Having a hen go broody is a sustainability blessing, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. I was trying to induce my hen that usually goes broody to get into the mothering mood but I…
Too Much of a Good Thing: Breaking a Broody Hen
Category: Homestead
Gear Test: Poop in a bucket for two weeks
For many preppers out there, how to “go” sustainably after SHTF, is potentially a big problem. Bugging in is a popular strategy but many homes depend on municipal sewer and water. Where do you “go” when your toilets stop working?…
How To Dehydrate Eggs for long-term storage
What do you do when springtime has your chickens laying more eggs than you can (or should) eat? We give some away, but I’m also saving my surplus for next winter when the hens stop laying. I am making powdered eggs. If you have a dehydrator, you can too!
Three Sisters Soup: Eat What You Grow
If you grow a garden to be less dependent upon industrial food, or as a survival skill, a useful exercise is to try making a meal out of only what you grew in your garden. We have become so accustomed…
Can You Run Your Refrigerator From Batteries?
One of the big concerns during a power outage is that all the food in your fridge will spoil. To prevent that, preppers buy generators. Fridges used so much power that driving them from batteries was not practical…until now. We…
Simpler Whole Wheat Sourdough: Routine & Recipe
A friend at church wanted to bake sourdough bread. The many articles and YouTube videos he watched intimidated him. So many variables. This “how-to” is to show that fresh homemade sourdough does not need to be all that complicated. I…
Can You Induce a Hen to Go Broody?
Given the talk of food supply disruptions, I was especially eager that one of our hens (unimaginatively named “Broody”) would hatch another clutch of eggs. Last year, she got the mood in July. Could I coax her into sitting earlier?…
Homestead Stew: Eating What You Grow
Much of what we cook with, what grocery stores sell, comes from far, far away. As an exploration of eating what our land could provide, we made a big pot of what I called Homestead Stew, using only things harvested…
Eat the (semi)weeds: Daylily
If empty store shelves have you thinking of gardening, maybe you already have some edibles growing around your house. Daylilies sprout so early in springtime that they often come up through the snow. They are a semi-wild edible available long…
Beyond the Generator: Small-scale Solar:
A gas generator is a great preparedness upgrade, but they have their limitations (i.e. fuel). A small-scale solar setup can help counter that limitation. This post explores how you can level up your preps. A gas generator helps keep life…