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  • How to Make Hard Candy (Video)

    How to Make Hard Candy (Video)

    This is a homemade recipe I’ve always wanted to try, and this fun and informative video on how to make your own hard candy at home is really great!

    Using simple tools and ingredients that you probably already have at home, (with the exception of a candy thermometer, not everyone might have that), they walk you through the simple process with clarity and humor.

    Candy making is simple, but it’s also a very precise chemical reaction that’s taking place, as you bring the ingredients to extremely high temperatures to achieve the desired consistency, so I think it’s really useful to be able to see the process yourself before trying it out. Or all recipes, hard candy is probably a great one to follow a video recipe for.

    And of course, above all else, making your own hard candy is a great way to avoid the nasty chemicals and dye that is found in commercial candy. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth or want to give a really great gift to a friend or family member who does, this is a great way to ensure your sweets are much healthier! Enjoy!

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  • Homesteading on a Budget

    Homesteading on a Budget

    Many people spend a substantial amount of money on homesteading. They end up spending far more than they should on all the latest and greatest gear and equipment. While it might be nice to have all those things, you need to realize that it is certainly not necessary. Just because you do not have a lot of money, it does not mean that you can’t homestead.

    Think about it for a minute. The pioneers, the original homesteaders here, did not have a lot of money. They were self-sufficient, and that’s what you need to be as well. You can get started with a relatively small amount of money. Here are some tips that will help you.

    First, stay out of debt. Do not buy things that you cannot afford and then try to pay them off on credit cards later. If you are in debt nowt, pay that off and you will find that you can start to save quite a bit more each month. You can put that toward your homesteading, or just put it into your savings. Also, buy used items rather than new items. This way, you can pay cash for them, and this will help keep you out of the credit card debt mentioned earlier.

    Make sure you become a DIY lover. Learn how to do repairs around the property on your own rather than hiring other people to come in and do it. You will find that this can save you a substantial amount each year. Of course, you do not want to be so stubborn that you end up causing more damage than if you were to hire a pro. If you do not know how to do something, by all means, have someone in the know help you.

    Just because you have a small budget does not mean you can’t be a successful homesteader. Find other ways that you can save money each month and you will see it is easier than you might have thought at first.

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  • How to Use Extra Whey

    How to Use Extra Whey

    Every aspiring or seasoned dairy farmer is familiar with whey, the byproduct of making yogurt, cheese, and other delicious dairy products. In the process of making many of these dairy products, the whey is often discarded, but it’s actually quite nutritious on its own, and can be reused in many different ways. 

     

    • Use in almost any recipe in place of water or even milk. Whey adds depth of flavor to bread, soups, sauces, marinades, and main dishes. If you are overrun with whey, you can even boil pasta or rice with it!
    • Soak grains and legumes The acid and cultures in whey won’t harm anything in this process, they’ll enhance phytic acid breakdown for easier nutrient absorption.

    • An acid rinse on your shampoo “skip days”. If you’re familiar with the ‘no-poo’ or ‘low-poo’ method of washing hair and its benefits, you’ll be glad to know that whey makes a great, affordable acid rinse hair cleanser.
    • Feed pets and livestock. Pour a little whey over dry pet food or animal feed for a delicious treat!
    • Lacto-ferment your own sauerkraut, veggies, and condiments Uncooked sweet whey is great for preserving probiotic-rich foods to add to your pantry or stockpile.
    • Make more cheese! Ricotta, to be specific, is made with acid whey. So, if you’re dissatisfied with how much whey you end up with after making cheese, simply use it to make more.
    • If all else fails, compost Raw whey is a live, active element that is super beneficial for a healthy compost pile. If you’d rather just toss your extra whey, this is the best option.

     

    Many of us have been surprised and even a little disappointed at how much whey results from the dairy-making process rather than the desired cheese or yogurt. With the right mindset, though, whey can be an added benefit rather than a waste product.

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  • DIY Tooth Whitening Recipe

    DIY Tooth Whitening Recipe

    We’ve shared a lot of DIY health and personal hygiene products on this blog, and for good reason. There are so many products out there that are full of chemicals and toxins, that can be easily made at home for a fraction of the cost. This whitening tooth powder is packed with beneficial ingredients you’ll want to try.

     

    Ingredients:

    • 4 tablespoons bentonite clay. This is a natural, mineral-rich powder that gently cleans your teeth. It also detoxifies your mouth to freshen breath and fight gum disease
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda. Baking soda is a very mild abrasive that polishes the teeth and removes stains.
    • 1½ teaspoons finely ground sea salt. This ingredient is loaded with trace minerals that help to strengthen and rebuild your teeth. Salt is also a natural antiseptic which keeps the bacteria in your mouth in check.
    • 1 ½ teaspoons unrefined stevia powder. For anyone nervous about ditching conventional toothpaste, or just picky children, stevia helps to sweeten the powder.
    • Up to 3 teaspoons flavoring of your choice. Ground cloves, cinnamon, or mint are excellent choices that also act as astringents for gum health.
    • 1 teaspoon activated charcoal. Ironically, this jet black special ingredient is what really does the work in whitening your teeth. Activated charcoal (carbon) particles bind to the tannins from coffee, tea, wine, and certain foods to lift stains away. Charcoal also helps to balance the mouth’s pH levels which aids in remineralization.

     

    Add all ingredients to a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Attach the lid and shake thoroughly to evenly mix.

    To use, simply wet your toothbrush, dip it in the powder, and brush and rinse as you would with toothpaste. 

    This recipe is incredibly easy to make and use in place of conventional toothpaste made with questionable chemicals. Whip up a batch today to complete your DIY health and wellness toolkit.

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  • Mother of Four Builds House From YouTube Video Instructions

    Mother of Four Builds House From YouTube Video Instructions

    These days, we all rely on the internet for literally everything. I personally believe that YouTube instruction videos are one of the greatest inventions of all time (seriously!). It is such an incredible thing to be able to search for a video to help you out with a confusing or intimidating project, and homesteaders know this better than anyone! Whether you want to learn how to build cold frames, shear a sheep, or birth a baby cow, YouTube has videos for pretty much everything.

    Still, it might surprise you to learn what this incredibly ambitious mother of four did, using YouTube videos. A few years ago, single mother Cara Brookins was trying to rebuild her life for her and her four children after escaping an abusive marriage. She didn’t have enough money to buy them a house, but she could afford a small plot of land.

    Determined to provide her family with a home, she and her children got to work. Using YouTube videos as a reference, they mixed their own cement, lay the foundation, raised the walls, and built their own house, all by hand.

    Such an incredible story! Now Brookins and her four children have their own home, and are the picture of independence.

    Check it out!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyP28vNviKk

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  • Ways to Recycle Sawdust

    Ways to Recycle Sawdust

     

    Woodworking projects and home repairs top the to-do lists of many homesteaders, but they generate a copious amount of a largely unwanted byproduct: sawdust. Before dumping your next shovelful of sawdust into the trash, take a look at this list of creative ways to make good use of it:

    • Use for traction when you’re stuck in the snow. Sawdust is traditionally used by logging truck drivers to prevent slipping and getting stuck in harsh winter road conditions. Keep a sealed bag or two of it in your trunk to spread around your tires for extra traction if you get stuck.
    • Keep on hand as a spill kit must-have. Sawdust is a very absorbent material and can quickly contain any spills such as oil or paint. Once the spill is soaked up, the sawdust sweeps up easily and with minimal dust.
    • Decorate with fake snow. Mix with white paint (acrylic or whatever is on hand) and glue to use for seasonal arts and crafts.
    • DIY firestarter bricks. Melt candle wax in a nonstick pot, add sawdust to achieve a thick consistency, pour into an ice cube tray or egg carton, and cool, and store with your camping gear or fireplace items. Use just like storebought firestarters.

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    • Keep weeds under control. Walnut sawdust has natural weed-killing properties. Sweep into the cracks of your driveway or walkway to prevent weed growth.
    • Use as a cement additive. Sawdust mixed into mortar aids in bonding building materials together. It also makes for a good recipe for casting moisture-loving planters.
    • Create a decorative garden path. Spread and tamp sawdust into a dirt walkway to curb erosion and create a soft, fragrant path through your garden or wooded lot.
    • Compost and fertilizer. Mix a little bit of sawdust with manure or a nitrogen source like blood meal. This both fertilizes plants and aids in water retention.
    • Mix with wood glue to fill cracks and holes. Mixed into a putty consistency with wood glue, very fine sawdust is often used by flooring professionals as a cheap, stainable wood filler.
    • Clean concrete floors. Lightly wet a small pile of sawdust with water and use a push broom to spread it around the concrete floor of any workspace. The wet sawdust will bind and absorb grime and hazardous fine dust.

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  • Five Must-Have Cast Iron Pieces

    Five Must-Have Cast Iron Pieces

    When first making the switch from toxic nonstick cookware to cast iron, you may have a few reservations about the care or cost, especially if you run your homestead on a tight budget. The good news is that cast iron cookware outlasts its nonstick and other counterparts by decades, even centuries; you won’t be replacing cheap pots and pans every few years. This coupled with a good grasp of the simple process of caring for your cookware, leaves no reason not to take the plunge! If you’re ready to start your cast iron collection, check out these essentials first!

     

    • Dutch oven: A good, high capacity dutch oven is a staple in any cast iron stash. Use this for baking bread, cooking soups, grains, legumes, and hearty casseroles.
    • Skillet: Skillets come in all shapes and sizes for use in almost any type of cooking. Get started with a standard 8- or 10-inch.
    • Grill pan: Ditch the bulky countertop grill and make restaurant-quality burgers and steaks with a grill pan. Great for use during the winter months when you want the perfect steak without cooking out in the cold!
    • Pots: Cast iron pots are a healthier alternative for boiling and steaming. From a multi-gallon stockpot to a cute little teapot, there are plenty of options available.
    • Baking dishes: Whether you’re whipping up a batch of cookies, a pan of cornbread, or a deep-dish pizza, there are myriad different styles and shapes of pans to get the job done. Artisan cast iron makers even offer dishes in novelty shapes such as states or animals.

    There’s no need to break the bank or clutter up the kitchen when becoming a cast iron convert. Yard sales, thrift stores are great places to find vintage pieces. Even big-box retailers are tapping into the growing market and offering affordable cookware selections. It’s easier than ever to start a great collection, but be careful- it can be addictive. But with cast iron, there’s no such thing as too much!

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  • The Productive Homesteader’s Secret Weapon

    The Productive Homesteader’s Secret Weapon

    Does your to-do list start off on the fridge on Monday and end up buried in mail and seed catalogs on the kitchen table by Friday? You have the best intentions to manage your work and goals, but at some point, they just snowball and when Sunday night comes to an end, you’ve met only a few, if any, of that week’s goals. Or maybe you have a system for getting livestock fed and crops watered but are looking for a way to do it more efficiently and make more time for other things. If any of these sound like you, you need the secret weapon in every productive homesteader’s cache: a day planner.

    Rather than hiring an extra hand around the homestead, using a day planner helps you to budget your time and spread out your workload. For some, the planner serves as an “external brain” because plotting out your day on paper and sticking to it makes for a more efficient system than just winging it. Here are a few simple tips to help you use your planner:

     

    • Time is money, so budget it! Estimate how long each chore and task takes you to complete and fit it into your day accordingly.
    • Prioritize! When prioritizing all your responsibilities, organize them by urgency and importance. Tasks that are both urgent and important get done first.
    • Reflect! Your planner can also serve as a kind of journal. As you check off completed tasks, you can look back over the weeks and see where you met your goals and where you need improvement. You don’t get that from a to-do list!

     

     

    There are many styles of planners out there; a quick evaluation of your needs and goals for your self-sufficient lifestyle will help you determine which has the features you want.

    Once you have a good planner in your toolkit, stick with it! Your planner is an asset. Just like you wouldn’t neglect your equipment or your animals, don’t neglect your planner. Getting the most out of your planner helps you to get the most out of your homestead.

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