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Easy Flourless Fudge Brownies

I’ve been on a grain-free kick lately. I’m not really “paleo”, but I do love trying out new paleo recipes as I enjoy experimenting with dairy- and grain-free recipes in the kitchen. I’m a big believer in butter and eggs, so I’d never give them up completely, but I think my favorite thing about learning paleo recipes is learning how to use non-dairy ingredients. It’s just a great cooking skill to have, plus, if I’m ever out of them and don’t feel like running to the store, which happens a lot in the winter time, let me tell you! This is a […]

How to Find Deals on Gardening Supplies

Whether you garden on a large-scale or simply have a patio garden, you’re probably always looking for good deals on gardening tools and supplies. The following suggestions will provide you with some of the best places to find those money-saving deals. Garage sales and estate sales As soon as the weather begins to get warm, people tend to get a case of spring fever and begin cleaning out their basement, garage, and storage building. They typically have a garage sale in hopes of making a little money on items they no longer want. Garden tools and equipment often end up […]

Good Girl Moonshine

If you’ve got a hankerin’ for a strong drink or are trying to kick a soda habit, Good Girl Moonshine is a great homemade drink alternative to alcohol or pop! It is healthy and detoxifying, and a very healthy habit to consume regularly. Also, this time of year, it’s a great option for beating colds or flus, or, since it’s still sizzling in many states, the heat too! This is my own personal version of a recipe found on Trim Healthy Mama, so feel free to play around with the ingredients and make it your own. The crucial ingredients here are […]

A Seasonal Guide to the Farmer’s Market (Infographic)

I recently came across this infographic on how to find seasonal produce at your farmer’s market. I thought it was particularly useful this time of year as the season is changing and it can be hard to know what’s seasonal and what’s not. It was originally posted on Popsugar.com, and I thought the cool grid format made it easy to quickly check whether or not produce is in season. This is handy for a farmer’s market, because while plenty of actual famers sell the produce they have actually grown, these days farmer’s markets are growing in popularity and some people […]

Benefits to Cooking with Cast Iron

Cast Iron pans may seem like a relic of the past, but they are still in use today in modern kitchens across the world because these pans have stood the test of time. So with more options than ever, why should you choose cast iron over alternatives like aluminum, stainless steel, or non-stick cookware? Here are just a few of the benefits to be had from cooking on cast iron. Avoid The “Teflon Flu” Non-stick cookware is coated with a synthetic polymer called polytetrafluorethylene, or PTFE. This coating can degrade in high temperatures (something kinda common in cooking) and […]

Tips for Making Your Own Crispy Pickles

Do you and your family love the taste of fresh crunchy pickles? If you do, and you are a homesteader, you have probably been trying to make your own pickles. It is not a difficult process, but you might’ve found that pickles you’ve made don’t quite have the same snap and crunch that you really like. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with soggy, bendy pickles for much longer. Just use the tips that follow and you will find that your pickles will have a much more significant crunch. One of the first things you want to do is make […]

Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow

If you are a new homesteader, one of the first things you want to think about when creating your plan is what vegetables you will be growing. You want to be as self-sufficient as possible, and that means growing and raising as much of your own food as possible. Of course, those who are new might not know what some of the best perennial vegetables are to plant. Asparagus One of the nice things about asparagus is that it is extremely durable as a crop. It also happens to be one of the first vegetables that you can harvest during […]

Easy Perennial Greens

Often we think of taking the easy way out as a bad thing, but in gardening it can be best way to do things. One example is perennial greens. After getting a perennial green started and established, your yield is going to increase for years. You will also not have down time in your garden while you wait for seeds to sprout, then to mature, and then go to seed again so you can get the next generation. Perennial greens also give you a chance to nurse an injured or sick plant back that you couldn’t do if it’s life […]

DIY Mint and Vanilla Extracts

Vanilla and mint extracts are great to have on hand for baking and cooking, especially with the holidays coming up. And what might be especially good news to gardeners with lots of mint to spare, you can actually make your own extracts very easily at home! For mint extract, either peppermint or spearmint, all it takes is lots of mint to harvest and some high-quality vodka. Vanilla, on the other hand, is probably not something you have growing in abundance in your backyard, and you might have to look for good-quality vanilla bean at your health food store or even online. But […]

DIY Pumpkin Spice-From Your Own Garden!

Everyone goes nuts this time of year for Starbucks’ famous pumpkin spice lattes, and pumpkin spice products in general are very popular. If you’re a homesteader, however, you’re probably more preoccupied with what to do with all your pumpkin! Pumpkin vines can be very productive and you end up with more pumpkin than you know what to do with. One great way to use up spare pumpkin is by making your own pumpkin spice syrup, which is the base for pumpkin spice lattes and other yummy pumpkin spice goodies (here’s the recipe for the latte itself if you’re interested) What […]

Homemade Apple Cider

Fall is right around the corner! And while pumpkin spice has gotten very popular in recent years, a timeless fall classic is apple cider. Hot apple cider has long been a staple of fall and the delicious combination of apples and warm spices couldn’t be more classic for the season. And it’s very easy to make at home for yourself! Not only is it a very simple process, but the smell of apple cider mulling on the stove will fill your house with the delightful aroma of fall. It’s great to prepare a big batch for a gathering or holiday […]

Cheap Superfoods for the Frugal Health Nut

The term “superfood” is very popular these days, and it’s often assigned to exotic, ridiculously priced food oddities like açaí berry or spirulina. But superfoods are not just for rich people, there’s plenty of everyday foods that are rich in nutrients and worthy of being called super. Every day foods like oats, eggs, butter, milk, and the rest of the items on this list may be conventional, but they’re packed with amazing and beneficial nutrients and minerals to make the most of your dollar. Grains/Starch: Oats Brown rice Quinoa Millet Sweet potatoes Red potatoes Fruits and Veggies: Cabbage Apples Carrots […]

5 Healthy-Sounding Food Additives to Avoid

We all know how many unpronounceable additives there are on ingredient labels these days, and it can be overwhelming trying to decipher even seemingly natural food brand’s ingredients. Because we don’t all have time to Google every ingredient in the supermarket isle, here are five healthy-sounding ingredients that should be avoided. Enriched Wheat Enriched wheat has long been recommended by doctors as a nutritious way to consume wheat, but it’s actually far from healthy. As real nutrients are stripped from the wheat in modern refining, enriched wheat and flour simply has synthetic nutrients added back in. Enriched flours of all […]

4 Healthy DIY Alternatives to Soda

Soda is delicious, refreshing and, unfortunately, really, really bad for you. A single can of soda contains roughly ten tablespoons of sugar, not to mention extra high fructose corn syrup, or, if you’re opting for diet soda, harmful aspartame, which has been linked to cancer in rats and is even commonly recommended that pregnant women avoid for its increased risk of birth defects or miscarriage. Soda also contains phosphoric acid, sodium, and is normally made with the lowest-quality tap water available. All these nasty ingredients greatly increase your risk of diabetes, cancer, chronic dehydration and high blood pressure, as well as tooth […]

Skills to Build While You Wish You Could Homestead

Whether you’re stuck in a cramped apartment in the city or living in a suburban starter home while you save up to buy land, there’s no reason you can’t start building your homesteader skills now, as you dream of more self-reliant times ahead. You can check out our guide to how to homestead in a city if you can’t wait to free yourself from the grid, and also start developing the following skills to be ready when the time comes to fully escape the plugged in life: Bake your own bread: We tend to take our packaged, fluffy white supermarket loaves for […]

Keep Your Produce Fresh Longer

One of the many benefits of having your own vegetable garden is the constant availability of fresh food in the summer and fall. But there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve wasted your hard work when you find produce you just picked wilted and not ready for anything except the compost bin. Here are some tricks that farmer’s market sellers use to keep their produce fresh during market time. Don’t pick your produce until the absolute last second. It’s tempting to go ahead and harvest what you’ll need for dinner when you’re watering your garden in the morning, but that’s […]

The Suburban Chicken Blueprint [eBook]

Click the image below to download your complimentary copy of The Suburban Chicken Blueprint. Inside You’ll Learn: Why raising chickens can be the best and easiest way to reduce your grocery bill and eat healthy How to raise chickens in almost ANY environment How to keep your chickens happy and healthy Countless timesaving tips and tricks And much, much, more… Download The Suburban Chicken Blueprint If you want all the hard stuff done for you, click here Having problems downloading or printing? First make sure you have adobe .pdf reader. You can download that free here: get.adobe.com/reader/ Try “Right-Click, Save […]