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homesteading – Page 11 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Tag: homesteading

  • 3 Things to Consider When Felling a Tree

    3 Things to Consider When Felling a Tree

    Cutting a tree down can be dangerous, even deadly.  But it is something that, if you are homesteading, you will probably be faced with sooner or later, if not regularly.  Felling a tree is not something that should be rushed into or taken lightly, especially if the tree is particularly large, or close to a structure.  Before felling any tree, give it some thought, and be careful.

     

    Limb pattern

    Trees are not 100% symmetrical.  If a tree has anything obstructing its access to light on one side, it will grow more limbs in the other direction.  Limbs can also die and fall off, and when they do it is unlikely that they will do so symmetrically.  These factors will affect the direction the tree falls in.  This can be controlled by selectively removing limbs on the side that you do not want the tree to fall it.  This will make the tree unevenly weighted and help control its direction of fall.

    Trunk shape

    The shape of the tree’s truck will also affect the direction it is likely to fall in.  If the tree has an oblong truck, it is highly unlikely to fall in the direction the truck is wider in.  It will take quite a lot to change the direction of fall from the thin side to the wide side.

    Making your cuts

    Once you have determined the direction the tree will fall in is safe, you will have to start making the cuts that will bring the tree down.  This should be done with three cuts.  The first should be placed on the side that you want the tree to fall to, it should be nearly parallel to the ground but slightly higher as you get deeper, and should be about 50% the depth of the trunk.  The second cut should be placed on the same side, and should be at an angle, between 30 to 40 degrees, and it should connect to the first cut so that a wedge of wood can be removed.  The third cut should be placed on the side of the tree opposite from the direction that you want to tree to fall in.  It should be just higher than the first cut made, lower than the angled cut, and also nearly parallel to the ground but slightly lower as the cut gets deeper.  Try to make the third cut exactly opposite the first cut, for instance, if the first cut is from 2 o’clock to 5 o’clock on the trunk, then the third should be made at 11 o’clock to 7 o’clock.

     

    Felling a tree is not something to take lightly.  Plan it out and be safe.

     

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  • Developing Skills Prior to Homesteading

    Given the drastic lifestyle changes inherent in making the transition from typical modern life to homesteading, preparation is a must.  Along with gathering tools and resources, one should not overlook practicing the skills that are soon to be a regular part of your life, but which are typically unfamiliar to those living in suburban or urban settings.  While not everything can be simulated, even a little experience can provide you with the skills and attitude that can transfer to many other aspects of your new homesteading life.

    Gardening

    Starring at a plot of fallow ground without having any experience gardening can be intimidating and can lead to less than desirable results.  Starting big for your first time can have you waste time and energy.  Nearly everyone, despite their space and living arrangements, can grow some food.  This will help you learn about plant care, pest control, sustainable harvest, and crop selection.  Even if you live in an apartment without ground access you can grow in containers if you have a balcony.  Fruiting plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant can be successfully and effectively grown in containers.  Greens like kale, chard, and Okinawan spinach do well in containers.  Culinary and medicinal herbs such as basil, mint, feverfew can thrive in containers.

    Animal Husbandry

    Like gardening, raising small domestic animals can still teach you the basics about how to properly care for and how to deal with possible and inevitable difficulties that go along with animal husbandry.  For those who can raise a few chickens or ducks in their backyard, this would be a great place to start.  First-hand observation will teach you more about your animals than any amount of reading or watching YouTube videos ever could.  You will learn first-hand through trial and error things like proper containment, effective methods of keeping predators away from your animals, and parasite and other health management.  Perhaps the most difficult to thing to learn without actual experience is slaughtering.  It is one thing to read about the methods of slaughtering an animal that you have put months if not years of care into raising, and it is another to actually do it yourself.  But it is a reality that one will have to understand if one is going to raise animals for food.

    Food Storage

    Resource conservation of all sorts is going to be an everyday part of life for those that are homesteading.  One way to prepare yourself for this now is to practice food preservation and storage such as canning and dehydrating.  Buying vegetables such as tomatoes and green beans while they are on sale and canning them for when they are out of season and more expensive is great practice for resource conservation.  Likewise growing your own herbs and dehydrating them for the winter months will be good experience for food preservation and resource conservation.

     

    Preparing now for the new changes and challenges that one will have to face when beginning homesteading can make the difference between a stressful failure and an exciting new way of life.  Good luck.

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  • Going From Urban to Country Homesteading: What You Need to Consider

    Going From Urban to Country Homesteading: What You Need to Consider

     

    If you are one of the many people these days considering a transition from urban or suburban life to country homesteading, then you are in for a massive lifestyle change. This will involve things you may have never considered since they might not have had a large impact on you in your current way of life.  Considering what these factors are and preparing for them may just make the difference between living happily ever after in an idyllic setting of your choice, or blowing your savings only to move back to the city with nothing to show for it.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but just three things that almost everyone in any homesteading situation needs to consider prior to making the move.

    Water

    Water is necessary for life, but many people who live in a city their wholes lives can take this for granted since all they need to do to get water is just turn the sink handle.  When you are considering where you are going to relocate to, consider your access to water.  Are you going to have a stream or a pond on the property?  Or are you going to be on well water?  Or is it an area where you are going to be able to use rain catchment to meet your needs?  Everyone’s budget and situation is going to be different so don’t expect to find absolute perfection, but on the other hand, don’t over look the issue of water because you like something more superficial about the area or property.

    Wood

    Gaining self-reliance includes energy independence.  Most of us are not going to go as far as to run our tractor on wood (fun fact: combustion engines do not operate on liquid fuel but on expanding gas that is heated by any fuel, in WWII during fuel shortages in Europe tractors and boats were converted to run off of wood instead of gas and diesel). But most will want to heat their home and possibly cook from wood fire.  Wood can also be used for construction, though this will require skills and tools that a beginning homesteader might not have.  And sometimes money actually does grow on trees: wood can bring you income if managed properly.

    Neighbors

    One resource that many don’t think of when they are preparing for a life that demands much more self-reliance is the people that will be around them and the potential downside or benefits that these people offer.  There is much to be gained in knowledge and second-hand resources if you move next to a third generation farmer who has been doing what you want to do since he could remember.  On the other hand, you might find a seemingly nice place to live, but find out too late that your neighbors don’t farm at all on their 120 acres but instead be up to no good.  The people around you could be the difference between success or failure.  Know your potential neighbors and weigh them in as a resource or a danger.

     

    If homesteading is something that has been on your mind, then get out there and do it, but don’t make such a drastic decision without thinking it through.  Do it right and enjoy all the benefits.

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  • Homestead (and Life) Lessons From the Great Depression

    Homestead (and Life) Lessons From the Great Depression

    The Great Depression was one of the most harrowing periods of history in our country, and there are many lessons we can take from it. It dramatically changed our economy, our government, our agriculture and our people. We made it through the recent Great Recession with far less damage than the Great Depression, but the possibility of something far worse seems to be constantly looming on the horizon and it’s hard to imagine we’d be prepared the way our resourceful ancestors were.

    The thing is, life has changed so much since the 20’s and 30’s, and we have become far more reliant on the resources of a globalized economy. This is why homesteading is so appealing to a growing number of people; in the face of a crippling economic meltdown, we want to be prepared, and self-reliant, and self-sufficient.

    Here are some lessons we can take from the Great Depression for homesteading, self-reliance, and life in general:

    1. Use what you have

    We get so used to constantly spending, we’ve forgotten how to use what we have already. Homesteaders are probably already familiar with this, especially if you live far from town and get used to  being resourceful, but Amazon Prime has definitely made it easier to order the most obscure homesteading equipment to be delivered right to our front door (or the mailbox at the top of our country road). Before you spend, try to imagine you have no spare money, what you would do. You’d be surprised how quickly you can problem solve sometimes if buying an additional tool or supply were not an option!

    2. Rely on others

    Community is the backbone of any country, and we have, over time, become more autonomous, individual agents who are ironically much more reliant on the grid and less on one another. Get to know your neighbors, your suppliers, shopkeepers, etc. Form bonds with others, trade work and supplies, pitch in to help others out and ask for help on your own homestead. Find a church, homeschool group, grocery co-op, book club, farmer’s market whatever it is that you’re interested in and make connections. When things get crazy you’ll need support and resources, and a few heads are always better than one.

    3. Get skilled

    Skills are invaluable, and the more you learn, the better equipped you are for #1 and #2. If you can build or repair things you won’t need to spend as much hiring others or buying new supplies or replacement parts, and if you have marketable skills or an artisan craft you can trade your work for things you need or simply pitch in to help others out and help strengthen your community.

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  • Benefits of Bees for Homesteads

    Benefits of Bees for Homesteads

    Bees can be greatly beneficial to the homestead. Becoming a beekeeper requires some knowledge, but it is still relatively simple to get into the field. Once you start to look at beekeeping, you will see that bees can provide a number of wonderful benefits.

    If you have a large garden that is meant to feed you and your entire family, then you need to make sure everything is pollinated properly. Same is true if you have some fruit trees on your property as well. By having bees on the property, you can ensure the pollination and fertilization of various crops. This means your food output via the garden could be much better than it is right now.

    In addition, there are a number of other benefits having bees can provide. One that comes to mind most readily is having fresh raw honey. Honey is fantastic as a sweetener, of course. However, that is not the only way that you can use the honey. In addition, it works well for healing on a variety of wounds including burns. It has antibacterial properties, as well as antiviral and antifungal properties.

    In addition, the honey works well as a long-term food storage item. In fact, it can be stored for decades. The beeswax provided from the beehives you set up can be quite beneficial as well. You can utilize the wax to make lotion, lip balms, and even beeswax candles.

    As you can see, there are a number of reasons to start keeping bees on your property. Just make sure you have the knowledge needed to keep your hive up and running, and remain safe while doing so. With a little research, you will have all of these benefits – and all that great tasting honey – sooner than you might think.

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  • Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow

    Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow

    If you are a new homesteader, one of the first things you want to think about when creating your plan is what vegetables you will be growing. You want to be as self-sufficient as possible, and that means growing and raising as much of your own food as possible. Of course, those who are new might not know what some of the best perennial vegetables are to plant.

    Asparagus

    One of the nice things about asparagus is that it is extremely durable as a crop. It also happens to be one of the first vegetables that you can harvest during springtime. They are easy to plant. You want to plant them in moist but well-drained soil that gets full sun, and you will want to plant in the early spring after the last frost. The best way to grow them is from rooted crowns. You can find these online or at local nurseries.

    Rhubarb

    You will actually plant rhubarb in a similar manner to asparagus. You want to have it in a location where it will not be disturbed and can grow year after year. Plant this the same time as you plant your asparagus. Something important to keep in mind about rhubarb is that you are only supposed to eat the stems. The leaves are poisonous.

    Sorrel

    This is another perennial plant that works very well in many gardens. It has a tart flavor that is similar to rhubarb. In fact, they are related plants. You will plant these so they get full sun and in soil about six eight inches apart, and rows that are two feet apart. The sorrel can be used in salads, as well as a number of other dishes.

    Garlic

    This can be a perennial as well. All you need to do is leave some of them to go to seed, and they will grow again the next year. One of the nice things about garlic is that it is very easy to grow. In fact, you could even go in for a store-bought garlic if you had to. They need to be planted in a sunny location with well-drained soil, and the root side needs to be down. Only the top of the cloves should stick out above the ground, and then only just barely. They should be spaced about 8 inches apart. As long as you want them, they will sprout relatively quickly.

    Garlic works well to flavor many different types of food from soups to sauces to meat and more. It also has some nice health benefits, as it is good for the heart.

    These are just some of the many different types of perennial plants you can start growing. Take some time to consider different types of fruits and vegetables that you enjoy, and see which ones will work best as perennials. They will likely become a staple of your diet, so make sure it is food that you and the family actually enjoy.

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  • How to Make Your Own Butter

    How to Make Your Own Butter

    You don’t have to have your own cow to make butter at home, although of course it helps. There’s nothing like fresh, homemade butter from your own dairy cow to make you feel like the ultimate self-reliant homesteader. But even urban homesteaders can easily whip (literally) up their own batch of delicious homemade butter with raw milk from a farmer or even cream from the store.

    The ingredients and process are simple: cream + agitation + time = butter. The process of making butter basically involves agitating the cream long enough to separate the fat from what will become buttermilk (so you’re really getting two dairy products out of this) into delicious creamy butter. You mostly just need patience and maybe a little practice, but with today’s modern kitchen gadgets, it’s pretty simple compared to spending hours in the barn with an old-fashioned butter churner!

    She doesn't look too happy!
    She doesn’t look too happy!

    What you need

    • Cream, either from the top of fresh, raw cow’s milk or purchased at the store. If it is store-bought, make sure it is organic, preferably grass-fed and never ultra-pasteurized
    • 1 tbs buttermilk, either from the store or left over from a previous batch of butter
    • A stand mixer, food processor or blender

    What you do

    1. If using fresh milk separate the cream from the milk. It will usually be right on the top if the milk has been resting and you can spoon it off. You’d ideally like to have a cup or so, but use what you can get!
    2. Combine the buttermilk with and cream in a container you can seal and leave on the counter for eight hours. This will culture the cream, which allows the bacteria to convert the sugars in the milk into lactic acid.
    3. After 8 hours, you’re ready to churn! Put the mixture in your blender, stand mixer or food processor, and mix on low.
    4. This will take some time, but the cream will slowly start to get lumpier until eventually, it’s completely separated from the buttermilk until it looks distinctly like clumps of butter floating in milk. You should be able to take the butter out and loosely pack into a form (which might not happen until after the next step). Strain the buttermilk off the butter and continue to try to gather it into a ball.
    5. Finally, rinse the butter in water, kneading and forming as you go. After a few minutes, you should have a nice, smooth ball of butter. You can now salt as desired or even add herbs or garlic!
    6. Keep the butter and buttermilk in the fridge for up to a week, or if you plan to keep either for longer, in the freezer.

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  • Surviving Life Unplugged

    Surviving Life Unplugged

    Living off-grid can be a hard transition, and it may include life without internet or cell service, at least for a time. If you are considering at least a temporary transition to unplugged life, here are some tips to stay connected when you’re not…connected.

    Keep Your Smartphone

    If you don’t have internet access and/or cell service on your homestead, it’s probably useful to keep your smartphone, even if you can’t always use it at home it will be your lifeline when you do go into cell range and can check in with email and social media. This probably seems like a no-brainer to anyone who has one, but if you’re one of the few hangers-on who never got a smartphone, living off-grid is actually one lifestyle that a smartphone can be surprisingly useful for. Also, you keep it on airplane mode when you’re out of range, the battery will last significantly longer and you can still utilize offline apps, like the camera, calculator, listen to music, read ebooks, or utilize offline apps.

    Use the Library

    Libraries usually have public internet computers and often even WiFi. All you need is a library card! If you drive into town frequently for shopping or to check mail, the library can just be another stop. Also, if you’re missing TV or streaming media, libraries often have DVDs to rent, and they’re usually very cheap. Extra bonus: rediscover physical books! If you’re new to the area you’re homesteading in, or new to homesteading in general, your library will likely have region-specific books for gardening and animal husbandry.

    Download Media

    Videos, e-books, podcasts and even blogs can all be downloaded for offline viewing. As a homesteader, there are invaluable resources on the internet for information, so when you’re in town, either at the library or on your data plan, take some time to browse your favorite channels and blogs and collect resources. Apps like Pocket, Stitcher, Kindle and websites like Videograbby.com can help you download the -ebooks, blogs podcasts and videos you love for offline viewing.

    Enjoy Yourself

    We’ve gotten so used to constant communication that it can be kind of intimidating thinking of life without. But a mere twenty years ago most people did not have constant access to the internet and cell phones. Life is completely possible, and definitely greatly enriched by life unplugged. If you’re homesteading, you can have the best of both worlds, with all the wonderful resources available on the internet and the technology to take it home without an internet connection, you can enjoy the peace and quiet of a simpler life without being completely unplugged.

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