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Homesteading – Page 24 – Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • Simple, Effective, and Affordable Insect Trap

    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 what you are going to have for your meals? This adds undue stress to your life. If you simply take a bit of time out of the week to plan your meals in advance, and to make sure you have everything needed to make those meals, it becomes much easier. This only takes about fifteen minutes to do, and you might be surprised at just how much a difference it can make.

    Reduce Use of Electronics

    Sure, you should have access to the Internet, and ideally, you will have a phone or tablet that can connect to the web. It’s a good way of communicating today, as well as to learn. After all, you are probably on a computer or phone reading this right now. However, you do need to know when to put a limit to the technology. Try to eliminate your usage of electronics after dinner, for example. The only exception would be if it were an emergency.

    Enjoy the Outdoors

    It is amazing just how much something as simple as a walk outdoors can change your mood and your outlook. Make it a point to get out at least once a day and simply enjoy the world. This is in addition to the chores that you need to do. The walk should be something that’s enjoyable, not work.

    Start living simpler – and better – today.

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  • Where and How to Find Wild Asparagus (Video)

    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:

     

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  • Why You Should Keep a Homesteading Journal

    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 a few months and remember how far you’ve come.

    But more importantly, it can be extremely helpful. As you work with inexact sciences like gardening or fermenting, you’ll probably want to remember what worked, and what didn’t. If you battled a serious bout of pests, it might be very helpful next year to look back and pinpoint the precise timing so you can take precautionary measures this year, for example. Or if you are selling eggs, keeping track of your chicken production and income can help calculate the cost and whether or not is productive for you.

    How to journal?

    The great thing is, there’s no exact science for homestead journaling!  You can find tons of great, free resources on the internet for worksheets, charts, and recordkeeping for gardening and homesteading, if you like that sort of thing, or you can simply keep a diary and record your day-to-day events.  What works for some folks may not work for you and vice versa, this is about you and recording what was successful for you.

    Bullet journals are very popular these days, and the simple method for a sort of DIY journal might be ideal for tracking planting records, daily tasks, and achievements, etc. The sky is the limit!

    However you choose to record your journey, you’ll learn as you go what’s helpful to record and track. The important part is to do it! This is how homesteaders and farmers learned and grew back in the day, so it’s just as beneficial today as always.

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  • Companion Planting Visual Guide (Infographic)

    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!

     

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  • Can Your Livestock Make Money for You?

    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 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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  • How to Set Up A Rain Barrel (Infographic)

    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.

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  • 6 Creative Ways to Use Bone Broth

    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, sipping on a warm, frothy cup of broth might not sound so appealing to you.

    So we’ve come up with some clever ways to consume broth in your diet that you might not have thought of. Let’s begin:

    Soups and Stews

    Using bone broth as the base for hearty soups and stews is, of course, the most obvious way to get this hearty, healthy broth into your diet. You can use as you would chicken broth or even water. But, since the weather is warming up this time of year, if warm tomato soup or hot, spicy chili isn’t sounding too appealing to you, don’t forget there are great cold summer soups like gazpacho and vichyssoise that bone broth can be used for too.

    Related Article:  How to Cook Bone Broth in Your Slow Cooker

    Steaming Vegetables

    If you are one to enjoy some simple steamed vegetables in a quick weeknight dinner, you’ll be happy to know that you can use bone broth in place of water! Steaming vegetables with bone broth infuse the veggies with the health benefits of the broth and add a rich, deep, flavor as well.

    Cooking rice, pasta, beans, etc. 

    As with steaming vegetables, you can use your bone broth in place of water when cooking rice, pasta, beans, quinoa, lentils, or other legumes or grains. It will add a rich flavor as well as the nutrients and minerals of the broth.

    Sauteeing Vegetables

    You can always throw a little bone broth in when you are sauteeing vegetables or making a stir-fry. It will help the vegetables cook faster as well as lend it’s rich flavor to your dish.

    Related Article:  How to Make Bone Broth (Video)

    Sauces and Gravies 

    Many sauces require a fatty broth or milk to be reduced, and bone broth can almost always be used for that. It makes a wonderful base for a wide range of sauces and is always ideal for gravy.

    Egg Dishes

    Use bone broth in place of water or milk when cooking scrambled eggs, frittatas or quiches.

    Get Creative!

    Hopefully, this has given you an idea of just how many options there are for using bone broth! Try to see if there are other creative ways to incorporate bone broth into your daily life. Happy cooking!

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  • Raising Rabbits for Meat: Overview (Video)

    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!

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