Blog - Page 5 of 41 - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

11 More Natural Mosquito Repellents

From the early 90’s encephalitis scares to today’s news of Zika and West Nile virus, people are looking for as many options for mosquito repellent as possible. And, thanks to the chemical scares that occurred long before, effective organic options are highly desired. Fortunately, there are a number of options to make spring and summer night much more comfortable and much less life-threatening. From Lemongrass to Citronella Oil One of the most well-known mosquito repellent plants is lemongrass. Lemongrass is the plant citronella oil is extracted from. Use as a natural spray, burn in candles or put in oil […]

Home Remedies Only Mother Nature Could Come Up With

Even with modern science, many home remedies are even more effective than their commercial alternatives. If you prefer to save the commercial remedies for more severe symptoms, learning some simple home remedies will make you feel better while they make your family feel better. Whether you choose to cultivate them in your garden or forage for them, medicinal plants and oils have been successfully used for millennia. In fact, some of them have been used as far back as ancient Egyptian times. Marsh Mallow Treats inflammations and irritations of the respiratory mucous membranes and urinary membranes. On the outside, you […]

Building Your Very Own Smokehouse

There are a number of DIY smoker methods, ranging all sizes and prices. If you only need to smoke small items or one medium item at a time, like a Christmas turkey, all you need is a large terracotta pot or unused metal trash can. But, if you need a good-sized smokehouse to help you prepare for winter on a homestead or other rural area, this design based on pallet wood should provide what you need without breaking the bank. Its also designed so that you only need the most basic of woodworking skills to complete it. An important […]

Game Meat: From Field to Freezer

You’ve chosen your weapon, you’ve stalked your prey, you’ve made your shot, you’ve downed your first kill…Now What? First – Get Those Guts Out The faster you can remove the entrails, the better off you’ll be. But what is fast? Most experts will tell you if you can get it accomplished in less than 4 hours after the kill, you’ll probably be OK. Next – Skin the Hide You’ll need to remove the skin shortly after the guts so the meat can begin to cool. As you go, avoid puncturing the meat or cutting through the hide to […]

Simple 15 Step Chicken Hoop House

If you are gearing up to add chickens to your homestead, or your current chicken coop isn’t cutting it, here’s a design that works well and doesn’t take a lot to put together. The goal of this design is to have a good amount of space for the chickens to graze, in an area that was safe from predators and that can be moved around as needed. For this project you will need: 2x4s Cattle Panels (enough to cover the roof) Hardware Cloth (enough to cover the cattle panels and the side walls Expanded Metal (enough to cover the […]

4 Nifty Alternatives to the Standard Root Cellar

If you have your own garden and: You’ve used all your canning supplies Your freezer is full Your friends refuse to take any fresher produce off your hands Chances are you may need to consider an alternative method of storing your crops rather than just letting them all rot in their earthy homes. In cases like these, a good root cellar is an excellent alternative to mass vegetable homicide. However, unless you already have a handy hole dug in the ground complete with a door to keep out foraging animals. You may need a viable alternative. Fear not! Alternatives do […]

Powerful Spices You Need In Your Pantry

Whether you choose to stock up on canned goods or live off the land with your own garden of fruits and veggies and a storeroom full of meat and fish you’ve hunted yourself, you can give your taste buds more variety with the addition of different seasonings. So, take some advice and make sure you maintain a supply of spices, herbs, and other seasonings to your pantry. These may be especially useful if you happen to run into a “lean winter” scenario and need to break into your stock of canned meats and veggies or other prepackaged emergency supplies […]

7 Little-Known Miracles of Beeswax

Bees are amazing creatures. Well organized and extremely productive, they are able not only to make their own food (honey) but also the custom facilities they live in and store the food (honeycomb). In addition to pollinating naturally occurring and farmed produce, they do more for us than we can imagine. Beeswax is literally bee’s wax. It is the waxy secretion their bodies produce to make their honeycombs. And, it has as many health benefits and other uses as the honey that makes them so popular with us. Beeswax has been used for millennia. It has appeared in Egyptian tombs […]

Fascinating Ways to Reuse Old Sweaters

If you are into crafting with felt pieces, it’s actually possible to create your own felt material just by cleaning out your closet. Then, for the low cost of a few washer/dryer cycles and detergent, you can have some large pieces to use that will let you “think big” for your next project. Felt itself is a non-woven textile. It is normally created by matting and compressing the fibers together until they connect to become a very sturdy fabric. Known as the oldest form of cloth, it has an extremely long historical record. Felt has been used in numerous cultures […]

What Does “Free Range” Really Mean?

With an increase in animal rights and animal cruelty awareness, the words “free range” has become a more common sight on packaging at the grocery store. It labels animal products from animals that are farmed in a way that gives them access to outdoor spaces and free access to grazing for food. However, since there are no government regulations for the term “free range, ” the images you may have in your mind of wide open chicken yards and pastures dotted with happy cows communing with nature may not be exactly what is happening. So, what does the term […]

Benefits of Protein in Your Pantry

Protein powder is usually known as the substance that bodybuilders use to bulk up. It’s more than that, however! There are protein powders out there that go into shakes, can be mixed with water and drank on their own, and that serve as meal supplements. Having supplemental protein powder can prove very necessary for those bad years when livestock doesn’t produce or you’ve come up empty-handed while hunting. Your body needs a source of protein and when you can’t get it from meat, a supplemental powder is a great option. It’s definitely something to consider in your emergency pantry. […]

5 Things to Consider When Building an Aquaponic System

Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics. If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you. Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results. 1. Location The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great […]

Advantages of Aquaponic Farming

Aquaponics is a new way of approaching farming. Unlike traditional agriculture where you needed plants to grow vegetables, with aquaponics you need water and fish in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day. Basically, aquaponics relies on the interdependence between fish and plants: the fish produces bio-nutrients for the plants, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop. It is a blend of aquaculture and hydroponics that has plenty of advantages. If you need some reasons to get your own aquaponic system started, then here are […]

7 Interesting Ways to Use Excess Cucumbers

Congratulations on producing a successful homesteading garden this year! Now all you need to do is find ways to use your excess cucumbers. You’ve come to the right place. There is nothing as refreshing and crispy as a cucumber straight out of the garden. Even better are cucumbers in a salad or other yummy cold recipe made just for hot summer days and nights. We can suggest seven ways to use those lovely crunchy cucumbers. There are three recipes and four are for non-food uses that will surprise you. Food Uses 1. Cucumber Tomato Salad This salad could […]

Canned Corn: What’s the Trick?

A fond childhood memory is sitting on the back porch with my brother as we pulled husks off the bushels of corn on the cob. Somehow, we would always end up falling to the floor in a pile of husks with corn silk stuck in our hair laughing our heads off. You’d think our mom would have been upset, but all she could do is laugh with us. Since then I have assumed my mother’s role, canned many a cob of corn, and want to share with you how to process ‘doing it yourself’ canning corn. If you have never […]

Harvesting Your Own Maple in Just a Few Simple Steps

Tapping maple trees for sap may seem like a daunting task. However, it really is not hard to do. In fact, this outside activity can be fun as the days get warmer in anticipation of springtime. But what if you are not sure which trees are maple? Or which maple trees are the best to tap? Be assured that being self-sufficient doesn’t mean you need to be a pro at tapping. Why not start out with tapping just a few trees? You could join in with neighbors or homesteading friends to see if it is something you want to do […]

How to Make Delicious Homemade Butter

Imagine the smell of freshly made homemade bread. Now imagine spreading your own homemade butter on a slice of steaming hot bread. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! One of the things about my mom that I miss the most is her homestead cooking and one of my favorites was that creamy homemade butter that melted on my tongue. Butter Basics Homemade butter does not have an oily taste like margarine. The cream and butter that comes from grass-fed cows are high in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and it can lower cholesterol. Even though butter has saturated fat, it […]

Easy Checklist to Winterize Your Garden

As a homesteader, you may be wondering where you’re going to get the energy for preparing your garden for winter after all the hard work of harvesting the vegetables from your garden. Remember how happy you were when you realized that you wouldn’t need to buy any vegetables all winter long? Keep that in mind along with the fact that it will now be cooler to work outside. You can print out the below list to check off items as you complete them and before long you’ll be done so you can take a break for a few days. Those […]

Your Guide For Need to Know Bullet Information

When it comes to bullets, there is a LOT of information out there. Basic knowledge can be very useful when determining what type of firearm you may want to try out or eventually purchase. Ammunition itself can be extremely intimidating to the novice. Selecting the right ammo for personal defense or hunting is a very important decision that can affect performance and safety. In this article, we’ll discuss some basic terms and then go into more detail on common ammo types. First, let’s take a quick look at the most common types of weapons used by civilians for sport, home […]

Treating Your Homestead Wounds the EASY Way

As the name suggests, an open wound is an injury that has resulted in an opening in the skin. Minor versions are commonplace and can be treated at home with over the counter first aid products. Fundamental wound care is a useful skill to have in any situation. Keeping a First Aid Kit handy can go a long way to ensuring they don’t develop complications. In this post, we’re going to take a quick look at the different types of open wounds that can happen as well as basic instructions on how to care for them. TYPES There are four […]