Homesteading

To some homesteaders, Florida is a promised land, one of bounty, plenty, and pleasant weather. To others, it is merely the end of the line, a place of violent natural disasters, crazy people, alligators, and badlands. Which perspective is correct if you want to mosey down to the Sunshine State? As always, the truth is

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “goats can eat absolutely anything”. That’s the popular belief, but anyone who has owned goats for any length of time knows that that isn’t the case. Goats are surprisingly picky, delicate eaters, and there are lots of things that can make them sick, sometimes terribly so. This

Choosing to live off-grid is a big decision. Whether or not you are going without electricity completely, your power consumption habits will simply have to change. Often, that means giving up most of the power-hungry appliances and tools that we take for granted. For homesteaders, this can be especially worrying: we need our gear to

The Amish are well known throughout the northern reaches of America. This traditionalist fellowship of Christians emphasizes clean and simple living and hard work, and even though they keep themselves apart from the rest of society, they are highly regarded both for their work ethic and the quality of their craftsmanship. Despite foregoing most modern

Most people I know don’t homestead like our ancestors did. I mean truly living off the land and, just as importantly, living free. These days, it’s easy to feel like you are just playing at homesteading, like it’s a hobby. Anybody can get a flock of chickens for their suburban home or start a modest

What’s one thing you think you could find on any homestead? If you answered Mason jars, pick any prize off the third shelf because you’re a winner! These ubiquitous and ever-handy glass jars are, of course, used for storing delicious, home-canned food, but they can also be used to keep all sorts of other things

Most homesteaders I know care about two things when it comes to keeping the house clean inside and out: doing more with less and cutting back on creepy chemicals. Just walk down the cleaning aisle at your local grocery store, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. There’s a specialized cleaner for everything you can

Flour is an indispensable essential in the kitchen. It’s used in all sorts of dishes, every kind of baked good, and for more mundane tasks like thickening sauces and preventing your food from sticking to your cutting board. It’s one of those things that most of us take for granted and just pick up from

If you aren’t a homesteader but want to be, getting started can look like an unclimbable mountain. If you didn’t grow up on a farm or in a family that emphasized self-sufficiency and self-reliance, it’s easy to feel like you are just coming around to it way too late in life. Take it from me,

A big part of taking care of animals is understanding how long they can be expected to live. No one wants to think about their animals dying, especially if we have forged close bonds with them, but on a working homestead, it’s important so you can better anticipate when you’ll need replacements. Chickens are often