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Ethan Archer – Page 2 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Author: Ethan Archer

  • Understanding Gardening Zones

    Understanding Gardening Zones

    When planning a survival garden, it’s tempting to just start with a list of vegetables that you like to eat, or the ones that will offer the most nutrients and highest yields in the least amount of space. But it’s probably best to begin bygardening zones learning about your gardening zone, so that you don’t waste your time with plants that aren’t a good fit for your area.

    Garden zones, also called hardiness zones, are the areas that have been defined by the USDA, that show which plants grow best in which areas. These zones are defined by the temperate range of the area, and can be very helpful when getting started.

    The zones are divided in 13 areas, from zero to 12, and move from the northern part of the country down to the southern part. Each of those zones are divided into “a” and “b”, so that there are 26 zones in all. At the northernmost parts of the country, in northern Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana, you’ll find zones 2b through 3b. Moving down into the Midwest, you’ll find zones five, six, and seven. California and the Pacific Northwest is mostly made up of zone eight, which is also found in the southeastern states. New England follows the same pattern as the flyover states, starting with about three and moving down to about six or seven.

    On the backs of seed packets, and on the information included with plants, you’ll find a recommended zone for the best growth possible. It’s important to note that garden zones are not the absolute authority on what will or won’t grow in your area. They don’t take into account soil moisture, humidity, or the frequency of cold snaps, for example. But they will give you a great place to start as you plan your garden.

    Find your plant hardiness zone here.

    Screen Shot 2016-07-28 at 7.44.42 PM

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  • Turn Your Garden Into A DIY Spa

    Turn Your Garden Into A DIY Spa

    Besides creating a surplus of food, and being used for medicinal and cleaning purposes, your garden has many other uses. One of those is allowing you to pamper yourself once in a while! After you’ve put in all that hard work, you can harvest a few ingredients out of your garden and use them to create your veryspa own DIY spa day.

    Citrus fruits are perfect for giving oily skin a detoxifying facial. Mix the juice of a lemon, orange, or other citrus fruit, with honey and yogurt for a creamy cleanser that can also help lighten sun spots and exfoliate the skin.

    If you grow roses, you have the perfect ingredient for a relaxing soak in the tub, and for a purifying facial. Allowing the steam from a hot bath filled with rose petals to surround your face will unclog pores, and get rid of blackhead and whiteheads. Rose water is also a classic perfume that smells lovely without being overpowering.

    Rose water is also a great moisturizer. For those of you who keep bees, use a bit of grated beeswax with an equal amount of rose water, and a double portion of almond oil. Heat until the beeswax melts, and then cool and mix for a light cream that will pamper the skin without clogging pores.

    It may seem cliché, but those cucumbers on the eyes while you let a cleanser, mask, or steam treatment work actually have a purpose! Raw cucumber slices can help reduce redness and puffiness around the eyes. A face mask of marigold petals along with honey and whole milk will also help get rid of redness and thin skin.

    Include a few of these fruits, flowers, and other plants in your garden next year and don’t forget to schedule a spa day to reward yourself for all your hard work.

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  • 10 Ways to Reuse Citrus Peels

    10 Ways to Reuse Citrus Peels

    Reusing things is more than just a habit for self-sufficient homesteaders; it’s an essential part of living. Food scraps are often tossed to animals, or composted for great gardening material. But there are many ways that you can reuse citrus peels,including lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and limes.

    1. Create an eco-friendly cleaning solution by tossing lemon peels into a re-sealable container, and adding just enough vinegar to cover the peels. After two weeks, the mixture will have taken on the smell of the lemons.

    citrus

    Related Article: Easy and Effective All Natural Homemade Citrus Cleaner

    2. Small pieces of lemon peel scattered around windowsills and other thresholds will help keep ants out of the home.

    3. Lemon peels can be used to polish chrome, copper, brass, and stainless steel.

    4. Leftover orange or lemon peels can be baked until they are darkened and dried, and then used as a natural fire starter.

    5. Boil orange peels, and then strain the peels out of the water. This liquid becomes a natural glass cleaner that won’t leave streaks like some vinegars. Toss the peels into the garbage disposal when you’re done to make your sink smell great.

    6. Cut up citrus peels of any sort can be added to brown sugar to keep it moist.

    7. Adding dried, chopped citrus peels to tea makes a flavorful treat that brightens up your afternoon break.

    8. Citrus is a great bug repellant. Fill a small herb pot with soil, coffee grounds, and some dried citrus peels. Plant your starter herb, and place on the picnic table, or near the window. Bugs won’t come near it.

    9. Make a citrus-infused oil to use for cooking.

    10. Dried lemon, lime, or orange peels added to either salt or sugar can make a wonderful skin cleanser. Try this one out for gifts next time the holidays roll around.

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  • DIY Emergency Lighting

    DIY Emergency Lighting

    You never know when you might find yourself in a pinch and need some kind of emergency lighting. Perhaps the power is out and the battery in your flashlight died, or you are camping and damaged your flashlight during a hike. Whatever the reason, here are two ways that you can create an emergency candle with just a few basic supplies that you probably have around the house or campsite.candle

    1. Oil + Wick = Light

    There are many types of oil that burn, some better than others, but if you keep the basic components in mind, it’s very likely that you can create your own oil lamp quickly. A bit of olive oil in a shallow dish, with some cotton string – from the end of a mop, a shoestring, or from a ball of string – will light and burn for a few hours. If you have a tin of sardines in your emergency rations, eat the fish and leave the oil. Lay a wick in the oil and you’ve got another DIY oil lamp.

    2. Two Words: Bacon Candle

    If your electricity has gone out and you need lighting fast, grab some bacon out of the fridge (it’s going bad in there anyway with no power). Rub the fatty part of the bacon all over a wick to grease it, and then wrap the bacon around the wick at the bottom and stuff the entire thing into a jar or cup. Light the wick, and the bacon will begin to melt just like oil or wax.

    Once you’ve made it through one emergency situation, you’ll probably want to consider taking some precautions for next time. Solar yard lamps that can be dug up and carried around like a torch are a great way to have emergency lighting at night. A collection of glow sticks or extra batteries would be a good addition to your camping gear for occasions such as these.

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  • How To Use Extra Cucumbers

    How To Use Extra Cucumbers

    Many gardeners find themselves trying to give away zucchini squash year after year, but did you know that a once mildly performing cucumber plant can produce a bumper crop out of nowhere? Like many other homesteaders or serious gardeners, you can easily find yourself with cucumbers coming out of your ears. Pickles and salads get old very quickly, so here are cucumberssome other ways you can use up those surplus cucumbers.

    5 Ways to Use Surplus Cucumbers

    Sandwich spread and other dips are the perfect way to use cucumber. Add cucumber and dill to a Tzatziki sauce for Greek recipes, or create a cool cucumber spread for Cajun-style fish or chicken.

    Cucumbers make great low-calorie substitutes for chips and crackers as well. Try using crunchy cucumber slices with a spicy hummus dip for something new, or top cucumber with a small portion of salmon and cream cheese for a no-carb version of your favorite bagel breakfast.

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    If you have a young daughter or niece, why not take advantage of your cucumber surplus and throw a tea party? Cucumber sandwiches are the perfect touch to any fancy event. Serve the tea with mint from your garden for an even more personal touch.

    One of the most popular detox recipes around the Internet recently is cucumber water. Slice a cucumber in a pitcher of water, and add lemon and mint leaves for a refreshing drink. This makes water taste great but also acts as a flush for your system – great if you’re trying to lose a few pounds for the end-of-year pool party.

    Finally, if you have run the gamut of pickles and salsas for canning, and want to preserve your cucumbers long-term, try cucumber juice. It’s great added to water just like lemon juice but also works perfectly for cocktails and smoothies.

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  • [Video] Avoid these 10 veggie garden pitfalls…

    [Video] Avoid these 10 veggie garden pitfalls…

    This video does a great job addressing many common vegetable and home gardening problems and how to fix them. Some of these issues have popped up for me in the past and they are easily misdiagnosed. Watch this video to help identify your potential garden problems.

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  • Simple Green Laundry Hacks

    Simple Green Laundry Hacks

    When you begin learning how to eat and live more organically and self-sufficiently, it doesn’t take long for you to start noticing how other choices in your life could be greener.

    Did you know that more than 70% of natural streams in America have been found to contain traces of laundry detergent? Or that drying a load of laundry can create more than two kilograms of carbon released into the atmosphere?

    There are many ways to make your laundry laundryeco-friendlier to reduce your carbon footprint and the chemical leftovers that are created while you get your clothes clean.

    Making your own eco-friendly laundry detergent is a great first step. And it’s easy. There are several recipes that can be found online, but one of the most common is a simple mixture of one cup of washing soda, one cup of borax, and one grated bar of Fels Naptha soap. An ounce or two of essential oil can be added for extra freshness if desired. Blend these ingredients together and store in a sealed container. Just a tablespoon or two per

    An ounce or two of essential oil can be added for extra freshness if desired. Blend these ingredients together and store in a sealed container. Just a tablespoon or two per

    Just a tablespoon or two per load of laundry will keep your clothes looking great, and these products do not contaminate water with toxins.

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    The next way to make your laundry even greener is to line dry…

    Line drying your clothes can help them smell fresher, and get rid of a huge amount of carbon production. In order to avoid stiff towels or other clothing, be sure that your clothes have been rinsed well, and consider using a little less detergent.

    If you’d like to kick the bleach habit, but you want your whites to stay looking white, use lemon juice. This old-fashioned trick will keep white clothes bright and make them smell fresh. Using cold water is another great way to keep your home eco-friendly because heating water uses almost 90% more energy than washing in cold.

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  • Easy Milking Tips…

    Easy Milking Tips…

    One of the first big steps that many homesteaders take when becoming more self-reliant is to consider owning a dairy animal. Whether you go for a cow or a goat, having your own milk – that you can later turn into butter and cheese – is a great way to continue making your home milking a cowself-sustaining.

    If you’ve never had to milk an animal before, it can be a daunting task, but many first-time homesteaders have learned to milk their goats or cows successfully. If you are consistent with your milking routine, and you utilize a few key tips, you’ll have no trouble getting your first perfect bucket of fresh milk.

    Tip #1: Set up the ideal milking spot first.

    Animals can be easily spooked or just plain stubborn at times, and any kind of stress on their system will lower their milk production. Before you try to milk, be sure that you have a quiet, comfortable spot picked out. You want it to be clean, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and away from any distracting activity. You should have extra supplies within reach, especially at first; it is inevitable that the cow or goat will put their foot into the bucket a few times.

    Tip #2: No matter what milking routine you use, always focus on cleanliness.

    Milking gets dirty fast, and mastitis and other bacteria can spread very quickly. To keep your animals and your family healthy, it’s imperative that you keep everything clean while you milk. The udder area should be shaved or trimmed as necessary, and always wiped down before you milk. The bucket should be sanitized after every use, and you may also want to tie up the animal’s tail.

    With these two tips, and a bit of patience, you’ll find that milking is no problem at all.

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