Featured Stories

4 Homestead Kitchen Tips for the Visually Impaired
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites By Jackie Waters – My husband’s sister, who has been visually impaired since childhood, recently came to live with us. While we were excited to welcome her, …

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Baxter Black Poems Strike a Chord With Homesteaders and Cowboys Alike
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites A few days ago, through complicated algorithms, YouTube suggested to me a poem titled, “A Vegetarian’s Nightmare.” It was one clip, from a long list of Baxter …

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How to Dig a Well By Hand
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites If you’re a homesteader, there’s value in knowing how to dig a well by hand. Of the three main types of wells—dug, drilled and driven—dug wells are …

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8 Laws an Urban Homesteader Must Know
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites Today’s urban homesteader can’t just raise food with wild abandon. Not if they want to coexist with neighbors. Being a successful urban homesteader involves researching laws first; …

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Are Off-Grid Hydropower Systems Viable on the Homestead?
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites When my grandfather was a boy, his family operated the only grist mill in the parish. He had to quit school when he was in the third …

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Tips For Farm Pond Design In Your Backyard
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Anita B. Stone, Photographs by S. Tullock – Do you know the basics of farm pond design? If you’re ready to tap into a small backyard pond system …

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Wind Energy Facts: Is Wind Power For You?
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Dan Fink – My interest in wind energy facts started with a particularly brutal winter up here off-grid in the Colorado mountains at 8,200 feet elevation. It …

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The Best Places to Hide Money and Secure Your Valuables
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Jim Cobb — Do you know the best places to hide money and secure your valuables? As you continue to become more independent at self-sufficient farm …

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What is Solar Water Heating and How Does it Work?
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites My Granny Brown didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was around 11 years old. There were no solar water heating systems then. Instead, they put a small …

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The Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Tom and JoAnne O’Toole – Knowing the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can make the difference between life and death for you or your family. With more …

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Earth-Sheltered, Earth-Conscious Homes
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites By Mike Oakes, Washington Building earth-conscious homes is becoming more relevant as we live in a world where we have increasing air and water pollution, reduction of …

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Earth Homes: Another Kind of Dome
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites Dr Gene Hopster (a Countryside reader), sent us some information on the “Hexadome,” which he designed, patented, copyrighted, registered, etc. in 1970. (Others are reportedly using his …

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Knowledge of Snake Bite First Aid Can Save Lives
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites Are snakes one of those things you’re afraid of? I can’t help but think of an old country song “I Don’t Like Spiders and Snakes….” That’s the …

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Solar Energy Efficiency Offers Better Power
March 13, 2019 · · Self-Reliance

Add to Favorites In America, the ever fragile electrical grid has caused more people to consider alternative power sources. Solar energy efficiency has made powerful strides in the effectiveness of …

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Determining The Best Renewable Energy Source For Your Homestead
March 13, 2019 · · Homesteading

Add to Favorites Living off-grid with the best renewable energy source has benefits and rewards. The most obvious is the saving of money on monthly power bills. Setting up your …

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