hand. Before embarking on this exciting new adventure for yourself, sit down … Read more

Although the homestead lifestyle as a whole tends to embrace a more self-reliant, simpler existence, it does not automatically require you to remove all the fantastic technology that can make your life easier. Nor should it. Using modern appliances is a good idea. I am sure that very few people want to return to a … Read more

It’s been snowing for three days straight, and it is impossible to keep my solar panels clear. Without my solar panels, I have no electricity. As you might expect, that’s a huge problem! For those living in houses connected to the grid, power is rarely an issue. However, there are countless people living off-grid and, … Read more

Solar panels are an almost free way to generate electricity, but in some cases, you don’t want to keep your panels outdoors. This could obviously lead to efficiency issues, which is what I want to investigate and test out in what follows. The question I’m trying to find and answer to today is: Do solar … Read more

The other day, I was looking at some old pictures of my grandfather. He was one of the early pioneers who started a homestead on the Canadian prairies. Wow, it was a hard life for those early pioneers! Things were certainly different in those days. It is difficult to see how they managed to survive. … Read more

Is it legal to live off-grid in the United States? In most cases, yes – but this isn’t a dream that will work for everyone. It’s a dream that many people have, though. In fact, if you mention to anyone that you live off-grid, most people will gasp and tell you how lucky you are. … Read more