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5 Things to Consider When Building an Aquaponic System

Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics. If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you. Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results. 1. Location The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great […]

Advantages of Aquaponic Farming

Aquaponics is a new way of approaching farming. Unlike traditional agriculture where you needed plants to grow vegetables, with aquaponics you need water and fish in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day. Basically, aquaponics relies on the interdependence between fish and plants: the fish produces bio-nutrients for the plants, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop. It is a blend of aquaculture and hydroponics that has plenty of advantages. If you need some reasons to get your own aquaponic system started, then here are […]

7 Interesting Ways to Use Excess Cucumbers

Congratulations on producing a successful homesteading garden this year! Now all you need to do is find ways to use your excess cucumbers. You’ve come to the right place. There is nothing as refreshing and crispy as a cucumber straight out of the garden. Even better are cucumbers in a salad or other yummy cold recipe made just for hot summer days and nights. We can suggest seven ways to use those lovely crunchy cucumbers. There are three recipes and four are for non-food uses that will surprise you. Food Uses 1. Cucumber Tomato Salad This salad could […]

Canned Corn: What’s the Trick?

A fond childhood memory is sitting on the back porch with my brother as we pulled husks off the bushels of corn on the cob. Somehow, we would always end up falling to the floor in a pile of husks with corn silk stuck in our hair laughing our heads off. You’d think our mom would have been upset, but all she could do is laugh with us. Since then I have assumed my mother’s role, canned many a cob of corn, and want to share with you how to process ‘doing it yourself’ canning corn. If you have never […]

How to Make Delicious Homemade Butter

Imagine the smell of freshly made homemade bread. Now imagine spreading your own homemade butter on a slice of steaming hot bread. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! One of the things about my mom that I miss the most is her homestead cooking and one of my favorites was that creamy homemade butter that melted on my tongue. Butter Basics Homemade butter does not have an oily taste like margarine. The cream and butter that comes from grass-fed cows are high in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and it can lower cholesterol. Even though butter has saturated fat, it […]

Easy Checklist to Winterize Your Garden

As a homesteader, you may be wondering where you’re going to get the energy for preparing your garden for winter after all the hard work of harvesting the vegetables from your garden. Remember how happy you were when you realized that you wouldn’t need to buy any vegetables all winter long? Keep that in mind along with the fact that it will now be cooler to work outside. You can print out the below list to check off items as you complete them and before long you’ll be done so you can take a break for a few days. Those […]

How to Ferment Vegetables

Fermenting vegetables grown in your garden accomplishes two things at once. First, it enhances the nutritional value of the vegetables by preserving them at their peak. Second, it preserves the vegetables, so you can enjoy them all winter long. The process used for fermenting vegetables is simple. You need the right equipment and the right ingredients – and before you know it, you’ll have a pantry full of delicious, fermented vegetables for your family to eat. Fermentation Equipment The equipment you need to ferment vegetables is minimal and inexpensive. Here are the basic things you’ll need to have on hand: […]

5 Gardening Budget Hacks

For people who are homesteading, managing expenses is a challenge. You want to be self-sufficient and yet some of the things that you need to do don’t happen overnight. They require an investment of both time and money. These things are true of gardening. It’s natural to want your garden to yield enough food for you and your family. However, you must strike a balance between pushing toward self-reliance and not blowing through your gardening budget. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 5 cheap gardening tricks to help you achieve self-reliance. #1: Pre-sprout Your Seeds This first trick […]

Do-It-Yourself Worm Casting Methods for Compost

If you’re a homesteader, you probably know all about composting. Composting kitchen scraps are one of the best ways to fertilize your garden without chemicals and pesticides. Some of the most effective composters use worms to break down food. If you have a worm composter, then you might not know that worm castings – the black waste that worms produce – is arguably the single best fertilizer known to man. The challenge is finding a way to harvest the worm castings – also known as black gold – without disturbing or harming your worms. You also want to make sure […]

5 Simple Methods to Preserve Food

As a homesteader, you know that it’s important to know how to preserve food. Very few of us live in a climate where we can grow food year-round. During the colder months, true self-sufficiency requires a working knowledge of food preservation methods. That’s why we’ve put together a list of methods you can use to preserve food. Whether you’re looking for methods to preserve fruits and vegetables from your garden, items you’ve foraged, or animals that you’ve caught while hunting or fishing, we’ve got you covered. Method #1: Canning Canning is probably the most popular form of preserving food. It’s […]

[DIY] Simple Venison Jerky Recipe

When you’re stockpiling for an emergency, some foods are easier to preserve than others. Vegetables and fruits can be canned or dried. But what do you do to preserve meat? Freezing is effective for regular use, but it won’t help you if there’s no power. One of the best and most effective ways to preserve meat is by making jerky. Jerky is easy to make, healthy to eat and has a long shelf life. Making it can extend the life of venison and provide you with a healthy, protein-packed snack to get you through hard times. Preparing to Make […]

Simple 5 Step Homemade Salsa Recipe

One of our favorite things about homesteading is that it has allowed us to reconnect with food in a new way. Let’s face it, a lot of the fruits and vegetables we buy at the supermarket are grown using chemicals and harsh fertilizers. They’re harvested before they’re ready, as a result, they don’t have the rich, delicious flavors as they do when fresh. By contrast, home-grown produce is bursting with flavor. Once you’ve tried growing vegetables and cooking with them, you’ll never want to go back to boring supermarket produce again. Are you looking for ways to use the vegetables […]

5 Ways Pigs Are Valuable Beyond Just Meat

When you are living off the land, owning animals that can provide you with food can be extremely beneficial. You may grow plenty of crops and fill your pantry with canned vegetables, but if you aren’t getting enough protein, you won’t have the energy to tend to your farm and home. While there are some homesteaders who don’t want to commit to raising a large farm or a herd of cattle, there are plenty of other animals such as chickens or turkeys that can ensure you have meat and eggs throughout the year. They are also low-maintenance so that […]

4 Weird but Effective Ways to Avoid Deadly Bacteria

The primary reason we need to stay clean is to maintain control over the harmful bacteria that can manifest itself in all the crevices of our body that make us smell bad and breed disease. The easiest way to accomplish this is to focus on the areas with the most potential for bacterial growth and go from there. What areas are those? Just follow your nose. It’s no coincidence that the areas that provide our embarrassing body odor are the areas we most need to target. Just like a clogged kitchen drain or backed up sewer system, if the smell […]

5 Step DIY Soap

Making your own soap can be a fun and creative experience. You have the advantage to create a product that is safer than those available in stores and something that is free of perfumes or chemicals. You can also save money over time by making your own soap when compared to products in stores that contain the same natural ingredients. Need another good reason? You can sell it and make a reasonable profit to help you buy the things you need. If you are creative with making soap, you can use molds to make natural skin care products into tiny […]

5 Natural Medicines You Need to Know

More and more people are turning to natural remedies, especially for day-to-day injuries and ailments. The concept of antibiotics goes back well before the discovery of penicillin. In fact, some of the natural medications used most have good antibiotic properties. Whether you are suffering from a cut or scrape, or a classic cold, flu, earache, or UTI there are remedies that can assist your body in getting rid of it and getting you back on your feet. Natural Aspirin The most commonly talked about Salicylic Acid, or natural aspirin, is Willow Bark. Used for thousands of years, modern-day aspirin was […]

Can Rabbits Contribute to a Homestead?

Not just for pets, including rabbits on a homestead can be a great way to contribute to your food supplies, both as a food source and a natural fertilizer for your garden. If you’re into fiber arts or want some extra money, angora rabbits give an additional benefit just by growing their fur. Rabbits for Manure A single rabbit can produce approximately a pound of dry manure each week. That’s roughly 50 pounds a year. This high-quality soil conditioner is usually low in weed seeds thanks to the prepared foods typically used to feed them. It also contains an excellent […]

7 Steps for Easy Canning

If you decide to get into the wonderful world of canning, be prepared to experience some of the more flavorful food you’ve ever experienced at a fraction of the cost. Canning allows you to pick or buy produce when it’s at its peak maturity and preserve that flavor year-round. The simplest canning process is Water Bath Canning. To get started you’ll need a few inexpensive basics, many of which you may already have, or be able to find at your local thrift store or flea market. The absolute essential musts are: A pot that holds enough water to cover any […]

3 Keys to Choosing the Perfect Livestock

A farm or homestead without livestock seems unusual, to say the least. Whether you see yourself with a flock of cheerful chickens, a herd of graceful goats or a few calming cows, livestock are a valuable food source that should be planned for carefully, then cared for consistently. Are You Ready to Be Available Every Minute of Every Day? Are you prepared to be “on-call” for your animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? When you enter the world of livestock, a few things to be aware of are: Newborns usually come in the […]

Healthy Sweet Tea (Video)

Well, Memorial Day has come and gone, and while it’s not officially summer until June 21st, the bar-b-ques have started, the pools are open, and you’ve probably already done some tanning in your front lawn. With summer often comes delicious sweet tea, which is a staple summer drink in the South (apparently, this is what “tea” means in the Southern states. There is no other kind of tea but sweet tea, so don’t ask, or at least this is what I’ve been told). The downside of many sweet teas, especially those purchased at the store as opposed to homemade, is they’ve got […]