Featured Stories

Dealing With Dangerous Trees
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Ben Hoffman, Maine Always, before cutting a tree, carefully examine the tree, the trees around it and the ground where it will fall. Are there any …

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Homestead Hints — Control Ants
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Lil Roberts, California This is the time of year when the ants decide it might be great to come in the building to see what they can …

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How to Survive a Flood
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By James Smith Across the United States, most Americans are living in or near natural disaster zones of some type. Earthquakes, tornados, mudslides, hurricanes, fires, flooding, volcanoes …

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Foraging For Prickly Pear Cactus
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Though generally regarded as a desert plant, the prickly pear cactus is actually rather widespread.

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Animal Care and Family Matter the Most
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites By Heather SmithThomas, Idaho Andrew Lewis and his family live on a farm in the southern tier of New York that was originally purchased by his great-grandparents. “I’m …

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Post Rock Country
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites By Karin Deneke They were heading for the Kansas prairies, prepared to take on the many challenges of homesteading. Covered wagons, tightly loaded, often pulled by teams of …

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Water Doesn’t Burn, Does It?
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Ben Hoffman Not unless you break H2O down into H and O, both of which are highly flammable, and that doesn’t happen in your stove or furnace. …

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El Niño and La Niña
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Rhonda Crank, The Farmer’s Lamp I’m not a meteorologist magnet; nor am I a weather wizard. But as a sustenance farmer, the weather plays a large part …

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A Quick Pack
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Christopher Nyerges, California It’s always best to plan ahead. Carry essential gear, since you never know when you’ll need it: knife, fire-starter, water, cordage—that sort of thing. …

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Surviving A Water Shortage
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites Even the best water system breaks down now and then. Pumps fail. Electricity mysteriously goes off and stays off for long periods. Bulldozers diabolically seek and destroy …

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DIY Vehicle Emergency Kits
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Jim Cobb Torrential rain, ice storms, engine breakdown, blizzards, flash floods—all of these and more could result in you being stranded on the side of the …

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DIY Solutions For Off-Grid Cooking
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Utility services are among the first things to go in the wake of a disaster. Tornadoes, blizzards, etc. can all result in power lines going down.

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One Weird Trick For Chopping Wood
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

I want to tell you is the weird trick for making wood chopping just a bit easier.

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Off-Grid Refrigeration
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Dan Fink When buying appliances for a new home or a remodel, most people cruise the big box store looking for the right combination of features, …

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Make Your Own Simple Drying Rack
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Daniel Strauss, Lockport, New York It was my sister-in-law’s 50th birthday and my wife wanted to give her a practical gift of a dry­ing rack for …

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