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Masonry Heaters: Benefits, How They Work, And Photos
When you think of heating with fire, the first image that might leap to your mind is a crackling wood stove, the mainstay of cozy homesteading living rooms everywhere. But despite itโs current ubiquity in back-to-the-land imagery, the wood stove is a relatively recent invention, having been invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1742. If you
Tiny House, Big Living
One look at this tiny house and you feel as if you are about to enter a doll house! With bright pink walls, Villa Hermina clearly stands out from the rest of the cottages in the area. Situated outside the southern Czech town of ฤernรญn, it was created by HSH Architekti, which unfortunately is now defunct.
Shed of the Year
Shed of the Year Contest
World Water Week: 10 DIY Conservation Tips
Although Americans have access to some of the cleanest, most prolific water supplies, we waste more than anyone in the world. Let’s change that today!
Washing Your Hands – Just Do it, Already!
Why will you not wash your hands? Seriously, it’s not that hard. It doesn’t take that long. And everyone else in the bathroom is going to give you the side-eye if you don’t do it. Also, you need to use soap. That “running your hands under the water and then drying them” thing doesn’t actually
Pendant Lighting: 30 Rustic, Modern, And Farmhouse Options
We’ve all been there. You move into a new house or apartment, and everything seems perfect until you realize just how dark certain parts of your home are. Or, you find your dream home, but the 90s light fixtures are begging for an update. When you’re lighting your home, your options include recessed lighting, chandeliers,
20 DIY Countertops For Your Kitchen Remodel
When you first bought your house, the kitchen might have been the selling point. You loved the open layout, the large island for entertaining guests, the wood floors, and the sleek countertops. Then 10 years later, you find yourself wondering what happened to that gorgeous kitchen you fell in love with. Though there might be
20 DIY Wall Art Ideas To Give Your Home Some Personality
Wall art provides the finishing touch to a room and can pull an entire space together. The addition of wall art creates a focal point, adds texture, offers a splash of color, and shows the unique personality that makes your space feel like home. Here are 20 amazing DIY wall art projects to spruce up
40 Smart Uses For Dryer Sheets In Your Home And Garden
When you put laundry in a dryer, static builds up on the clothes, sheets, and towels that bounce and tumble in the heat. Throwing in a dryer sheet can reduce static cling and leave your clothes smelling fresh. That said, dryer sheets have gained a bad reputation because they contain quaternary ammonium compounds that can
15 DIY Cabin Plans
It’s fun to purchase a relaxing cabin or cottage by the lake, but not everyone has the money to do so. Fortunately, there are alternatives, and if you are good with your hands, you can build a DIY cabin. It will save you a lot of money in the long run. Important Details to Consider
Climate Change Organizations
Developing Countries: www.aiaccproject.org Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change(AIACC) is a global initiative developed in collaboration with theUNEP/WMO Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)and funded by the Global Environment Facility to advance scientificunderstanding of climate change vulnerabilities and adaptationoptions in developing countries. www.unido.org United Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO) helps developing countries and economies
Miniature Farm Animals for Smaller Homesteads
Miniature or diminutive breeds of farm animals have been around for ages. However, it hasnโt been until the last decade or so thereโs been a new-found popularity, with more people interested in small-scale or hobby farming. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ๐๏ธ ๐๏ธ ๐บ๏ธ โ๏ธ ๐ท ๐ โ๏ธ (@r.a.d.k.o._) Sometimes big
Soil Testing
The gardenerโs greatest asset is healthy soil. No matter where you are or what you are trying to grow, taking care of your soil will help your crops. Learning soil science can be overwhelming. It involves lots of chemistry, and you can easily get lost in technical details. We are here to help, with this
7 DIY Bath Bombs For a Soothing, Relaxing Soak
Fizz away fatigue with all-natural, DIY bath bombs that transform bathwater into a fragrant, skin nurturing, stress-melting oasis. A quick search of the internet yields as many different recipes for DIY bath bombs as for chocolate chip cookies. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can make a basic bath bomb with a few drops of water
Live Fencing: What Is It and How to Implement It
A few years ago, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa with the specific task of implementing agroforestry practices. Before this position, I was only vaguely familiar with agroforestry, but since then, my eyes have been opened to it, and I see it quite a lot. Whether done unintentionally through home
How To Care For Orchids
โYou should be advised, sir,โ the clerk advised my husband, โthat when the blossoms die, it doesnโt mean the plant is dead. It does go through a dormant stage. And donโt over-water.โ My husband smiled as he paid for the purchase and accepted the carefully wrapped plant to bring home. โNot to worry. My wife
Earthbag Homes
Earthbag Construction, Sandbag Buildings
Glass Bottle Walls
glass bottle buildings, glass bottle building inspiration
12 DIY Lip Balm Recipes
If you love lip balm, you know the dread when you’re down to the last few uses. Make DIY lip balm with just a few simple ingredients to save on buying it new. Lip balm is essential for facial health and looking and feeling your best. Rather than purchase a ready-made lip balm, have a
Food Dyes Linked to Behavioral Problems
Food Dyes Linked to Behavioral Problems
How To Care For African Violets
Only one? I donโt think so. Itโll shrivel and die. It likes company. It likes to outshine its neighbors and cousins; the more the merrier. But be careful. There are some colors that really like to dominate, and if you have too many of that color, the other colors will convert. What plant am I
How To Grow Celery
If you want a gardening challenge, try growing celery. Celery requires a long growing season, plenty of sunshine, lots of water, tender loving care, and infinite patience. A popular herb in the parsley family with its crisp, crunchy texture and delicate earthy flavor, celery is one of Americaโs favorite vegetables. In fact, according to the
A Surprising Reason We Don’t Farm As Sustainably As We Could
I recently posted a description of a highly sustainable form of row crop farming that combines high productivity with low environmental impact. This is not just a theoretical vision but something which is actually being practiced on a significant commercial scale (e.g. non-tillage, cover cropping, controlled wheel traffic, variable rate fertilization…). It is difficult to
Perfluorinated Compounds
Perfluorinated Compounds
Plantain Weed
Learning about Mother Natureโs edible and healing plants is a critical component of living a sustainable, self-sufficient, and prepared lifestyle. Broadleaf Plantain, commonly pronounced plan-tin, is a โcommonโ weed that most folks recognize. You likely see it in your lawn, but chances are you donโt know its name. However, there is nothing common about Broadleaf
How to Make Bone Broth
Bone broth has recently come into vogue, showing up in health food stores and gourmet restaurantsโfor a pretty penny. Making your own bone broth is a simple and rewarding practice for a fraction of the price you’ll find on the shelves. Bone Broth Basics For homesteaders or hunters, bone broth is a wonderful thing to
My Goat Is Pregnant, Now What?
I was so excited. It was a complete surprise. That little goat wasnโt supposed to be pregnant. The fat round goat over there was supposed to be. Not this tiny girl! (The round goat turned out not to be pregnant.) This was my first goat pregnancy and can I just say I was all grins.
All About the Acianthera Nikoleae
Featured image is the Dresslerella caesariata, not the Acianthera Nikoleae. Since this is a newly discovered species, not that many images are available. Take a look at the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia and OrchidRoots.com to see photos. โAre those warts on the leaves?โ I asked my friend, admiring her latest orchid. โThat canโt be good.โ
Ponytail Palm
โYou know those hats the young girls wear?โ my friend asked. โThe ones with the opening for a ponytail?โ She pointed at an addition to her garden collection. โHereโs a plant that looks just like that.โ The tall, spikey leaves stretched upward before spanning out in every direction, much like a ponytail escaping a hat.
Whole Tree Architecture
Whole Tree Architecture
Chicken Mites
Like many animals, chickens can play host to parasites that live on skin, in feathers, and around their living spaces. One such parasite is Dermanyssus gallinae, the chicken mite, a tiny pest found worldwide, that stresses chickens, reduces egg production, and can also transmit diseases. Finding parasite infestations in your birds is always scary, but
Flooring Ideas: 18 Eco-Friendly Options For Your Next Home Renovation
If youโre doing a home renovation or are in the market for some new flooring, youโre in luck. Right now, it appears that just about every type of flooring company has some exciting option youโre bound to love. Before choosing your flooring there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be sure that
10 Answers to Your Beginner Goat Questions
Itโs time for another installment in our series of articles where you ask us questions and we do our best to give you good answers. The theme of todayโs series: Goats! It seems you all have tons of questions about these capricious caprines, and rightly so — theyโre interesting, useful, and personable members of any
How to Make Soil Acidic: 3 Natural Methods That Work
When you think of the word โacidicโ, what images first spring to mind? Perhaps visions of lemons, vinegar, and upset stomachs — but I will hazard a guess that a pile of soil didnโt join their number. If youโre hoping to grow a bumper crop of blueberries or potatoes, soil acidity and learning how to
Kitchen Of The Future
“Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resourcesโ says Clive van Heerden, Senior Director of Design-led Innovation at Philips Design. Philips believes the solution is likely to come from biological processes,
Safe Cosmetics
Safe Cosmetics
Eco-Friendly Kitchen Sinks
Seekers of eco-friendly sinks, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news first: Affordable, new kitchen sinks arenโt 100% eco-friendly. When choosing a sink you’ll be balancing different aspects of sustainability. We’ve tried to give you a starting point for all the buying choices you’ll have to make. Kitchen Sink Materials/Colors
Raising Rabbits: How To House, Feed, And Care For Rabbits
Rabbits are one of the cutest animals you can raise on the homestead. Their soft and fluffy bodies are irresistible. Rabbits are also diverse. Youโll find quite a difference in the colors, sizes, and hair textures; you can raise them as meat or pets. Rabbits are often overlooked in favor of larger livestock like cattle, goats,
Forest Therapy
Shinrin-yoku. Forest bathing. Forest Therapy. No matter what you call the practice, the goal is the same: for humans to use the forest as medicine. History of Forest Bathing Shinrin-yoku is a term that means โtaking in the forest atmosphereโ or, more simply, forest bathing. The practice was developed in Japan in the early 1990s
Eco-Friendly DIY Drain Cleaners
Why is it a slow or clogged drain always seems to occur at the worst possible moment? You’re busy preparing a dinner party, company is soon to arrive, and now you find the water in the guest bathroom sink doesnโt want to drain. What to do? You want something that will clear your plumbing problems
The Scoop on Organic Fertilizer: Is It Right for Your Garden?
Nothing could be simpler, or more complex, than organic fertilizer. Garden stores make it seem like it’s something that you buy in bags. Big Agriculture makes it seem like it’s something thatโs less efficient than chemical fertilizers, and therefore useless unless you have a special interest for using it. Online, the options for organic fertilizer
Feel-Better Remedies and Recipes for Sick Days
You first feel it with that tickle in the back of your throat. Maybe you ignore it. Maybe you pretend to ignore it because you have things to do — then by evening, the tickle feels like someone took sandpaper to your trachea. Your head is pounding, and you feel chilled. Itโs obvious youโre coming
Food Companies Fighting GMO Labeling
Washington State’s GMO Labeling Ballot Initiative (I-522) I-522 would have mandated clear labeling of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients on food packages. The initiativeย was voted on in 2013. It lost, 51% to 49%. Among the companies who fought the labeling requirements, and money they spent on the ‘No on 522’ campaign were: Monsanto: $5,374,411 DuPont: $3,880,159
Introduction To Permaculture
Interested in permaculture and not sure what to plant? This could be a great article to get ideas for unique and useful permaculture species! Before we begin, let’s talk about what permaculture is. What Is Permaculture? Permaculture is a land management or agricultural approach which aims at adopting itself to mimic natural ecosystems as closely
Buying Baby Chicks: A First-Timer’s Guide
Raising your own backyard chickens makes you feel connected to the source of your food, and proud of every egg you eat. There are lots of resources to help you get started if you are a first-time chicken owner. Here, we will look at where and how to go about buying baby chicks. Even if
Moving from City to Country: The Long-Term Transition
When we moved from a city of 200,000 to a homestead in a hilly, Ozark town of 2,000 residents, my husband and I fully anticipated there would be an adjustment period. As I wrote in my first article for Insteading, there are many moments of โculture shockโ that could affect this urban-fled, aspiring country bumpkin.
15 Natural DIY Perfume Ideas
Did you know there are over 4,000 chemicals that are used to create fragrances in skincare and beauty products? And since these fragrance blends are considered trade secrets, companies aren’t required to disclose the specific ingredients on their labels. I don’t know about you, but for me, that is reason enough to consider more natural
Chicken Wormers: A Helpful Guide For How To Identify & Treat Chicken Worms
New animals are an exciting addition to the homestead, but thereโs always a risk when outsiders come into the fold. You never know what extra parasites may accompany them, and potentially damage your healthy herd or flock. This was the case with our new Brahma hen. We loved her beetle-green feathers and quirky feathered feet,
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 feedย or commercial feed.ย To know what ducks want and need to eat, look no further than a wetland in your local park. There, in the early morning, youโll