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Homesteader Depot

Tag: homesteading

  • Homemade Rosewater Recipe

    Homemade Rosewater Recipe

    Rosewater is exactly what it sounds like: water infused with roses. It’s simple, but it’s incredibly effective to tone, moisturize, and give a wonderful scent to skin and hair.

    You can use it in many different ways, as a toner for your skin, a quick moisturizing spray, to add to homemade lotions or remedies or just as a natural perfume.

    You can make a bottle of homemade rosewater very easily and use for yourself or as gifts, or even as a chic and easy addition to a farmer’s market stand for your homestead.

    Wherever you live, if you happen to grow your own organic roses, this is a great way to use them up once they’ve faded. Or, if you don’t grow roses but still want to make this rose water, try to find fresh cut roses that were grown organically, or buy some dried rose buds or petals online that are certified organic.

    If you intend to use the rosewater on your skin, you definitely don’t want to use conventional rose petals, because as your skin is your largest organ, you definitely don’t want to be absorbing trace pesticides through your open pores.

    Do you have BACK PAIN? Give this a try>>>

    A quick note: this recipe will work with any amount of roses you have, just follow the directions and it will work.

    Ingredients 

    • organic roses
    • distilled water

    Directions

    1. If you are using fresh roses, remove the petals from the leaves completely.
    2. Put your petals in a saucepan, and cover with just enough distilled water to cover.
    3. Bring to a simmer and cover.
    4. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes until petals have lost their color.
    5. Remove from heat and strain the petals out. Let cool, and store in a glass bottle.

    That’s it! You can now use your rosewater to add to luxurious baths, homemade facial toner, or even to cook with; rosewater is a staple in many Middle Eastern dishes. Enjoy!

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  • Amish Barn Raising (Video)

    Amish Barn Raising (Video)

    The Amish are famous for their incredibly speedy “barn raising”. This is when the whole community comes together and builds a barn in a day, sometimes even a matter of hours.

    I’ve always wanted to see one done, so I was thrilled to find this time-lapse video on YouTube recently that speeds a barn raising up to three minutes.

    It’s amazing to see the amount of men at work, and how quickly they’re able to erect the structures and finish them off. It’s so cool what can happen when community comes together and is willing to work just out of a sense of obligation, rather than because they’re getting paid.

    The Amish are romanticized so often for the way they live with very little technology and tight-knit communities, and I definitely think any homesteader can glean lots of valuable homesteading wisdom from the Amish. We probably don’t all have the resources or manpower to build a barn in a day, sure, but watching this video will sure motivate you to tackle any projects you have with the same enthusiasm the Amish apply to their barn raises! Enjoy:

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  • Ways to Profit Off Your Land

    Ways to Profit Off Your Land

    When you invest in a homestead property, it probably won’t be cheap. You won’t want to buy cheap, useless land to get started, after all, since it won’t be much use to you.

    So how can you offset the cost of settling on the perfect slice of property?

    Well, there are a lot of possibilities. Here are just a few, to be followed up with more as time goes on. Be sure to let us know how you’ve made money off your homestead, so we can add it to the list!

    Vegetable Gardening

    Build additional beds to what you will need for your family and put the effort in a cash crop to sell at the farmer’s market. Quick, easy crops include eggplant, asparagus, okra, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, summer squash, cabbage, carrots, and leeks, to name a few (we’ll cover this more extensively in the future as well).

    Fruit Trees or Grapes

    Investing in some fruit trees and a small orchard, or grape vines, could pull in a handsome profit for your homestead if you do it right. Fruit trees are not incredibly high-maintenance and can produce a whole lot of fruit for you to sell at a farmer’s market or even to local restaurants, grocers, or food production factories.

    Eggs

    Invest in a large coop and a system to move your chickens around your property, like a mobile coop, and you’ll have eggs for days you can again sell at farmer’s market, directly to customers, or to grocers, bakers, or restaurant. Nothing is as appealing on a menu as “farm fresh eggs!”

    Bed and breakfast

    If you’ve got an extra structure on your property, spruce it up to create a rustic farm getaway. People love to experience country life on vacation (without having to actually get up early to do the chores) and you can charge a handsome price for it. Just make sure you’re coded correctly, or use AirBnb.com, which is getting very popular.

    Beekeeping 

    Raw honey and beeswax are very valuable and in demand. Harvest raw honey to sell by the jar, or beeswax to sell either raw or in crafts such as lotions, candles, or even crayons.

     

    Stay posted for more ideas on how to profit off your land.

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  • Off-Grid Cabin Security (Video)

    Off-Grid Cabin Security (Video)

    When you live out in the country, it might seem safer than an urban environment, and in many ways, it definitely is. Those low crime rates aren’t misleading; way less people means way less crime.

    That being said, there’s still a risk of your property being vandalized or stolen if you aren’t at home, especially if you live far away from other houses.

    They say locks are to keep honest people out, and if you don’t feel safe simply locking your gate and front door, you probably want to take additional measures to secure your homestead when you’re not there.

    Off Grid Nation is a great YouTube channel that has all things survival homestead related, and he gets asked a lot about the security of his off-grid cabin on an isolated property.

    In this video, he shares his many clever security systems he’s put in place to keep people out of his stuff when he’s gone. It will definitely give you some good ideas on how to fortify your own homestead from even the most determined criminal. Check it out:

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  • Why You Need a Pond on Your Homestead

    Why You Need a Pond on Your Homestead

    Building a pond is immensely useful and beneficial for the homestead or garden. While there are a few points to consider, such as cost and labor, there is so much that a healthy pond brings to the table.

     

    A Habitat for Wildlife

     

    Providing your local pond-dwelling creatures with clean water for a home environment and breeding site is a great way to positively impact your region’s ecosystem. The following pond components are especially beneficial to animals:

    • A shallow portion for bathing/wading birds and migrating amphibians.
    • Native plants, which provide shade, food and cover for diverse pond life.
    • Large rocks, branches, or other materials along the pond’s edge for cover for small animals.

     

    Potential for Aquatic Permaculture

     

    Even a small pond can be incredibly useful when practicing aquaculture. Many edible plants can be grown in backyard ponds. Check your local gardening resource to see which varieties are best suited for your region. Some edible aquatic plants include:

     

    • Wapato – food for people and livestock, beneficial insect attractor
    • Wild Rice – food for people and livestock
    • Cattail – food, materials for crafts, water filtration, cover for small/young fish
    • Lotus- food for people, cover for fish, beneficial insect attractor
    • Pond Lily – food for people and livestock, cover for fish, beneficial insect attractor

     

    Water Storage Preparedness

     

    Among the many utilitarian benefits, a pond can act as your own personal reservoir in case of an emergency. With a good, powerful water filter, you can have complete peace of mind that you’ll never lack safe, clean drinking water.

     

    Education and Recreation

     

    Nothing adds to the visual appeal of a yard or garden like the idyllic view of a pond. If planned thoughtfully, the construction of a small pond can even be a solution for soggy spots or rain runoff in the backyard. With a couple of comfortable lawn chairs or a picnic table, it becomes a favorite gathering place. If you have children, a pond becomes an outdoor classroom with limitless hands-on learning opportunities about biology and ecology. The magic of watching water insects or tadpoles grow and transform beats a science textbook any day!

     

  • Top Five Reasons to Homestead (Wherever You Are)

    Top Five Reasons to Homestead (Wherever You Are)

    “Homesteading” typically means living on a homestead, raising animals and growing your own food, and being independent and self-sufficient. As the global economy seems to teter on the brink of total collapse, modern life becomes more and more reliant on large-scale grids subject to fail, and urban environments are becoming increasingly dangerous, more and more people are becoming drawn to the idea of homesteading.

    Now, as we’ve often discussed, you don’t need to own your own land to homestead. There are many ways you can homestead right where you are. And here are the top five reasons why you should be doing it:

    1. Stability 

    The more you learn to do yourself, the more you can rely on. You never know when our grid might be shut down by a terrorist attack or natural disaster, so as you learn to find ways to be more independent and self-reliant, you’ll have more factors in your life that you can control.

    2. Health

    Buying local, growing your own, avoiding pesticides and GMO, are all ways you can be  more energy independent and move away from reliance on large agribusiness corporations, but they’re also all way healthier for you.

    3. Spirituality 

    Whatever your belief system, learning to do things yourself is incredibly rewarding spiritually and philosophically. Taking the time to slow down, take inventory of everything material in your life, and radically change your relationship with it, is great for mental peace and clarity.

    4. Security 

    A big way in which you can secure your homestead lifestyle is to be more secure as well. Owning your own weapons and learning to use them, both to hunt and to defend your loved ones, is, in essence, a prime example of self-sufficient. Why outsource the protection of your loved ones to the police?

    5. Freedom

    With great power comes great responsibility, but taking responsibility for yourself and your resources also comes with great power. The more independent and self-reliant you are able to become, the more free you will become. Freedom is what makes our country great, and as long as we have the power to live in peace and make our own way in the world, we should make a point to work hard towards independence and self-reliance.

     

    Homesteading is not just a lifestyle, it is a statement you make in a changing world to stick to what works, to rely on yourself more than anyone else, and to make your own rules for how you will live your life.

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  • Homesteading Before Having a Homestead

    Homesteading Before Having a Homestead

    You might be wondering about the title. How is it possible to start becoming a homesteader before you have land and an actual homestead? It is easier than you might think and it is actually a good idea to do this before you buy a large plot of land. This simply means that you are starting to learn some of the skills you will need as a homesteader, if you do not already know them. It also means that you will be implementing some of these elements into your current lifestyle.

    You need to start thinking about the different ways that you can be more self-sufficient. This means learning to repair things around the house, including mending your clothing. You have to get out of the mindset of simply being able to buy everything that you need brand new.

    In addition, you should start to consider the possibility of growing some of your food. Whether you have a small yard, a patio, or even if you have to grow inside, you can start now. Maybe you are only able to produce a few tomatoes, some herbs, and a couple of zucchini. You are supplementing your food and saving money. Even more important, you are starting to learn more about gardening.

    By learning to homestead before you buy land, you will also get a better idea of whether this lifestyle is really for you. If you can’t be more self-sufficient while you still have modern luxuries around you, it will be difficult to do it for real. It is better to know this sooner rather than later. You might find that you love the freedom that homesteading offers; and it can spur you to save more for your land so you can start to expand as a homesteader.

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  • Getting To Know Your Homestead Neighbors

    Getting To Know Your Homestead Neighbors

    When you move into a new homestead and begin to settle down, you certainly have quite a few things on your mind and on your plate. You are making sure that the planting is done, the livestock is settling in and that the house is running efficiently. Even though you might love the idea of being completely on your own, you should still take the time and put in the effort to meet your neighbors. It is always an enlightening experience, and it could be very beneficial to you.

    Head out and meet the neighbors, whether they are just down the lane or your nearest neighbor is miles away. Introduce yourself and try to get a feeling for the neighbors. In some cases, they will be reclusive and might not want to talk much. That’s okay. Just be friendly and then be on your way. On the other hand, the neighbors might become very good friends.

    You can be useful to one another, as well. You can watch out for any anomalies or issues on one another’s land, such as trespassers, predators, and the like. If you have a tractor the neighbor needs to borrow, and they have a chainsaw you need to borrow, it can help the both of you save money. You can help one another out when you have some complex repairs or issues that need to be fixed on your property, as well.

    You might also find that each has certain skills or hobbies that you could trade. For example, you might know how to tan hides, while your neighbor knows how to can. You could teach one another. Maybe they make soap or candles, which you can trade for. When you get to know your neighbors, you will have that added safety net just in case there is an emergency, too. Make it a priority.

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