It's a heartbreaking moment... When you first realize your homegrown eggs are costing you more than what you'd pay for eggs at the store... The current state of mass food production has duped us into believing things like milk, eggs, and grains cost much less than they actually do or should. For example: Even though we have our own milk cow, our milk technically costs me MORE than it would to simply buy a gallon at the ...Continue Reading
Archives for January 2015
Canning Meat: A Tutorial
Not gonna lie... I was a bit leery of the whole canned meat thing when I first started homesteading. I suspect it stems from my irrational fear of potted meat food product. Ever since I was a little kid, I have thought that sounded like the worst possible thing you could put into your mouth... (My apologies to any meat product fans out there) Thankfully, canning meat at home is a whole different ballgame, and a skill you'll ...Continue Reading
Best French Onion Soup Recipe
Is it possible to be addicted to soup? Cause I think I am. It's pretty much all I want to eat right now, and I'm blazing through my stash of home canned broth as I ravenously feed my addiction. I can't help it. My first attempts making french onion soup were pretty dismal; it tasted like limp onions floating in wallpaper paste. My husband was soooo impressed, as you can imagine. But my unquenchable soup addiction has ...Continue Reading
39 Ways to Make Money Homesteading
"Eh... So where does your money come from?" Hands down, this is the question I get the most often... And if people aren't asking it, I can tell they are thinking it. ;) First off, let's clarify a few things: Like I mentioned in my homestead myth-busting post, becoming a modern homesteader doesn't necessarily mean you head for the hills, go completely off-grid, and live off the land entirely. (Although I suppose you could go ...Continue Reading
Do My Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?
Do your chickens wear sweaters? Mine don't, although I have to admit the pictures I've seen of sweatered hens are pretty cute. Alas, knitting is one area where my craftiness fails me, so I don't see myself creating outerwear for my flock anytime soon. But it brings us to an important topic-- how exactly does one keep a chicken warm in the winter? Do chickens need a heat lamp? When I first got my chickens, I assumed they needed ...Continue Reading