How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade (Step-by-Step Guide)
A dull lawn mower blade does not cut grass cleanly. Instead, it tears and shreds each blade of grass, leaving ragged brown tips that invite disease...
What Happens When You Let Chickens Free Range Full Time
I did a lot of research about raising my chickens free-range, before I decided most of it was BS! The result? If I wanted to learn anything and help...
Recycling Gold and Copper from Electronics
Some people actively prospect for gold and other precious metals across rivers, creeks, and streams. Images of Alaska Sourdoughs and California...
Raised Bed Gardening: The Complete Guide to Building, Filling, and Growing
Raised bed gardening is one of the most practical decisions a homesteader or serious backyard grower can make. The reasons experienced growers keep...
Leftover Firewood? Here’s What to Do With It
I’ve been heating with wood almost my whole life and if your first choice in terms of heating is also wood, then you know that as soon as spring...
How to Identify, Get Rid of, and Prevent Pantry Beetles
You open a bag of flour you bought two months ago and something moves. Or you pour out a scoop of cornmeal and notice tiny brown specks that were...
What Do Cows Eat? A Complete Guide to Cattle Nutrition for Homesteaders
If you are raising cattle for the first time or thinking seriously about adding cows to your homestead, understanding what they eat is the...
If Prices Doubled Tomorrow, I’d Build This First…
Fertilizer prices have already doubled in the last few years, and water bills keep climbing. If that trend keeps going, and to be honest, there's no...
Freeze Dried Strawberries: How to Make, Store, and Use Them at Home
Fresh strawberries are one of the best things about summer. They are also one of the most perishable crops you can grow or buy. A flat of...
7 High-Yield Crops for Small Spaces
You don't need a big piece of land to grow real food for you and your family. What's more, you don’t even need special crops. Basic crops, the ones...
What April Says About Your Homestead
April is finally here, and there's a lot to talk about. Most folks see it as that in-between month where spring has shown up, but winter's leftovers...
What Happens If You Boil Flour
I never thought much about what happens when boiling water and plain flour are mixed. I just imagined it sounds like something that makes a mess on...
Goat Breeds: A Practical Guide to Choosing the Right Goat for Your Homestead
Goats are one of the most practical animals a homesteader can raise. They are efficient converters of rough forage, they produce milk, meat, and...
How to Build a Predator-Proof Automatic Chicken Coop Door
Anyone who raises chickens is familiar with the usual list of daily, weekly and monthly chores. Clean and check the waterer, clean and refill the...
No Cheesecloth? Try These 9 Household Alternatives
Cheesecloth has been the go-to for straining and pressing for a long time, and for a good reason. It works. But it's not the only option out there,...
Spring Maintenance for Lawn Mowers, Chainsaws, and More
As soon as spring comes, it’s time to get out and about and do some summer maintenance. But before I start on the yard and garden, the equipment we...
7 Things You Never (Ever!) Need in Your Pantry
A well-stocked pantry is the heart of any homestead. You already know the drill and that's why you are canning your harvest, drying herbs, and also...
You Don’t Need More Plants, You Just Need These 4 Simple DIY Projects
Every spring it's the same thing. You pick up more seedlings, start more trays, squeeze in one more row, and somehow the harvest doesn't change at...
What Homesteaders Are Saying About The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies II
Living on a homestead means dealing with health issues that city folks never face. Parasites from livestock and well water. Injuries from farm work....
Watermelon in a Jar
That white rind of the watermelon you've been ignoring your whole life can actually be turned into all kinds of good stuff in a jar. Sweet pickles,...
Why My Grandfather Buried a Coffee Can Under Every Fence Post
I was maybe ten years old the first time I saw my grandfather put a coffee can into a fence post hole. He didn't explain what he was doing. He just...
Turn Your Kitchen Scraps Into Medicine (It’s Easier Than You Think)
When you are living on a homestead, most kitchen scraps end up in the compost bin, or, even worse, straight in the trash can. But some of the...
How to Make Garlic Cheese from Scratch: Spreads, Hard Cheese, Garlic Butter, and Homemade Garlic Cheese Bread
Store-bought garlic cheese is fine. Homemade garlic cheese is something else entirely. When you control every ingredient, you decide how much garlic...
NEVER Throw Away These Items! (Do This Instead)
If you're anything like me, you've got a corner of the garage or barn where random stuff just piles up. Old jars, bent screws, a cracked garden...
Valais Blacknose Sheep: The Complete Ownership Guide for Homesteaders
If you have spent any time in farming circles online, you have seen the photos. A round-faced sheep with a black nose, black knees, and black feet,...
Easy Pruning Techniques for Flowering Shrubs
While on my self-sufficiency journey, I realized that I can use my yard as efficiently as possible and I decided that I will not just plant shrubs...
How To Keep Butter Fresh For 5+ Years
I found a jar of butter in my grandmother’s pantry six months after she passed away. The label said she’d canned it three years earlier. I nearly...
Why Raising Rabbits Is the No. 1 Investment in 2026
Everything costs more than it used to, and you feel it every time you open your wallet. Groceries, utilities, gas, and the prescription refills that...
You’re Not a Real Homesteader if You Don’t Grow This…
You've got your potatoes hilled, your tomatoes staked, and your beans climbing. That's solid work, and it covers the basics. But if your garden plan...
How to Make Yogurt Without Starter: 6 Methods That Actually Work
Most yogurt recipes tell you to start with yogurt. That is a circular problem if you are trying to be genuinely self-sufficient, if you live far...
DIY Smokeless Fire Pit: How to Build One That Actually Works (Step-by-Step)
If you have ever sat around a backyard fire pit and spent more time moving your chair away from the smoke than actually enjoying the fire, you...
DIY Pocket Generator (Under $20)
It comes as a surprise to some, but the combination of magnets and spark plugs will generate electricity strong enough to power a light bulb. Even...
