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Homesteading – Page 20 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • Make Money on Your Homestead

    Make Money on Your Homestead

    You love the idea of living simply and living on a homestead. However, you probably also love the idea of having some extra money coming into the household. Fortunately, you can combine these two loves and find some interesting ways to make money from your homestead, and it is easier than you might imagine. Here are just some of the different ways that you can start using your activities on the homestead to earn more to supplement your life.

    Grow and Sell Excess Food

    If you are already growing a nice garden, and perhaps some fruit trees to provide for you and your family, consider taking some of the excess items that you make and selling them at a farmer’s market. It is something you are already doing, and you do not want the food to go to waste, so why not make some money from it?

    Make and Sell Handmade Goods

    Consider some of the goods you are making for you and your family already. It could be something such as blankets and quilts, homemade soap, or even homemade artwork. No matter what you are making, there is a good chance that there will be a market for it online and offline.

    Sell Honey

    Another option is to start raising bees and collecting honey. People love to buy natural honey, and it is another good item if you have a farmer’s market in your area.

    Teach Homesteading

    Many people are interested in the homesteading lifestyle, and they want to try it out first. You can teach them the ins and outs of homesteading by having them come to your property to learn. In fact, you can essentially charge them to help with your chores and work on the homestead!

    Keep in mind that these are just a few of the different ways that you can start to earn from your homestead. Think about the things you do on your property that you can now start to monetize.

    How to Make Money From YourLivestock

    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 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 you will have more eggs than you know what to do with. Consider selling or bartering with the excess eggs. For example, if you have some neighbors who make soap or honey, trade the eggs for what you need.

    Selling Wool

    If you have sheep, you can only use so much wool, too. You can always sell some of the excess wool, or you can use it to make products that you can sell.

    A Petting Zoo

    Here’s an idea you might want to consider. If you have some animals such as goats, sheep, pigs, and the like, you may want to set up a petting zoo. For a few dollars, parents and their kids can come out to the farm and see the animals up close and learn more about life as a homesteader. The animals can be a real draw, especially when there are babies. Pony rides and horse rides are yet another option.

    These are just a few of the different ways that you can make money from your livestock. Consider the animals that you have and just how you might be able to profit from them, and then reinvest that money back into the homestead. There are tons of options.

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  • All About Parsnips

    All About Parsnips

    Parsnips are not a very well-known garden vegetable, but they’re wonderful to grow, taste delicious, and keep extraordinarily well in the garden over winter, or in your root cellar.

    From the carrot family, parsnips, or Pastinaca sativa, resemble a pale carrot. They can be difficult to grow, but they’re worth the effort for their ability to keep through winter. They are the easiest garden vegetable to keep in the soil through the winter, to be dug up as needed, which makes them a wonderful choice for homesteaders.

    Today, we’re going to discuss all things parsnip; how to plant, grow, harvest, and keep. Let’s get started!

    Soil

    Since parsnips need lots of room to root, they need very deep, well-cultivated soil. Naturally sandy soil is great, but if your soil tends to be more clay-like, you’ll have to prep your bed appropriately. Make sure to use lots of manure, cinder, and compost, and work as deep as 1 1/2′. The looser you can get your soil, the better!

    Planting

    You will want to make sure you have new parsnip seeds when you are planting them. Their seeds to not keep particularly well; so if they fail to sprout, old seed might be the culprit. However, it does take awhile to germinate, sometimes as long as 28 days, so be patient.

    Plant very shallow, and only cover with a very thin, gentle layer. They can have difficulty growing through all but the lightest of soil. Plant in very well-watered soil. Ideally, you’d want to plant them 1/2″ apart, but this can be difficult to do with their small, light seeds, so do the best you can. You will want them to be in rows around 18-30″ apart.

    Parsnips do not handle extreme heat very well, so plant either right after the last frost date in very early spring, or in the fall. Since they keep well through winter, they make a great fall crop.

    Weeding and Thinning 

    Due to the lengthy germination time, you’ll have to make sure to keep any weeds out of your parsnip beds so they don’t overtake the small seedlings. A great solution to this is to mix radish in with your parsnips. Raddish germinates very quickly, and will show you where the parsnips will be so you can easily weed around them and keep them protected.

    After the parsnips have come up, you can thin out about 3-6″ apart. Or, if you like, you can let them keep going and eat the thinnings! Parsnip greens are lovely and delicious.

    Make sure to keep weeding all throughout the season.

    Harvest 

    One of the things that make parsnip a wonderful winter crop is that cold weather enhances the natural sugars, making it sweeter as time goes on. So, it only makes parsnips better to leave them in the ground for at least three weeks of frosty weather. They are, surprisingly, most delicious if left in the garden all winter long! You can of course simply harvest throughout the winter as needed, which is probably the most practical and useful.

    To harvests, parsnips really need to be dug out of the garden, as opposed to carrots which can normally be pulled up. If you pull up parsnips as you would carrots, they will most likely break. So, using a small spade, dig around the base of the parsnip, loosen the ground with your hand, and dig in until you feel the whole parsnip. Then, gently loosen and pull out, to avoid breakage.

    Digging will, of course, be more difficult in winter, so plan your harvest according to how harsh your winter is.

    Preservation 

    Parsnips don’t just preserve well in the garden! If you have a particularly harsh winter and won’t be planning on regularly digging up your parsnips through the colder months, there are still reliable options for preserving them through the winter.

    The root pit method works particularly well for parsnips, and has been used for centuries. Simply lay them on the ground in a root cellar, cover with soil, then straw or leaves, and then with a tarp or plastic sheet. Or, if you do not have a root cellar, you can store parsnips between layers of damp sand in a tub or barrel in your tool shed or some other cold outbuilding.

    They can, of course, simply be preserved by freezing, drying or canning as well:

    To freeze, trim off the greens, then cut into 1/2″ cubes or in 3/4″ slices. Blanch for 2-3 minutes, then cool in ice-water baths. Package into Ziplock bags and freeze.

    To dry, make sure you do not have parsnips so old that their core has become woody. Slice or shred with a mandoline, and place in a dehydrator at the appropriate setting for vegetables. Dry thoroughly, and store. These can be easily reconstituted by soaking overnight or adding to soups or stews. Or, it can be ground into powder to add to instant vegetable soup mix.

     

    Parsnips are a wonderful, nutritious, and delicious garden vegetable. They can keep you stocked with a delicious, starchy vegetable, no matter how you choose to harvest or preserve them.

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  • How to Make a Silkworm Habitat (Video)

    How to Make a Silkworm Habitat (Video)

    One of the more obscure “animals” you can raise on your homestead, especially if you’d like to think about making a profit in the long-term, is silkworms. These little critters are where pure silk comes from, and, like bees, it’s common for them to be raised in indoor or artificial habitats so that their silk can be harvested.

    Silkworms love mulberry trees, and this video shows you how to make an artificial mulberry habitat to raise silkworms in. It was actually made by a 2nd grade teacher, so she could show her students how silkworms lived in their “natural” habitat, but I think it would translate very nicely to a starter silkworm operation for anyone who wanted to give it a try. This would be a really fun project if you’ve got kids, especially homeschooled children, so they could observe the lifecycle of the silkworms up close and personal.

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  • Common Canning Mistakes to Avoid

    Common Canning Mistakes to Avoid

    Home canning is one of the best ways to preserve food, and every homesteader should try their hand at it! You’ll love being able to make huge batches of all kinds of canned food, and save for gifts or for food through the winter. However, since it is food preservation, it is very important that you do it properly.

    These canning mistakes have the potential to actually make your canned food highly dangerous, so make sure you are following canning safety protocol before you dive in and start experimenting.

    Here are some of the worst canning mistakes you can make, that you should definitely make sure to avoid:

    1. Using an untested recipe

    Don’t improvise! Plenty of the work you’ll do in the kitchen has room for substitutions, creativity, and improvisation, but not canning. Use a recipe you know has been tested and successful. There are many wonderful, reputable sources out there for tested, proven safe recipes, so follow one of these rather than making up your own.

    2. Using non-canning jars

    When you care canning, always use jars that are made specifically for canning (they’re not hard to find!) Back in the day, it was normal for people to re-use jars for canning, but these days, cans aren’t manufactured the same, and they’re not up to the task of safely containing canned food. Use proper canning jars, and you can reuse these as long as they stay in good contition. Of course, you can’t reuse all lids, which leads us to…

    3. Reusing lids that are not meant for reuse 

    Most of the time, lids are only meant for reuse, so be very certain lids are meant for multiple uses before recycling. There are only a few brands that you can do this with. So, to be safe, you’ll probably want to use your old lids for non-canning food storage and simply buy a new set of lids when needed.

    4. Using jars that have been damaged

    Always make sure your jars have no chips or cracks in them before canning. Inspect the rim carefully, as well as the body of the jar, to make sure there are no small imperfections. Cracks or chipped rims can cause the jar to either break during canning, or not seal properly, spoiling the food.

    5. Leaving improper headspace

    Headspace is incredibly important to follow, this is why your tested recipes are crucial! Leave the proper amount of headspace in the jar, it’s there for a reason. Too little and your jars could burst, too much, and oxygen will get into the jar, causing spoilage.

     

    These mistakes are easy to avoid, and will ensure the safe preservation of food. Canning is a great skill to have, so make sure to keep these points in mind so your next canning session is successful!

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  • Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Harvesting Rainwater (Video)

    Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Harvesting Rainwater (Video)

    Harvesting rainwater is one of the best things you can do on your homestead, particularly if you are trying to be prepared for emergencies or establish self-reliance. Not to mention, it’s simply a very convenient way to water your garden and animals without impacting your water bill!

    However, as many people who have set up their own water harvesting systems will tell you, there’s a lot  that can go wrong. Rain is unpredictable and water is heavy, and if you don’t have a secure, reliable set-up, there are many ways your system can fail.

    Fortunately, you can learn from those brave water collectors who have gone before you! I think this video is a fantastic idea, because I know from experience how much trial and error water collection can involve, so this guy can help you avoid a ton of mistakes and failures. This is a must-see if you’re considering collecting and storing rainwater! Enjoy:

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  • The Reality of Homesteading: What No One Tells You

    The Reality of Homesteading: What No One Tells You

    Homesteading is a noble pursuit, and we obviously strongly encourage everyone to try their hand at it! Growing your own food, raising livestock, and living off-grid are a wonderful way to enrich your life, get healthier, and truly embrace self-reliant living.

    But it’s not all puppies and sunshine! There are some harsh realities of homesteading that a lot of people won’t tell you. Here’s what you need to know if you want to face the music.

    You Will Make a Lot of Mistakes

    Homesteading is all about trial and error, and it is through these errors that you learn. It is just the reality of growing plants that are subject to the elements and raising living animals that you simply won’t always do things right. You will make poor (although most likely simply uninformed) decisions about what to plant, where to plant, how to secure your fence, how to repel pests, etc. And you won’t realize until the damage has already been done. Don’t worry though, this happens to everyone! We’re human and we make mistakes, and the good news is, you’ll learn so much the hard way, so you won’t repeat the same mistakes twice.

    You Won’t Always Save Money

    A lot of the appeal of homesteading is that you can save money by growing and processing your own produce, meat, and dairy. But in reality, this isn’t always the case. Depending on how your season goes, you might actually pour a lot more money into your homestead than you can reasonably expect to get out of it, especially in the first few years. Homes, land, farming, and animal husbandry all involve a lot of maintenance, and this means costs. That being said, you still can establish a homestead that will save you money in the long run, a lot of it. Just stick with it and be smart about your spending.

    The Commitment is Year-Round

    Your life now probably allows for travel and time off. But when you’re homesteading, no matter what your day job is, it is a 365-day-a-year job. There are many jobs on a homestead that simply don’t allow for sleeping in or taking a day off, and this includes during sickness. You will need to rely on a strong, involved community of family and friends if you want to travel or have support if you are sick or injured. Raising crops and animals is fully involved work, and just as you need to eat and be sheltered every day, so do they, so consider the extent of this commitment before you start homesteading. It’s a big one.

    You Might Get Grossed Out….Often

    There’s a lot of “yuck” factor involved in homesteading. Dealing with animal droppings, compost, sick and dead animals, butchering, etc., are not for the faint of heart. And a lot of the time, grossness is unanticipated. You’ll have to prepare yourself for strengthening your stomach. You definitely can get used to it though; just think how many jobs there are out there that involve a high level of nastiness. Those jobs simply require getting used to and then people can handle it. You can do the same, especially if you’re really committed to homesteading.

    Death is a Reality

    Speaking of grossness, another factor you must face about homesteading is that animals get sick and die, or are killed by predators. Also, if you are planning on raising them for meat, you’ll have to kill them and slaughter them yourself. It doesn’t just turn into meat when you want it to, you have to handle that yourself! Death is a very natural part of life, especially when you are a steward of living things, as a homesteader is. Again, you will get used to this, and come to accept the inevitability of death. Wow, we’re getting philosophical here…

    It Can Be Isolating

    Depending on where you live and what kind of community you’re a part of, this might not happen. But if you live out in the country, far away from others, and travel to town rarely, you definitely might feel lonely and isolated at times. It’s important to maintain a connection to other people, to friends and family, to other parents if you’re raising children, but it can be hard. You can grow accustomed to the solitary life, though (and maybe that’s what you’re after!) and you should prepare yourself to be content with this, because homesteading takes a lot of work and commitment and you simply might not have the capacity for regular socializing.

    You Will Fall In Love With It

    There’s a reason these are the things no one tells you. It’s because truly, homesteading is wonderful, and for many people, there’s no turning back. You will most likely learn to cope quickly with these challenges and setbacks and embrace the rewarding, wonderful process of growing your homestead and living the dream.

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  • Top Chicken Breed Comparison (Infographic)

    Top Chicken Breed Comparison (Infographic)

    When it comes to choosing breeds to begin a flock of chickens, you have probably found it is quite overwhelming choosing the right one for your needs. Every breed has it’s pros and cons. Those that are popular are popular for good reason, but, like heirloom vegetables, lesser-known chicken breeds have their perks and benefits.

    Chicken breeds are much more varied than you might think, and this great infographic from ManateeChickens.com breaks down several popular breeds and various factors that might influence your decision of which ones to raise. Factors like egg production, size, weather tolerance, ability to forage, and age to maturity are all factors that you should take into account for your needs. Consider the space you have for them to forage, roost, and brood, whether they will be pets or purely used for eggs or meat, etc.

    Chickens are wonderful homestead animals to raise, so odds are you will enjoy whatever breed you choose!

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  • 13 Useful Ways to Reuse Eggshells

    13 Useful Ways to Reuse Eggshells

    If you raise chickens or simply eat a lot of eggs, you probably produce a lot of egg shells! And simply throwing them in the trash is a huge waste. Egg shells are loaded with beneficial nutrients and properties, and there are lots of ways to reuse them and make the most out of your chickens or grocery budget!

    First off, you need to make sure you store them properly. You might be able to get away with tossing them all in a 5-gallon bucket on your back porch, or, if that attracts pests or mold, you might want to take more precaution. Depending on how you reuse them, you also might want to sanitize them before storing.

    The easiest way to sanitize the egg shells is to rinse them off, the spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. This will kill any harmful bacteria that might otherwise fester in your eggshell stash.

    Then, simply store in any container of choice, and use as needed!

    Here are some of the many ways you can reuse eggshells around the house:

    Compost

    The easiest way to put your egg shells to good use is to add them to your compost pile! They’re a great addition to any compost operation, and one of the most highly recommended organic materials to start a pile. You can save up a lot to get your pile started, and just toss freshly used shells on your pile as time goes on. If you’ve got a compost pile, you’ve always got something to do with leftover egg shells!

    Garden Fertilizer

    Eggshells are a fantastic garden fertilizer, as they contain up to 97% calcium carbonite, as well as phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and calcium. You can grind them up in a food processor and sprinkle around your plants, or work into the soil of a new garden bed.

    Pest Control

    Eggshells also work as an excellent pest control! Use ground eggshells and sprinkle in a circle around any plants that have been attracting slugs or snails. The sharp fragments of eggshells will be very uninviting to these little pests, and have the added bonus of fertilizing your plants too!

    You can also deter cats (of all things) from using your garden as their own personal litter box by spreading roughly broken up egg shells around the edges. They won’t want to step on those with their delicate paws, trust me!

    Dietary Supplement

    You’ll want to make sure to use properly sanitized egg shells for this, and grind them up very finely. You can use a powerful food processor or a coffee grinder, and then add to gel caps or simply mix into food. This is an excellent source of calcium and other nutrients, and about as whole as it gets.

    Chicken Dietary Supplement

    Your chickens can benefit from those healthy nutrients too! Simply add to their feed for an added calcium boost. Their eggs will be very healthy, because they’ll be supplemented by, well, the exact nutrients they need for healthy shells!

    Seed Starts

    A very fun and clever way to use egg shells is to start seeds in them! Simply fill the shells with potting soil and plant seeds. Once they’re sprouted, all you’ll need to do is to gently crush the egg shell and plant directly in the ground! It will slowly break down as the plant grows, and fertilize the soil as it goes!

    Bird Seed

    Chickens aren’t the only birds who will enjoy your egg shells! If you crush them up and sprinkle them on the ground, you just might attract a few wild birds who will enjoy the nutritious treat.

    Household abrasive

    You can actually use finely ground eggshells as a handy, and totally natural, household abrasive. Add 1 cup finely ground egg shells to baking soda and use as you would Bon Ami for stubborn stains or grime. It’s excellent for cooked on grease and grime.

    Smoother Coffee

    You can actually add egg shells directly to your coffee to help reduce the acidity. Since egg shells are basic, they counteract the otherwise highly acidic coffee. Add a few egg shells in the machine with the ground coffee, or simply toss into your freshly brewed cup (although the former is probably preferable, I’m sure gritty coffee isn’t too appetizing to many people!)

    Natural Remedy

    Ground up eggshells can actually make a wonderful natural remedy for skin irritants. Let soak in some apple cider vinegar for a few days, and apply to minor rashes, hives, or bug bites.

    Face Mask

    You can even use eggshells in an all-natural, skin-firming face mask! Wisk up finely ground eggshells with 1 egg white, and spread on your face. Let dry, and rinse, following with toner and moisturizer.

    Suggested Article: “Apple Cider Vinegar for Beautiful Skin”

    Laundry Whitener

    This might be in the realm of old wives’ tale, but some say that if you toss some egg shells in with your whites, they’ll come out brighter!

    Candle Craft

    You can make adorable votive candles by pouring wax into an eggshell. Get creative with egg dying or colored wax! Very fun and frugal gift.

    Eggs are a fantastic food, and their shells are almost as versatile! Have you tried any of these eggshell hacks before? Let us know in the comments below.

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