In college, I once was invited to a paella party. I had no idea what paella was. But since all we had to do was pitch in $5 for ingredients – I was in! The paella pan was the size of an oven top. ...
Use Cloches to Add Charm, History, and Functionality to Your Garden
I started gardening as a way to add beauty to my landscape. Then, several years ago I got worried about the quality of food I got from the grocery store. So, I quickly transitioned from growing herbs ...
10 Super Simple Goat Care Hacks That Can Make Your Job Easier
Learning how to raise goats can be a bit overwhelming at the outset. When I first started, I didn't want to mess up, so I bought a lot of things I didn't need - like metal goat pails for ...
How to Use Plant Labels to Keep Your Garden Organized (and 10 DIY Plant Marker Ideas)
I am not the most organized person in the world. I probably qualify as one of those mad scientist types with all my on-going projects, notes, books, and more cluttering up all my ...
How to Right-Size Your Homestead
There are two big mistakes many new homesteaders make when starting out. I know this... because I made them both! They are: Taking on too much and being overwhelmed. Taking on too little and ...
When Poultry Predators Attack: Investigation and 11 Prevention Tips
A couple of weeks ago, as I opened the door to my duck shelter, my Pekins rushed to exit with significantly more urgency than usual. After the duck exodus nearly knocked me over, I saw why. A trail of ...
20 Tips for Winter Preparation for your Homestead (from Personal Experience)
Shortly after we moved from a suburb of Washington D.C. to our rural homestead in North Carolina, a surprise snowstorm hit. Weather reports had said there would be 1-2 inches of accumulation, but we ...
How to Create a Potager Garden: An Aesthetically Pleasing Kitchen Garden
When I first started homesteading, I wanted to grow food as fast as I could. So, we set up some compost piles, installed fences, amended the soil, started a vegetable garden, and generally did ...
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms – a Guide to Getting Shiitake Done
Many years ago, I used to watch a French-language TV show on Sundays. Each week they had a different field trip to visit specialty food producers. Even though I only understood half of what was said, ...