What’s more natural? A surface with texture, or one that’s flat and plastic? Even better is a textured surface made from recycled glass. One of the most compelling things about building a tiny house is that you can consider materials that would be prohibitively expensive in a “normal” home. Salvaged tin ceilings, vintage hardwood floors, solid […]
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Louisiana Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Louisiana used solar power, it would take 119 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover all of the […]
65+ Gardening Gifts
‘Tis the season of gift-giving. Since colder weather has many of us stuck inside instead of in the dirt, we figured this holiday season is the perfect time to find the best in gardening gifts including gear, decor, reading – and of course, don’t forget some of those extra homesteading specialties. We’ve compiled over 70 of
Beekeeping For Beginners
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that our honeybees are in trouble these days. That should have everyone concerned seeing as how they play a vital role in the pollination of many of our crops. Plus, their honey, wax, and propolis are all incredible products that would be sorely missed if not
Electric Outdoor Grill Reviews
If you decide to live more sustainably by picking urban condo living over suburban home living, you’ll give up traffic hassles, massive utility bills, and the time-cost of home maintenance. You don’t have to give up grilling. Major grill manufacturers—and some specialty companies—have seen the trend toward urban living coming, and they’ve got the technology
Growing Fodder
Most people feed their animals commercial feed. But I’m not like most people. I know that our diets play a huge role in determining our health and wellness. The same is true for animals. So instead of commercial feed, my livestock eats fodder. In farming, grains that are allowed to sprout are called fodder. Fodder is similar
How To Make A DIY Rain Water Barrel
Water is life. The more water that we can store around the homestead, the better. Once you build an outdoor collection system, it will store water without you having to think about it. Plus, the water is stored outside in the rain collection barrel, so it’s not taking up precious space inside your home. Rain
How To Remove A Wall
Like all things there’s a messy way and a clean way to go about demolishing a wall. In the lively and magical world of demolition construction nearly every challenge can generally be solved with a sledgehammer and an oversized lunch pail. However, the end result is usually a catastrophic mess and a heavy film of
My Goat Is Pregnant, Now What?
I was so excited. It was a complete surprise. That little goat wasn’t 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.
How To Rent Out Your Goats
Thinking about renting out your goats? You should understand both the good and the baaaahd of this possible revenue source. My husband and I ran a goat rental business from our farm, The Mushroom Hut @ Fox Farms. Our goat herd was the only part of the farm that wasn’t in the black. Our goat herd was
How To Build An Earthbag House For $6,164
In this post, guest author Jay Eisenberg details how he and his wife built their earthbag house for $6,164, completed on Oahu recently in 2017. For years I had dreamed of building my own home and not being enslaved with a mortgage. While living in New Zealand I was connected with Shaye Boddington of DIY
Chicken Runs
Despite the misleading title and the plot of a 2000 movie, a chicken run is intended to let chickens out as well as keep them in. A run is an outdoor enclosure that chickens or other animals can get into on their own. Usually, it’s attached to their coop. It allows them to get exercise and
What I Did When My Compost Got Smelly
“Ugh! What’s that smell?” I still remember the exclamations that came from our next door neighbor, back in the day when we lived nestled way too close together in not-so-blissful suburbia. Over time the exclamations continued, “I can’t sit out here. It positively reeks.” After that came the pointing and glaring. The Source Of The
Barley vs Brown Rice: The Ultimate Smackdown!
Ever wondered how barley stacks up nutritionally against brown rice? Here’s a side-by-side comparison plus some ideas for how to cook barley.
How To Make Soothing Cherry Honey Cough Drops
It’s cold and flu season and that means one of two things. It’s either time to stock up on cough drops OR it’s time to make your own at home! It seems like I never have cough drops on hand when I need them, so when a cold hit our family this winter, I decided
6 Ways to Fight Anxiety with Diet
We all feel stressed sometimes, but if you suffer from anxiety it can make everything appear stressful. Learn some ways to fight anxiety with diet.
Best Wood Arbors
You’ve finally put the finishing touches on your backyard oasis and want to add an entry that will make a statement. Or, maybe your daughter is getting married in your garden this summer, and you want an altar that’s both easy to put together and beautiful. No matter what your needs may be for a
Introduction to Agroforestry: What It Is and How to Successfully Implement It on Your Homestead
As a recently graduated wildlife major, I was a little out of my general comfort and knowledge range when I was accepted into the Peace Corps as an agroforestry volunteer. It was a challenging situation, and a serious one. It would soon become my job to teach locals about agroforestry farms and share different practices
🌻 Gardening
Gardening is a cornerstone of both homesteading and sustainability. Nothing is quite as local as growing your food in your own backyard! Gardeners can come in all sorts of shapes and forms, from the apartment-dwelling indoor gardener to the 20-acre owning permaculturist. Whether you have a few plant containers to maintain or entire fields of
To Catch A Honeybee Swarm
What is swarming? It’s when one colony of bees breaks off and forms a new colony. If the colony stored enough over the winter and early spring, a new brood will hatch, and the old hive becomes too small for all the bees. When the bees are calmost ready to leave the old hive, they
How To Grow Bamboo
Bamboo is an amazing plant! It has so many benefits to offer on so many levels. Not only does bamboo produce oxygen, which helps to clean the area where you grow your plants, but many varieties are edible! And above all, gardening is just great for your health in general. Unfortunately, growing bamboo is often
Cork Chair Inspiration
Cork Chairs
Introduction to Worm Farming
If you’re interested in cultivating dynamic, healthy, nutrient-rich soil, and are keen to incorporate nature’s natural composters, worm farming may be a perfect option for you. While rather less common than most soil invigorators, worm farming may be the most beneficial option (and in the long run, the least amount of work). Interested? Read on
Bento Box Inspiration
Bento Box Inspiration
Wood Fired Pottery
Humans have been enamoured of wood fired ceramics for thousands of years. Yet since the invention of electric and gas kilns, wood firing was pushed aside by many. Fortunately the unique beauty of wood fired pottery is again becoming a highly appreciated art form throughout the world. (The Japanese have always held wood fired ceramics
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 “taking in the forest atmosphere” or, more simply, forest bathing. The practice was developed in Japan in the early 1990s
15 Earth Homes
Some earth homes take advantage of something called thermal mass, which basically means that the mass of a structure has some capacity to store heat. So the mass of a home can stay at a more constant temperature than temperatures outside the home due to the presence and absence of sunlight in a 24-hour period. Obviously,
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.
10 Probiotic-Rich Foods That Are Even Better Than Yogurt
Move over, yogurt! These probiotic rich foods are even better.
Homesteader Tips For Dealing With Parasites
How healthy is your homestead? When evaluating the health of your homestead, it is important to look at the whole picture. The condition of the soil, the health of the plants on your property, the water quality, as well as the immunity level and overall health of people, pets and livestock. If a problem is
Ground Rules for Foraging Safely
Foraging is more than a hobby. It’s a means of sustenance, and for some of us, it really is a way of life. Pretty much everyone has an idea that some wild plants are edible whether they work in a city high-rise or hoe weeds on the farm. Even in this strange modern age, many
Lessons From Facing Death On The Homestead
As a small girl in my suburban neighborhood, dealing with death was something unusual. So when my pet fish died, tears were shed and a solemn, toilet-side funeral was held, complete with speeches! Any time I found a dead baby bird in the spring, my long-suffering father would kindly wrap it in tissues and bury
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 doesn’t want to drain. What to do? You want something that will clear your plumbing problems
10 Answers to Your Beginner Goat Questions
It’s 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 today’s series: Goats! It seems you all have tons of questions about these capricious caprines, and rightly so — they’re interesting, useful, and personable members of any
Seed Saving: 5 Things I Never Knew
Before I moved to my homestead, I was gifted a huge jar of heirloom seeds by a friend who understood what we were trying to do and had experience in seed saving. I remember dreamily sorting through the tiny baggies of beans, kale, and beets; my inexperience and ignorance of gardening temporarily gilded with happy
Homestead Stories: Weird Trees
“Look at this tree!” I passed the image to my friend. It was a blustery, rainy day, and a good time to sit indoors and plan our next gardening adventure. I was looking for unusual trees to add to my ever-expanding forest, though I knew many of the “unusual” trees wouldn’t do well in my