How to Homestead | Self Sufficiency | Homesteading | Homestead Blog
Today I am thrilled to be interviewed by the lovely Megan from A Blossoming Homestead!
Grab a hot cup of coffee or tea and head over to listen as I share the history of our homestead and a few of our plans for the future.
And while you are there, be sure to have a look around. Megan has a beautiful homestead and a wonderful, informative blog!
When it comes to baby gear, I am definitely a minimalist.
When I was pregnant with our daughter, I was inundated with catalog after catalog of supposed baby “necessities”. Fancy bathtubs with built-in toys, wipe warmers, massive electronic play gyms, vibrating bassinets… Really? Not only is my house too small for all those things, they are outrageously expensive, especially since they will only be used for a short period of time.
I chose to ignore the majority of trendy baby items, and I’m glad I did. Especially since my daughter regularly passes up playing with her basket full of toys for pieces of random fuzz she finds on the carpet. She doesn’t seem impressed with the high-tech toys and all the bells and whistles.
That being said, we live a unique lifestyle as compared to most new parents. When many other mothers are dropping the kids off at daycare, Prairie Baby and I are bundling up to do morning chores. Rather than going to “baby play group”, we load up the horse trailer, head to my friend’s ranch, and spend the afternoon riding.
Because of this, we require some unique baby gear. In a short time as a homesteading mama, I have found a few must-have items for the country baby. These have been absolute lifesavers for our family!
1. A Jogging Stroller
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I didn’t know what these were called for the longest time. I just knew that I wanted one of those “big strollers with the 3 rubber tires”! They were originally designed for mamas who wanted to ”jog and stroll”, but I am happy to report they work wonderfully on gravel, bumpy pastures, mud, and snow drifts! However, they don’t really fold up (at least mine doesn’t), so this isn’t a good choice for strolling the mall. But if strolling through the barnyard is more your style, then this is a necessity!… [Continue Reading]
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| Credit: nuchylee |
Baking soda is one of my most favorite things. I buy it in huge bags from our local Sam’s Club and use it for everything.
From carpet cleaning, to deodorizing the diaper pail, to scouring off hard water spots, to cooking, it’s natural and inexpensive.
And I’ve found another use for it: feeding it to my goats!
In doing some searching around the internet, I’ve found that many goat breeders offer free-choice baking soda to their goat herd.
I decided to dig a little deeper and found various reasons as to why this practice is so popular.
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| Photo Credit |
The most popular consensus seems to be that the baking soda keeps the PH level in the rumen consistent (the rumen is part of the goat’s digestive system).
The micro-organisms that live in the rumen need a steady level of acidity. Levels that are too high or too low can result in various issues.
It is thought that a stable digestive tract also encourages better digestion overall, and a decreased chance of bloat.
I also found several websites stating that baking soda can help with stabilizing a goat’s urine acidity. However, most goat owners seem to feed it with it’s digestive benefits in mind.
So yesterday I dumped some baking soda in a bucket and headed out to offer it to my girls.
And, it was a hit!
They greedily licked up several teaspoons each and seemed to really enjoy it.
I offered it again today with the same results.
My Conclusion:
So even though there are varying opinions on how and why baking soda is helpful to goats, I plan on building a small feeder and offering it free-choice to my girls. I figure the more preventative maintenance, the better, especially since it is frugal and natural.
Do you provide baking soda for your goats? Have you noticed that any health problems have improved with it’s addition to your feeding regime?… [Continue Reading]
Remember this post where I proudly stated how easy it is to grow your own sprouts? “Anyone can do it”, “a must for every real food kitchen”, etc?
Well, that is all still true, as long as you make sure to use the sprouts before they become out of control.
How do I know this? Allow me to present Exhibit A:
This is what happens when you have a busy weekend and get just a little bit lazy. “Oh, those can wait another day” you say to yourself as you pass by the counter.
Seriously, it’s a sprout riot. In my kitchen.
I just spent a half hour of my life that I will never get back, trying to pick pieces off of this “sprout brick”. Through a regular-mouth mason jar, no less.
Yes, throwing out the jar did cross my mind.
It’s like trying to rip out a piece of sod. With your fingernails.
This is my progress so far:
This is after 20 minutes of stabbing with a knife and spoon. I now have a solid block of intertwined sprouted wheat, tumbling around inside the jar. Lovely.
It’s kinda like one of those “ship in a bottle” things. Except I wouldn’t display this on my mantle.
So just in case you ever thought I had it all together, I don’t. I might be able to milk goats, and make bread, and grow heirloom vegetables, but I can’t seem to keep my sprouts under control.
Moral of the Story: Do as I say, not as I do.
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 I am not a doctor and the statements on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links. I receive a small commision whenever a product is purchased through these links. Occasionally I receive products in exchange for a review or giveaway post. However, all opinions expressed on The Prairie Homestead are solely my own, and I only suggest products or services that I believe will be helpful to my readers. |
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