Picture this: You've just finished your gardening chores for the weekend, and now you're relaxing in your backyard with a refreshing glass of lemonade. You sit down in an Adirondack chair with your …
Cattle Breeds: The Best for Milk and Meat
Raising cattle might be worth trying as a way to expand your homesteading horizons. Raising cattle can supply you and your family with homegrown meat and dairy products while teaching your kids …
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Birdhouses: 32 Homes For Your Feathered Friends
If you don’t already have a birdhouse in your backyard, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Undoubtedly you have at least a few friends or family members who are big fans of their avian …
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11 Healthy Grains You Should Add To Your Diet
As a chef and educator, I get asked all the time about healthy grains. Some of the healthiest grains are amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, kaniwa, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, teff, and …
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Firewood Storage – 30 Sheds, Racks, And Shelves
A firewood shed will keep your logs dry and well-organized. Whether you need a small log rack to store your firewood indoors or a large shed to stock up for the winter, we've found both rustic and …
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Diatomaceous Earth: 14 Surprising Everyday Uses
Diatomaceous earth (DE), also known as diatomite, is a soft sedimentary rock made up of the fossils of algae-like organisms called diatoms. It’s 80-90% silica and usually comes in the form of a fine, …
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20 Unique Weathervanes For Your Homestead
Before radio, television, satellites, and smartphones, a weathervane was the weather reporter of the homestead. Atop the roofs of homes and barns, they told homesteaders how fast and which direction …
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Quilting With Old Clothes
Old Clothes Quilting By Luke Haynes American Gothic Made from Old Clothes www.lukehaynes.com Close up of above Made from old clothes... Old Clothes Quilt www.lukehaynes.com Detail …
What Do Ducks Eat?
Ducks, like chickens, are omnivores. So what do ducks eat? Typically, ducks eat foraged food including weeds, seeds, grasses, slugs, and other pests. Ducks also eat natural, homemade feed or …
Outdoor Sofa – Our Top 30, Including Sets And Sectionals
There's nothing quite like coming home from work, kicking your shoes off, and relaxing with a good book on the couch. But when the weather is nice, of course, you want to spend a bit of time outside. …
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28 Stunning Outdoor Rugs: In Every Shape, Size, and Style
Today’s trends are offering up so many cozy, comfy and beautiful options to bring the indoors out. From throw pillows to furniture, we’re seeing our patios and decks become “rooms” of their …
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Homemade Vinegar
Vinegar: Making it is easier than you think. In its simplest form, vinegar is alcohol that has been diluted and fermented. You can use fruit juice, fruit scraps, wine, or beer. If given the chance to …
Outdoor Benches: 25 Unique Styles From Rustic To Modern
No one has ever gone into their backyard and thought, "Wow, there are just too many places to sit!" In fact, it seems to be the opposite! It feels like no matter how prepared you are, there is always …
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20 Fire Pit Ideas To Make The Summer Last All Year Long
No matter what time of year it is, an outdoor fire always gets people excited. There’s something magical about gathering around with friends and family, making s’mores, or toasting with your favorite …
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8 Low Sugar Fruits: A Safer Way To Snack
Fruits are nature's candy and offer an array of flavors, colors, and textures for us to enjoy. But these sweet treats are so appealing because of their high sugar content, and if you're on a low-sugar …
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Modern Pergola Inspiration For Your Backyard Oasis
Though you can buy traditional pergolas in cedar, metal, and aluminum options, they all have the same general shape. Mediterranean-inspired with criss-cross beams and an earth-tone canopy is what …
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18 Laundry Room Ideas For Better Organization And Decor
Our laundry rooms are typically one of the smallest rooms in our homes, yet they are one of our heaviest-traveled spaces. I’ve often wondered: Why is such a well-used area given so little attention? …
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Frugal Living: Everything You Need To Know
It’s no secret that modern living is a bit of a morass of consumerism, waste, and debt. In a world where the latest smartphone debuts less than a year after its previous iteration, where the Joneses …
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15 Small Backyard Ideas To Make Your Space Feel Larger
No, you won't be building an Olympic-sized swimming pool back there, but your small backyard can still be an oasis for your plants, your friends, and your mind. We’re going to take a look at several …
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25 Pipe Shelves To Add Rustic Flair To Your Home
Nothing brings rustic vibes to home decor quite like pipe shelves. The antique and vintage feel of exposed pipes contrasts well with farmhouse-inspired wood shelves. That being said, if rustic …
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Living Off-Grid: What It’s Actually Like
In our modern day, with cable TV shows banking off of the "weirdness" of living off the grid, the very phrase "Off-Grid" images of end-of-the-world preppers stocking up MREs and ammo, wild-haired …
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34 Unique Solar Lights For Paths, Gardens, And Backyards
Whether you're wanting to illuminate a pathway or add a bit of ambiance to your backyard or garden, solar lights offer a lighting source that won't add any extra expense to your electricity bill. A …
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Hanging Planters Perfect For Flowers And Succulents
Every spring it seems like even after the garden beds are filled and the containers are sprouting with flowers, we always want to grow more! So if all the grounds in your garden are filled, it's time …
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25 Small Greenhouses (For Nearly Any Space—2×2 And Up)
A small greenhouse allows just the right amount of sun and moisture to come in while keeping insects and bad weather out. And the easy access panels or sliding doors make tending to your tomatoes or …
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24 Truly Unique Bird Baths (Starting At Less Than $25!)
Enjoying the beauty and birdsong of avian visitors can be a delightful and relaxing way to spend time in your backyard. There’s something special about slowing time down to watch birds look for food …
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Potting Benches
Potting benches are functional pieces of outdoor garden furniture that not only allow you to pot your plants with ease, but offer all sorts of storage for your gardening tools. Cabinets, drawers, and …
What Do Goats Eat?
Many of us—particularly those who didn’t grow up on a farm—have some strange stereotypes embedded in our minds about what farms are like. All cows are black and white, all farmers wear overalls, all …
Baker’s Racks
Once, cooks used them to cool down fresh pies. Now, baker's racks help keep kitchens clutter-free. Between pots and pans, small appliances and dishware, your kitchen can get unorganized quickly. …
30 Lovely Garden Trellises
A staple of backyards and gardens for decades, trellises can serve as functional garden bed additions and decorative works of art. By supporting climbing plants, vines, and flowers, empty trellises …
Outdoor Fireplaces
Fireplaces offer a warm, cozy spot to snuggle up with a good book after a long day. Why not take that relaxation outside? With outdoor fireplaces, not only are you creating a great relaxation spot for …
How To Upcycle Broken Dresser Drawers Into A Shelf
My brother had a dresser he was looking to get rid of. It was no longer usable ... as a dresser that is! I could see the DIY potential, so I upcycled and repurposed what I could salvage and made some …
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Pea Gravel Patios
Using natural materials in hardscaping is among one of most the popular trends in patios right now. Among these natural options, pea gravel is one of the best. Pea gravel is visually appealing as the …
Making Homemade Soap
I started making my own soap out of necessity, but eventually it became one of our farm products. Around 2000, I started having severe rashes. I had combination allergies, which made me allergic to …
How To Make Queso Fresco
There are so many reasons to skip the supermarket and stick to your kitchen these days. If you want to avoid the crazy crowds, save money, and make healthier choices, then you’ll love this easy recipe …
Why You Should Keep Your Dandelions
Yellow, yellow everywhere. Interspersed with the yellow, were just as plentiful white puffballs of fluff. Hardly any green. It was a dandelion haven. As a child, I recall picking dandelions as a …
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Low Light Plants
Not all of us have the luxury of owning a plot of land to fulfill our gardening dreams. Some of us just have to face the fact that we are, for now, apartment-dwellers. Not only do I live in an …
Quonset Huts
The Quonset hut, designed for military use, is finding its way into contemporary living— with some important upgrades. The original huts, developed on Quonset Island, Rhode Island, were cheap, …
Geodesic Domes
Geodesic domes are enjoying a resurgence as more people seek out eco-friendly building options . Architect Buckminster Fuller invented the geodesic dome. The American Institute of Architects calls it …
Garden Fencing
Garden fencing serves all sorts of purposes. Those needs might be practical, or you might just want a nice accent to mark the edge of your yard. This guide will help you choose the right material and …
Wofati
There's a charm to underground homes and so-called 'hobbit homes', but many former owners of such buildings have moved out due to problems with moisture and related conditions. But, earth might be the …
Homemade Fly Traps
So you have a fly problem. That is truly annoying—we’ve all lost sleep as a black fly buzzes around the bedroom. If it’s in the kitchen, it’s probably grossing you out. You’ve made dozens of swatting …
How To Harvest And Transplant Wild Asparagus
Asparagus has gone wild! Foraging for asparagus is easy and fun. When it’s asparagus season, you can dodge the high prices at the supermarket just by going out and harvesting some for …
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Shikibuton
Japan has a long history of developing thoughtful, tidy design ideas. That’s why the traditional bedroom setup in Japan is perfect for anyone who lives in a tiny house or any other sort of close …
Lighthouses For Sale
Buying a lighthouse is more than a real estate transaction. It's a lifestyle change that links you to a proud American tradition. The best way to find lighthouses for sale is via a U.S. Government …
How To Cure Meat
Most meat eaters have had salumi, ham, lox, pancetta, beef jerky, or bacon. All those foods fall into the same category of cured meats, but we don’t often stop to think about what curing means and how …
Self Watering Planters
Every gardener has that one plant that seems to have a never-ending thirst. You water it, tend to all your other plants, and next thing you know, the soil is all dried up again! Plants that like (or …
How To Smoke Meat
Nothing quite complements the savory flavor of meat as well as the tang of smoke. Smoking meat is a low and slow cooking method that gives delicious flavor to any type of meat or other foods like …
Hammock Chairs
When the sun comes out there's nothing more relaxing than lounging in your backyard garden. Once you've worked hard all spring to care for your flowers and plants, the only thing you'll want to do is …
How To Make Butter
There’s nothing more delectable than a smear of creamy, fresh butter on warm bread. Whether you’re baking French pastries, sautéing green beans, or serving hot popcorn, you’ll want butter within …
Herb Gardening 101
Planning and planting an organic herb garden is a traditional part of the homestead lifestyle goal of self-sufficiency. Growing rare and beautiful culinary and medicinal herbs is a glorious gardening …