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Homesteading – Page 42 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • Never Pay a Butcher Again! (Video)

    Never Pay a Butcher Again! (Video)

    Now, this is what homesteading is all about. Take warning: this video is NOT for everyone, and you’ll have to have a strong stomach. But if you’re weird like me and greatly enjoy learning all about cleaning and butchering an animal, you’ll love this video as much as I did.

    You get to see the entire process of a cow being butchered, from the moment it’s slaughtered, to packing it up for the freezer. Butchering a cow is definitely no easy process, but the reward is a full freezer and many healthy, nutritious meals to come.

    One of my biggest homesteading goals is to raise enough animals to live off of, so this is incredibly inspiring, so I hope it is for you too! Remember, you don’t have to homestead to benefit from fresh, pasture-raised meat like this, which we’ll discuss in a subsequent post. Until then, enjoy!

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  • It’s OK to Make Mistakes Homesteading

    It’s OK to Make Mistakes Homesteading

    Starting out with gardening, raising animals, or full-on homesteading can be very intimidating. There’s a lot of pressure to get it right, to come up with a good plan, choose the right crops, the right tools, the right animals, etc.

    And while we are very fortunate to live in a period of time in which we have a plethora of information at our fingertips, it also can set our sights pretty high, or make us feel like failures when we aren’t living off our own food and meat and still buying most of our groceries at Costco after the first year.

    But here’s what you have to embrace about homesteading: you will make mistakes. 

    Mistakes are actually a necessary part of homesteading. You can learn a lot from trial and error, and you just might find that disaster one year might result in problem-solving and valuable research that will greatly contribute to crucial prevention for the same disaster next year and for years to come.

    Most people learn best by doing, and you’re simply not going to learn how to homestead without getting out there and trying it out.

    For example, you might experience a huge pest infestation and lose a crop that you put hours of labor into planting and maintaining. As you desperately try to troubleshoot how to address the infestation using organic insecticide, you’ll start looking up how to treat it, talking to other more seasoned homesteaders, and trying out different methods of getting rid of the pests.

    Before you know it, you’re an expert on not only the pests in question, but the plant they’ve infested and what it’s usually vulnerable to. You might learn that because of certain environmental conditions in your zone or on your land in particular, that wasn’t a great choice for a crop. Or you might learn some companion planting choices that have been known to have great success repelling this particular pest.

    See how it works? Embrace mistakes! Everything is a learning experience, and you definitely won’t have it down right away. Don’t worry. There’s always next year, and you’ll have learned a heck of a lot since!

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  • How Much Land Should You Get for Homesteading

    How Much Land Should You Get for Homesteading

    If you want to live as a homesteader, you will probably be searching for some land that you can call your own. Of course, it is certainly possible to develop self-sufficient skills that do not require you to have a large homestead, or any land at all for that matter. Once you are ready to get some property though, you need to make sure you are getting the right land for how you plan to live as a homesteader.

    Many people have big plans and little knowledge when they decide that they want to homestead. They end up buying too much land, or land that is far too expensive, and they have no idea what they are doing to do with all that land. One of the first things you need to consider is the amount of land you need. If you have a relatively small family, you could probably get by with just a couple of acres. You will have room to grow food, have some livestock and more.

    Those who have bigger aspirations or larger families will want to consider larger plots of land. People who have the time could find lots that are between 20 and 40 acres and still maintain it. One of the benefits of having the extra land is the fact that it provides you with more opportunities for self-sufficiency. When you have the extra land, it means you can cut wood for your own supply of firewood, and even lumber. You will also have that land for hunting and fishing.

    Everyone is different when it comes to the amount of land needed. It will depend on your budget, the size of your family, as well as how you plan to use the land. Consider these things before choosing a piece of land.

     

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  • Herbs for Hens

    Herbs for Hens

    There are so many great medicinal herbs out there, and humans don’t have to be the only ones who benefit. Your hens can greatly benefit from herbs as well!

    One of the big reasons commercial eggs are so unappealing these days is that the chickens that produce them are usually pumped full of antibiotics, as they typically live in close quarters, to protect them from illness and disease. This of course means there are antibiotics in the eggs, and it’s far from healthy to consume antibiotics you don’t actually need. It messes with your immune system and gut flora, which is something you definitely don’t want to do.

    So, if you’re raising your own chickens, especially if they’re free-range and get to eat lots of healthy, natural foods like grass, bugs, and organic feed, they already have a much better chance against disease! But of course, even free range hens can get sick, and preventative measures are still prudent to take. Feeding your hens powerful, but safe antibiotic herbs is a great alternative to common poultry antibiotics, and won’t effect their eggs, which means it’s safer for you too!

    Here are some wonderful herbs that are great for hens:

    Oregano: 

    Oregano can be fed to your hens in bunches, and they’ll love it fresh! It is a great natural antibiotic, for hens and humans, and you can also incorporate into their feed, or into their bedding to ward off pathogens.

    Lavender: 

    Lavender can be incorporated into your hens’ bedding to keep them clean and smelling fresh. Lavender has wonderful antibacterial properties, so it’s great for hens to eat, as well as keep their nests fresh. It also has calming properties, which can help them relax and potentially produce more eggs.

    Sage:

    Hens will love to eat fresh sage as well, and it will also help ward off pathogens. Some research has been shown sage in particular can reduce salmonella in chickens’ guts.

    Comfrey

    Comefrey is a homestead wonder plant in so many ways, but one of them is as a powerful first aid salve, which you can use on chickens as well. Since chickens can have skin issues on their feet or gloves, it can help a lot with things like this.

     

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  • The Coin in the Freezer Trick

    The Coin in the Freezer Trick

    Have you ever suffered from a long-term power outage or been evacuated from your home due to a natural disaster? In the event that nothing catastrophic ends up happening to your family, you will probably end up in a frustrating situation that many find themselves in after power has been out for a prolonged or unknown period of time:

    You don’t know how long the food in your freezer has been sitting in a freezer without power.

    So, the reason this might be relevant to homesteaders is if you are working on getting off-grid or already living this way, live in a rural area with frequent power outages or rely on unreliable sources of electricity like generators or solar panels, this could be insanely useful for times when your freezer for whatever reason loses power.

    It’s very important for food safety to be able to determine whether or not food in the freezer has completely thawed, so what you do is this:

    1. Find a small, freezer-proof container that you can keep in the freezer without taking up too much space. A small plastic Tupperware or disposable plastic cup would be perfect.
    2. Fill the container with water.
    3. Place in the freezer, and let it sit overnight, or until the water freezes completely.
    4. Place a coin on the top of the frozen water.

    How It Works: 

    This is now your handy frozenness indicator. When your freezer loses power, over time, the water (and all your food) will begin to thaw. If the power goes back on before you are able to check, the water will freeze again. So, if the coin is sitting on the top of the water when you are able to get back to your freezer, or when the power goes back on, your food has remained fully frozen and won’t be spoiled. However, if it is sitting in the bottom of the cup, the food has thawed completely and is most likely spoiled.

    This is handy even if you remain at home, because in order to keep your food frozen as long as possible in a freezer that is not receiving power, you will want to keep it closed for as long as possible.

    Freezers are wonderful modern inventions that can keep food fresh for long periods of time! It’s important to have a backup plan in case they lose the power that makes them work.

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  • How to Can Beef Soup (Video)

    How to Can Beef Soup (Video)

    I recently discovered that a really great homestead blog, Homestead Acres, has a YouTube channel that is packed with great videos on this homeschooling, homesteading family sharing their experiences on their thriving homestead.

    This is one video on a series on homesteading, and I think it’s a really useful recipe for one who is trying to build up a good stockpile for your home or homestead. What’s cool about this recipe is that you start baking broth out of beef bones, which is not only a really economical way to store calories, it’s also insanely nutritious.

    The beef soup is canned using a pressure canner, which is a bit of an investment, but well worth it if you want to seriously expand your stockpile with nutritious and caloric canned foods. Pressure canning allows you to preserve things like beans and meat, so while water bath canning, which can be done without a pressure canner, is great for fruit and vegetables, a pressure canner is what you want if you want to store protein and fat, which you’ll need for serious long-term survival or self-reliance.

    That’s why I love this recipe: it uses the very affordable base of bones and vegetables for a hearty, healthy soup that will provide serious sustenance, whether you want to produce a lot of meals in a short period of time or prepare for hard times ahead. Enjoy!

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  • Outdoor Games for the Kids on the Homestead

    Outdoor Games for the Kids on the Homestead

    In today’s world, most kids spend far too much time inside. Many youngsters prefer sitting in front of the television watching shows or playing games, or zoning out on the Internet instead of getting outside. While it is smart to understand and to keep up with technology, it is just as important to make sure the kids get outside and learn to enjoy everything that the outdoors can offer.

    It’s Not All Work

    Yes, kids that live in a homesteading environment will have chores that help the rest of the house and farm. They will be expected to do these chores, along with any schoolwork they have. However, parents need to remember just how important it is to be a kid and to have fun. Not everything is about chores and work. Kids still need to have fun, and even though hunting and fishing can be a blast for many kids, they still need to have other types of fun, as well.

    The following are some simple and fun games that can be played in a rural environment. Some can be played solo, while others will need to have some additional kids (siblings, neighbors, friends) to play.

    Hide and Seek

    This is a tried and true classic. You can play during the day, or you can play at night. Naturally, there are plenty of interesting and fun places to hide on the farm and on just about any rural homestead. However, as a parent, you do need to set boundaries for the kids so they do not wander too far without your knowledge and so they do not hide near or in anything that could be dangerous. Use your common sense and pass it on to your kids.

    Flashlight Tag

    Here’s a fun twist on the classic game of tag. You play this at night. One person, called “It” has a flashlight, and it is their job to find and “tag” a person by putting the beam of light on him or her. The person who is caught in the beam then gets the flashlight and becomes “It.”

    Obstacle Course

    Another fun thing to do while outside is to set up an obstacle course. The kids can have an obstacle course that they can run, or one that they can ride their bike through. They could have hills, jumps, rope swings, walls, tires, and anything else that sounds like fun. Parents should help the kids build an obstacle course that is challenging and fun, but also safe.

    This is just the start of the many different things that kids can do to have fun when they live in a rural environment. Think back to the time when you were a kid and the things you used to do. Maybe you liked to catch fireflies in jars to examine before letting them go. You and your kids can use your imagination and find plenty of great reasons to enjoy spending more time than ever outside.

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  • Realistic First-Year Homesteading Goals

    Realistic First-Year Homesteading Goals

    If you are just starting out homesteading, planning for someday homestead, or trying your hand at urban homesteading, it’s it important to understand what is realistic to accomplish in your first year.

    Setting goals is a great way to plan for the long-term and motivate yourself towards completing a task, and knowing what’s possible in the first year of homesteading can help you set these goals. This isn’t by any means a list of everything you should do in a year, but rather, everything on this list is something you can feasibly get done in one year. Let’s begin!

    Grow herbs

    This will be particularly appealing to urban homesteaders, but anyone can do it. Growing herbs is very simple, can usually be done indoors or in limited space, or, if you’ve got lots of space and want a relatively quick and easy crop to sell at a farmer’s market or put into homemade soaps and lotions, this would be a great focus.

    Grow vegetables

    Starting a simple vegetable bed or pot garden is an excellent place to start producing your own food. In one year, you can plant a few different crops at least and watch them come to fruition, and during this time, you’ll learn about your capacity as a gardener and things like your soil content, water quality, ability to irrigate, gardening zone, where to get the best seeds, etc.

    Stockpile

    Wherever you live, you can start stocking up on food, provisions, and anything that would make you more self-reliant in your day-to-day life and if a disaster were to strike. Grocery shopping in bulk and stockpiling can be a great way to save money, too, and will get you more in the groove of a homestead mentality.

    Preserve Your Harvest

    This one goes hand-in-hand with the first three. Real homesteading often involves preserving and stockpiling the food and sustenance you are able to produce on your homestead, so within a year, you should be able to start this stockpile. Think about what you want to grow and the best way to preserve those crops, and consider investing in preserving equipment like a pressure canner or dehydrator.

     

    These are a few of the most realistic starter goals for your first year of homesteading. Other possible goals can include raising chickens, a pig, clearing more land for planting, or finding a cash crop you can invest your time in. Whatever you choose, remember that you will always learn by doing, so don’t worry about getting it all right right away!

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