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“No-Peek” Beef Stew for a Winter Warm Up
Is there anything better to chase away the bone-chilling cold of winter than old-fashioned beef stew?
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How to Store Firewood: Try Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Racks
One thing we have in abundance here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina is firewood. Last winter, we noticed that the number of wood piles on our neighbors’ properties increased dramatically.
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Water on the Homestead: Is Filtering Well Water Necessary?
Add to Favorites Many homesteads have wells drilled for their water source. But is filtering well water necessary? There are, as usual, different thoughts on the subject. I grew up …
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10 Frugal Homemade Fire Starters for Your Hearth or Emergency Pack
Add to Favorites Save money on your survival gear list by making items from scratch. Homemade fire starters combine free or upcycled materials with inexpensive combustibles. Whether you need to …
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How to Clean Creosote From a Wood Stove
In our home, knowing how to clean creosote from the stove pipe chimney is a job best handled by my wonderful husband.
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A Complete Guide to How to Compost at Home
Add to Favorites By Frederick C. Michel, Jr., Joe E. Heimlich, & Harry A. J. Hoitink – If you are interested in learning how to compost at home, here is some …
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Handling Lye for Soap and Other Safety Precautions
Add to Favorites It is critical to follow a few simple safety precautions when using lye for soap. Proper ventilation, along with gloves and eye protection, will help to prevent …
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Natural Pest Control for Gardens and Farmsteads
Add to Favorites By John Blum – An “ecosystem” can be very large or very small. The (ecological) system needed to support a colony of bacteria may be a pound of …
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Wood Heat: A Guide to Heating Your Home
Add to Favorites By Alexis Griffee, Florida As energy prices continue to soar, people are turning back to natural heating methods and away from gas and central heat. Woodstoves and fireplaces …
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Natural Ways for Dealing with Cold Temperatures
Add to Favorites By Christopher Nyerges, California Let’s start from the beginning. Let’s start with you and what you do and what you wear when it gets cold outside. Then we’ll …
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Off-Grid Refrigeration
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
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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Preparing For Power Outages
While an argument can be made that our society has become too dependent upon electricity, few argue that sudden power outages can sometimes be more than merely inconvenient.
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How (And Why) I Moved To A Straw Bale House
Add to Favorites By C. Gonzales, Port Republic, Maryland By August 2010, I had had enough. My home was lovely, warm when needed, cool when needed, pretty, functional, and safe. But it lacked natural …
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Preventing Fires On The Homestead
Add to Favorites By Eric Witter RESPONSIBILITY Starting a fire is a huge responsibility. You could burn friends or family members. Your property or your neighbor’s property could be damaged …
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