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Most people think of acres of land, wide open spaces, barns, and animals grazing in the open when they think of a homestead. However, there is a growing number of homesteaders who are proving that being self-sufficient doesn’t have to take up a huge property. In both cities, suburbs, and small towns, individuals are converting […] The post The Backyard Micro-Farm: Small Spaces, Big Harvests…
Self-sufficiency and sustainability are buzzwords—not only used in the close-knit homesteading community, but by corporations who want to cash in on a trending value system to make a quick buck. In order to cash in, however, they had to make some changes. Changing their products would take time and money, so they went about changing us. […] The post Learn to Save Money with Old-Fashioned Methods:…
Ah, summer. Flowers are bursting into full bloom. Children are delighted to be out of school. That bronze tan you’ve missed for a year is peeking through your clothes again. For humans, what’s not to celebrate? On the other hand, many plants start to stress this time of year. Yes, some thrive in heat: rosemary, […] The post Your Garden is Cooked: 10 Plants That Don’t Like Heat appeared first on…
Homesteaders, whether the 100-acre or backyard type, are always on the lookout for their next big project. If this project can meet the requirements of the rule of three and pull its weight by contributing in at least three ways to the homestead, it’s a project to feel good about. Growing mushrooms in one such […] The post Small-Scale Mushroom Farming appeared first on Homestead.org .
I have a perversion. When I go for a walk around my place, it may appear that I’m enjoying my time in nature, but the truth is, I admit, that I’m always thinking about how to “improve” nature. Normal folks plant flowerbeds, but perverts such as myself try to make creations that give the illusion […] The post Rose Mallow Hibiscus: Southern Belle Knocks Your Socks Off in August appeared first on…
Larry and I were married on May Day, an ancient holiday dear to me. Having everything we needed to start our life as a married couple, I jokingly asked the Universe to just give us livestock or gift cards to the grain store. In June, an amazing turn of events occurred. When we threw our […] The post Raising American Guinea Hogs on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org .
Growing vegetables from seed is probably one of the greatest pleasures of gardening. You can see the whole process from seed to table and taste the results of your labor. Nothing compares to your own seed-grown, juicy, just-picked tomatoes, still warm from the sun. Garden vegetables also have far superior flavor and nutritional value than […] The post Five Weeks from Seed to Table appeared first…
When we purchased our homestead, chickens were always part of the plan. In fact, we fully expected to have chickens during our first year on the property. Like many aspiring homesteaders, getting chickens was the logical starting point. Fresh eggs, insect control, and a manageable flock size seemed like the perfect introduction to owning our […] The post Beyond the Coop: Why Chickens Might Not Be…
The first time a friend told me about this Watermelon, Cucumber, & Feta Salad, my immediate reaction was… well… let’s go with not favorable. But once I gave it a moment’s thought, I knew I had to try it. All of the ingredients are things I love, and, while it seemed incongruous at first, I […] The post Watermelon, Cucumber, & Feta Salad with Honey Lime Dressing appeared first on Homestead.org .
Easily one of my most frustrating, yet ultimately rewarding, experiences on the homestead came in the process of convincing an ornery Angus to adopt a newly-orphaned calf. Grafting an orphan—whether lamb, kid, calf, foal, or piglet—onto a surrogate mother is often the most efficient and healthy option in an otherwise unfortunate situation. Many times the […] The post Grafting an Orphan Calf to a…
