Water access is one of the most overstated, yet still somehow underrated components to a successful homestead. Everyone knows its important, but its almost impossible to fully fathom just how much it is. From watering plants, to animals, to keeping your own self healthy, water is truly the basis for life. In the winter, however, water access (and specifically retention) can get … [Read more...] about Wintertime Rainwater Collection
lars Drecker
Making Fig Wine
As you may have noticed from a few previous articles on this website, your humble author is obsessed with figs. Perhaps this is because despite living in climate supposedly not suited for them, I have managed to keep a fig tree alive and flourishing for some time now, and thus am always pleasantly surprised by the harvest. Whatever the reason, I decided this year to combine two … [Read more...] about Making Fig Wine
Exiling Deer from your Garden
Whether you want to keep the deer from eating all your garden vegetables and flowers or whether you’re interested in ways to help wildlife during a hot, dry summer, here are a few things you should know. Any limited availability of food and water can lead to a reduced number of newborn fawns and fewer fawns that survive their first year. Such harsh conditions can also reduce … [Read more...] about Exiling Deer from your Garden
Wintertime Woodcrafting: Maul
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 out, and its time to find a … [Read more...] about Wintertime Woodcrafting: Maul
Purslane: Worthwhile or Weed?
Purslane. I guarantee you've seen it, and if, like me, you grew up below the Mason-Dixon, you may even have heard of it by the slightly unappetizing moniker: Hogweed. Found growing wild across most of the United States, purslane is most definitely a weed, but the question is, is it a useful one? As you've probably guessed, given that we're devoting an article to it, it is … [Read more...] about Purslane: Worthwhile or Weed?
