One of the most important things about making the jump into homesteading, is learning to look at the world through a different lens. You see, when you’re trying to live fully self-sufficient, there’s much less room for waste, and the multiple uses of things become more readily apparent. Likewise, things you once may have considered…
Happy Friday folks! Last week, we left off our goat series with an overview of these hard-headed critters. Far from a unified species, goats range from shaggy mountain breeds to short-haired plains dwellers, each with their own varying characteristics and temperaments. Read on for five popular dairy variants, and some key traits associated with each….
Opossums. Some folks love them and some hate them, but should you really allow them to hang around your homestead? As it turns out, these oft-derided marsupials have some great benefits, alongside a few drawbacks. Read on for some facts about the common North American opossum, otherwise known as the Virginia opossum. Natural Scavengers and…
As I write this, it’s just around mealtime, which may have slightly influenced my choice of topic. If you’ve come here from Part One of our goat series, chances are you already know what you’re in for, but if not, welcome to basic cheese-making 101! Today we’ll be tackling the simplest cheese I’m aware of,…
As we kick off what I can only imagine will be a fairly long-running series on the rearing of our cantankerous caprine friends, as well as their broader usages, I feel compelled to present a disclaimer–I am far from impartial. I grew up caring for a small flock of goats, and they are far and…
If you’re from anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon, you can likely stop reading right now–chances are you could write your own piece on sweet sorghum, and may even have some growing in your yard at this very moment. If this is the first you’re hearing about this sweet little substitute however, read on for some…
Cow’s milk has been a staple on the American continent since the Spanish brought the first cattle to Mexico in 1525, and it’s not too hard to see why. Milk has a plethora of uses–from cereal, to cheese, to pancakes and more, milk can be utilized in just about anything. It is, however, not the…
Few things make one feel more like a farmer, and provide as much return, as a small flock of chickens. From the cock’s crow in the morning, to the contented chatter the hens provide throughout the day, to the obvious benefit of eggs and meat, raising poultry can be a very rewarding experience. However, as…
Welcome back to our two-part series on root-cellar fundamentals. As a quick recap, in the previous article we discussed the ways a root cellar uses the natural insulation of the earth to keep food fresh in any season (read more about that here). The simplest type of root cellar, therefore, is a dug hole, usually…
If you’ve come here from our first installment on guinea hens, welcome back! If you’ve just stumbled across this article however, and begin to feel a little lost, here’s a quick link to catch up. Last week, we covered the “why” of guinea hens. If that made you decide a flock of these fussy little…
Many folks’ idea of gardening is tossing a few seeds on the ground, maybe half-heartedly kicking some dirt overtop, and somehow welcoming a burgeoning load of crops come harvest time. Those same gardeners will bemoan the fact that they simply don’t have a green thumb, when, at the prescribed time, nothing grows. As it turns…
As the late-receding winter chill turns to summer heat, many folks will be looking for a way to preserve the fruits and vegetables that will soon sprout their way into existence. The issue for many homesteaders, however, is finding enough refrigerator space for all their crops. Named for the root-type vegetables traditionally preserved there, a…
