Making homemade fruit leather in a dehydrator might seem a bit intimidating, but it’s simpler than you think! This healthy snack uses only a handful of ingredients. The best part is knowing that your homemade fruit roll ups are free from preservatives, excess sugar, and artificial dyes! While there are several methods of drying the…
Being good stewards of the land and our resources is an important part of our off-grid lifestyle. As an avid hunter, Philip works hard to provide meat for our family each year. Before our move to the homestead, we were limited not only by space of what we could transport for processing but also limited…
Wild game is a great way to add high quality meat to our diet. Philip is an avid hunter, who dedicates himself to providing our family with plenty of venison to last the entire year. By definition, venison refers to the meat of all antlered animals: including deer, moose, caribou, antelope, and elk. However here…
As you begin your home canning journey it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the necessary equipment and canning jargon. Not to mention, so many home cooks like gadgets! It’s hard to tell what equipment you really need, what will make your job easier, and what is simply extra. Whether you are looking at ways to…
Keeping quality pantry staples on hand makes preparing homemade meals from scratch at home so much easier. While the grocery store is full of convenience food items that make home cooking fast, these prepared foods contain preservatives or ingredients that you may find questionable. Not to mention, the cost of convenience foods adds up. Pressure…
As a new chicken owner, one of the most exciting moments is when you find the very first farm-fresh eggs in your backyard chicken coop! If you live in the United States, instinctually you will likely want to wash the eggs and put them in the refrigerator. In the US, we typically encounter washed, store-bought…
Chickens are often called the gateway animal to homesteading. In many suburban neighborhoods, you will find neighbors who keep a small backyard flock to provide their own fresh eggs. We even raise our meat chickens in our suburban neighborhood, having raised all of our chicken for several years. Especially when you are limited on space…
When it comes to beekeeping tools, a smoker is one of the must-have tools of every beekeeper! This simple tool makes the bees more manageable, protects the bees and also protects the beekeeper. What’s so magical about the effect of smoke on honey bees? Let’s explore why beekeepers use smoke to manage their bees. Historical…
The number one reason that new beekeepers get started with honey bees is access to fresh honey! While beekeepers keep bees for a variety of reasons harvesting honey is an exciting part of the job! A healthy hive can produce 40 to 100 pounds of honey depending on the size of the honey supers used….
While it may be trendy or popular on social media to see an experienced beekeeper manage a swarm of bees without any beekeeping protective clothing. Protective clothing for beekeepers should be at the top of every beekeeper’s supply list. As a new beekeeper, it can be quite intimidating the first time you open a beehive…
