Tag: survival
-
Identifying and Understanding Poison Ivy
The bane of every campers’ weekend getaway, poison ivy, interestingly enough is not actually in the ivy family. It’s a relative of the almond family. Who knew? Most of the time, you only have to worry about avoiding it when you are in the great outdoors and away from urban areas. However, occasionally it will…
-
How to Ferment Vegetables
Fermenting vegetables grown in your garden accomplishes two things at once. First, it enhances the nutritional value of the vegetables by preserving them at their peak. Second, it preserves the vegetables, so you can enjoy them all winter long. The process used for fermenting vegetables is simple. You need the right equipment and the right…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
DIY Bow and Arrow
From Cavemen to Robin Hood and our own Native American neighbors, a well-crafted bow and arrow set has provided food and protection for humans for thousands of years. And while the technology has certainly advanced, if you find yourself in need of a weapon for hunting or protection, the tried and true “primitive” design of…
-
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…
-
Reasons to Stockpile Alcohol
Whether or not you like to enjoy a refreshing cocktail after a long day of homestead duties, or you’ve been sober for years, there’s actually a lot of very good reasons to stockpile alcohol, for use around the homestead and also long-term survival. To be clear, when we’re talking about alcohol, we’re talking about liquor.…
-
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…
-
Are You Making Prepper Mistakes?
If you are into learning how to survive and prepping, you read as much as you can on the subject, and you are generally willing to work hard to make sure you have everything you need when it comes to living after the SHTF. Of course, many out there do not take any steps beyond…
-
Tips for Surviving a Tornado
Tornadoes cause devastation across Midwestern states each year. Unfortunately, people die in these storms, so it makes sense for you and your family to be as prepared as possible if you live in or are visiting states that are in the path of tornadoes. Although you might not have too much warning before the storm…
-
Survival Skills You Need Now
Do you have all the survival skills you need? Would you be able to survive if the world as we know it were to implode tomorrow? While you might have some skills that others are lacking, you might not have everything you need to survive. Just because you know how to read a compass and…
-
Growing Calories for Survival
One of the biggest reasons people want to homestead in this day and age is to be prepared for some kind of disaster. But what should you grow that would actually help you survive? Obviously, you will need food, and not just edibles, but calories. And rows and rows of herbs and kale are probably healthy,…
-
3 Ways to Purify Water
If you are homesteading or in a survival situation, water will always be your primary need. If you have a source for fresh water on your homestead, that’s a huge advantage, but you also might need to purify the water. Whether you are collecting water from a stream, spring, rainwater, or what have you, it’s…
-
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…
-
5 Tips for Storing Food in Harsh Conditions
Storing dry foods can be tricky. Ideally, you want to store your food at about 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, with low humidity (less than 15%). Of course, that just isn’t possible for a lot of people, especially those who live in exceedingly warm or cold climates, floodplains, etc. So how can you improve your food’s…
-
3 Tips for Prepping When You’re Broke
Whether you’re prepping in case of a disaster, you’re preparing to be an off-grid homesteader, or anything in between, you know that prepping and learning survival skills can take up a lot of time and money. That really doesn’t have to be the case, though. In fact, there are a number of ways that you…
-
Preparing the Homestead for Winter
I know, I know, it’s not even labor day yet, but it’s never too early to think about preparing the homestead for winter. The key to a safe winter is planning, preparation and foresight. If you’d like to homestead one day or get more off-grid eventually, here are a few basic tips for winter prep…
-
5 Survival Foods That Virtually Last Forever
When stocking up a survival stash, it’s important to maximize your space with items that will last the longest. Below is a list of items that will virtually last forever… 1.Dried Beans Dried beans are probably one of the most common items to stock up on and for good reason. When kept away from moisture…
