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Homesteading – Page 77 – Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • Garden Calendar (Infographic)

    I came across this great infographic on Pinterest today for what needs to be done in the garden during each month. Given we have Fall and Winter well on the way I thought it was perfect for this time of  year. Not only for what to do in the garden as the seasons are changing but also because winter is a great time to start planning next year’s garden.

    As the weather gets cool and you harvest your summer crops, it’s the perfect time to think about next year’s garden. Garden journals are great for this: you can write down everything you want to repeat or change next year. But whether you want to start a garden journal or simply start thinking about next year’s garden, this infographic, from Spalding Plant and Bulb Co., is very handy.

    Happy gardening!

    garden-calendar

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  • How to Kill Microbes

    How often do you think about microbes and other types of infectious pathogens? If you are learning to survive and trying to be more self-sufficient, then you might think about this more than the average person. Still, you may not understand how to deal with these types of infectious pathogens and microbes properly. In many cases, utilizing things such as antibiotics and antimicrobials will work to deal with microbes.

    In fact, you can find quite a few items in the store, including a variety of name brand cleaners, that have antimicrobial properties. Of course, if you only rely on these commercial products, you won’t know how to be self-sufficient if that time ever comes when you need to be. Fortunately, there are a number of very simple methods to help kill microbes, which will help to prevent disease and improve health of you and your family. Let’s look at a few of the different methods you can use.

    Fresh Air

    Experiments have shown that it is possible to kill bacteria simply by exposing it to fresh air. By exposing pathogenic bacteria to fresh air for about two hours, it has the potential to kill most of the bacteria. These are relatively old methods, but they are tried-and-true and still work today.

    Of course, they are not the only methods used to deal with microbes. Let’s look at some of the other simple and effective ways that you can reduce the number of potentially dangerous microbes in your home right now.

    Cleaning the Sponges and Towels

    Chances are you have quite a few sponges and towels around the kitchen, and these can be a haven for bacteria. Namely, because they can stay wet and they are porous, which means there are plenty of places that bacteria can hide and grow. With your sponges, you could put them in a pool of water and put in the microwave for two minutes. You could also boil water and then pour it over the sponges while they are sitting in the same. You can wash the towels in hot water, or you can boil them as you can the sponges.

    Keep Everything as Clean as Possible

    You should strive to keep all areas of the home as clean as possible. This is true in a day-to-day situation in home or while you are camping, as well as any survival situation. By keeping things clean, you significantly reduce the chance of infection.

    People

    Microbes tend to gather on people and spread from person-to-person quite easily. The human hand is quite dirty, so washing hands with soap and water and then drying them with a clean towel can help reduce the number of microbes being spread to the home significantly. If you handle any poultry, meat, or eggs, then you should wash your hands immediately after.

    Everybody wants to be happy and healthy. You will find that a little cleanliness will go a long way in making sure you and your family are protected from microbes.

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  • 3 Reasons Why Ducks Are Better Than Chickens

    3 Reasons Why Ducks Are Better Than Chickens

    When most people think of animals for their back yard they quickly think of chickens.  And while there is good reason so many people think to raise chickens, there are also reasons why ducks may be the preferable livestock for your backyard farm.

    Ducks don’t crow

    Not everyone starting their homestead has 15 acres in the country.  Some may have less than an acre with neighbors right next to them that don’t share their passion for raising animals and growing food.  Keeping this in mind, it is not hard to think of how a rooster could degrade the relationship one has with the neighbors.  Ducks, on the other hand, don’t crow, and don’t cackle loudly after laying an egg, or when in preparation to lay an egg.

    >>>What the Heck CBD?

    Ducks don’t destroy everything

    It’s true that ducks will eat all the grass available if they are confined, just as chickens will.  But they can be allowed into an established garden without causing total devastation.  Ducks do not kick and scratch the way chickens do which will destroy the roots of plants and ruin mulch.  Plants will recover from losing some leaves a lot faster than they will if they are uprooted and kicked into the path.

    Ducks are better at egg laying

    Ducks do not decrease egg production in the winter the way chickens do.  The eggs they do lay are more nutritious and have a taste that is often preferred over chicken eggs.  With a thicker shell and membrane, they also last longer than chicken eggs do.

    You may already have a flock of chickens in your yard now and may be skeptical of replacing birds that you have come to appreciate.  But as your chickens become chicken dinner you might want to make some room in your flock for some different birds and give ducks a try too, if it doesn’t work out you can always have roast duck instead of fried chicken.

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  • The Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

    The Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

    As the cost of energy rises, more and more people are looking toward solar power. One of the areas that interest them the most is solar water heating. While it can seem more expensive in the beginning, utilizing a solar water heater has the potential to provide you with a substantial amount of saved money in the long run. In addition, this will help to get you entirely off the grid.

    There are two different types of solar water heaters available – active and passive. The active systems use cells, pumps, and controllers as they move fluid through the system. The passive systems do not have any pump or electrical components. Of course, even within these two different types of water heaters, there are still many different types of choices to make. Do you want a direct or indirect system, for example?

    You can find companies that are able to install these solar water heaters for you, or you can check out some DIY projects and try to do them on your own. If you are handy and you are relatively certain you could create a solar water heater, or solar panels, on your own, then you might want to try this do-it-yourself route.

    You may still want to have a traditional water heater installed as a backup. However, solar energy may very well be the way of the future. It is also a good option for homesteaders because you are truly living off the land when you utilize the sun and cut down your reliance on traditional, expensive energy.

    The subject of solar power is a big one, and there is quite a bit to learn. If you are looking to truly get off the grid though, it might be just the thing for you to look into.

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  • Storing Potatoes for Winter

    Storing Potatoes for Winter

    Potatoes are one of the best crops you can grow! Nutritious, substantial sources of food, they also keep well over the winter, if you know how to store them right. Whether you’ve been growing them and would like to do a big harvest to keep them all over the winter, or you’re buying them in bulk from the farmer’s market before it closes from the winter, it’s important to use the best storage practices so they don’t rot or sprout through the winter months. Potatoes are wonderful for hearty winter dishes so it’s imperative to store them well!

    Here are a few tips for keeping potatoes preserved over the winter:

    Keep it cold

    Wherever you choose to keep your potatoes, make sure you have a cold environment. This is what old-fashioned cellars were commonly used for. The ideal location will have a relative humidity of 95% so that the potatoes don’t dry out, and stay around 45 to 50 degrees Farenheight. This can be your basement, unheated garage, enclosed back or front porch or of course, a cellar.

    Keep them separate

    One very important tip is to keep your potatoes away from fruits or onions, which put off gasses that will cause the potatoes to rot and spoil much faster. You want to keep the potatoes anywhere they won’t be trapped with the gas from these fruits, so in their own containers with plenty of room in between the gassy produce.

    Cure the potatoes

    Before you pack them up for storage completely, it can help to spread them out in a well-ventilated tray, in a single layer, to let some air circulate and to dry the skins a bit. Leave them here for several weeks before packing in their long-term storage.

    Pack them up

    You can use boxes, baskets or even plastic laundry hampers, to pack up the potatoes. The most important thing is to have air circulation throughout the container the potatoes are in, so if you are using a box make sure there are some holes or slats in the side. You can use shredded paper, newspaper or even very dry hay or straw to pack the potatoes. Make sure they’re just not all piled up on top of each other, and spread them out in between the dry medium you’ve chosen.

    Check them frequently

    Obviously, you should be using the potatoes throughout the winter, or maybe you’re not, but either way, you want to check the potatoes frequently to make sure they’re not rotting. Poke through each of your containers from time to time and eliminate any rotting potatoes and the surrounding medium. If you are frequently taking from your potato stash this should be easy, just check the rest of them each time you take some to use.

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  • Easy Perennial Greens

    Often we think of taking the easy way out as a bad thing, but in gardening it can be best way to do things.  One example is perennial greens.  After getting a perennial green started and established, your yield is going to increase for years.  You will also not have down time in your garden while you wait for seeds to sprout, then to mature, and then go to seed again so you can get the next generation.  Perennial greens also give you a chance to nurse an injured or sick plant back that you couldn’t do if it’s life expectancy is only a few months.  These are a few easy to grow super producers you should have in your garden.

    Okinawa Spinach

    Okinawa spinach is a hardy bush with leaves that are either green with purple on the bottom, or green on both sides.  Its benefits are still under investigation but it is said to help lower cholesterol and fight cancer.  It will flower and go to seed but like many other perennial it is better grown from cuttings made from the younger stems.  When harvesting it is better to remove whole branches than to pluck leaves, the plant quickly recovers.  It is best eaten raw or juiced.

    Sorrel

    Sorrel is a low growing plant that resembles leaf varieties of lettuce when it is young.  As it matures the plant will grow in diameter but remain low.  You can buy seeds, but once you get a good clump established, you can propagate it easily by using root divisions.  Sorrel has a tangy taste that is a great addition to a salad, but can be overpowering if it is the base, and it is a great addition to otherwise bitter green juice.

    Tree Kale

    Tree Kale (sometimes called tree collards) is the king of perineal greens.  It can reach massive proportions compared to other greens growing taller than 6 feet, and in full sun will also grow wide.  Its leaves are thick dark green, but have a light taste.  They can be eaten in salads as a base, added to sandwiches, are since an established plant can easily give you more than a pound of leaves each harvest and can be harvested regularly, even daily, it is great to juice.  It may occasionally go to seed, but the seedlings are unpredictable and most plants are grown cuttings of smaller branches.

     

    Instead of only planting and then replanting, make some room in your garden for the plants that only get better with age.

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  • Canning Tips for Those Just Starting Out

    Canning Tips for Those Just Starting Out

    You are a homesteader, then it typically means you have a garden. This means you are growing vegetables and fruit more than likely. You cannot eat all the food right away in most cases, so you want to can it to preserve it. There are some excellent benefits to canning in addition to having all that extra food in the house.

    One of the primary benefits is that you do not have to worry about any added chemicals to the food. In addition, it tends to taste quite a bit better than commercial canned food. It is also quite a bit easier than most people think, and it can be fun.

    First of all, you need to make sure you have all the right equipment. You need to have a number of canning jars and lids, as well as a canner. Those just beginning will likely want to start with a water bath canner. You can find kits available, and they will usually include tongs for lifting the jars as well as a ladle.

    Make sure you sterilize the jars, the lids, and the rings. You can do this by washing them in warm soapy water, rinsing them, and then boil them. A good tip is to remove the jars when you’re ready to can, but leave the lids and rings in the water until you are ready to close up the cans – this ensures they remain sterile.

    In addition, be sure to slice up your fruits or vegetables to the right size for the jars, and only fill up to the fill line on the jars. Follow the instructions for your canner, and then let the jars cool once you have finished canning. Label them and then store them in dark place.

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  • What Items Should You Never Compost?

    What Items Should You Never Compost?

    Composting is something that every homesteader should do. It allows you to recycle food and other material and to create richer soil at the same time. However, there are only some items that you should not add to the compost pile. Let’s look at some of the elements that you should not add to the compost pile, as well as the reasons why.

    Never put any meat scraps into the compost pile. The same goes for bones. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it has the potential to attract vermin. In addition, it is going to cause the compost pile to stink. Never put waste from carnivorous animals onto the compost pile either. You can put on regular manure, but you should never put anything from a carnivorous animal – this goes for pets, such as your cats and dogs. The reason for this is simple – it has the potential to add parasites to the compost, which you would then end up putting in the garden and eating.

    Do not put any wood that has been chemically treated into the compost pile either. There is a good chance that the chemicals will get into the compost. Do not place walnut shells into the compost pile either. It contains a chemical that can be toxic to certain plants.

    Never put oil or grease into the compost pile. It will not break down, and it can cover the other items in the pile, which means they will not break down either. You should not put any weeds in the compost pile, especially if they have seeds. If you do, you are just going to end up with weeds in the garden.

    Keep composting, but make sure you know exactly what is going into compost pile each day.

     

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