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Building a Tiny Home

We recently posted an article on the tiny house movement, and I wanted to elaborate a bit more on what it takes to actually build yourself a tiny house. This is one of the biggest appeals of tiny houses, of course, that the initial building materials can be cheap, the construction easy. Many people are able to do it themselves, even if they don’t have a whole lot of construction experience. You can use foraged, repurposed, or discounted materials, and make it your own. All these factors contribute significantly to reducing the overall cost of a tiny home, so it’s […]

Homemade Cottage Cheese (Video)

I love all things homemade, especially if it’s easy! This recipe for healthy homemade cottage cheese looks totally amazing, and I can’t wait to try it myself. The cool thing about recipes like this is that they are really simple and easy, and most of the time it takes to make them is spent straining the cheese. This cottage cheese is also very nutritious and an excellent source of healthy fat and protein. Check it out: If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets You Need to Know… Effective Primal Diet Hacks…

Are You Ready for Livestock?

Raising livestock is one of the great appeals of homesteading. If you’ve just bought your own land or have plans to, or have considered raising goats or chickens in your backyard, you should be careful not to get too far ahead of yourself. The prospect of raising livestock is so appealing, the decision to dive into serious animal husbandry is no small consideration. Here are some important factors of making this big decision: Space Do you really have the room? A lot of animals need much more space than you’d think. Most animals simply won’t thrive if kept in a […]

Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Dandelions are so useful! You can use the leaves, flowers, and roots for all kinds of nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, it’s not all leafy greens and home remedies! You can make a deliciously sweet jelly with it, too, that’s great to use in place of jelly, jam, or honey to top toast or sweets. The first step is to collect your dandelions. You will need 4 cups of just the flowers, so it’s actually easiest to simply pick the flowers off the stems when gathering them, rather than just cutting the whole stem and having to go through […]

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: […]

18 Ways to Become Food Independent

The ultimate goal of homesteading for many is to be completely self-sufficient, and entirely food independent. There’s nothing as empowering as growing and making your own. While getting 100% of your food from your own land might be setting one’s sights pretty high, there’s nothing wrong with aiming for it! The thing is, while most people will always rely on at least some outside sources for their food (even homesteaders back in the day did, too!), any degree of self-sufficiency you can achieve is a step in the right direction. If you are wondering what would be involved in having a […]

The Tiny House Movement: Is It For You?

The tiny house movement, which has gained a lot of traction among those wishing to live more simply, self-sufficiently, or simply economically. It is essentially exactly what it sounds like. More and more people are opting to live in small, or rather, tiny houses, often off-grid or on a homestead as well. The idea is simple. Less stuff means less energy cost, a more minimalist lifestyle, and a simpler life. Sometimes, owners are motivated by the incredibly cheap building costs, often constructing them by hand, other times, it’s the cheap energy costs of powering, heating, and cooling a significantly smaller space. They […]

Become a Better Homesteader Using These 4 Tips

When it comes to homesteading, there is no such thing as knowing too much or working too hard. Yet, many people want to get into this lifestyle without truly understanding what it means or by looking for shortcuts. Instead of trying to find the “easy” way to be a homesteader, you need to find ways that you can become a better homesteader. The life is not always easy, but it can be extremely rewarding. The following are a few tips that will help you to get into the right mindset and to make sure homesteading for the long haul is […]

Tips for Freezing Produce at Home (Infographic)

As you are planting your spring garden, make sure you have a plan for how to use up all the delicious produce your garden will yield! Or, if you’re getting ready for the farmer’s market season to start up again and would like a quick and easy way to preserve the delicious in-season produce you can get there, consider freezing! Freezing is a simple and fast way to preserve produce to easily reuse when needed, but you’ll want to make sure you’re doing it right! We put together this infographic to use as a guide for how to freeze produce […]

10 Powerful Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

While I’m thrilled for warm weather to finally return, I’m not as excited about the flying pests that come with it. As spring marches on and the land is replenished with rainfall, potential hotspots for mosquitoes are developing. In addition to checking your property for areas where water is allowed to pool (your mosquitoes will use these as their own personal birthing centers), you can take safe steps to prevent infestation with these naturally-repellent plants! Citronella Grass/Lemongrass is the source of citronella oil that is used in many commercial insect repellent products like citronella candles and tiki torches. It can […]

Cold Canning vs Water Bath vs Pressure Canning

When considering canning as an option to preserve produce from your garden, which method should you choose? You may find that each method (pickling, hot water bath, and pressure) yields different benefits suitable for different veggies or products. Cold canning is fast, easy, and great for short-term storage. We pickle cucumbers, squash, peppers, and many other veggies. Water Bath Canning gets up to boiling temperature which works great with high acid vegetables like tomatoes. However most vegetables do not have a high enough pH to can with this method without adding an acid source. Pressure Canning gets your jar’s internal […]

Dandelion Smoothie (Video)

I’ve raved quite about about the health benefits of dandelion on this site in the past, and well, I’m certainly not alone! YouTubers Appalachia’s Homestead share their experimental healthy dandelion smoothie in this video. Adding some dandelion greens to other healthy and fresh ingredients in their Vitamix, they blend up a very tasty looking dandelion green smoothie. I think this is a great way to easily and quickly consume dandelion greens, not to mention add some free greens to your health smoothie! Check it out: If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets […]

5 Steps to Growing Watermelon (Video)

I know it’s only April, but I’m already thinking about summer! And what better way than to prep for summer now than to plant some watermelon? It’s finally getting warm enough to plant these heat-loving, delicious melons, and this great, five step video will help you figure out if you can manage it in your garden. Enjoy, and happy gardening! If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets You Need to Know… Effective Primal Diet Hacks…

Skills Every Homesteader Should Master

Homesteading is more than just what you do with your land or in your home, it’s a way of life. And with that culture comes a certain set of skills that every homesteader should learn to master. Modern humans have forgotten so many of the specialized skills our ancestors relied upon for daily life. But the entire spirit of homesteading is to regain this knowledge, this autonomy, by doing it ourselves. Here are some of the most important homesteading skills that everyone should master, whether you’re living on a 10-acre farm or a studio apartment-turned-urban homestead. Gardening/Regional Gardening Growing your […]

7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Homestead Safe

You love living on your homestead, and you cannot imagine living in anywhere but a rural area. One of the elements of having a homestead that deserves plenty of attention is keeping it safe. Whether it is wild animals that decide to get a little too close for comfort or people who are looking to steal from you or do you and your family harm, you need to have a method of keeping things secure. Since you might be far from local law enforcement and help, it is up to you to take measures to secure your property. You do […]

Simple, Effective, and Affordable Insect Trap

One of the most important elements of living as a homesteader is learning to live a simpler life. For many, the thought of “living simply” is very alluring, but making the leap to homesteading, and being successful and happy with the lifestyle, is not as easy as many wish it would be. They do not have any idea of just how they can capture the simple life that they crave. Here are some simple tips to help you with homesteading, and to help you live better. Plan Your Meals Do you tend to wait until the last minute to decide […]

Where and How to Find Wild Asparagus (Video)

Wild asparagus is one of the great finds of the foraging world, and it’s season is just beginning in North America! This Michigan man shares this video from his favorite spots, and has some very valuable tips for how and where to find the wild delicacy. There is nothing more rewarding than foraging for, cooking and eating, such a nutritious and tasty veggie. If it grows in your region, I highly recommend following these tips and seeing what you can find! Enjoy: If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets You Need to […]

Why You Should Keep a Homesteading Journal

As you embark on your homesteading journey, whether that is buying several acres of land and starting a full-fledged farm, or simply growing herbs on your windowsill and trying a few simple home ferments, it is incredibly beneficial to keep a journal. Heres a few tips on why and how to journal. Why? Journals are, literally, records of events. So as you begin gardening, raising animals, trying home cultures, and generally doing more things simpler, greener, and for yourself, you’ll want to keep track of your efforts, method, and progress. First of all, it’s fun! You can look back in […]

Companion Planting Visual Guide (Infographic)

Companion planting is a gardening practice that involves strategically planting certain vegetables next to one another for their mutual benefit. It can lend itself to great success in the garden, but it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming to plan out. This infographic from MomWithAPrep.com is a fantastic cheat sheet for figuring out the best “companions” for each garden vegetable. It also includes potentially bad companions, so you can rule those out too. Why not give companion planting a try this spring? Grab this infographic and refer to it as you plan out your garden this year. Enjoy! […]

Can Your Livestock Make Money for You?

What type of livestock do you have on your homestead? You probably have some great animals that are working to provide well for you and your family. However, have you ever stopped to think that you might be able to get even more out of the animals? In some cases, your livestock will can make money, providing you with some extra income. Let’s check out a few of the ways that your animals could make money for you. Selling Excess Eggs If you have some chickens, they are going to keep laying eggs each day in most cases. This means […]