survival Archives - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

Identifying and Understanding Poison Ivy

The bane of every campers’ weekend getaway, poison ivy, interestingly enough is not actually in the ivy family. It’s a relative of the almond family. Who knew? Most of the time, you only have to worry about avoiding it when you are in the great outdoors and away from urban areas. However, occasionally it will pop up in your yard. If this happens, you’ll want to make sure you wear protective clothing and accessories like gloves and even a mask to avoid the worst itching you can ever imagine. Also, you’ll want to be very cautious about how you dispose […]

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: […]

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 […]

3 Effective Sheep Shearing Techniques

Despite some claims from animal rights groups, shearing is necessary to maintain the health and comfort of your sheep. There are 2 main reasons you need to have your sheep sheared once a year. If the sheep’s thick wooly coats are not removed before the summer months, they can become very uncomfortable. Additionally, the amount of dirt that can amass and become matted to their bodies could develop into a health risk. The wool from certain breeds is a valuable commodity and a good source of annual income. When raised correctly with a proper diet, a single sheep can grow […]

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 Creative Ways to Fish Without a Pole

Fishing can be many things, from a food source to recreation, a type of meditation for some but to others a popular competitive sport. Often a rite of passage full of tradition that is passed down from generation to generation. Most of us are at least familiar with the concept of fishing, usually with a rod and reel, or if out on the high seas, with a really big net! But, are there other ways to get the job done, especially if you are looking to feed your family inexpensively? You bet! Here are 3 ways to catch fish in […]

DIY Bow and Arrow

From Cavemen to Robin Hood and our own Native American neighbors, a well-crafted bow and arrow set has provided food and protection for humans for thousands of years. And while the technology has certainly advanced, if you find yourself in need of a weapon for hunting or protection, the tried and true “primitive” design of old will give you what you need every time. First, some vocabulary: Belly: the inside of the bend when a bow faces you while in use. Back: the outside of the bend. Handhold: the center area of the bow Upper limb: the area above the […]

Essential Items for Your Emergency Survival Kit (Infographic)

Whether you’re a survivalist, prepper, homesteader, or simply someone who wants to create a culture of self-reliance in your home, you need to be prepared for emergencies. It can be overwhelming thinking about everything you might need to survive long-term, but it’s always prudent to simply start with the basics. Every family should have a basic emergency survival kit, and this infographic from SHTFPreparedness.com is a great guide for how to build this kit and what you should have in it. These simple items are essential for any kind of emergency, and even if you’re not set up with enough food […]

Reasons to Stockpile Alcohol

Whether or not you like to enjoy a refreshing cocktail after a long day of homestead duties, or you’ve been sober for years, there’s actually a lot of very good reasons to stockpile alcohol, for use around the homestead and also long-term survival. To be clear, when we’re talking about alcohol, we’re talking about liquor. There are many different kinds of liquor, obviously, so let’s discuss a bit what kind you’ll want to stockpile. First of all, rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol, is great to stockpile as well, for many reasons, but this is not what we’re talking about. It does deserve […]

Preparing Your Homestead Vehicle for Emergencies

For the average homesteader, one of the biggest and most undeniable benefits of the self-reliant lifestyle is the security of a constant, sustainable source of food and fuel, especially in our fluctuating economy. Security and preparedness around your home are incredibly important, but you could be one of many people who leave out a key location when it comes to securing yourself and your family, not just your home: the car. Here are a few simple points to consider when building the right travel survival kit to meet your needs: Seating Capacity: How many people you vehicle can seat […]

Are You Making Prepper Mistakes?

If you are into learning how to survive and prepping, you read as much as you can on the subject, and you are generally willing to work hard to make sure you have everything you need when it comes to living after the SHTF. Of course, many out there do not take any steps beyond buying some “cool” and interesting gear, some freeze-dried food, and maybe some water. Those who fall into this latter category could be making some serious prepper mistakes. One of the big issues is people buying supplies and then never bothering to rotate through them. If […]

Tips for Surviving a Tornado

Tornadoes cause devastation across Midwestern states each year. Unfortunately, people die in these storms, so it makes sense for you and your family to be as prepared as possible if you live in or are visiting states that are in the path of tornadoes. Although you might not have too much warning before the storm hits, the experts are getting better at predicting tornadoes. Always listen for tornado alerts and messages and follow the instructions provided. Keep aware of the way the weather changes and stay inside. You can often tell that a storm is on the way by the […]

Survival Skills You Need Now

Do you have all the survival skills you need? Would you be able to survive if the world as we know it were to implode tomorrow? While you might have some skills that others are lacking, you might not have everything you need to survive. Just because you know how to read a compass and fire a rifle doesn’t mean you are going to live. You need to start acquiring more skills, and you need to start sooner rather than later. Medical training is very important. You don’t have to become a doctor or a nurse, but you should learn […]

Growing Calories for Survival

One of the biggest reasons people want to homestead in this day and age is to be prepared for some kind of disaster. But what should you grow that would actually help you survive? Obviously, you will need food, and not just edibles, but calories. And rows and rows of herbs and kale are probably healthy, but they’re not going to keep you alive for very long. You need dense calories, high yields, and hearty crops that can grow through winter. Potatoes are an ideal long-term survival plant. You can grow them discreetly, they are high in carbohydrates and calories, and keep […]

3 Ways to Purify Water

If you are homesteading or in a survival situation, water will always be your primary need. If you have a source for fresh water on your homestead, that’s a huge advantage, but you also might need to purify the water. Whether you are collecting water from a stream, spring, rainwater, or what have you, it’s important to be able to make the water drinkable using one of many possible purification methods. Here are a few of the easiest and most popular purification methods for your consideration: Boiling By far the easiest way to purify water, it is not always the […]

Homestead (and Life) Lessons From the Great Depression

The Great Depression was one of the most harrowing periods of history in our country, and there are many lessons we can take from it. It dramatically changed our economy, our government, our agriculture and our people. We made it through the recent Great Recession with far less damage than the Great Depression, but the possibility of something far worse seems to be constantly looming on the horizon and it’s hard to imagine we’d be prepared the way our resourceful ancestors were. The thing is, life has changed so much since the 20’s and 30’s, and we have become far […]

5 Tips for Storing Food in Harsh Conditions

Storing dry foods can be tricky. Ideally, you want to store your food at about 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, with low humidity (less than 15%). Of course, that just isn’t possible for a lot of people, especially those who live in exceedingly warm or cold climates, floodplains, etc. So how can you improve your food’s longevity, even if you’re storing it in harsh conditions? Follow these tips. Be selective with expiration dates – Canned goods can usually last years past their expiration dates, but it’s a good idea to choose the ones with the longest dates to be sure that […]

3 Tips for Prepping When You’re Broke

Whether you’re prepping in case of a disaster, you’re preparing to be an off-grid homesteader, or anything in between, you know that prepping and learning survival skills can take up a lot of time and money. That really doesn’t have to be the case, though. In fact, there are a number of ways that you can be prepared, even when you can barely pay your bills. Focus on Learning New Survival Skills First of all, being prepared isn’t just about buying cool equipment that will help you put up a tent anywhere or stay warm outside on the harshest winter […]

Preparing the Homestead for Winter

I know, I know, it’s not even labor day yet, but it’s never too early to think about preparing the homestead for winter. The key to a safe winter is planning, preparation and foresight. If you’d like to homestead one day or get more off-grid eventually, here are a few basic tips for winter prep you can start considering now, for this year or the next. Even if you’re not a homesteader at all, these are useful tips for disaster preparedness through the winter. Collecting Firewood This is probably what comes to mind first when you think of preparing for winter, […]

5 Survival Foods That Virtually Last Forever

When stocking up a survival stash, it’s important to maximize your space with items that will last the longest. Below is a list of items that will virtually last forever… 1.Dried Beans Dried beans are probably one of the most common items to stock up on and for good reason. When kept away from moisture and light, they can last for decades. Vacuum sealing is a great option for storing beans, as they keep best in an absence of oxygen. 2. Vinegar Due to its high acidity, vinegar will last essentially forever. Vinegar is a great item to stock up […]