countryside
Potatoes Offer Healthy Sustainability
Most of us enjoy eating potatoes, but only a small number of us grow our own. And yet, planting and harvesting potatoes is one of the simplest and highest-yielding crops to grow.
Read More
12 Benefits of Learning How to Crochet
What does “crochet” mean? Let’s start with the basics. Crochet is defined as the process of hooking thread or yarn to create fabric.
Read More
Safely Limbing and Bucking Trees
Bucking trees isn’t as easy as it looks. Learn how to limb a tree and buck wood safely.
Read More
Know Your Firewood Moisture Content
Knowing firewood moisture content can make the difference between creating steam or heat. Most folks agree that water doesn’t burn, 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.
Read More
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.
Read More
Beef Composites and Breed Definition
We frequently hear the terms crossbred, hybrid, composite, or synthetic when referring to breed definition, and we often wonder exactly what these terms mean.
Read More
Starting a Petting Zoo Business
Why not make use of the resources you already have on hand — farm animals, land, and a love of sharing them with others — and try starting a petting zoo business?
Read More
Fire Preparedness On The Farm
Fire preparedness is an often-overlooked issue on the farm and homestead. Have you looked at your homestead or farm through the eyes of a firefighter?
Read More
Off-Grid Battery Banks: The Heart of the System
Add to Favorites By Dan Fink – Anyone who owns a vehicle likely already has a love-hate relationship with the starting battery inside. It’s heavy, dirty, expensive, dangerous, and always seems …
Read More
7 Tips for How to Start Living Off The Grid
Add to Favorites By Dave Stebbins – Living off-grid is living the dream. Enjoying all the amenities while not being dependent on the power company fires the imagination. Sunlight sparkles …
Read More
How to Build a Cattle Panel Hoop House
Add to Favorites By Julie Harrell, New York, Zone 5B My cattle panel hoop house is a community gathering place. Recently, my sweet neighbor of almost 20 years and soul …
Read More
What is the Best Mulch to Prevent Weeds?
Add to Favorites All Photos By Shelley Dedauw The best mulch to prevent weeds depends on where the mulch lies, what else you need it to do…and, of course, cost. …
Read More
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on a Log
Add to Favorites By Anita B. Stone, North Carolina – If you ever wanted to grow mushrooms on the homestead and make a decent wage, growing shiitake mushrooms is the way …
Read More
How to Grow Rhubarb: Diseases, Harvesting and Recipes
Add to Favorites By Teresa Flora – In much of North America, spring is welcomed with the tart and tangy taste of fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb is one of the easiest and …
Read More
Cherishing the Natural Beauty of Icelandic Sheep
We were ready to give up on the sheep business altogether when we discovered Icelandic sheep.
Read More