Homesteading Archives - Page 7 of 36 - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

7 Steps for Easy Canning

If you decide to get into the wonderful world of canning, be prepared to experience some of the more flavorful food you’ve ever experienced at a fraction of the cost. Canning allows you to pick or buy produce when it’s at its peak maturity and preserve that flavor year-round. The simplest canning process is Water Bath Canning. To get started you’ll need a few inexpensive basics, many of which you may already have, or be able to find at your local thrift store or flea market. The absolute essential musts are: A pot that holds enough water to cover any […]

DIY Animal Shelter

Many structures you see on larger farms will often rival a designer house in style and amenities. However, if design awards are not what you are looking for but only to keep your friends protected from the elements, this basic structure will do. A simplified shelter with basic material will satisfy all of these requirements. What You’ll Need 3 Posts = Eight-Foot (8’) Long Pressure Treated Four-Inch by Four-Inch (4”X4”) 3 Posts = Ten-Foot (10’) Long Pressure Treated Four-Inch by Four-Inch (4”X4”) 6 Roof Boards = Eight-Foot (8’) Long Pressure-Treated Two-inch by Six-inch (2”X6”) 17 Roof Joists = Ten-Foot (10’) […]

3 Keys to Choosing the Perfect Livestock

A farm or homestead without livestock seems unusual, to say the least. Whether you see yourself with a flock of cheerful chickens, a herd of graceful goats or a few calming cows, livestock are a valuable food source that should be planned for carefully, then cared for consistently. Are You Ready to Be Available Every Minute of Every Day? Are you prepared to be “on-call” for your animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? When you enter the world of livestock, a few things to be aware of are: Newborns usually come in the […]

5 Creative Ways to Reuse Old Cans

When faced with a number of empty cans in the kitchen, most of us choose to toss them into the recycling bin and call it a day. Instead, why not turn this common resource into some interesting, fun and creative ways to organize and decorate your home and garden? Whether you use some leftover paint, glue, and fabric, go crazy with a tin punch or drill, or just leave them in their natural metallic finish, there are a number of ways these little cylinders can occupy your time and beautify your life. Option 1 – Indoor Herb Garden Standard vegetable […]

3 Creative Ways to Fish Without a Pole

Fishing can be many things, from a food source to recreation, a type of meditation for some but to others a popular competitive sport. Often a rite of passage full of tradition that is passed down from generation to generation. Most of us are at least familiar with the concept of fishing, usually with a rod and reel, or if out on the high seas, with a really big net! But, are there other ways to get the job done, especially if you are looking to feed your family inexpensively? You bet! Here are 3 ways to catch fish in […]

DIY Bow and Arrow

From Cavemen to Robin Hood and our own Native American neighbors, a well-crafted bow and arrow set has provided food and protection for humans for thousands of years. And while the technology has certainly advanced, if you find yourself in need of a weapon for hunting or protection, the tried and true “primitive” design of old will give you what you need every time. First, some vocabulary: Belly: the inside of the bend when a bow faces you while in use. Back: the outside of the bend. Handhold: the center area of the bow Upper limb: the area above the […]

Homestyle Skillet Pizza (Video)

Who doesn’t love pizza? Ordering in from your local pizzeria is great, but like so many things in life, homemade is always better. You get fresher dough, you can tailor ingredients to your personal A really fun and easy way to make homemade pizza taste delicious and cook perfectly is to cook it in a skillet, like this video shows. Cast iron skillets are so useful in the kitchen, but they don’t have to be restricted to stir-fries and bacon! Baking in cast iron is a great way to add some versatility to your dishes and your cooking talents. Enjoy, […]

A Brief History of Goats

Goats are a wonderful choice for an animal to keep on a homestead. They provide delicious milk which can be used for cheese, yogurt, even butter. They help out with clearing land or mowing since they are notorious for eating nearly everything (we’ve all seen the ubiquitous imagery of a goat gnawing on a can). Meat breeds of goat can quickly and easily fill up your freezer with delicious, nutritious meat. They are also relatively easy to care for, and, since they can provide either meat or dairy, are much smaller and easier (not to mention cheaper!) than cows. […]

The 6 Easiest Superfoods to Grow

We talk a lot about health on this blog and a lot about gardening. Of course, there’s a huge area of overlap between the two subjects! Gardening is so beneficial for your health, as there is no better produce to eat than the kind you grow yourself, not just because you can control everything that goes into the soil, but because you can pick it fresh and enjoy it on your plate within hours of picking. This means you will be eating the optimum nutrition since the produce has so recently been alive. For this reason, pretty much anything you […]

Homemade Suet Cakes for Chickens

Suet cakes are a great treat for your chickens, especially as the summer heat creeps in and they have a hard time sticking to their normal activities. Chickens love to peck and scratch, it’s truly what they live for. If you have chickens in a coop who can’t freely forage this way, they might end up getting bored and unhappy. And bored and unhappy chickens means less eggs and less delicious meat! It is vital not just for the animal’s quality of life but also for the “services” they provide you to keep them occupied and entertained. Homemade suet cakes […]

Chicken Coop for $1 and an Hour to Make (Video)

Ever had a poultry overload on your homestead? Or maybe you’d like to get started raising chickens but have very little space, time, and funds. This video from Off Grid With Doug and Stacey shares their very easy, cost-effective chicken coop idea that takes very little time to make. This is perfect if you’re adding a few extra hens to your homestead but have no place to put them, or need to quarantine a new or a sick animal. It’s also perfect for small yards or gardens, and of course, anyone with a small budget! Enjoy: If you enjoyed this, […]

Tips For Raising Your Own Holiday Turkey

If you’ve considered how cool it would be to raise and cook your very own Thanksgiving turkey, then we at Homesteader Depot fully encourage you to do this. We are all about raising and growing your own, and this is a very fun way to get started raising poultry and save some money over the holidays! That being said, there are a couple things you should know. It’s not quite as simple as buying some baby turkeys, known as poults, and feeding them until November, then slaughtering and serving. If your goal is to have a freshly slaughtered turkey for […]

8 Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea is much more than the complimentary beverage offered at Chinese food restaurants! Whether you love or hate the taste, it’s worth knowing about its amazing health benefits. Green tea has been used for centuries in China and throughout Asia to treat a number of maladies and diseases, everything from regulating blood pressure to killing cancer cells. It is a wonderful natural supplement to take because it’s list of benefits is long, but it’s also quite affordable. You can get a month’s worth of green tea for a few dollars! That sure beats a lot of other expensive herbal […]

How to Flavor Milk Kefir

A few months ago, we shared an article on how to make milk kefir, a cultured dairy product that’s packed with nutrition and beneficial probiotic bacteria. If you’ve ever bought kefir in the store and enjoyed it, that could be due to the fact that it tends to be flavored when packaged and sold. So, if you make your own milk kefir and dislike it compared to something you’ve bought from the store, this could easily be why. Flavored kefir is delicious and just as healthy, and relies entirely on the sweetness of the cultured dairy and the fruit added […]

What’s Edible in Your Area?

If you had to rely on the land around you to sustain and nourish you during a disaster or a crisis, would you know what to look for? If you own your own property, from a small home in the suburbs to a sprawling homestead in the country, it’s very important to know what grows and lives on this land. Even if you live in an apartment in the city, odds are there’s some wildlife around that you should get to know. The thing is, no matter how much homesteading–meaning growing, processing, and preserving food, raising livestock, and investing in […]

Cooking Skills Every Homesteader Should Cultivate

One of the primary reasons many people homestead is to have a closer relationship with the source of their food. You yearn to grow your own vegetables, raise your own meat and dairy, forage, and hunt; essentially, to be independent of the increasingly complicated globalized food system. These are certainly noble aspirations, and we share them here. Going back to a simpler time, to our roots, is something many of us are striving for in this modern world. Only a few generations ago, many people lived much more self-reliant and independent lives, and with the precarious situation our whole planet seems […]

How to Groom Horses (Video)

Horses and ponies are wonderful additions to any homestead, especially if you are long-term survival oriented. They can provide live power, meaning, they can help you perform many farming tasks you might otherwise use a tractor or a truck for. Of course, while they’re fueled by food rather than gasoline, they still need lots of attention and maintenance. And just like we can be refreshed by a clean shower and some self-pampering, horses love, and need, regular grooming for their health happiness. In this very helpful video from Becky’s Homestead, she shares how to groom a horse for beginners, a […]

Off-Grid Outdoor Kitchen Tour (Video)

If you’re an aspiring homesteader, this will be better than anything on HGTV to you. This amazing outdoor kitchen is any homesteader’s dream summer kitchen and I was super excited to see this video appear on one of my favorite homesteading YouTube channels. Summer kitchens are so essential to the homestead. Cooking can get incredibly hot as the weather gets warm, and having the option to cook outside can greatly reduce the temperature of your home, helping to keep it as a cool haven from the oppressive summer heat. Also, as you begin to harvest both from your garden and […]

How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Beautiful Skin(Infographic)

Apple cider vinegar is probably one of my favorite substances on the planet. It is so versatile and beneficial, and every time I’ve used it for some kind of natural remedy, it works amazingly well. I’m also among the small percent of the population who also enjoys the taste of it (well, in moderation…) While I could go on and on about the benefits of apple cider vinegar, I thought I would instead share this great infographic. You see, among all the amazing benefits of apple cider vinegar is its many options for naturally improving your skin and complexion. From […]

How to Plant Corn in a Square Foot Garden (Video)

I think corn is one of the coolest crops you can grow, and given it is native to the Americas and was a staple of the Native Americans, it’s clearly a good choice for the self-reliant homesteader. It is nutritious, caloric, keeps well, and, of course, does wonderfully in many North American climates. If you have long-term goals of self-reliance or food independence, you should definitely start growing corn now. This video is a how-to for planting corn in a square foot garden, using a very simple and reliable method of planting. The homesteaders who made this video are using the […]