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Homesteading – Page 61 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • Simple Homemade Paleo Mayonnaise (Video)

    Simple Homemade Paleo Mayonnaise (Video)

    Mayonnaise is a condiment staple that most houses stay well-stocked in. However, most store-bought mayonnaise, even the “natural” kind, is made from either unhealthy, caloric, “bad fat” oils, GMO soy ingredients, or both. Mayonnaise used to be something most homes made from scratch, and it is really quite simple to make your own, and requires ingredients you most likely already have!

    If the “paleo” part of this recipe sounds gross to you, don’t worry! “Paleo” mayonnaise is really no different than regular homemade mayonnaise. There are sometimes variations on this classic recipe, but it will taste no different than the mayonnaise you’re used to. Well, not necessarily: it might taste way better!

    Here’s a great video instructional on how to make this basic recipe. Enjoy!

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  • Easy Poison Ivy Remedy

    Easy Poison Ivy Remedy

    Poison ivy is such a drag to get. It can debilitate you almost as much as an actual injury. Depending on where you get it on your body, it can make it difficult and even painful to move and get work done, and especially for little ones, can make life very uncomfortable. The uncontrollable itchiness makes it hard to heal, also, as resisting the urge to scratch can be very difficult.

    There are a number of good poison ivy remedies out there, but I love this one because it is super simple, very cheap to make and will last you a long time. It’s the kind of thing you can make a big batch of and leave in your medicine cabinet for years, always ready to use.

    It is a remedy that is best made ahead of time, but there’s also a quick shortcut if you need it on the spot, which I’ll include at the bottom. Let’s begin:

    Ingredients: 

    1 quart raw organic apple cider vinegar (you probably won’t use all of this)

    1-2 bunches fresh organic sage

    1-2 bunches fresh organic plantain herb

    1 quart mason jar with lid

    *A quick note on plantain: this herb (not to be confused with plantain fruit) is most commonly found growing in your yard rather than in your herb garden or grocery store, so to ensure you do have “organic”, pick some that you know has not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. If you can’t find any plantain, it can easily be omitted or replaced with an equal amount of sage if desired. 

    Directions: 

    1. Wash and dry your herbs, the chop roughly. You want to make sure every leaf is cut at least once, but it doesn’t have to be diced. You can also put them in a blender with a little apple cider vinegar to make sure the essential oils in the herbs are properly released.
    2. Stuff your herbs into the mason jar.
    3. Cover the herbs with the apple cider vinegar, making sure there are no air bubbles in between the leaves. You can ensure this by pressing down on the herbs with a wooden spoon, releasing any air bubbles (here’s the cheat if you need this ready faster: heat up your apple cider vinegar and then steep the herbs in the hot vinegar as you would tea, then proceed to step 5)
    4. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks.
    5. After your waiting period (or when the mixture has cooled, if you are doing the quick version), strain out the herbs and return to the jar, or a smaller jar if needed, for storage.
    6. Dab the mixture gently onto the infected area as needed, using a cotton ball or soft cotton cloth. This will sting a bit when applied, but it is incredibly effective!

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  • Tips to Help You Improve Your Soil

    Tips to Help You Improve Your Soil

    If you are going to be successful at homesteading, you need to have good soil. There are no two ways around it. However, this doesn’t mean that the soil on your land right now needs to be great. There are some simple things you can do to improve the quality of your soil so you can grow your food, and that’s what we’ll be covering over the course of this post.

    Composting

    Take the yard waste and your kitchen waste and create compost. Grass clippings, leaves, vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and the like can make great compost. However, you don’t want to add leftover meat, human waste, or the waste of any animal that eats meat for that matter. Making your own compost pile is easy, and it can make a difference in your soil, as it adds so many nutrients to it.

    Manure

    Another good option to consider is manure, but you need to be careful. It should be added to the compost pile, or you should age the manure by letting it sit. Otherwise, it is going to get too hot. If you were to put this onto plants, it would burn them, which is not something you want to happen. If you have fresh manure, add it in the fall after the harvest. This way, it can sit through the winter.

    Many different types of animals’ waste can be used for your manure. Some of the best options include cow, horse, chicken, sheep, and goat. You can even use rabbit pellets, so if you also happen to raise rabbits, that should be a plentiful and free source of manure for you. One of the other benefits of rabbit pellets is the fact that they are a “cold” manure, so you can add them to plants immediately. You can just place the droppings onto the plants and leave them.

    Mulching

    Another fantastic way that you can start to improve the quality of your soil is through mulching. You can use hay or straw for the mulch, but make sure that it is organic and that it hasn’t been treated with any chemicals. You could also use a variety of other materials. Choose something that you have readily available.

    When you add mulch, you can hold moisture in the soil, which can help protect your plants. It can also ensure the plants stay safer during fluctuating temperatures. For example, it can help save some plants from a frost. Like compost, as it breaks down, it will add some more nutrition to the soil.

    Some simple items that you can use for mulch in addition to hay or straw include grass clippings, bark and wood chips, decaying leaves, peat moss, and some of your compost.

    As you can see, these are some very simple methods you can employ to improve your soil and therefore improve your garden no matter how large or small it might be.

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  • Best Ways to Use a Pumpkin

    Best Ways to Use a Pumpkin

    Pumpkins are for far more than just carving into jack o’ lanterns on Halloween or holiday pumpkin pie! You can find tons of fantastic uses for pumpkins as a homesteader. Let’s look at a few of the different things you can do with pumpkins to make them even more useful.

    The Seeds

    With the seeds, you have a couple of options. First, you can collect the seeds and then use them the next time you plant pumpkins. It’s a way to keep the crop going so you have plenty of quality pumpkins each year.

    Of course, you do not have to collect and use all the seeds for planting by any means. You can also roast the seeds. Adding a little bit of salt – sea salt if you have it – makes them a fantastic snack. You could also add a bit of honey when you roast them if you would like, but it is certainly not needed.

    Puree the Pumpkins

    You can puree the pumpkin by cutting it down the middle, removing the seeds and the pulp and then baking it for about 90 minutes in a baking dish along with a cup of water. Remove the flesh, and then puree it. You can then store the puree by freezing it and use for a wealth of different recipes including pumpkin pancakes, pies, and more.

    Pumpkin Butter

    This is an easy to make and tasty butter that can add something extra to your meals. Put two cups of the puree into a saucepan, and then add a cup of apple cider and a cup of brown sugar. You can add some spices, such as cinnamon, if you have it available as well. Boil the ingredients and then let it simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes or so. After it cools, you can store it in the fridge in glass jars. Use it just like you would any other type of sweet butter.

    Make Soup

    Like butternut squash, pumpkin can make a fantastic soup. You can add some ginger, apples, and other ingredients to the soup, which is perfect for the autumn. Even a single large pumpkin can make a nice big batch of soup that could last you and your family a couple of days.

    Food for the Animals

    Pumpkins can also make a nice treat for some of the animals that you have at your homestead. Goats and hogs, for example, tend to like pumpkin quite a bit, and you can try it out with some of your other animals as well. You will also find that wild animals, including deer, enjoy pumpkins.

    This is just the start of some of the ways you can use pumpkins and some of the recipe ideas you can try. Plenty of other great options are available with pumpkins as well. It is a very versatile and tasty part of any homesteader’s life. If you have the room, you might want to start a pumpkin patch of your own.

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  • Avoid Homesteading Mistakes

    Avoid Homesteading Mistakes

    Whether you are new to homesteading, or you’ve been homesteading for years, you know there are always things you could do better and ways that you could improve. You also know that it is possible to make some costly mistakes if you aren’t careful. Let’s look at some of the biggest mistakes homesteaders make so you don’t fall victim to them.

    Not Having a Plan

    This is one of the biggest problems facing brand new homesteaders. They have the desire and they’ve started to acquire the skills, but they simply don’t take the time to put together an actual plan of how they are going from their current life into the homesteading life. They jump in with both feet and before they know it, they find that they’ve landed in quicksand because they didn’t plan for every eventuality. You have to slow down, think long-term, and have a plan.

    Start Slowly

    Along the same lines, many people try to start too big. They go from living in the suburbs with a flower garden to living on a farm with several acres to care for, chickens, goats, and a massive field of crops. You have to start small and work your way up as your skills and confidence increase.

    Overspending

    The goal of homesteading should be to save money. However, many new homesteaders are overspending when they are getting started. They think they need to have brand new equipment and the “best of the best”. You don’t. Have a budget and work within it.

    Not Learning and Acquiring Skills

    Before you become a homesteader, you need to research and learn different skills. If you are going to raise goats, you need to know all about goats. If you are going to make candles, you need to know everything it takes to make candles. You can build on your skills later, but you don’t want to start when you know absolutely nothing. Increase your knowledge and then start homesteading.

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  • How to Grow Garlic

    How to Grow Garlic

    Depending on how cold it gets where you are located, now is a good time to start getting some room in your garden ready for planting garlic.  Garlic is a low-maintenance crop that isn’t cheap to buy at the store, at least not if you are buying organic.  It can be preserved easily so that you can benefit from your entire harvest, and you can plant again from your own stock further reducing costs.  Here’s how to get started.

     

    Get Your Garlic

    If you have the money and you are the nervous type, or if you have had problems with disease on your garlic before, then you should buy organic seed garlic that is certified disease free.  If not, you can save about $20 by just going to your local grocery store and buying a pound of organic garlic to plant.

    Soil Prep

    Garlic does best in full sun, so find some room in your garden that gets plenty of sun this time of year.  Garlic requires good drainage, so mounding a little soil up, especially if you are not planting in a raised bed well help.  If you have healthy soil you shouldn’t need to amend with anything but some compost.  If you are planting grocery store garlic it is especially important to select an area that you did not grow garlic in last season.  It would also help reduce the chance of disease to plant in several locations instead of one large plot.

    Plant

    Separate cloves from the bulb.  Leave the papery layer on them.  Plant them the same way they grew previously, root side down and pointy side up.  Put them about 3inches deep, with about 4inches between each.  Cover with soil and then add a thick layer of leaves for mulch and insulation.

     

    I’ll post another article about harvesting and some of the options for preserving and processing garlic well before it’s that time of year.

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  • Benefits of Simple Raised Bed Gardens

    Benefits of Simple Raised Bed Gardens

     

    Raised bed gardens are an ideal concept for today’s lifestyle trends. Raised bed gardening transcends generations and is a viable option for various size budgets. You can enjoy this method of gardening whether you have an expansive outdoor area or a space-challenged lawn. If you’re the DIY type, you can easily find detailed instructions for building raised beds. However, if constructing beds yourself isn’t a project you have the tools or time for, a quick Internet search will reveal many raised bed garden kits and design ideas that do not require construction skills.

    Eco-friendly living and an awareness of where food comes from is something more people are paying attention to and worrying about. When you grow your vegetables, you know that they are pesticide free and a healthy option for your family. You will have fewer problems with pests such as rabbits or moles if you opt for tall raised bed gardens. It is much easier to protect your vegetables from pests in a raised bed than in a traditional type garden. Weeds are also less of a problem in an elevated garden. When they do sneak into your garden, they are easy to see and can simply be pulled out.

    The number of individual beds you have will depend on the amount of space you have available and the amount of vegetables you want to grow. Beds can be placed in a design that complements the style of home you have. Square and rectangular beds arranged in a geometric pattern or placed in neat rows would be an attractive design for a modern and contemporary home. Houses in a compact neighborhood typically have small yards. Growing a garden in a raised bed gives you the opportunity to grow an abundance of vegetables in a small space. Familiarize yourself with gardening techniques such as succession planting, companion planting and staggered planting to maximize the use of your garden space.

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    Typically, urban living does not require that you have an extensive collection of lawn and garden equipment. In fact, there’s usually no storage space for such items when you live in an urban setting. Traditional gardens require that you have items such as a tiller, shovel, and hoe on hand to prepare and maintain your garden. Raised beds do not have to be tilled, require little weeding and can be maintained with a minimal number of small, hand-size garden tools.

    Downsizing continues to be a lifestyle change that many people choose to enjoy. It’s typically empty-nesters and retirees that want less house and lawn-related obligations and more leisure time. Moving into a senior community where small lawns are one of the positive features of the neighborhood, makes raised bed gardening an enticing idea. More leisure time means more time for pursuing enjoyable hobbies. One of those hobbies could be gardening. Raised bed gardening can help seniors stay active. It’s also an ideal way for anyone with physical limitations or health issues that restrict their activity level to enjoy growing a garden.

     

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  • Quick Candle Making Tips

    Quick Candle Making Tips

    Making candles is fun and easy, and it can be a great activity for any homesteader. You can make candles for you own use, for gifts, and even to sell if you choose. Getting started with candle making is much easier than you might think, and before long, you will even be making custom candles that are good enough to buy.

    Get the Right Supplies

    First, you need to make sure you have the right supplies on hand. If you are making pillar candles, you will need to have aluminum molds, which are readily available online. You could also make molds of your own if you choose. This might be something you do in the future once you become more adept in the hobby.

    You also need to have wax. You can buy wax, or you could even use beeswax to make candles. Some of the other required supplies include jars or containers, string for the wicks, and essential oils for the scent.

    Recycle Wax

    Instead of throwing away old wax from your candles that you’ve been burning, save it. You can recycle it and use it again. Try to keep scraps of the same color together, of course. If there is scented wax, keep it in a different pile. Clean the wax, melt it, and strain it to make sure there is no debris in it.

    Melting the Wax

    You want the fragrance oils you use to bind with the wax when it melts. The best temperature for this is 180 degrees. Get a thermometer so you can measure the temperature before you add your oils.

    Making candles can be a lot of fun. Take the time to learn the proper way to make candles and implement the tips found here to help with your projects.

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