There are all sorts of ways to cure meat, but most at some point require cold-storage to prevent rot. There’s salt curing, smoking, drying, and good old-fashioned freezing, among many others. With one method of curing however, you don’t need to worry quite so much about how quick you eat your meats, or where you store it. Pickling meat is a way of curing and preserving it … [Read more...] about Pickling Meat: A Pre-20th-Century Process
Animals
Chicken Breed Profile (Part 1 of ?)
A topic we’ve covered regularly on this site, though perhaps not regularly enough, is that of poultry. Probably the most common “gateway stock” for budding homesteaders, chickens are relatively simple to care for, easy to acquire, and can be used for either meat or eggs. Read on for the first in what will be an irregularly running series with multiple installments, cataloguing … [Read more...] about Chicken Breed Profile (Part 1 of ?)
Defensive Donkey Duties
Love your animals? Have predators that love them for a different reason? Have a special, childhood attachment to Eeyore? Sounds like you may be in the market for a good old-fashioned defense donkey! You heard me right, that ornery barnyard brute may actually have a use beyond pulling a cart, and biting a chunk out of that nosy neighbor kid’s overalls. Read on for some … [Read more...] about Defensive Donkey Duties
Catchin’ Crawdads
If your homestead is located anywhere near water, particularly the flowing variety, chances are you’ve wet a line or two, and made yourself better acquainted with several varieties of aquatic wildlife. In doing so, you may have stumbled across some strange critters lurking along the bottom, particularly under rocks--critters that look a heckuva lot like a miniaturized variety … [Read more...] about Catchin’ Crawdads
Hen Hatchery
So you’ve got hens, a rooster, and not enough chickens. Should you order more chicks in the mail? Sure, that’s one solution. But if you’ve got all three of the above, its turns out nature has a free solution for you. Read on for a how-to on hatching your own chicks. Step 1: Feed The first thing you’ll need is … well … some eggs! Set aside a few eggs you want to hatch in a … [Read more...] about Hen Hatchery
