What to Plant in July: 12 Crops for a Real Fall Harvest
Wondering what to plant in July? These 12 crops sown over the holiday weekend still deliver a full fall harvest. Get the count-back math and zone timing.
Homestead reference charts
Three field guides worth bookmarking — canning times, cellar storage, and safe cooking temps.
Home canning
| 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 →Produce storage
| 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 → NetworkMeat doneness
| 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
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More from the Brand Avalanche network
- Popular Outdoorsman — Hunting, fishing & wild-game gear
- Popular BBQ — Grilling, smoking & BBQ recipes
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Gardening | Herbs | Vegetables
Growing Microgreens Indoors in Winter: A Practical Homestead System
A practical winter system for growing microgreens indoors: what to sow, how much light and warmth they need, and where the work usually goes wrong. This piece offers reflection grounded in real work and mistakes, not instruction. But winter is long, and a little structure helps keep the greens – and the spirits –…
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How to Prevent Botulism When Canning at Home (2026)
Home canning season is here. Learn how to prevent botulism when canning low-acid foods, which method to use, and the warning signs before you taste a jar.
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New World Screwworm: How to Protect Your Homestead Livestock in 2026
The New World screwworm is back in U.S. livestock in 2026. Learn the warning signs, the daily prevention routine, and what to do if you spot an infestation.
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Bird Flu and Backyard Chickens: How to Protect Your Flock
Bird flu risk for backyard chickens peaks during fall and spring migration. Cover the run, lock down water, quarantine new birds 30 days, and know who to call.
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Backyard Flock Biosecurity: Why the Case Count Is the Wrong Alarm
Backyard flock biosecurity works on the fall migration calendar, not the USDA case count. Here is the September checklist, the warning signs, and who to call.
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Firewood Moisture Content: How to Test It Before You Pay for Water
Firewood moisture content decides your winter heat, not species. Get the 20 percent rule, the meter test, and how to spot wet wood before you pay.
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Foraging Laws by State (2026): Where It’s Legal to Pick Berries & Mushrooms — All 50 States, Cited
The 50-state legal map of foraging: 15 states allow berry and mushroom picking in state parks, 29 prohibit it. Every state’s statute or code citation, federal-land rules, quantity limits, and a downloadable CSV — all verified against primary sources August 18, 2026.
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How to Start a Garden: A Frost-Date Guide With Cited Sources
Start a garden by working backward from your last spring freeze date, not a calendar month. A cited planting table for 36 crops, real NOAA freeze probabilities for 12 cities, and a companion-planting chart graded by actual evidence.
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What Is Homesteading? The Definition, the Law, and the USDA Numbers
Homesteading has no legal definition – the word means three unrelated things in American law. Here is what each one actually is, what the 2022 USDA Census says about how common small-scale farming really is, and the cottage food, poultry and municipal rules that decide what you can do.
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How Much Compost Is Too Much in a Raised Bed? What the Extension Services Publish
Short answer: Oregon State University Extension caps compost at 25 percent of a raised bed by volume. The University of Maryland Extension recommends 33 to 50 percent. Both are land-grant institutions, both published those numbers, and almost every soil calculator online quietly hard-codes one side of the disagreement without telling you it exists. This page…
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Michael Reynolds and the Earthship: The Homestead That Tries to Run Itself
Michael Reynolds spent fifty years turning old tires and bottles into Earthship houses near Taos. What homesteaders can take from his self-running homes.
