Mushroom Foraging for Beginners

Have you ever been tempted to try a wild mushroom but were too afraid? Everyone has an urban legend to share about a well-meaning hiker who ate a benign-looking wild mushroom and paid dearly for it. Undoubtedly, mushroom foraging is something of a science and deserves as much research before trying as gardening or raising … Read more

A Simple Guide to Starting a Beehive (Video)

Last week, we shared the very cool idea to make a beehive using mason jars, so since it did not come with instructions as to how to actually start a hive, I thought I’d go ahead and follow up with that one. Bees are a wonderful thing to do on the homestead, or even in … Read more

Where to Get Free Buckets

You will never run out of uses for buckets on the homestead. You can use them to carry water, feed, dirt, rocks, even your harvest from the garden or eggs from the hen house (if you have enough!). 5-Gallon buckets are one of the essentials of homestead or garden life, and you may have experienced … Read more

How to Bake Bread in a Toaster Oven

It’s great having fresh baked bread every day, and while one of the wonderful things about homemade bread is that it contains no chemicals or preservatives, it also doesn’t stay fresh very long. Also, if you live in a warm place or somewhere with high energy costs, you might not want to heat your whole … Read more

Hunt for Your Meat

If you are a homesteader, you have probably spent quite a bit of time trying to determine just how much food you can grow on your property. While growing your veggies and fruit, and canning them, is great, most people will also want to have meat on the table. You may have some livestock that … Read more

Growing Cauliflower in a Container

Cauliflower is a great vegetable. It’s nutritious, delicious, and has grown in popularity in recent years since it makes a great base for many grain-free dishes. If you’d like to grow your own, you don’t need a garden to do it; cauliflower can be grown in a container, if you follow the right steps. First … Read more

Companion Planting: A Simple Guide (Infographic)

Companion planting can be kind of confusing. If something goes well together, does that mean it might not go well next to another plant? Companion planting is really important to understand and utilize, because you can really maximize space, productivity, and also repel pests, with the right combination. It is also true, however, that planting … Read more

How to Test Your Soil Using Only a Mason Jar

  When starting a garden, it’s crucial to know what kind of soil you’re working with. It will help you determine what to plant and how to amend your soil. All soil is comprised of three basic components: sand, silt, and clay, and varying combinations of these three components determine what type of soil you … Read more