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Get Lost In This Weapon Build…

The Mesmerizing Build Of A Long Bow… I love watching people build things. I get lost watching people use techniques that have been refined over generations. Watch this master of his craft create a weapon that has been used to conquer and defend millions of people for centuries… If you are looking for something a little more practical and DIY, I would suggest checking out the PVC builds of long bows. For a relatively small cost you can build your own accurate and effective long bow (but it won’t be as beautiful as the one this film)… If you liked […]

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 by 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 […]

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 very 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 […]

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. Related Article: Easy and Effective All Natural Homemade Citrus Cleaner 2. Small pieces of lemon peel scattered […]

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. 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 […]

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 some 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, […]

[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. If you liked that, you might also like: Learn How To SUPER-CHARGE your garden or farm… Click Here To Get The Best Survival Medical Course… Check Out These Mind Blowing Survival Skills…

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 eco-friendlier to reduce your carbon footprint and the chemical leftovers that are created while you get your clothes clean. Making your […]

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 self-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 […]

Books To Teach Your Kids Self-Reliance

It’s often much easier for adults to embrace the homesteading lifestyle, because they are able to look at their life as a whole picture and consider the benefits. But children don’t have the same perspective, and their point of view tends to be more immediate. In order to help kids learn to love a self-reliant lifestyle, there are many ways that homesteading families include them in their decisions and dreams for the future. One of those is to give kids survivalist role models to look up to, and there are many classic children’s books that can offer just that. From […]

Keep Your Produce Fresh Longer

One of the many benefits of having your own vegetable garden is the constant availability of fresh food in the summer and fall. But there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve wasted your hard work when you find produce you just picked wilted and not ready for anything except the compost bin. Here are some tricks that farmer’s market sellers use to keep their produce fresh during market time. Don’t pick your produce until the absolute last second. It’s tempting to go ahead and harvest what you’ll need for dinner when you’re watering your garden in the morning, but that’s […]

Garden DIY Pharmacy

You may be imagining the satisfaction you’ll feel at having a pantry full of canned vegetables and dried herbs come winter, but there’s another very important role your garden can play in your life. All medicine that is used today has a common ancestor: herbs and other plants that were once used to treat almost every ailment known to man. There are many plants that can be used for natural remedies to your every day medical needs. Even if you aren’t quite sure about the herbal “medicine” that you’ve seen as a promise for cancer, consider that some things are […]

Garden DIY Pharmacy

You may be imagining the satisfaction you’ll feel at having a pantry full of canned vegetables and dried herbs come winter, but there’s another very important role your garden can play in your life. All medicine that is used today has a common ancestor: herbs and other plants that were once used to treat almost every ailment known to man. There are many plants that can be used for natural remedies to your every day medical needs. Even if you aren’t quite sure about the herbal “medicine” that you’ve seen as a promise for cancer, consider that some things are […]

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 […]

10 Veggie Garden Hacks

Also, don’t forget to grab your free copy of my most recent guide, “Simply Homegrown”. Simply Homegrown Tips for Growing Your Own Food_6-14 Having problems downloading or printing? First make sure you have adobe .pdf reader. You can download that free here: get.adobe.com/reader/ Try “Right-Click, Save Link As” to download. To print, you can navigate through your File >> Print… or look for the print icon in the lower right-hand corner of the .pdf document when viewing. Click Here To Get The Best Survival Medical Course… Check Out These Mind Blowing Survival Skills… See what is happening in this country […]

10 Veggie Garden Hacks

Also, don’t forget to grab your free copy of my most recent guide, “Simply Homegrown”. Simply Homegrown Tips for Growing Your Own Food_6-14 Having problems downloading or printing? First make sure you have adobe .pdf reader. You can download that free here: get.adobe.com/reader/ Try “Right-Click, Save Link As” to download. To print, you can navigate through your File >> Print… or look for the print icon in the lower right-hand corner of the .pdf document when viewing. Click Here To Get The Best Survival Medical Course… Check Out These Mind Blowing Survival Skills… See what is happening in this country […]

The Future Of Home Food Production

I was blown away by this invention. It’s called “Farm Bot” and it is probably the future of home food production. While it looks like it might be a little more advanced (and expensive) than the average gardener / hobbyist can handle, it is interesting to see what these inventors were capable of creating. One of the things I really like about it is how it is “open-source”, meaning they give their plans and software away for free. So that others can freely learn from them or contribute to the project. If you want to learn more about Farm Bot, […]

Campsite Chores for Kids

Running your home efficiently takes effort from everyone. In the same way, a campsite is set up and maintained much easier if everyone pitches in. But when you are only camping a few times a year, it can be hard to know exactly what chores you can assign to children, and which you should handle yourself. This list will help you find duties that your children can do based on their age or relative ability level: Younger Children… They can help remove rocks, twigs, and leaves from the campsite area. Be sure that they focus on the fire pit, getting […]

Memorize These Kitchen Substitutes

When you’re aiming for total or near self-reliance, and you want to cook mostly from your own garden or locally available organic produce, you’re probably going to run into an ingredient that you don’t have. You don’t have to give up gourmet cooking just because you can’t get a specific type of ingredient. In most cases, there are some easy kitchen substitutes that can result in a lovely meal. While the list of substitutes that could be helpful is endless, here are a few common substitutions that would be handy to have memorized (or at least stuck to the fridge!) […]