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How to Set Up A Rain Barrel (Infographic)

Take the adage “April showers bring May flowers” to a whole new level this year! You can harvest your April (and every other month) rain and use it to water your garden. Even if you just have a small rain barrel, it can provide a very helpful amount of water to offset your municipal water. It’s one of the simplest forms of renewable energy, and this set-up is a breeze to construct. This infographic covers ever detail of one of the most classic styles of rainwater harvesting. This would make a great spring project for any homestead! Enjoy. If you […]

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, […]

Raising Rabbits for Meat: Overview (Video)

Rabbits are a highly efficient animal to raise for food. While these days, most of us think of rabbits as pets, they’ve actually been hunted and raised for slaughter for most of human history. For what it takes to feed rabbits vs. how much meat you get out of them, they’re a great option for a small-scale animal husbandry operation on your homestead. Seasoned homesteaders and YouTubers Big Family Homestead share their set-up for raising rabbits and the creative ways they drastically reduce the cost of housing and feeding the critters. Enjoy! If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. How […]

Why Chickens Are Your Best Friend on the Homestead

If you are homesteading, one of the best animals you can have on your property is the mighty chicken. It is highly beneficial for you and your family, as well as your garden, as you will see. Eggs and Meat Naturally, this is what most people consider when they are thinking about the benefits that chickens can provide. If you have chickens, you could have fresh eggs all the time, which is a great way to add to the amount of protein your homestead can produce. Most homesteaders utilize their chickens for eggs, but it is certainly possible to use […]

How to Make Kombucha Tea (Video)

We’ve covered a lot about culturing in the past, and kombucha tea absolutely needs to be mentioned. It is one of the easiest home cultures to make and a great place to start if you’d like to get started with culturing. Kombucha is created using a fermentation process, it contains a large number of healthy bacteria known as probiotics. These bacteria strengthen your digestive tract and support your immune system, as they absorb nutrients, fight infection, and illness. Your digestive system is the second largest part of your neurological system and with 80 percent of your immune system located in your gut, it’s no surprise […]

How to Use Up Extra Tomatoes

Too many tomatoes is a great problem to have! Whether you’ve found a killer deal at the grocery store or farmer’s market, or your garden is overflowing with juicy, ripe, tomatoes just begging to be used up, having too many tomatoes on your hand is awesome, but also poses a big challenge. How on earth can you use up all those delicious tomatoes? Well, we’ve got you covered. All it takes is a little creativity! Here are some great suggestions for how to make the most of a big bounty of tomatoes. Canning This is the classic way to preserve […]

Tips for Successfully Transplanting Seedlings

We’ve posted a few helpful articles this spring on how to start your seeds indoors. But what happens after that? Here is a simple guide for how to successfully transplant seedlings in the garden. Think Ahead First of all, you’ll want to make sure before you even start your seeds that what you are planting is transplant-friendly. Not everything does well when transplanted, so direct seed sow whenever recommended. Also, for the seedlings you do plan on transplanting, designate room in the garden for them beforehand, taking into account the expected size of both the seedling and the adult plant. […]

Why You Should Know About Leeks

Many Americans have no idea what a leek is, but they should! Many other cultures know the depth of their health benefits, as well as delicious, savory flavor. Known scientifically as Allium porrum, leeks are closely related to other aromatic vegetables such as garlic, onions, shallots, and scallions. Like these relatives, they grow from bulbs, and have dark, green, tightly wrapped leaves. They resemble very large scallions, and usually grow about 12″ tall and a few inches in diameter. Leeks can be grown year-round, but are most commonly available fall through early spring. Their flavor is similar to that of onions and shallots, […]

Urban Chickens (Infographic)

More and more, urban dwellers are looking into what it takes to raise chickens in their own backyard. Chickens are a great way to homestead wherever you are; they’re small, don’t require a whole lot of space, are cheap to feed, and the best part: you get lots and lots of eggs! If you’re considering starting chickens in your own backyard this year, check out this infographic from Homesteading.com to see what it takes. Enjoy! If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets You Need to Know… Effective Primal Diet Hacks…

Making An Income From a 1-Acre Farm (Video)

Urban homesteading is growing in popularity recently, and it’s always really inspiring to see what people manage to cultivate and raise in an urban setting. Even better is when people are actually able to earn an income from an urban homestead, as in the case of YouTubers and urban homesteaders Weed ‘Em and Reap. They share how they moved from a tiny suburban house to a 1-acre farm and began growing their own food, raising animals, and living much healthier and happier. Not to mention–earning an income and getting out of debt! Enjoy! If you enjoyed this, you might also […]

5 Warnings for the New Homesteader

It might seem contradictory, but starting on the path to a “simpler” life can actually come with a lot of complications. In pursuit of all our hopes and visions for our homestead, we can become overwhelmed pretty quickly, or simply fail to anticipate common problems. Let me share with you a few key lessons I’ve learned over the years that will help to take the growing pains out of your homesteading journey! Realize that this lifestyle is “simple”, but it’s not easy. The best things in life come about as a result of plenty of hard work. If you’ve been […]

How to Get Your Kids Outside With a Natural, DIY Playhouse

When I was a kid, to play out in nature for hours on end wasn’t just a privilege–it was my natural inclination! Over just a few short decades, we’ve domesticated our kids and planted them firmly in front of glowing screens and in school desks, and we wonder why so many problems crop up. For the cooped-up kid, a day outside is the best medicine. Here’s a great little project to turn a small patch of land into a seasonal, living, and edible playhouse, and it’s even easy enough for your children to help you build it! The Runner […]

4 Reasons to Keep Weeds

Any serious gardener puts one thing at the top of their list when it comes to gardening headaches: weeds! What if I told you that it doesn’t have to be this way? The first step in conquering your weed problem is to change your mindset! Here are four compelling reasons to rethink the role of weeds in your homestead: Reason #1, They’re The Easiest “Superfood” You Can Grow! Have you ever heard of a variety of “super spinach” that didn’t bolt at the first sign of heat, had 4% of your recommended protein requirements and blew the calcium […]

How to Use Calendula Oil

Calendula is a wonderful herb, that you can usually find in the natural medicine section of any health food store in the form of creams, but it’s actually much easier and cheaper to make your own calendula infused oil to use at home. Calendula is ideal for skin conditions like rashes, eczema, dry skin, burns, scrapes, sunburn, and bug bites. It is incredibly soothing and conditioning, and perfectly safe to use as well. It’s a great addition to any medicinal herb garden, but you can usually find the dried flowers very easily at health food stores or online. Making calendula-infused oil is […]

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… […]

Best Clothing for Gardening

If you spend a lot of time out in the garden, you’ll know how important good quality, functional clothing is. You don’t need just any old pair of jeans and t-shirt that you don’t mind getting dirty, although that might be your outfit of choice. Your gardening clothes will need to not only be able to withstand dirt stains, sun, sweat, and rain. Here are some pointers for choosing functional, comfortable, and sturdy gardening clothes. Covering Most seasoned gardeners opt for long sleeves and pants when spending time in the garden. This provides a nice barrier against the sun, as […]

How to Make Natural, Raw Sour Cream

Sour cream is a delicious staple condiment of American cooking, that can greatly enhance the taste of many delicious dishes, from potato pancakes, to baked potatoes, to nachos. Most people will be familiar with the store-bought version, a thick, gooey cream that comes in a plastic container and often with additives and even artificial flavoring. But did you know you can very easily make your own at home? Like pickles, homemade sodas, yogurt, and sourdough, sour cream is one of the many delicious, healthy, and easy home fermentation products that anyone can try themselves. And it just so happens to […]

How to Make Whey Ricotta (Video)

I mentioned whey, recently in my article on healthy homemade probiotic lemonade, so if you’ve read that already you’ll be familiar with it. Whey is what separates from curds when milk curdles, or what comes off of cheese or yogurt during the straining process. One of the coolest ways you can use up extra whey (and if you’ve ever made cheese, you’ll know how much you get) is to make homemade ricotta cheese. When whey first forms, it is full of protein strands, and you can essentially “harvest” these through a simple process to make delicious ricottta cheese. It’s a great way to make […]

Seed Starter Chart By Temperature (Infographic)

It’s been officially spring for a few weeks now, but depending on where you live in the country, you could be already wearing your summer clothes, or still shoveling your driveway. Temperature is a far better indication of official spring weather than the calendar, and I thought these handy infographics from Cultivatorcorner.com were a great resource to determine what you can plant and when. If you’re already ordering seeds and planning out your garden, this is a great quick-glance guide for when you can get them started. Enjoy, and happy planting! If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. How […]