DIY Dry Shampoo

DIY Dry Shampoo

Last week I wrote an extensive post about how to wash your hair using the “no-poo” method, and one method I mentioned was using homemade dry shampoo. This is a method of freshening up your hair that can go in conjunction with regular washing, or the no-poo method. You probably won’t want to use it as your only mode of washing, but just as a way to absorb oil and grease in between washing, and adding texture to hair to help with styling. Dry shampoo is essentially what it sounds like; a dry rub you can use to clean your […]

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Soaking and Sprouting Times for Seeds (Infographic)

Soaking and Sprouting Times for Seeds (Infographic)

I shared an article last week on sprouting alfalfa, and I did mention that you can use many other kinds of seeds and beans as well, using this method. It is definitely true that the basic principle of soaking, draining, and sprouting applies to many seeds and beans, they vary, sometimes quite drastically, in ideal soaking time and the amount of days it takes for them to sprout. Here is a great resource from nourishsystem.com for any aspiring sprouters out there. This is a chart that lists many of the popular sprouting seeds, grains, nuts, and beans, and all the information […]

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The Simplest Way to Peel Garlic. Period. (Video)

The Simplest Way to Peel Garlic. Period. (Video)

Garlic is a homestead kitchen staple, but let’s face it; it’s more than a little tedious to fidget with the papery skin of each individual clove. Sure, you could smash your garlic with a knife or a mallet and make a big mess. If you have half an hour or more to spare, you could soften the skins in hot water. If you need to peel enough garlic to season food for an army, or make a hefty portion of a natural remedy like honey-infused garlic, you can shake them into oblivion between two bowls, but that’s more trouble than […]

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How to Grow Alfalfa Sprouts

How to Grow Alfalfa Sprouts

Spring will soon be upon us, and you might be eager to get your garden started. If you’re impatient to have fresh greens again, you might want to try sprouting as you wait for the seeds in your garden to germinate. Sprouting seeds is a great way to get quick, delicious nutrients you can throw in sandwiches and salads, and they only take a few days to grow right on your countertop. This is also a great option for folks who don’t have room to garden! Fresh sprouts are not only delicious and easy, they’re actually really good for you […]

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How to Make Probiotic Cream Soda

How to Make Probiotic Cream Soda

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love a good, old-fashioned cream soda. It’s such a great treat, and hard to find a really well-brewed one these days. Earlier this week we wrote about a ginger bug which is the base for many kinds of probiotic sodas, and cream soda is one of the delicious, healthy, probiotic sodas you can make using ginger bug as a result! The really great thing about probiotic cream soda is that since you are fermenting it with a culture, the little bacteria in the culture actually eat the sugar, changing its metabolic structure, so […]

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How to Make Raw Cat Food (Video)

How to Make Raw Cat Food (Video)

Wait! I know this sounds pretty gross, but it’s actually really cool. If you’re a cat person, you probably understand the desire to feed your feline friends something nutritious and delicious. Cats are notoriously picky eaters, and part of the reason this may be is that the majority of the time, they’re being fed cooked, grain-based foods they’re simply not meant to eat! Some of my favorite health-focused homesteaders on YouTube shared this video recently of how they make their raw, super affordable cat food. They start the video by explaining why they don’t enjoy making it, so if you […]

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Frugal DIY Nesting Box Ideas

Frugal DIY Nesting Box Ideas

If you want your chickens to provide you with lots of wonderful, nutritious, farm-fresh eggs, they’re going to need some cozy nests to get the job done! You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to trick your coop out with some nice, comfortable nesting boxes for your lovely egg-laying ladies. Here are some frugal nesting box ideas for you that can all be purchased cheaply, recycled, or even scavenged for, if you’re lucky! Dishpans Dishpans, the kind you can grab at Walmart or the Dollar Tree for very cheap, are great for nesting boxes, if you cut […]

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How to Make Almond Milk (and Almond Flour!)

How to Make Almond Milk (and Almond Flour!)

I love recipes that kill two birds with one stone (come to think of it, if you know a recipe that does this literally, let me know!), and making almond flour out of the leftovers from almond milk couldn’t be easier, or healthier! It’s very simple, and all you need is almonds and clean drinking water. Almond milk is a great alternative to dairy whether you are on the paleo or whole 30 diets, are lactose intolerant, or just enjoy a delicious and wholesome nut milk! Homemade almond milk is not only cheaper than store bought kinds, it’s actually way […]

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DIY Pressure Cooker Water Distiller (Video)

DIY Pressure Cooker Water Distiller (Video)

If you’re a homesteader, you probably have been faced with the question of how to ensure your family is getting the best drinking water, or how to purify water in the event of possible contamination of your water source. There are a lot of different options out there for water purification, and distilling water is one of the best. Distilled water is actually rather controversial, as many claim it can deplete the body if essential  nutrients. While the minerals available in spring or well water can be quite beneficial, and clean, pure mineral water is great for your health, it […]

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How to Make Healthy Gummy Candy

How to Make Healthy Gummy Candy

Gummy candy is a great treat, but unfortunately, it’s usually loaded with dyes, preservatives and chemicals. Like many junk foods, there are healthy versions you can make at home, but DIY gummy candy has a unique quality among healthy alternatives to candy: it’s actually really good for you.  The base of homemade gummy candy is gelatin, which is an excellent source of protein, minerals, and vitamins that help improve skin, hair, nail, dental, and bone heath, ease the symptoms of arthritis, relieve tendonitis and other muscle and joint-related health issues. It’s amazingly good for you, but make sure you buy gelatin from grass-fed […]

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Genius Ways to Use Lard

Genius Ways to Use Lard

Lard is something many of us have considered unhealthy for years, but it’s making a comeback as nutritionists reveal the healthy, complex fats in  lard are actually pretty good for you! It’s way better for you than vegetable or seed oils, and definitely better than margarine or imitation butter. If you fry bacon at all, you definitely want to collect the fat that builds up in the pan and keep it for cooking! I keep a small jar in my fridge and use it as I would oil or butter all the time. But did you know you can render […]

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Dehydrating Food: A Beginner’s Guide

Dehydrating Food: A Beginner’s Guide

Dehydrating is a great option for preserving food for the long term, especially for gardeners or homesteaders. But even if you’re just an urban homesteader, it might be an excellent way to get started with food preservation. If you like to shop sales, frequent farmer’s markets, or grow veggies or herbs in your own little urban homestead, dehydrating is a great way to maximize your finds and easily store food for the long term. Here are some of the benefits to dehydrating vs. other food preservation methods: it preserves the nutritional content of food it condenses food and also makes […]

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The Easy Way to Make Milk Kefir

The Easy Way to Make Milk Kefir

Kefir is a cultured dairy product made from milk which turns out similar in flavor to yogurt but with a thinner, drinkable consistency. Because of the culturing process, kefir is packed with beneficial bacteria and yeasts. To make kefir, you will need the starter culture (called “grains), which can be purchased online.   Directions: Add a heaping tablespoon of kefir grains to a quart-sized glass jar and fill it up with milk. You can almost any type of dairy milk- cow, goat, pasteurized, unpasteurized, full fat, skim. If you wish to make more or less than a quart at a […]

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Beer Keg Portable Hot Shower (Video)

Beer Keg Portable Hot Shower (Video)

When I lived completely off-grid, with no running water or electricity, one of the biggest challenges was a hot shower. Paloma hot water heaters were coveted in the community I lived in, but most off-grid tent-dwelling hippies like myself couldn’t afford them. We tried everything. Sun showers, leaving long black hoses out in the sun, boiling water and pouring it with just the right mix of cold water into a water container with a spigot. But a lot of these options had us often feeling like Goldilocks-nothing was every quite right. I saw this video on YouTube recently from the […]

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A Simple Guide to Starting a Beehive (Video)

A Simple Guide to Starting a Beehive (Video)

Last week, we shared the very cool idea to make a beehive using mason jars, so since it did not come with instructions as to how to actually start a hive, I thought I’d go ahead and follow up with that one. Bees are a wonderful thing to do on the homestead, or even in your backyard, if you’re able to. Raw honey is one of the most valuable and nutritious substances on the planet, so raising bees is a space and time efficient way to produce food on a small scale, and a wonderful addition to any homestead or self-sufficiency […]

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How to Test Your Soil Using Only a Mason Jar

How to Test Your Soil Using Only a Mason Jar

  When starting a garden, it’s crucial to know what kind of soil you’re working with. It will help you determine what to plant and how to amend your soil. All soil is comprised of three basic components: sand, silt, and clay, and varying combinations of these three components determine what type of soil you have. Loamy soil is ideal, and it is typically more or less an even mix of sand, silt, and clay. It is slightly spongy and moist, but still light enough that it doesn’t get packed down too easily. In essence, it’s just right. To achieve this […]

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How to Make Hard Candy (Video)

How to Make Hard Candy (Video)

This is a homemade recipe I’ve always wanted to try, and this fun and informative video on how to make your own hard candy at home is really great! Using simple tools and ingredients that you probably already have at home, (with the exception of a candy thermometer, not everyone might have that), they walk you through the simple process with clarity and humor. Candy making is simple, but it’s also a very precise chemical reaction that’s taking place, as you bring the ingredients to extremely high temperatures to achieve the desired consistency, so I think it’s really useful to […]

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DIY Tooth Whitening Recipe

DIY Tooth Whitening Recipe

We’ve shared a lot of DIY health and personal hygiene products on this blog, and for good reason. There are so many products out there that are full of chemicals and toxins, that can be easily made at home for a fraction of the cost. This whitening tooth powder is packed with beneficial ingredients you’ll want to try.   Ingredients: 4 tablespoons bentonite clay. This is a natural, mineral-rich powder that gently cleans your teeth. It also detoxifies your mouth to freshen breath and fight gum disease 2 teaspoons baking soda. Baking soda is a very mild abrasive that polishes […]

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Mother of Four Builds House From YouTube Video Instructions

Mother of Four Builds House From YouTube Video Instructions

These days, we all rely on the internet for literally everything. I personally believe that YouTube instruction videos are one of the greatest inventions of all time (seriously!). It is such an incredible thing to be able to search for a video to help you out with a confusing or intimidating project, and homesteaders know this better than anyone! Whether you want to learn how to build cold frames, shear a sheep, or birth a baby cow, YouTube has videos for pretty much everything. Still, it might surprise you to learn what this incredibly ambitious mother of four did, using […]

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Ways to Recycle Sawdust

Ways to Recycle Sawdust

  Woodworking projects and home repairs top the to-do lists of many homesteaders, but they generate a copious amount of a largely unwanted byproduct: sawdust. Before dumping your next shovelful of sawdust into the trash, take a look at this list of creative ways to make good use of it: Use for traction when you’re stuck in the snow. Sawdust is traditionally used by logging truck drivers to prevent slipping and getting stuck in harsh winter road conditions. Keep a sealed bag or two of it in your trunk to spread around your tires for extra traction if you get […]

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