Homesteading Skills

Oh rodents. As coldness sets in, they seek a place to nest for winter. Here's how to keep mice away from your car and other vehicles. Photo by erdenebayar via Morguefile For a lot of rural dwellers having seasonal vehicles — cars for…
Read more...

Sarah Walker Caron Fresh herbs can transform an everyday dinner into a special occasion, but herbs at the grocery store can be expensive and difficult to keep fresh. Starting an indoor herb garden is a relatively simple and compact…
Read more...

Next to the land itself, the most expensive thing a homesteader or small farm operator can purchase is a farm tractor. It can also be one of the most necessary purchases for a modern grower. Troy R. Bennett “Tractors do a lot of…
Read more...

Believe it or not, you don’t need a greenhouse to grow crops indoors. Whether you are a city dweller pressed for yard space or homesteader looking to add a little green to the winter months, you can easily start an indoor vegetable garden.…
Read more...

Once you add chickens to your homestead, delicious fresh eggs will likely become a regular part of your diet. But throwing out used eggshells after scrambling breakfast or baking a cake, however, wastes a valuable resource that can be…
Read more...

Foraging is the art of searching for provisions growing wild, but how do you forage responsibly? As the locavore movement gains popularity, more and more people are striking out to search for provisions in order to get back to the wild…
Read more...

Overwintering vegetables is a great way to extend the growing season. Here's how to get started. Overwintering kale, chard, and leeks on a farm in Belfast, Maine. | Abigail Curtis Growing vegetables during the winter is no feat of…
Read more...

Are you ready for the unexpected? Disaster, car trouble, whatever — they are all good reasons to be prepared. Here's how to create an emergency kit. Creating an emergency kits is one way to prepare for the unexpected, such as natural…
Read more...

©stocksolutions/Adobe Stock A cold frame brings summery warmth to your garden throughout the year, even as the cool days of fall turn to the cold days of winter. The simple apparatus, often made of glass and wood, locks in the sparse…
Read more...

With winter at the doorstep, there is nothing quite so cozy as curling up next to a roaring fire in a wood-burning stove. Choosing the right firewood will keep that warm winter spirit blazing throughout the night. Lauren Abbate As a…
Read more...

Winter is coming. Is your home ready? Insulation, heat loss, sealing windows and more … These weatherization tips for your home will help. Caulking can be used to seal gaps in door frames where cold air can sneak into a home.| Aislinn…
Read more...

Root cellars among the oldest, most reliable ways to store produce. Here's how to make DIY root cellar storage. John Belding at Little Falls Farm in Harrison checks out vegetables stored in his farm's below-ground root cellar with his…
Read more...