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Homesteading – Page 74 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • All About Feverfew

    All About Feverfew

    Feverfew is a great resource to have on your homestead.  With so much work to get done, you can’t just take a sick day every time you don’t feel good.  You need to have a medicine on hand to get you back on your feet.  Feverfew can help with that.

     

    Uses

    Feverfew can be used to treat headaches, reduce fever, and help with inflammation.  It works by opening up your vascular system and allowing the blood to flow smoothly as it should.  Feverfew is said to be safe for pregnant women and children.

    Cultivation

    Feverfew is grown from seed.  Once established it is a hardy herb, tolerating low to full sun, drought resistant, and frost resistant.  You may even need to weed out seedlings in the spring to prevent it from spreading.

    Harvest

    All above-ground portions of the plant can be used medicinally.  When harvesting plants that you want to continue to grow, find the stems that green and bendable, avoiding the hard woody stems towards the bottom.

    Methods

    Most people who treat migraines with Feverfew eat the leaves daily, as little as 1 leaf a day can be effective, some eat as much as 3 leaves a day.  Others make tea from fresh or dried leaves.  Because of the bitter taste, you may want to add some honey, or just hold your nose and hurry up and swallow it.  Alcohol tinctures are a great option since they make the medicinal components more bioavailable, and can be used in the winter when your plants have stopped producing leaves.

     

    Growing medicinal herbs will allow you to stay healthy and working to your best potential on your homestead, while also reducing your need to spend your hard earned money on store bought remedies or pharmaceutical drugs.

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  • Tips for Stretching Wire Fence

    Tips for Stretching Wire Fence

    Whether you are trying to keep your animals in, or wild animals out, a good fence is going to be an essential part of nearly all homesteads.  Simply putting up some wire between posts will not get you much.  Even if you are able to contain your animals, it could be because there is a steady supply of food and water available, rather than their inability to escape.  But potential predators will not be deterred so easily.  The following is a few tips on getting your wire fence stretched out tight and started right.

     

    Determine the Grade

    After getting your corner posts in, the next step to hanging your wire fence is to determine if the ground is flat, or sloping.  This will not be as much of an issue for shorter fences, but even a very gradual slope can make a huge difference in a longer fence.  To determine if the ground at your location has too much of a slope, loosely hang the fence on the corner posts and pull it tight by hand.  This will allow you to determine if the angel the fence is hung at needs to be adjusted.

    High or Low Spots

    If there are high spots in an otherwise flat area this can be addressed by digging out the high area if possible.  If the ground is too rocky, the fence can be carefully cut to the size and shape of the obstruction so that it fits snuggly to the ground.  If there is a low spot in your fence line you can fill the depression with a heavy log, and then nail or staple the fence to the log to keep it tight.  Pile on rocks afterward to keep predators from digging in around the log.

    Anchor Point

    To stretch the fence out to the proper tension prior to securely attaching it to the corner posts, you need to first find an anchor point.  If a suitable anchor point is not available, you can use a truck or a tractor.  If the location will not allow you to get a truck or tractor in position, then as a last resort you can use the corner post itself.  Once you have a suitable anchor point, attach a come-along to the anchor, and to the fence.  If you attach directly to the fence it will stretch unevenly can damage the fence.  For this reason, use a tension bar, or a piece of rebar if a tension bar is not available.

    Still Not Tight Enough

    If you have secured your fence between your posts and found that there is still a little more slack than you would like you can still fix this.  Get a pair of pliers and grasp the top horizontal wire between two vertical wires, then twist the wire until it looks like a “Z” instead of a straight horizontal line.  While remaining in between the same two vertical wires, make your way down the fence, twisting each horizontal wire in the same manner.  This might need to be done at multiple spots along your fence line to achieve the proper tension.

     

    To avoid losing your animals to predators or escape, put in the effort beforehand to get their area secure.  This initial investment of time and energy will pay off in the long run.

     

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  • Household Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

    Household Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

    Every knows that hydrogen peroxide can be used as an antiseptic to treat wounds, but hydrogen peroxide can be used for more than just wound care.  Here is a brief list of other ways you can use this cheap, versatile, and safe product.

     

    Oral Care

    H202 (hydrogen peroxide) can be diluted with an equal amount of water and be used as a mouthwash to kill gingivitis and help with toothaches.  A bonus is that it will help whiten your teeth.  Don’t go overboard with this, though, using it too regularly can damage tooth enamel.

    Laundry Boost

    Do you remember the infomercials that sold cleaning products that used oxygen to lift stains?  H2O2 works similarly.  Just treat tough stains with it directly and wash them as usual, or add it to your load with the regular detergent for an added boost.

    Antifungal

    If you are living off grid then you are probably going to be wearing clothing more than once, maybe more than twice.  This could lead to fungal infections in your skin such as athlete’s feet, ring worm, and dandruff.  Along with changing out your clothing more frequently, as your resources allow, H2O2 can be diluted with equal parts water and rubbed on affected areas to kill the fungus.

    Sprouting

    Keeping your beans, grains, or seeds from molding while sprouting them can be difficult.  One way is to add an ounce of H2O2 to the water every day when you change it out.

    Shower Cleaner

    When less diluted, or even straight out of the bottle if necessary, H2O2 can help kill mold in the shower than lead to health issues.  It is much easier on the lungs of the person doing the cleaning, or those in the area, than bleach.  If you plan on using it in a spray bottle, make sure you use one that blocks out light, or that you put in the bottle just before use, as light will break down H2O2 and decrease its effectiveness.

     

    Hydrogen peroxide has been around for a long time, and has proven itself.  Keep yourself stocked up, since with so many uses you will be going through it quickly.

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  • What Is Hugelkultur?

    What Is Hugelkultur?

    The name is funny, but for those seeking to have a garden that requires less water and fertilizing, hugelkultur is something to take seriously.  The basic idea is to create raised beds on top of buried wood.  It may take a little more effort to get in place, but in the years to come, it will require less attention and resources than conventional beds.

     

    Why Use Hugelkultur

    As with any other aspect of homesteading, resource conservation is critical in gardening.  Hugelkultur allows you to make use of wood that is not suitable for fuel or building since you can use wood that is already rotten.  While in the ground the wood will soak up water when the soil is wet, and release it slowly when the soil dries out, greatly reducing or eliminating the need to irrigate.  Wood is a great source of minerals and nutrients for your soil.  As the wood breaks down it will feed your garden from the inside out, providing the nutrients in the plants’ root zone is more efficient.  This will reduce or eliminate your need to continue to fertilize your bed.

    How Do You Build a Hugelkultur

    The basic concept of building your hugelkultur bed is simple enough.  You just want to bury some wood, and grow on top of it.  The more rotten, and otherwise useless the wood is, the better it is for hugelkultur.  Fresh wood will lock up nitrogen as it begins to decompose.  Wood that already has mushrooms growing on it is perfect.  You can make it level, but a raised bed is better, for one, the wood will shrink while it further decomposes, if your bed begins level you might end up with a depression.  If you need to, you can add more wood and another layer of soil as time goes on.

     

    To make use of otherwise worthless resources on your homestead is something that you don’t want to overlook.  Hugelkultur could save you a lot of work and resources in the long run, and considering it just takes some rotten wood and dirt, you don’t have much to lose if you give it a try.

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  • Why Baking Soda is Awesome

    Why Baking Soda is Awesome

    Two of the most constant themes in homesteading are resource conservation and improvisation.  Having items that can be used in a variety of ways will help make both of these possible.  One such item is baking soda.  Baking soda can be used in virtually every aspect of homesteading life.  It is cheap, natural, and safe.  With a nearly limitless amount of uses this will probably not be the last time we talk about baking soda, but for now here is just a short list of a few ways that it can help you save money and improve your quality of life while homesteading.

     

    Personal Hygiene

    The two most common ways to use baking soda for personal hygiene are for toothpaste and deodorant.  Baking soda can be used alone for toothpaste, but will be for effective if it is added to coconut oil, salt, and mint essential oil (yit is controversial whether or not you are supposed to ingest essential oils, but most commercial toothpaste has a poison control warning on it, while essential oils don’t, so just be careful not to swallow).  Baking soda can be applied by itself for use as deodorant.

    Safety

    While it’s always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the house, you don’t always want to use something that has a single use and costs $30 or more if you don’t have to.  If you have a small grease fire in the kitchen spraying it with a chemical fire extinguisher may be a bit of an overkill, and leave you will quite a mess.  If the situation isn’t severe enough to call for a fire extinguisher, then throw handfuls of baking soda on the fire.  When baking soda is heated it releases carbon dioxide, this helps to smother the fire.

    Battery Maintenance

    Baking soda can help fight battery corrosion since it is slightly alkaline.  Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water, disconnect your battery terminals, use a brush to scrub the corrosion off with the paste, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly after cleaning to help keep moisture off.

     

    These are just a few of the many ways to use baking soda!

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  • Super Simple Tips for Splitting Wood

    Super Simple Tips for Splitting Wood

    Having a good supply of wood for fuel is crucial for your homestead.  While using the proper technique is important for efficiency and safety, using the right tool for the job can be just as important.  Here are a few items that will help save you time and energy as you get ready for the winter.

    Maul

    A splitting maul has several benefits over a chopping axe.  Its wider angel will spread the wood easier, while a thin chopping axe can get stuck in the wood.  It is less likely to bounce off hard wood because of its weight and the momentum that it generates.  And it is usually going to require fewer swings to accomplish the job.

    Chopping Block

    Trying to spilt wood on the bare ground versus using a chopping block will be much more difficult because the ground will absorb and diffuse much of the energy you are swinging into the wood.  To prevent this from happening, get a large cut of wood with one end flat, and one end with slight irregular angles.  You want the flat end to the bottom and the end with angles to be the top where you place the wood you are splitting.  The reason for this is that the wood you are splitting is never going to be perfectly flat and the angles on your chopping block can be used to counter the angles in the wood you are chopping.

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    Bungee and Chain

    When splitting large cuts of wood, splitting into two pieces will not be enough.  This will leave you bending down repeatedly to retrieve the fallen pieces and trying to balance them again, over and over.  One way around this, and a way to help focus the energy of your swing, is to use a bungee and a chain.  Get a 12” black rubber bungee cord and a chain about 3’ in length.  Hook one end of the bungee to the chain and then wrap it around the wood you are going to split, pull it tight, and hook the other end of the bungee through a link that will keep it tight around the wood.  As you split the wood it will remain together and upright.  This will not only keep you from bending over again and again, but it will also keep your maul or axe from being deflected, and focus its energy downward.

    Splitting wood is never going to be a breeze, but you can make things much easier on yourself by being prepared and using these simple tools to optimise your output.

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  • Get Healthy with the Right Spices

    Get Healthy with the Right Spices

    Part of homesteading has to be about living a healthy lifestyle. You know the importance of having fresh and healthy food, so you can stave off common avoidable illnesses that are plaguing so many people in the country today. However, you might not have thought about all of the benefits that can come from using certain spaces in your food.

    Different herbs, plants, and roots can help to increase your health and make all that healthy food taste even better. Let’s look at some of the best options when it comes to spicing up your food.

    Cinnamon

    Most people like cinnamon quite a bit. However, they probably are not eating it in the healthiest manner possible. After all, a cinnamon roll isn’t exactly good for you. However, there are some ways we can eat and remain healthy and enjoy the benefits that cinnamon offers. For example, sprinkle some of it on oatmeal or into peanut butter. You can put some on sweet potatoes as well. In fact, it works well for quite a few different types of food.

    Why is cinnamon such a good option? It has the potential to help manage your blood sugar levels and lower your cholesterol while keeping your arteries healthy.

    Chili Peppers

    If you want a little bit of a spicy life, chili peppers are the way to go. These peppers include an ingredient called capsaicin. This is what provides the plants their heat, and it’s also what provides the health benefits. Some of the benefits you can get from capsaicin include pain relief, improve the health of your heart, and it can reduce inflammation.

    Turmeric

    Another fantastic spice to consider using is turmeric. You will often find this used in different types of curry, you can add it to other things as well. Many have found that it can reduce inflammation, and this has been a benefit for people who suffer from arthritis.

    Oregano

    Oregano is a popular and flavorful herb. However, many don’t know that it also happens to include two antibacterial agents. This can help to fight off infection. In addition, those who have been looking to add more antioxidants to their life will enjoy knowing that oregano has about four times the number of antioxidants as blueberries. It happens to be very easy to grow at home, as well. You should definitely add this to your garden if you haven’t already.

    Garlic

    Garlic is a good option as well, and it has a number of health benefits. For centuries, it has been a part of natural medicine, and with good reason. It has antiviral properties, as well as antibacterial and antifungal properties. There have also been studies that show you can stop blood clots from forming in the arteries. It works quite well on a number of different types of food.

    As you can see, spices can do quite a bit for health and should be a part of every homesteader’s diet. Of course, these are certainly not the only options when it comes healthy spices. Do yourself a favor and start looking for other spices that you can start using and growing.

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  • 3 Easy Ways to Keep Your Chickens Healthy

    3 Easy Ways to Keep Your Chickens Healthy

    Chickens are some of the most common animals to see on a homestead or farm.  One reason is that they are some of the easiest animals to care for.  But even chickens can develop health issues like tape worms, mites, and various intestinal infections.  As with everything else, taking care to prevent these issues will be easier than treating them retroactively and will ensure that you have a healthy supply of eggs and meat without interruption.  These are 3 easy ways to help your chickens stay healthy.

     

    Pasture

    Just like you, chickens are healthiest when they are eating well.  One of the easiest and cheapest ways of ensuring your chicken’s health is to provide them with access to pasture.  It’s not the bugs that the chickens are after when they are pecking at your lawn.  Pastured chickens will eat as much as 30% of their calories in grass alone.  This will dramatically cut down on the feed and supplements that you would need to provide your chickens if they were not given the opportunity to graze.

    Dust

    Chickens do not bath with water, but with dust.  Providing them with an area that remains dry even in wet weather, and has a thick layer of fine dust will help them keep off skin parasites like mites.  If the area your chickens are in doesn’t have fine dust, or if it doesn’t seem to be enough for them, you can supplement this with diatomaceous earth.  Diatomaceous earth can also be sprinkled over their feed to help treat intestinal parasites like worms.

    Water

    Clean water is a must for chickens, especially if you want to keep a constant supply of eggs.  If your chickens are allowed free range this might be harder than you think since your chickens will not be selective about the water that they drink.  They will just as soon drink out of a contaminated puddle as a clean water dish.  For this reason, you might want to add a small amount of chlorine bleach to the water dish that is in the coop they go in for the night, and make sure to change out their water dishes at least once a day, more if they show signs of illness.

     

    Chickens are fun animals to have around and are typically robust.  If you give them what they need, they will thrive, and in return you will high quality eggs and meat.

     

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