kitchen Archives - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

6 Natural Ways to Rid Bugs from Your Kitchen

BUGS…No matter how hard you try, you’ll probably find a few of them in your kitchen. They sneak in through tiny cracks in your walls, foundation, and may even hitch a ride in on someone’s shoes. Thankfully, once they’re in, you have several methods of getting rid of them that don’t require the use of pesticides. After all, you don’t want those harmful chemicals in your kitchen. 1) Put a Basil Plant on Your Kitchen Counter Basil smells great. Many people find that its aroma adds a little something to air quality in their homes. It’s also a great additive […]

How They Feed a Family of 9 for $250 a Month (Video)

I’ve heard of low grocery bills, but this one takes the cake! One of my favorite homestead YouTubers, Big Family Homestead, share how they feed their family of 9 for a mere $250 a month. What I love about this is that so much of their diet is supplemented by their chickens. They don’t live somewhere that they can raise dairy or meat cows or pigs, but they’re able to eat lots of free chicken and eggs and it clearly has a great impact on their grocery bill! Also, they are smart with their meal planning. They plan out a […]

Slow Cooker vs. Instant Pot (Video)

I have been hearing so much hype about the Instant Pot lately, and I wanted to see what all the buzz was all about. I have got to tell you, I’m itching to get one of these myself after watching this video! Slow cookers are great, especially for things like bone broth or chili, but Instant Pots can cook both quickly and slowly, which is super cool. Regular pressure cookers are great, especially for off-grid energy situations, so I could see an Instant Pot being a real boon to many homesteaders! Check it out, I bet you’ll want one too: […]

How to Cook With And Season Cast Iron (Video)

A good cast iron skillet is one of the most important–if not the most important kitchen tools you’ll ever own. You could probably have only a cast iron skillet and some basic utensils in your kitchen and go very far. Many people are intimidated by cast iron because it has a particular cleaning protocol, but it’s really not so complicated to care for, especially if you know what you’re doing. The YouTube channel Tasty, purveyor of those really awesome visually-appealing viral cooking videos, shares some important tips on how to care for and use the classic cast iron skillet. Enjoy! If you […]

6 Creative Ways to Use Bone Broth

You’ve probably heard of the growing popularity of bone broth lately, and if you haven’t, you should definitely know about it. It’s not really anything new, but recent trendy diets have emphasized the regular consumption of hearty, super-nutritious bone broth as a way to get essential vitamins, minerals, and, most importantly, gelatin. Gelatin is a wonderful addition to any healthy diet, but particularly beneficial for anyone concerned about bone or joint health. The great thing is it’s very cheap and easy to make, unfortunately, it’s not always so easy to find creative ways to consume it! Especially this time of year, […]

How to Care for Wood Cutting Boards and Utensils (Video)

Wooden spoons and cutting boards are great to use in the kitchen, but, like cast-iron, they require the right kind of care. A popular way to keep wooden kitchen ware conditioned is to use mineral oil and beeswax, but is this the healthiest option for your family? Wardee from TradtionalCookingSchool.com shares her thoughts on the healthiest ways to care for wooden spoons and cutting boards in one of her recent podcast episodes, #AskWardee. Enjoy! If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Do You Have What You Need to Hold Down the Fort? Natural Healing Secrets You Need to Know… […]

Dandelion Pesto Recipe

Dandelion is a wonderful plant, that the majority of Americans just think of as a weed. If you’re not already foraging your yard’s dandelion for natural remedies or food, you definitely should be. Dandelion grows virtually everywhere, and I can almost guarantee it’s growing somewhere near you, either in your backyard, local park, or any field or meadow nearby. It was a staple of Depression-era cooking, and it’s tasty, nutritious leaves can be prepared in a number of ways. You can easily eat them raw, but if you’d like to enjoy them in a very delicious way, try this amazing […]

Dirt Cheap Foods for Homesteaders

Whether you’re an urban homesteader or full-blown, land-owning, farmer, you have probably come to a time in your life at some point in which you had to keep your budget tight. If you are saving up for land, land development, or simply trying to budget and spend in a smarter way, food is always one of the biggest expenses, and it can be hard to know how to cut back on food spending without going for less healthy, processed foods. Fortunately, there are many wonderfully healthy and nutritious foods out there that are not only good for you, they’re dirt […]

The 11 Commandments of Cast Iron Care (Graphic)

Most people who own and regularly use cast iron can’t gush enough about it. You might wonder what all the hype is about cast iron, and you also might wonder why people are so legalistic about cleaning it. The thing is, they’re really not so difficult to care for, at all, and no matter how much they wear or rust, it’s actually usually pretty easy to get them back in shape again, if you know what you’re doing. The great news about cast iron is that if you use them regularly, you really don’t have to do very much at all to […]

Five Must-Have Cast Iron Pieces

When first making the switch from toxic nonstick cookware to cast iron, you may have a few reservations about the care or cost, especially if you run your homestead on a tight budget. The good news is that cast iron cookware outlasts its nonstick and other counterparts by decades, even centuries; you won’t be replacing cheap pots and pans every few years. This coupled with a good grasp of the simple process of caring for your cookware, leaves no reason not to take the plunge! If you’re ready to start your cast iron collection, check out these essentials first! […]

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 […]

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 […]

DIY Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular and useful natural health food items you can find. It’s incredibly versatile, and can be used internally for a plethora of maladies, as a cosmetic and topical remedy and also to preserve food and sanitize the home. But did you know you can make your own right on your countertop? Homemade apple cider vinegar is not only incredibly economical, it is delicious and requires nothing special to make. Odds are if you’re already an experienced homesteader or canner, you have what you need to make delicious apple cider vinegar right at […]

Caring For Cast Iron

Cast iron sometimes gets a bad reputation as hard to care for. If you’ve never used a cast iron skillet before, rest assured: once you’ve done a few simple first maintenance steps, cast iron is even easier than caring for a special nonstick coated skillet. Seasoning Before you use your cast iron skillet for the first time, it needs to be seasoned. Seasoning is a process of creating a natural non-stick surface, and it’s very easy. All you have to do is cover the entire skillet (including the handle and the outside) with cooking oil, and bake it for an […]

Caring For Cast Iron

Cast iron sometimes gets a bad reputation as hard to care for. If you’ve never used a cast iron skillet before, rest assured: once you’ve done a few simple first maintenance steps, cast iron is even easier than caring for a special nonstick coated skillet. Seasoning Before you use your cast iron skillet for the first time, it needs to be seasoned. Seasoning is a process of creating a natural non-stick surface, and it’s very easy. All you have to do is cover the entire skillet (including the handle and the outside) with cooking oil, and bake it for an […]