Homesteading

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

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

You already know, likely, that living on an active, busy homestead or a big farm is more than a job. It’s a way of life. All of those dozens of chores and tasks that people face every day must be done for the sake of animals and crops. So what happens when a homesteader or … Read more

Homesteading is all the rage these days, something that can inspire a little bit of hipster-ish contempt in us old hands who have been living it as an actual lifestyle for a while. Increasingly, affluent people are fleeing the cities, cities which are turning into dystopian nightmares thanks to the policies that they have voted … Read more

Whether you’re just getting started on your homestead or you’ve been enjoying the lifestyle for years and years, saving water is always going to be important. Whether you have well water, municipal water, or are connected to a city water supply, water is too precious to waste, and doubly so if you’re truly living off-grid … Read more

When it comes to off-grid living, one of the best things you can invest in to maintain your quality of life and stay ready for those curveballs life will throw at you is solar power. A properly set up and maintained solar power system can allow you to keep the lights on, run appliances, and … Read more

Has your house ever flooded before? Maybe you’ve had to clean up in the aftermath of an actual flood. Take a look at this: Maybe your dishwasher or washing machine betrayed you. Or maybe another incident at Thanksgiving knocked over the water cooler. Whatever happened, you already know water is extremely destructive. As damaging as … Read more

For ages before the advent of the clothes dryer, people relied on clotheslines. A warm breeze and plenty of sunshine are all it takes to dry your clothes quickly and efficiently. And, not for nothing, there’s something undeniably charming about watching your clothes, rugs, and other textiles sway gently on the clothesline. It just has … Read more

I don’t really have a preference for seasons. I like them all for different reasons, but if I had to pick just one, it would probably be summer… Summer is a time of great activity, of fun, and opportunity, but it’s also a time for getting work done! Such is life when you’ve chosen to … Read more

With any livestock, picking the right breed is important for your happiness and also for your success, whatever it is that you might be doing. This is certainly true for ducks. If lots of meat is what you’re after, or you just enjoy having bigger birds around in your flock, you’ll be best served by … Read more

Though most folks in the US these days rely on gas or electric heat, wood is still a crucially important fuel source for supplementary heat and, for some of us homesteaders, primary heating in the home. But whether you’re depending on wood to keep you alive, or you just like the cheery ambiance of a … Read more

If you burn wood for any reason on your homestead, be it for heat in the fireplace or wood stove, or just around the fire pit on a chilly fall evening, you’ve got to have a good supply of firewood on hand if you want to keep it burning brightly. Staying stocked up on firewood … Read more

If you rely on firewood for heating your home, workshop, or any other structures, you already know how important it is to make sure you’ve got plenty on hand, and well-seasoned, well before winter truly arrives. In areas where fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, and thermoelectric generators are popular, you’ll see firewood sold in large quantities throughout … Read more

If you rely on any kind of wood-burning appliance for winter heat, whether it is primary, supplementary, or just because you enjoy the ambiance, you’ve got to have plenty of firewood on hand. If you live in a truly cold region or off-grid, this can be a matter of life and death! In such places, … Read more

Compared to most other livestock species you could own, chickens have a pretty varied diet. Yes, they live mostly on nutritious chicken feed, but they can eat nearly anything and are true omnivores. Naturally, plenty of owners give them scraps from their own kitchen as a treat or to reduce waste. Some people assert that … Read more

Whether you use the good old Imperial system, what I like to refer to as “moon landing units,” or the metric system that the rest of the world seems enslaved to, there’s no arguing that there are some truly peculiar units of measurement out there. One of the most peculiar, naturally, belongs to my beloved … Read more