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Three field guides worth bookmarking — canning times, cellar storage, and safe cooking temps.
| Food | Pressure | Pint |
|---|---|---|
| Green beans | 10 lb | 20m |
| Corn | 10 lb | 55m |
| Tomatoes | water bath | 35m |
USDA/NCHFP processing times & pressures for common foods.
View full chart →| Item | Store | Keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Onions | cool, dry | 9 mo |
| Potatoes | cellar | 4–6 mo |
| Apples | cellar | 6 mo |
How long fruit & veg keep in the cellar, fridge and freezer.
View full chart → Network| Doneness | Target |
|---|---|
| Rare | 125–130°F |
| Medium-rare | 130–135°F |
| Well-done | 160°F+ |
Safe pull temps for steak & burgers, from Popular BBQ.
View full chart →Reader Favorites
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) offers several programs for landowners to enroll environmentally sensitive farmland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The continuous and general CRP signups provide annual rental payments to producers and landowners for establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species on cropland, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat…
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed more than $1 million to landscape-scale efforts to help restore thousands of acres of public and private forestland, meadows and other landscapes charred by recent wildfires. “This commitment only solidifies RMEF’s ongoing strategic efforts dating back decades to enhance habitat for elk and a myriad of other wildlife species…
Chances are, if your homestead sits anywhere north of Texas this year, you have seen a fresh blanket of snow or two coat your land. If you live near where I do, that blanket didn’t just fall, but has lasted for several weeks now (and counting). We all love the fluffy white stuff for our…
Do you guys wanna go see a dead body? Anyone over 40 years old remembers the movie “Stand By Me,” and secretly wanted to find a dead body as a kid. Not like finding grandma dead in bed, but a legitimate stranger in the woods who died from foul play. It would be heroic, a…
Depending on where you live in these United States, you’re currently either enjoying some unseasonably warm weather, enduring record-setting snow, or some variation in between. While our country may have a fair amount of temperature variation, one thing tends to remain constant right about now: growing season is at an end, hunting season is running…
Christmas trees have a lot of uses once all the festivities are ended. Personally, I used to feed them to my sheep but now I just burn mine in a big New Year’s Eve bonfire. Whatever you decide to do just be sure to remember RULE NUMBER ONE – Make sure the tree is free…
Need something to keep you a little warmer around the homestead this winter? Check out a pair of new garments from ALPS OutdoorZ, designed to fend off the worse of the winter’s cold. The Element Hoodie is available as a pullover or a full-zip hoodie. Its cotton/polyester blend and plush fleece interior lining make it…
Whether in the woods, the fields, or around the homestead, the value of a pocketknife is undeniable. Of course, multi-tools are also useful, but most have a definite preference, either preferring the broader utility of the latter, or finding the singular purpose of the former more appealing. True Utility has sought to bridge this gap, with…
The best part of having a homestead is getting creative with your land. You can get some crazy idea to build an ice rink and then go out and do it. I’ve built one on my property every year for the past five years, and each time I learn something new. Here are the basic…
Two mule deer bucks taken in the Slate Creek drainage near Lucile in October tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to Idaho Fish and Game. Under Fish and Game’s CWD strategic plan, both hunters have been notified that their bucks tested positive. Although CWD has been known to exist in the Western United States for over 40…
All Hallow’s eve is over. The candy has been passed out, the apples bobbed, and the costumes returned to the closet for next year. But one seasonal signature lingers on. Your friendly (or fierce) Jack O’ Lantern still shimmers nightly on your front porch, though he’s looking a little more slumped with each passing day….
Most homesteaders begin their journey with the desire to be fully self-sufficient. From food, to power, to transportation, this can be quite a process. Oftentimes, however, the simplest needs are overlooked in favor of more flashy pursuits, but the devil is in the details. Have you ever considered, for instance, how to live without store-bought…
