About ten years ago I got it into my head that I was going to start making wine, mead, and hard ciders. I imagined myself opening a bubbling bottle of cider and smugly saying, “Why yes, I made it myself,” while pouring my amazed family and friends each a glass. I ordered myself a small home winemaking kit and eagerly unpacked it when it arrived in the mail. Laying out all of the different gadgets and powders and hoses I thought, “Now what the heck do I do?” I knew there had to be … [Read more...] about No-Fuss Hard Apple Cider – An Introduction to Homebrewing
7 Ways to Protect Your Plants From a Sudden Frost
An unexpected freeze in spring or fall can quickly devastate your garden. Early in the growing season, it is especially destructive for tender seedlings that are too fragile to survive sudden dips in temperature. Even in autumn, when we’re trying to get as much food harvested as possible, it can force more established plants to become dormant and non-productive. What is Frost? Frost is defined as a thin layer of ice that forms when water vapor changes from a gas to a solid as it … [Read more...] about 7 Ways to Protect Your Plants From a Sudden Frost
How To Make Butter & Buttermilk From Cream In 20 Minutes
Homemade butter tastes far better than anything that comes from the store. If you’ve ever tasted homemade butter, then you know it’s far superior to anything you can get in the store. Nothing beats the creamy, slightly salty taste of fresh, homemade butter on hot toast or steamed veggies. Believe it or not, if you own a stand mixer, it’s ridiculously easy to make butter. It takes about twenty minutes total from start to finish. And most of that is hands-free while your stand mixer … [Read more...] about How To Make Butter & Buttermilk From Cream In 20 Minutes
Pumpkin Seeds – How to Save and How to Toast
Fall means pumpkins! Hey folks, it’s Fall, and you know what that means. Pumpkin season! I can hardly drive more than a few miles without passing a farm stand, a pumpkin patch, or even someone with a bumper crop trying to unload a few pumpkins on passersby. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing, and there seems to be a sense of settling in for the cold months ahead. Which in my house means cooking lots of winter squash, … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Seeds – How to Save and How to Toast
How To Grow Mushrooms From Plugs On Logs
Mushroom growing is fun and satisfying, and can be done almost anywhere. Growing mushrooms from plugs on logs tends to take more time than growing them from sawdust, but has the added benefit of growing vertically to save space. What are mushroom plugs? Mushroom plugs are small wooden dowels that have been inoculated with mushroom spawn. They’re inserted into logs with the intention of growing mushrooms at home. Where do you get mushroom plugs? If you're lucky enough to have … [Read more...] about How To Grow Mushrooms From Plugs On Logs
35 Ways to Make Money From Your Homestead – A Comprehensive Guide
You've just left the busy-ness of the city, to move out to the countryside, where everyday life moves a lot slower. The excitement of less stress, fewer distractions and more time for yourself is instantly overwhelming - in the best ways possible. Making the move to a homestead requires a transition time, which will inevitably be longer for those with less experience in raising chickens, cooking from scratch, as well as harvesting and preserving a glorious bumper crop. But, those … [Read more...] about 35 Ways to Make Money From Your Homestead – A Comprehensive Guide