List of all the Different Sugars
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81 Awesome Documentaries for Homesteaders
From honey bees to tiny houses to TEDTalks on Capitalism and Humanity’s Future, we’ve assembled a complete list of documentaries and shows on Netflix & Hulu that would interest our fellow homesteaders. Leave a comment below and let us know which ones are your favorite, and which programs we missed! Topics Food & Agriculture Documentaries […]
tentree Holiday Gift Guide
When you’re on the search for the perfect gift this holiday season, you may feel yourself completely overwhelmed and inundatedย by the number of newspaper advertisements and holiday sales there are to choose from. If you’re anything like us here at Insteading, you’re keeping your eye out for a high-quality gift that your family and friends […]
An “Inconvenient Truth” about Composting
Composting is a really green thing to do, right? I’ve always thought so since my Grandfather taught me to do it in the early sixties. Large-scale composting is getting to be quite the rage. The City of San Francisco attracted a great deal of attention with it’s mandatory food scrap recycling program and lots of local
Can I Compost Bones?
Leftover bones are uncommon composting ingredient. We explore the benefits and challenges of composting bones, best methods to do so, and other composting alternatives.
Stinging Nettle: A Medicinal Herb
Stinging nettle (many gardeners’ adversary) can be a powerful medicinal plant. Generally, when we hear a plant name that has the word “sting” in it, the associations aren’t good. May this article broaden our horizons! Stinging nettle has been a staple herb medicine since ancient times, dating all the way back to ancient Egyptians using
Can I Compost Watermelon Rinds?
Popular during summer days, watermelons have chunky rinds that can be used for composting. Learn how to maximize their nutrients for your compost, and avoid common composting issues.
Can I Compost Parchment Paper?
Find out how to compost parchment paper with this comprehensive guide. Discover which types of parchment paper are compostable and which should be avoided due to their chemical coatings. Follow proper preparation and optimal composting techniques to ensure a healthy and efficient composting process.
Can I Compost Cheese?
Traditionally excluded from piles, cheese can only be transformed into a healthy compost under proper methods. Explore the complex process of composting cheese, including potential issues and the optimal composting conditions needed for its safe transformation.
Bamboo Furniture
Bamboo Furniture
Outdoor Stone Ovens: What Are They, How Do They Work, And Photos
We’ve recently put out quite a few articles on ways that you can build an oven to cook food with the most ancient of methods: fire. So far, we’ve got articles on Outdoor Brick Ovens, (largely indoor) Masonry Ovens, and Outdoor Earthen Ovens. But of all the materials that you can build with, nothing speaks
Wooden Bathtubs
The lowdown on today’s wooden bathtubs…
Make Your Own Safe Non-Toxic Paints
Did you know that you can make your own safe and non-toxic paints from common household ingredients, without resorting to either dangerous conventional paints or expensive non-V.O.C. varieties? Using ingredients such as milk, wheat flour, and linseed oil, you can create paints for various surfaces that will not off-gas dangerous compounds that can be hazardous
Outdoor Beds
Outdoor beds are trending, but you may be wondering, โWhy an outdoor bed and not just a hammock, chair, or bench?โ Prepare to list your bench set for sale, dear reader. Aside from the most obvious use for outdoor beds (the ability to lay down outside on something other than grass, dirt, brick, concrete, or
DIY Soap Recipes
As an urban homesteading enthusiast, I definitely have the DIY bug. Gardening, landscaping, and chickens are all great for outdoor ideas, but in rainy Seattle itโs nice to find an indoor project too. I love all of the crazy scents available at our local farmers market (thai basil & lemongrass?!), that I chose this as
Chicken Feed
Mixing your own feed ration, rather than buying prepared feed, is one of the best ways to save money if you raise chickens (or any animal). You can also be certain about the quality and origin of what your animals are eating. However, to make sure your birds stay healthy, you have to mix the
Blue Green Box Helps Turn Your Aquarium into a Hydroponic Fish Farm (w/ video)
Urban farming, living off the grid, surviving a zombie apocalypse, spaceflight, and Formula 1 racing. Those seemingly unrelated activities do, in fact, have something in common: the people who are successful at them understand that 1 object can serve many purposes. Sometimes it’s a wood-chopping axe that you use to bust open zombie skulls, other
Apple Juice Is Not Healthy For Kids (Or You)
Apple juice is the quintessential kid’s drink, right? It turns out that your child’s favorite drink isn’t so healthy.
Bread Proofing
When youโre in the process of baking bread, proofing refers to the final rise after you shape your dough into loaves. Itโs an important rest period before baking, also known as fermentation. Fermentation is when the yeast is allowed to leaven the dough, and at times the words proof and fermentation and used interchangeably. Proofing
6 Deer Repellents You Need To Try
Just. One. Deer. Thatโs all it takes to undo hours and hours of painstaking yard work. Just one deer can wreak havoc on a beautiful garden. Those vegetables? Flowers? Uprooted. Well-raked planters? Trampled. Fortunately, there are several low-impact ways to deter and repel deer. You donโt have to resort to poison or nasty chemical solutions
Food Industry
Olive Egger
Characteristics Olive Eggers are unique and individualistic. Purchase a bunch of these as chicks, and prepare yourself for the excitement and anticipation of wondering just how theyโll turn out. Will they have the tailless rump of an Araucana? Or will they turn out glossy-black and feather-footed, like a Marans? Maybe theyโll have the fluffy chipmunk
Getting Started With Off-Grid Water System For A More Self-Reliant Homestead
In my experience, it seems that discussions about off-grid water systems only take place in niche communities of homesteaders or preppers. If you were to bring it up in โnormalโ workplace conversation, I guarantee youโd get at least one set of raised โwhat a weirdoโ eyebrows. But considering just how crucial water is to life
How To Add Nitrogen To Soil & 5 Natural Methods To Try in Your Garden
When you just start gardening, your knowledge of how to do it may be deceptively simple. Take a seed, put it in some soil, add water, and voila! Couldnโt be easier, right? And while this approach is a wonderful way to start, the beginner may notice that some sprouts do better than others. Surely there’s
How to Make Beeswax Candles: 3 Methods to Try at Home
DIY beeswax candle making is a great way to add a festive flair to your home. Not only do beeswax candles provide a warm and inviting light, but their fresh fragrance is also appealing this time of year. Professional candlemakers spend years honing their craft and use specialized tools to make high-quality products. But that
Foraging for Brambleberries
This is an open letter to the brambleberries of the world, particularly those blackberries growing along the edge of my ravine. Dearest Brambleberries: It is with great perplexity that I write to you. There is an understanding between berrykind and humankind that has endured for thousands of years. You produce delicious, sweet fruit. We eat
Ethically Harvesting & Processing Aloe Vera
Had fun in the sun and now your skin is burned? Do you deal with irritating skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema? Are you constipated or have digestive issues? What about dental plaque? Do you have buildup? The list could go on, but let’s pause here and give a grand and beautiful solution
6 Healing Herbs You Should Know About
Of the thousands of plants growing wild in nature, most are considered common weeds. However, many of these plants have healing, therapeutic properties. When out exploring nature, don’t be too quick to dismiss a plant as just another wildflower or common weed. Mountain mint, dandelion, burdock root, Oregon grape root, willow, plantain, arnica, chickweed, calendula,
5 Answers To Your Beginner Chicken Questions
Itโs time for the next entry in our series of Homesteading Questions and Answers. As we get questions from you, we try to formulate the best possible answer to help you on your adventure. This month is all about raising chickens. There are few other animals so symbolic of the homesteading spirit as the humble
Basics of Metal Woodstoves
When heating with wood, there are many options in choosing a wood-burning appliance. Some will choose to build a masonry oven that functions not only as a heater, but also as a beautiful centerpiece in their home. Others, especially those living in a small space like a tiny home or cabin, will choose some form
Water Glassing Eggs: Benefits, Applications, and More
When I learned about water glassing eggs (an excellent way to preserve these precious gems), I was beyond excited. Research led me down a rabbit hole, where I discovered that water glassing extends the egg’s shelf life — and they donโt require refrigeration. I was blown away! Letโs talk about it. What Is Water Glassing?
Caring for the Off-Season Woodstove
During the summer months, it probably seems strange to be discussing something as out of season as woodstoves. The days of freezing, blizzard-whipped nights and bone-shakingly cold mornings seem a lifetime ago when you’re sweating over your tomato beds. This time of year, however, is an absolutely perfect time to clean and care for your
Why Are the Bees Dying?
About five years ago commercial beekeepers across the US began reporting bee losses in record numbers – about 30% each year. This level of loss is unsustainable and many beekeepers are going out of business. Aside from the economic issues, the record number of bees dying should be alarming everyone who eats. About one in
Eco-Friendly Playgrounds
Parents know the benefits of installing playgrounds and playsets. Beyond being a fun activity that gets children outdoors, playground equipment is important for a childโs cognitive, emotional, physical, and interpersonal development. A day in the backyard or at the park does wonders for kidsโ physical health, as well as improving their self-confidence and social skills,
Companion Planting For Beets
Do you want to improve the health and yield of your beet crop? Companion planting might be the answer. Companion planting is a time-tested, organic gardening method of planting compatible plants in close proximity to each other so that each may benefit from the other. Companion plants provide shade and shelter, control weeds, enrich the
Companion Planting For Turnips
Turnips are great for any garden, and you can use companion planting to help them grow even better. Permaculture Research Institute describes companion planting as โA gardening method which makes use of the synergistic properties found in nature: cooperation between plants to achieve optimum health and viability.โ View this post on Instagram A post shared
Winter Squash Harvest And Storage Tips
Why do homesteaders grow pumpkins or winter squash? While the process may be challenging, the reward could be enormous. There are dozens of varieties of pumpkins and winter squash, weighing from 2 lbs. to 500! Whatโs in your garden? Read on to discover harvest, curing, and storage tips for the seasonal vegetable that is the
Bartering 101: How To Start A Babysitting Co-op
A babysitting co-op can help to ease the financial burdens of a babysitter by allowing parents to barter for services they need.
How To Grow Microgreens in Tupperware
Microgreens are delicious, easy-to-grow food sources that are high in nutrients and easily moveable- Julie Finn does a great job explaining this how to!
Attracting Ladybugs To The Homestead Garden
Organic gardeners know that when ladybugs are abundant in the springtime, they can anticipate a bountiful harvest. Fortunate is the homestead blessed with an abundance of ladybugs. Ladybugs are guests you want to invite and keep in your garden. Read on to learn a bit about these beneficial insects, how to properly identify them, and
Beets: From Growing And Preparing To Canning and Cooking
When I was very young, my mom taught me how to can and pickle beets, and I have continued to do so since my husband loves pickled beets. I have always wanted to eat beets, but Iโve never been a fan of the earthy flavor. Beets are such a healthy vegetable supplying large amounts of
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Too many cleaning products contain chemicals that are extremely harmful to the environment and its inhabitants, including humans. Eco-friendly cleaning products are an easy alternative and solution! The ozone, water, air, land, and the entire ecosystem are all affected by the choices we make as humans, including what products we use. Today I am going
Homestead Stories
20+ DIY Bat House Plans
If youโre considering adding a bat house to your property, you likely already know the benefits of inviting these furry friends to your yard. Among their many positive qualities, the top three are their excellent pollinating abilities, their beneficial guano, and the fact that they eat mosquitoes by the thousands per day. Just one bat
Growing Spinach
Originally hailing from 4th-century Persia, Spinacia Oleracea or spinach has a long and storied past as a health tonic, a poor manโs food, a favorite of big-forearmed sailor men, and a choice food of health gurus. We are constantly hearing about how important it is to eat your leafy greens, and for good reasonโtheyโre fantastic
Guinea Fowl
My sister and her husband recently visited our homestead, and upon being โgreetedโ by our male guinea, my brother-in-law exclaimed good-naturedly, โOh look, itโs a space chicken!โ And really, thatโs pretty much how it feels to meet a guinea for the first time. Though the guinea fowl has been on farms and homesteads for centuries,
What to Feed Ducks Instead of Bread
When the weather starts to get warmer, lots of people enjoy feeding waterfowl at local parks, lakes, and ponds. Unfortunately, we have all been making a common mistake by tossing them bread and other flour-based products! In this article, I will explain why we shouldnโt be doing that, and what is actually safe to share
Raising Muscovy Ducks And Why You Probably Want Them
With their clawed feet, bizarre-looking caruncles, mohawk-like crest, and lack of quack, Muscovy ducks donโt quite fit the โbillโ (if you pardon the pun) for what you might consider a โnormal” duck. But on our homestead, these are the only ducks we want to keep because they have won our hearts with both their utility
20 Dutch Oven Camping Recipes for Your Next Outdoor Adventure
Iโve always loved camping, and one of my favorite parts is the outdoor cooking experience. Food cooked over a campfire is something you just canโt replicate at home in your kitchen. A lot of times, you will see what I call traditional camping food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads (prepared before the trip) and an
A Year In The Countryside: What We Didnโt Expect About The Simple Life
Last year, my husband and I uprooted our entire lives in search of the simple life. At the time, we were living in the big city of Austin, Texas. Our hope was to escape what we associated with life in the city: busyness, traffic, and the desire to “keep up with the Joneses.” When we