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
Homesteading
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
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
7 Steps to Winterize the Chicken Coop
Winter can be tough on chickens, and it’s coming soon. If you take the proper steps to winterize the chicken coop right now, it will mean a much more comfortable cold season for your flock. Chickens are truly hardy creatures that are perfectly capable of living in the coop through the winter without heat, but you must take the proper steps to make sure they stay happy and healthy during the long cold winter. Related Reading: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Raising Backyard … [Read more...] about 7 Steps to Winterize the Chicken Coop
How to Make Onion Powder – Easy & Flavorful
You can't beat the flavor of homemade onion powder. I know, I know, you’re thinking, but onion powder is so cheap, why bother making your own? Because homemade onion powder is superior in every way to the store-bought stuff, that’s why. When it comes to spices, the adage of “You get what you pay for” has never been more accurate. If it’s cheap, you’re losing out on flavor. And who knows how long it’s been since that powder was actually an onion. Have you ever bothered to … [Read more...] about How to Make Onion Powder – Easy & Flavorful