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Solar Energy Options for Homesteaders

You want to live off the grid, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need electrical power to operate your lights and appliances. You can use a generator, but generators require gasoline. A generator is a good backup solution for people who are on the grid when they lose power. However, if you want to be independent, the best way to do it is to invest in solar energy options for your home and property. It used to be that solar panels were prohibitively expensive. That’s no longer the case. In this post, we’ll detail some of the solar energy options […]

4 Excellent Ways to Generate Your Own Electricity

Your goal as a homesteader is to become self-reliant. You want to grow your own food and preserve it for future use. You want to know that you and your family can survive even if disaster strikes. One of the most persistent challenges faced by a homesteader like you is generating electricity to power your home. Most people rely on public power sources – more commonly known as the grid – for the electricity they need. Homesteaders tend to live in rural areas where the grid may be less reliable. For them, finding alternatives is desirable and cost-effective. With that […]

Super Simple DIY Fishing Net

Time is always scarce on a homestead so spending days on end catching 1 fish at a time is not the best use of your limited time. How can you catch crazy amounts of fish in a short amount of time so you can get back to doing other necessary things on your homestead? If you use fishing and fish as a regular food source, a net is basically a mandatory piece of equipment. If you find you need a larger net than you want to spend your hard-earned cash on, you can DIY it for a fraction of the […]

Tips to Stockpile Food for the Winter Months

Growing up, one of my favorite things to read were the Laura Ingles Wilder books. Not only were they entertaining, but she also went into great detail on how their food was grown or raised, butchered or harvested and then processed to keep all winter long. Thanks to modern conveniences, most of us don’t really need to take these steps to ensure a comfortable winter, even on a homestead with electricity and appliances. However, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for a worst-case scenario to ensure you won’t get caught during a bad winter storm or power outage. Fortunately, when proper […]

5 Ways Pigs Are Valuable Beyond Just Meat

When you are living off the land, owning animals that can provide you with food can be extremely beneficial. You may grow plenty of crops and fill your pantry with canned vegetables, but if you aren’t getting enough protein, you won’t have the energy to tend to your farm and home. While there are some homesteaders who don’t want to commit to raising a large farm or a herd of cattle, there are plenty of other animals such as chickens or turkeys that can ensure you have meat and eggs throughout the year. They are also low-maintenance so that […]

Felling Trees for Dummies

Removing trees from your property is a great way to clear out space for other use, or to gather up firewood for the winter. If you plan to cut a tree down on your own, it’s important that you understand how difficult, and dangerous the task can be. Especially if you have never attempted to cut down a tree in the past. Here are a few safety tips that will help you cut down trees without putting yourself in danger. Use the Right Equipment Failure to use the right equipment could result in a serious accident. Be sure that you […]

4 Weird but Effective Ways to Avoid Deadly Bacteria

The primary reason we need to stay clean is to maintain control over the harmful bacteria that can manifest itself in all the crevices of our body that make us smell bad and breed disease. The easiest way to accomplish this is to focus on the areas with the most potential for bacterial growth and go from there. What areas are those? Just follow your nose. It’s no coincidence that the areas that provide our embarrassing body odor are the areas we most need to target. Just like a clogged kitchen drain or backed up sewer system, if the smell […]

5 Natural Medicines You Need to Know

More and more people are turning to natural remedies, especially for day-to-day injuries and ailments. The concept of antibiotics goes back well before the discovery of penicillin. In fact, some of the natural medications used most have good antibiotic properties. Whether you are suffering from a cut or scrape, or a classic cold, flu, earache, or UTI there are remedies that can assist your body in getting rid of it and getting you back on your feet. Natural Aspirin The most commonly talked about Salicylic Acid, or natural aspirin, is Willow Bark. Used for thousands of years, modern-day aspirin was […]

DIY Plant Propagating

Plant propagating is a common process among homesteaders where new plants are created using various sources. Seeds, bulbs, cuttings, and other plant parts are put together to regenerate a garden. This branch of horticulture deals with the production of new plants using what is referred to as “starter materials”. Some people look at it as a form of recycling while others place the seedlings in small containers for décor and display uses. How Does Plant Propagating Work? Plant Propagating uses totipotency, which allows the cells to regenerate all the missing parts which leads to creating an entire new organism. Totipotency […]

3 Effective Sheep Shearing Techniques

Despite some claims from animal rights groups, shearing is necessary to maintain the health and comfort of your sheep. There are 2 main reasons you need to have your sheep sheared once a year. If the sheep’s thick wooly coats are not removed before the summer months, they can become very uncomfortable. Additionally, the amount of dirt that can amass and become matted to their bodies could develop into a health risk. The wool from certain breeds is a valuable commodity and a good source of annual income. When raised correctly with a proper diet, a single sheep can grow […]

Can Rabbits Contribute to a Homestead?

Not just for pets, including rabbits on a homestead can be a great way to contribute to your food supplies, both as a food source and a natural fertilizer for your garden. If you’re into fiber arts or want some extra money, angora rabbits give an additional benefit just by growing their fur. Rabbits for Manure A single rabbit can produce approximately a pound of dry manure each week. That’s roughly 50 pounds a year. This high-quality soil conditioner is usually low in weed seeds thanks to the prepared foods typically used to feed them. It also contains an excellent […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Essential Items for Your Emergency Survival Kit (Infographic)

Whether you’re a survivalist, prepper, homesteader, or simply someone who wants to create a culture of self-reliance in your home, you need to be prepared for emergencies. It can be overwhelming thinking about everything you might need to survive long-term, but it’s always prudent to simply start with the basics. Every family should have a basic emergency survival kit, and this infographic from SHTFPreparedness.com is a great guide for how to build this kit and what you should have in it. These simple items are essential for any kind of emergency, and even if you’re not set up with enough food […]

18 Ways to Become Food Independent

The ultimate goal of homesteading for many is to be completely self-sufficient, and entirely food independent. There’s nothing as empowering as growing and making your own. While getting 100% of your food from your own land might be setting one’s sights pretty high, there’s nothing wrong with aiming for it! The thing is, while most people will always rely on at least some outside sources for their food (even homesteaders back in the day did, too!), any degree of self-sufficiency you can achieve is a step in the right direction. If you are wondering what would be involved in having a […]

7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Homestead Safe

You love living on your homestead, and you cannot imagine living in anywhere but a rural area. One of the elements of having a homestead that deserves plenty of attention is keeping it safe. Whether it is wild animals that decide to get a little too close for comfort or people who are looking to steal from you or do you and your family harm, you need to have a method of keeping things secure. Since you might be far from local law enforcement and help, it is up to you to take measures to secure your property. You do […]

Most Caloric Foods for Long-Term Storage

Whether you’re a homesteader or not, it is always prudent to have a good supply of emergency food for when disaster strikes. And while stocking up on your own canned peaches and tomatoes is definitely great, you want to make sure to have high-calorie foods stored up as well. Fat and protein can be more difficult to store than other foods, but they’re what you need the most to keep your strength up. High-calorie foods are also more efficient, as it takes less food to fill you up, which means more sustenance for less storage space. Here are a few […]

DIY Pressure Cooker Water Distiller (Video)

If you’re a homesteader, you probably have been faced with the question of how to ensure your family is getting the best drinking water, or how to purify water in the event of possible contamination of your water source. There are a lot of different options out there for water purification, and distilling water is one of the best. Distilled water is actually rather controversial, as many claim it can deplete the body if essential nutrients. While the minerals available in spring or well water can be quite beneficial, and clean, pure mineral water is great for your health, it […]

Preparing Your Homestead Vehicle for Emergencies

For the average homesteader, one of the biggest and most undeniable benefits of the self-reliant lifestyle is the security of a constant, sustainable source of food and fuel, especially in our fluctuating economy. Security and preparedness around your home are incredibly important, but you could be one of many people who leave out a key location when it comes to securing yourself and your family, not just your home: the car. Here are a few simple points to consider when building the right travel survival kit to meet your needs: Seating Capacity: How many people you vehicle can seat […]