I vividly remember parasailing across a South Dakota home improvement store parking lot. Not on purpose. I’d picked up a vinyl shed panel in the wind. It was 6:15 am and Iโd just been sent to clean up after a recent blizzard. Sleeting snow and wind stung my face as I skated across the slush-filled […]
Search Results for: eco-home/water-quality/water-distillers
Greenhouse Plans
A greenhouse is one of the most well-known garden structures. Providing shielding from extreme sun, wind, and rain โ greenhouses can significantly extend your growing season. These sunny buildings come in a variety of shapes and sizes too. Heated glass greenhouses can fight against snow and cold in severe climates. Plastic sheeting can help create […]
Farm Sinks
Itโs with good reason that homeowners are installing the farmhouse sink once again. Not only are they an aesthetically pleasing design element, theyโre highly functional. The farmhouse sink has no extra counter space to reach or lean over, making it more comfortable to stand at, which is especially important for people spending hours in their […]
Can I Compost Newspaper?
Compost newspapers effectively with the best preparation techniques, optimal composting conditions, and methods. Avoid common pitfalls, explore alternatives, and repurpose newspapers creatively for a sustainable approach to waste management.
Sand Magnified
Sand grains magnified 110-250 times reveal each grain is unique. The tip of a spiral shell has broken off and become a grain of sand. After being repeatedly tumbled by action of the surf this spiral sand grain has become opalescent in character. It is surrounded by bits of coral, a pink shell fragment, a […]
5 Tips For Raising A Baby In A Tiny House
Raising a baby in a tiny house has both challenges and benefits. When we moved to our tiny house, I was seven months pregnant and incredibly nervous about how we would fit into the space! The Stuff Our first challenge was fitting all of our new baby items into our home. When you add a […]
Rocket Mass Heaters: What Are they, How They Work, And Photos
Rocket Mass
26 Affordable Shoe Rack Ideas To De-Clutter Your Space
The current shoe rack situation in my home is not ideal. Weโve struggled to find a way to store shoes in our tiny, awkward entryway. When my husband came home with plastic racks from the hardware store last year, I admitted defeat. The stackable plastic shelves are practical, but theyโre so utilitarian that Iโm itching […]
Canning
For several years after I started cooking and farming, I avoided canning. It intimidated me. I was afraid of making someone sick. I was overwhelmed by recipes. I didnโt have any of the special equipment or know-how. Canning seemed complicated, technical, and elite. Best to leave it to the experts, I figured. I couldnโt have been […]
Can I Compost Wax Paper?
Learn which wax paper type are compostable using this comprehensive guide! Discover tips on preparing wax paper for composting and maintaining optimal compost conditions. Choose the right composting method that best suits your resources and lifestyle.
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 isn’t your style, these shelves can still be for you! There are plenty of more modern, industrial pipe shelf options that would fit with your […]
How To Dig a Fresh Water Well
One way to ensure long-term water is to drive a water well, which, if you’re willing to do the work, could provide you and yours will clean water for years.
13 DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas
Halloween is right around the corner and you probably need some decorations if you want to have the spookiest looking house in the neighborhood. Purchasing seasonal home decor can get expensive, and it is not environmentally friendly to buy cheap products you will likely dispose of within a year or two. When you make a […]
Living Off-Grid: What Itโs 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 hermits digging in the dirt for acorns and mushrooms, or maybe criminals attempting to elude capture. But if you visited our off-grid homestead, […]
Living Off-Grid: Our Micro Hydro Alternative Energy System
As a follow up to Sean’s post on Micro Hydro Essentials, I thought I would share an overview of my system, which has powered my home for over 13 years. We are fortunate to live on rural mountain property in Northern California with a creek that is not seasonal, although the volume of water does […]
10 Amazing School Bus Conversions
Converting a school bus into a permanent residence is a bit like a coming-of-age story. You take a school bus, probably one very similar to the one you rode in elementary school, gut it entirely, and build a tiny home out of it. To me, the whole school bus conversion process feels very charming, sustainable, […]
Can I Compost Dog Poop?
Learn how to compost dog poop safely and efficiently with this comprehensive guide. While composting dog waste is possible, it is important to follow guidelines to avoid health risks.
Best Biscuit Joiner
A biscuit joiner, also known as a plate joiner, is the quintessential tool for joining two pieces of wood. The biscuit joiner carves a mortise into a workpiece for a biscuit to be placed inside it. Once the biscuit is in place and your inside edges are prepared with glue, another workpiece with a corresponding […]
16 Cheap Fence Ideas For The Suburbs And The Country
When buying a new property — whether in the city, suburbs, or country — you may also inherit broken-down, ugly, or absent fences. With a small patch of land, this may lead to privacy concerns. On a larger acreage homestead, bad or nonexistent fencing can lead to problems like your sheep escaping and eating the neighborโs […]
Can I Compost Shrimp Shells?
Learn how to compost shrimp shells effectively in this comprehensive guide. Shrimp shells, packed with valuable nutrients like nitrogen and chitin, can nourish your garden soil and enhance plant defense against infections. Discover various composting methods, from hot composting for quicker results to Bokashi composting for limited space. Uncover alternative uses for shrimp shells, such as creating homemade fertilizer or enjoying unique recipes, and explore safe disposal options for shells that shouldn’t be composted. Maximize your composting efforts and reap the benefits for your garden and the environment!
20 Eye-Catching Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
If youโre wondering how you can attract hummingbirds to your garden oasis, look no further. Here are 20 flowers you can plant that have bright colors, high-quality nectar, tubular-shaped flowers, and other features that will entice the charming flappers to your yard. Read on to learn more about 20 Bee Balm USDA Zone: 4-9 Bloom […]
How To Store Potatoes Properly For Year-Round Use
Potatoes have been a staple food for centuries all over the globe. They seem to be extremely versatile and a survivor of ages. When you think of potatoes, I bet there are several different ways to cook them that come to mind. Boiled, broiled, baked, roasted, fried, or mashed โ and thatโs just the different ways […]
The Five Best Things About Organic Farming
I have posted a number of blogs and documents over the past two years that address some of the common myths about Organic farming.ย From that, one might conclude that I am โanti-Organic,โ which I am not.ย There are many things about Organic that I have appreciated ever since my grandfather first taught me about […]
Best Balsamic Vinegar
The foods you’ll eat without much preparation are the ones to splurge on. Orโlet’s put it another wayโif you splurge on certain ingredients, they’ll taste so good on their own you don’t need to prepare them. Gourmet balsamic vinegar can be drizzled right onto bread, cheese, salads, pasta, chocolate cakeโyou get the idea. True balsamic […]
Can I Compost Corn?
Maximize benefits from your corn scraps, benefitting for your soil and plants. Learn how corn effectively improves compost quality, the best methods for composting corn, addressing potential issues like attracting pests and odors, and much more.
Canning Peppers
Whether you overplanted peppers in your garden this year — or stockpiled a bunch that were on sale at the store — don’t let them go to waste! After you’ve made your red pepper soup and spicy jalapeno salsa, consider canning the rest of those peppers to store through the fall and winter. If you […]
17 Delicious French Macaron Recipes
First baked in Italy during the Renaissance, the macaron, now known as the French macaron, was introduced in 1533 by a noblewoman from Florence, Catherine de Medici, who later married Henri II, the future king of France. King Louis XIV of France is said to have munched on macarons at his wedding in 1660. The […]
How To Start A Farm
So you want to start a farm. You’ve got the green thumb, the know-how, and the gumption to grow your own food. Now you’re ready to start selling it. Buying a little piece of land and starting a farm is the dream, right? Speaking as someone who is in the middle of transforming a young […]
Heirloom Seeds: What Are They?
Heirloom seeds are what our great-grandparents called โseeds.โ My mother often complained during my childhood that you couldnโt buy tomatoes like her grandmother grew. The tomatoes in the grocery stores were hard, mealy, and tasteless. When a farmerโs market opened in our neighborhood, she would buy a bag of heirloom tomatoes every week and eat […]
Wind Chimes
Wind chimes have been used by many cultures going back as far as 1100 BC. Believe it or not, they werenโt created to irritate cranky neighbors, but in fact were thought to ward off evil spirits. Theyโre considered a percussion instrument, and because their sound is created at random by the wind, their soothing, melodic […]
Acronyms
Green Acronyms & Abbreviations A A Ampere AAAS American Association for the Advancement of Science AABW Antarctic Bottom Water AAC Antarctic Convergence AAIW Antarctic Intermediate Water A AMS Arctic Air Mass AAMW Australasian Mediterranean Water ABL Atmospheric Boundary Layer ABW Arctic Bottom Water or Antarctic Bottom Water AC Alternating Current ACC Antarctic Circumpolar Current ACIA […]
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 Carrot Wine
As a young man, my father was a homesteader who raised root vegetables to sell at the town fresh market. Even when the harvest was plentiful, there were always misshapen carrots, not attractive enough to appeal to what he called โpicky city folk.โ Dad stashed most of the rejects in the root cellar, to make […]
21 Essential Off-Grid Tools We Love
We recently asked our Insteading Community and YouTube viewers if they had any questions about homesteading that we might answer. You all replied with some great questions, and gave us a lot of ideas on material we can pull together to help you! Watch The Video So for our first installment in what we hope […]
7 Ways To Mouse-Proof Your Homestead
For homesteaders, the common house mouse is one of the most troublesome of pests. A small brown or gray rodent with little beady eyes, large ears, and a skinny three to four-inch long tail, house mice flourish under a diverse array of conditions in and around homes, sheds, barns, and outbuildings. The unwelcome intruders consume […]
Can I Compost Pasta?
Composting pasta has been linked to major composting issues, making it an unconventional organic material. However, with proper preparation and best pile management practices, you can convert leftover pasta into nutritious compost.
Tiny Houses For Sale
Ready to live in a tiny house as soon as possible? You can buy a tiny home the same way you would buy any other home, already built and ready to move into. Many mobile tiny houses even qualify for RV financing if you donโt want to pay for it all at once. Tumbleweed RV […]
Planting Currant Bushes
Currants are a great addition to any homestead. Native to the United States, currants are a flavorful and versatile berry used in jellies, jams, wine, cordials, puddings, and pies. Currants, no matter whether they are black, red, pink, or white, establish readily in the homestead garden where they will provide an annual abundance of sweet […]
Top 10 Alternative Building Books
For those of us who use alternative building methods in construction, it can be difficult to find a mentor. Trade schools generally teach stick framing, so you will be hard-pressed to find an official school in which to learn. And if you canโt find an architect who is a natural builder to apprentice under, your […]
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, […]
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 […]
16 DIY Bird Bath Plans
Bird baths can attract more birds to your garden and add a decorative element to your yard. Though you can find bird baths for sale at home improvement stores, DIY bird bath plans help you upcycle the clutter in your garage, or put broken items to good use again. Upcycling is a way to reuse […]
Kitchen Stools
To have a nice island or snack bar, you’ll need different seating than traditional dining areas, namely, kitchen stools. The stools you’ll want depends on your style, the size of the space, and the functionality required. Happily, you can now pick from an amazing array of stools. Letโs take a look at a few. Our […]
10 Houseplants Safe For Cats
It seems like everyone has houseplants these days. This decor trend is well-received since there are many benefits to having houseplants. Not only will houseplants add a pop of color to your home, but theyโll also help to keep the air clean and fresh with no effort from you. But what if you have cats? Remember the phrase […]
Frugal Homesteading Tips For Stretching The Family Food Budget
Many Americans experience the tight squeeze of tough economic times. In many parts of the nation, unemployment statistics may unexpectedly soar to an all-time high. When this happens, jobs are hard to find. If you are in a situation where you need to cut back on living expenses to stretch your budget, reducing the amount […]
16 Cozy DIY Dog Houses for Your Dogs
We all love our animals. We want to give them the best homes, comfort, and shelter possible. When they’re outside, it’s nice to provide them shelter so they can be protected in their outdoor space. That’s why it’s so essential to build your dog a comfortable, functional, and stylish dog house. By making a DIY dog […]
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 […]
How To Get Rid Of Flies: Natural And Effective Options
Flies are everywhere. In fact, entomologists have named over 100,000 species of flies on earth. Not only are flies annoying, but they also carry germs and diseases. Though flies are a tasty treat for frogs, they are not good for us. The following article will provide you with a variety of tips to repel and […]
15 Calming Meditation Room Ideas
Meditating at home can be a real challenge, especially when you don’t have a dedicated space in your house or apartment. When you’re meditating or practicing yoga, it can be really easy to get distracted by the items around you: the cluttered bookshelf, dirty dishes in the sink, or kid’s toys piled up in the […]
Easy Upcycling: Give New Life To Old Lampshades – With A Stencil!
Thinking about tossing those old off-white lampshades? Don’t! A little paint, and some cool stencils, can make them brand new again.