Homesteading in the far north includes raising animals for food, and becoming self-sufficient. Lessening our reliance on outside sources for food, medicine, and energy.
From all the homesteading skills that we’ve learned thus far, buying and keeping a family milk cow has been by far the most intimidating. And the most rewarding. Thankfully it ended up not being as hard as I had thought, but a lot of research went into it before we brought our sweet Jersey home. […]
Raw dairy is amazing, and once you start diving into raw dairy products and all things culture, its a fascinating era of discovery. Learning how to make clabber culture from scratch is not only easy, it also leads to using it to make raw dairy products such as sour cream, and hard cheeses. As I
The amazing thing about keeping a family dairy cow is all the milk….the hard thing about keeping a family milk cow is all.the.milk….. Knowing what to do with raw milk when you’re getting 3 gallons a day can be challenging. When we were still buying milk, we would buy 2 gallons a week. Now all
First off the good news: its not that easy to kill a sourdough starter. I’ve neglected mine so badly, and when refed, it always revives. But it wasn’t always that way. My first sourdough starter that I made I ended up dumping. In hindsight, it wasn’t really dead. It was just massively underfed. I taught
Even if you’re still dreaming about owning a homestead, you can start learning homesteading skills today. Basic homesteading skills start in your kitchen, and will help you make your homesteading dreams comes true while you’re waiting. There are a lot of skills that are needed on a homestead. It can feel overwhelming and frustrating. But
When it comes to gift ideas for the future homesteader or farmer, it can be difficult to know what they actually need. When it comes to learning how to cook from scratch, there can be a steep learning curve, as well as an expensive to start. There are so many different paths of learning and
30+ Gift Ideas For The Future Homesteader (or farmer!) Read More »
Ever found yourself puzzled over the right temperature to wash those farm fresh eggs you just picked up? When our first laying hens started laying eggs, I was confused at what temperature to wash them. My brain told me that to prevent bacteria from entering into the egg, I needed to wash them in cold
Most chicken farmers want to keep their chickens happy and healthy without using harsh chemicals. I’m sure you are the same! Diatomaceous earth is one of those things that might turn out to be your new best friend. When you know how to use diatomaceous earth for chickens, you’ll have discovered a natural and effective
It’s so much fun incubating chicken eggs in an incubator, and hatching chicks. Raising chickens from birth is a wonderful on farm experience. One problem we immediately discovered was that 50% of the chicks that hatched were roosters. Fine and dandy if you’re eating them, but we quickly ran into dominance problems. That really made
Why Do Farms Have Roosters: Uncovering Their Key Roles Read More »
Plucking a chicken is something that can gross people out a little. The wet feathers on the skin is an icky job. It’s not the preferred job of some, and many would rather gut a chicken than pluck it! (my husband being one of them) It is an essential skill for anyone looking to raise
