"Is social media even worth it these days?" The question came during a conversation at a recent homestead event. Naturally, I replied with a very helpful, "Eh... well... it depends." Probably not the answer you'd expect from someone who has made a living online for the last 10+ years. But I'm wrestling with the Internet lately. The online world feels different these days. Maybe you've felt it too? People are ...Continue Reading
How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
It's the ultimate in home baking—the holy grail, the perfect standard.... I'm talking about 100% whole wheat sourdough bread, of course. This is the kind of bread Ma Ingalls would have made. It sustained the pioneers. It's the quintessential old-fashioned loaf. Yet, it can feel stupidly hard to replicate in our modern home kitchens. In fact, whole grain sourdough bread stumped me for years, so much so that I gave up on it completely ...Continue Reading
The Best Homemade Queso Recipe (Easy Mexican Cheese Dip)
I'm about to say something heretical. Prepare your hearts. Sometimes the homemade versions of certain foods aren't as tasty as the industrial, processed versions. There. I said it. Now of course... that's not ALWAYS the case. And homemade versions are certainly healthier. (And yes, we can train our palates over time, etc, etc, etc....) But industrial food manufactures sink MILLIONS into making their products ...Continue Reading
The Best Dual-Purpose Chicken Breeds
How can we close our chicken loop? It's a question that's been rattling around in my brain since a long-ago podcast conversation with Kate from Venison for Dinner. In that episode, we talked about reducing outside inputs in our home food production. And I've been working towards it in small ways for a while by: Saving more seeds Shuttling volunteer seedlings around the homestead to eliminate buying certain plants Using ...Continue Reading
The PERFECT Place to Homestead
"Where's the perfect place to homestead??" The question comes up on every conference panel and podcast Q&A. I'm tempted to use the opportunity to shamelessly plug Wyoming (because I would LOVE more homestead-minded folks to join our community)... But instead, I figure it's better to share the truth, so I reply, "The perfect place to homestead? Well...." It doesn't exist. Northern states are wintery with minuscule ...Continue Reading