Homesteading for everyone
Many homesteads use wood heat, ours is no exception. It’s economical, it helps us to deal with trees that have fallen down on our property, and it’s affordable. It also keeps us warm without running up the power bill. Because we use wood for heat, our homestead has a woodshed. This is where we typically… [read more]
This article will explain and feature the composting toilet, an eco-friendly and permaculture-compliant alternative to flush toilets. Different settings of composting toilets will be compared, and both advantages and limitations discussed. Composting toilets are almost certainly an ancient technology that predates literate society. The simplest composting toilet design possible may involve a hole in the… [read more]
Corn fritters made with cornmeal are a traditional Native American dish. These fritters, however, make use of what you have grown on the homestead – succulent freshly picked sweetcorn, red peppers, cilantro, and lemon. Add the cucumber from your kitchen garden for garnish and you’ll have most of the fresh and organic ingredients to make… [read more]
Dandelions and wild violets are some of the first blooms of spring. Wouldn’t it be lovely to preserve that beautiful freshness to remind you the wonders of spring even in the middle of the bleakest winter? How about other beautiful flowers such as peonies, lilacs, lavender, and bee balm? You may already be cultivating these… [read more]
I used to think a chicken was just a chicken until I decided I needed to have a few for my very own. After calling around to several hatcheries and asking questions that only a novice chicken owner could dream up, I discovered there were many types and breeds of chicken to choose from. The… [read more]
As political instability, riots, natural and manmade disasters become more of a threat, people the world over are planning for situations when there will not be sufficient food available on the shelves of stores, when it won’t be possible to grow your own produce, and when foraged food may be contaminated. So as the Boy… [read more]
I’ll be completely honest – I am not that great at growing onions! While we always end up with a ton of onions each year to preserve, they end up being rather small and dense. Maybe it has to do with the soil, perhaps it’s the variety we select. Whatever the reason, for the last… [read more]
Growing up, my grandparents always used to have tons of dilly beans on hand. As a kid, I used to turn my nose up at the pale green concoctions, swimming in their brine of what, as a child, I deemed as “icky” spices and pungent vinegar. Want to learn how to make your own dilly… [read more]
When I finally made the decision to add chickens to the homestead, like most, I went into serious research mode. Admittedly, with all the research I performed, the one situation that I never considered was that, like most animals, chickens can and do get bored. It only makes sense, seeing that they split their daily… [read more]
Every year, we harvest at least 50 pounds of potatoes. While potatoes can be stored for quite some time in a root cellar or even a dry basement (and frankly, even just on your countertop), I like to can potatoes for several reasons. First, canned potatoes are a quick breakfast, lunch, and dinnertime staple that… [read more]
