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There are few culinary delights less appreciated, yet more important, than herbs. While spices have their zing, and a prime cut of meat needs no seasoning, herbs are far from a simple garnish, yielding subtle, complementary flavors to any dish they accompany. Read on for 10 herbs you absolutely need to have in your garden–and…
Convinced you don’t have a green thumb? Tired of having to choose between constant weeding or seeing your plants choked out? Raised garden beds may be the key to your problems, and they’re rather easy to craft. Read on for the why and how of this time- and back-saving garden addition. Benefits While obviously too…
Just as you build a house before you move onto land, before you consider getting goats, you need a solid plan for how to house them. Lucky for you, goats are a lot less picky than your last roommate. In fact, they’re about as low-maintenance a tenant as you can get. Read on for a…
Foraging for mushrooms is an art shrouded in mystery. Doubtless, you’ve heard the stories of first-time foragers taking an accidental trip, or even experienced hands dropping dead from a misidentified specimen. To be quite honest, there’s truth in a lot of those stories (okay, probably not that first one. Psilocybes don’t exactly grow on trees),…
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…
