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Homesteading – Page 54 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • First Snow of Winter on the Homestead (Video)

    First Snow of Winter on the Homestead (Video)

    All across the country, temperatures are dropping and snow is beginning to fall. Winter is officially almost here!

    Of course, for many homesteaders across the country this means a big change of pace. “Off the Grid with Doug and Stacey” is a really cute channel that documents their off-grid adventures in their tiny log cabin homestead. A few weeks ago they published a video of the sights on their first snow day of the year. It’s fun to see their authentic, simple, small homestead get covered with it’s first layer of 2016 winter snow. Enjoy!

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  • DIY Calamine Lotion

    DIY Calamine Lotion

    If you’ve ever had poison ivy, poison oak, hives, or any other kind of severe skin irritation that causes itching, you’ll know just how soothing calamine lotion can be. I always thought it was something specific, but it turns out the ingredients will probably be pretty familiar to you if you have a basic natural first aid arsenal.

    Even if you’ve never made your own home remedy, this is still an easy remedy with simple ingredients that aren’t too hard to find if you know where to look. Kaolin or bentonite clay are normally available at a health food store, while glycerin and zinc oxide can be found at a soap making supplier, or simply online. They’re not too expensive, and they’re a great staple to have for DIY lotion, home remedies and beauty treatments.

    Essential oils can also commonly be found at a health food store, or from a local supplier. A lot of essential oil companies have network marketers, like Young Living or DoTerra, so if you know anyone who posts constantly about essential oils, odds are they’ll happily sell you some. These also make great additions to your natural health arsenal and most essential oils have a variety of uses, particular lavender and tea tree.

    Here’s what you need: 

    1/4 cup zinc oxide
    4 teaspoons pink Kaolin clay or bentonite clay
    4 teaspoons baking soda
    1/4 cup water
    1/2 teaspoon glycerin
    3-4 drops lavender, peppermint, camphor, tea tree, or other antibacterial essential oil (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Make sure to be very careful not to inhale the zinc oxide; its safest to use a mask.
    2. Whisk everything together, blending until smooth.
    3. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, or, to have on hand, blend the dry ingredients and keep together in the cupboard (out of reach of children), and when someone gets itchy skin, blend together with the water, glycerin, and essential oils to make the lotion.

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  • Natural Antibiotics That Are Better Than a Perscription

    Natural Antibiotics That Are Better Than a Perscription

    This time of year there are all kinds of bugs in the air, and you’re bound to get sick sooner or later. A lot of people will rush right to the doctor to get antibiotics if they suspect an infection, and antibiotics certainly are amazing miracles of modern medicine.

    But they can also be harmful to your immune system and will wreak havoc on your gut bacteria, which are necessary for a healthy body. Rather than resort to antibiotics right away, why not try some natural antibiotics first? These are some great options for natural remedies of all kind, and you’ll recognize most of them from other posts on natural remedies and healing.

    They are better than prescriptions for infections because they’re cheaper, they’re natural, whole, you can find them at your local grocery store, and they do not have the harmful side effects of anitbiotics. Stock up on some of these this winter to stay healthy and get over sickness fast!

    1. Apple cider vinegar

    Apple cider vinegar is good for almost everything. Most people don’t like the taste, and it is quite intense for sure. But this fermented superfood is amazing for killing bacteria and balancing the immune system. You can put in water, juice, or tea, or simply incorporate with your food over salad or in sauces, as you would vinegar.

    2. Raw Honey

    Raw honey is a powerful antibiotic, with natural properties that fight bacteria and illness. It also has beneficial prebiotics that regular gut flora, so even if you are taking prescription antibiotics, you could take raw honey in addition to support your digestive system.

    3. Coconut Oil 

    Coconut oil has been very popular in recent years, for good reason! It contains powerful acids that can kill bacteria and regulate the immune system and gut flora (noticing a pattern here? Gut flora health matters!). The healthy fat found in coconut oil is also great for you, and together with the natural antibiotic properties of coconut oil can help fight infection, both inside the body and externally!

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  • Growing Turmeric

    Growing Turmeric

    Do you ever go inside after gardening with sore hands and stiff knees?  Instead of reaching for some Advil or other store bought anti-inflammatory medicine, why not grow your own?  Turmeric is a great medicinal plant because not only does it offer a wide array of health benefits, but it is one of the easiest plants to grow, and to harvest.  Just head to your local Asian grocery store and look for a piece of turmeric root that you can use to grow your own plants from.  Here’s how, and why you might want to.

     

    To Plant

    • Simply purchase a live turmeric root, usually only available at health food stores or Asian grocery stores.
    • When weather is warm outside, plant it in a container with good soil. It can be grown in the ground, but I like to get it started in a pot off the ground.
    • In about 120 to 150 days it should be ready to harvest.
    • If it is still in the pot you can simply pull it up and knock the dirt off the root, which is the part you are after. Remember to save some of the root to plant again so you don’t need to buy more.

    Why Grow Turmeric

    • Turmeric contains curcumin. This is the active ingredient for all of its health benefits.
    • It can be used as an anti-inflammatory.
    • It has powerful anti-oxidant properties and has been linked to reduced cancer rates.
    • It can be used to treat infections, cuts, burns, and sore throats.
    • It is very easy to grow, all it requires is some decent soil, warm weather, and water.

    I’m not a doctor so I don’t want to make any medical assertions about the potential for turmeric, but it has been used for thousands of years and there is no shortage of people who claim to have benefited greatly from this easy to grow plant.

     

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  • Tips for Better Tomatoes

    Tips for Better Tomatoes

    Homegrown tomatoes taste a far cry better than anything you will find at the grocery store. You know exactly what’s in your soil and what you are putting on the plant, so you don’t have to worry about pesticides getting you or your family sick. Here are some quick and simple tips you can use to improve the tomatoes in your garden.

    Plant Deep

    First, you always want to make sure you are planting your tomatoes as deeply as possible, without having any of the leaves touch the ground. This way, the plant will produce a stronger root system, which can increase the moisture content, since the plants are taking in more water. Another reason to plant deep is so the roots can better hold the plant in place in the event of a bad storm or wind.

    Remove the Lower Leaves

    Once your plants have started to grow and reach about two feet high, it’s a good idea to remove the lower leaves. This allows the nutrients to promote growth higher up in the plant. The leaves at the bottom, which wouldn’t be getting much sunshine anyway, are essentially useless, so there is no harm in removing them.

    Use Mulch

    Using mulch with your tomatoes will help you to conserve water. In addition, it will keep the soil warm and help to foster a strong root system. Another one of the benefits of using mulch is that it can help to prevent diseases in the plant.

    Tomato Cages

    Using tomato cages can help ensure your plants don’t topple over. Once a plant starts to grow and develop fruit, it can get top heavy. Using the cage ensures it stays upright and continues to grow. Another one of the benefits is that the stalks are under less stress, which means bigger tomatoes.

    These are some simple tips you can start using the next time you plant your tomatoes. Happy harvesting!

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  • Rope Making (Video)

    Rope Making (Video)

    When it comes to homesteading, I love plotting and planning for as much self-reliance as possible. And a huge part of that includes supplies. I love to see how other people make their own supplies, and this rope-making video is pretty cool.

    They have a pretty cool little contraption that wouldn’t be to difficult to make, and it’s really awesome to see the way they suspend the pieces of twine out on it and carefully twist the rope together. Check it out!

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  • Seed Tape  

    Seed Tape  

     

    At $3 or more per packet, seeds can be one of the primary costs of gardening, especially if you are starting a new garden or expanding the crops you are growing.  To some extent, it is an unavoidable cost, but all too often seeds are wasted and the cost of your garden grows needlessly.  One of the most common causes for this is not properly spacing the seeds when they are planted.  Seed tape is a great way to prevent this from happening and save you a lot of money on your garden budget.  Here’s what you need and now to get started.

     

    Materials

    • Seeds, you really only need to make seed tape for seeds that are so small they are difficult to handle individually with your fingers.
    • 2-ply toilet paper
    • All purpose flour
    • Water

    How to Make it

    1. Measure out a length of toilet paper to the length of your raised beds, or the shortest length if your beds are not the same size.
    2. Split the toilet paper. Separating the 2 plies from each other.  This will give you more paper to work with and make it easier on your seeds to sprout.  You don’t want to leave it intact.
    3. Spread the toilet paper out on a surface large enough to work on.
    4. Mix the flour and water together until you have a paste. This paste will be used to hold the seeds in place on the toilet paper.  It should be a little thinner than toothpaste.
    5. Spoon out a small amount, about the size of your thumbnail, of the flour paste on to the separated toilet paper. Place a dab of paste every 3 to 4 inches down the paper, about one per square on most toilet papers.  Do not place the dab directly in the center of the paper, but rather about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom.  This is to allow for the top to be folded down on top of it later when you are done.
    6. Now, place a seed, or two seeds if you are using seeds with a low germination rate, on each dab of flour paste. When you reach the end of the toilet paper, fold the top over.
    7. Carefully roll the tape back up, and then just unroll the tape in your garden bed and cover with a light layer or soil or fine compost and water in.

    In only a few minutes you can make several feet of seed tape, and at the price of seeds, and of pre-made seed tape it is well worth the time and effort.

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  • How to Build Your Food Supply

    How to Build Your Food Supply

    It’s been awhile since I wrote a prepping-related post, but winter always makes me think of stocking up for disaster.

    If you are just getting into the field of survival and prepping, you know how important it is to have a good stockpile of food, but you might be intimidated by the amount of food that you’ve seen other preppers accumulate. Just because they might have a basement that’s brimming with canned goods and rice doesn’t mean you need to do the same thing overnight. Here are some tips you can follow so you can build your own food supply.

    You can start slowly, and that’s exactly what you should do. In fact, start with just a 72-hour supply of extra food in the house. Over the course of a few weeks or a month, you can build your supply of extra food up to an entire week’s worth. Just a couple of extra cans when you go to the grocery store is all you need to do.

    You also need to think about the amount of space you have available to store the food. Depending on your current living situation, you might not have room for more than a month or two’s supply of food at most. Maybe less. If you have a bugout location that’s safe and has storage, you can move some of your nonperishable items there too. This way, you can build your food storage in both locations.

    Focus on the staples. You need rice, oatmeal, beans, and powdered milk. You need some canned foods that will last for years. What you don’t need to do is spend a fortune on crazy freeze-dried foods that are overpriced for the amount you get. Always make sure you are getting a good deal on anything you buy. As you can see, it’s possible to start up a food supply relatively easily. Get started now.

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