Homestead Life
Whether you are brand new to homesteading, a seasoned pro, or just dreaming of owning your own homestead one day we are here to help you where you are. We will meet you at the homestead with tips for gardening and preserving your harvest, caring for animals, being a better steward to our world and navigating parenting conundrums on the farm. All the advice your momma could give and more.
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23 Plants to Grow in Your Vegetable Garden This Year and How to Use Them
One of my favorite days of the year is groundbreaking day in the garden. There is something so exciting about breaking ground in anticipation of what is to come for our garden. Today we are going to talk about the 23 plants to grow in your vegetable garden this year and how to use them in preparation for this growing season. Tomatoes First up on our list, tomatoes. What garden is complete without tomatoes? These versatile fruits are a must have for us in the garden not just for summer fresh eating, but for canning as well so we have access to tomatoes all year long without the grocery store.…
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How to Raise Meat Rabbits
As micro farming and homesteading has seen a revival over the past three years, so has the meat rabbit. Raising meat rabbits is perhaps one of the easiest animals to raise regardless of where you are. Meat rabbits require very little space, are extremely quiet, and relatively mess free. Today we’re going to talk about how to raise meat rabbits and some tips we have picked up along the way. Why Raise Meat Rabbits Raising rabbits for meat has a lot of benefits, especially for the beginner looking to become less reliant on the grocery store and save money on sustainable and ethically raised meat. We started raising rabbits about…
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How to Plant Potatoes for an Awesome Harvest
March is quickly approaching and with it comes the opportunity to start getting in the garden for Virginians. St. Patrick’s day is the marker for the best time for planting potatoes in the garden. Today we are going to be sharing our tips for how to plant potatoes for an awesome harvest! Potatoes are one of my very favorite things to grow in the garden. They are the first thing I plant in the new year and are so much fun for the kids and I to dig up together in the fall. You can also get an enormous return on your investment. For example, last year we planted 30…
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Unconventional and Slightly Unpopular Ways To Feed Chickens Cheap
Chickens can be a great addition to any homestead or small farm. However, they can become expensive to feed if you are not careful. In this article, we are going to explore some unconventional ways to feed chickens cheap to not only save you money, but to also make a healthier flock. What are the Nutritional Requirements for a Healthy Flock? Before we start talking about ways to feed chickens cheap, let’s touch on what they need to be healthy. Protein Chickens first and foremost are omnivores, that means they eat both meat and vegetation. These little dinosaurs love protein packed insects and even the occasional small mouse. It is…
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Hacks to Make Your Winter Farm Chores More Bearable
We are in the thick of it here, and by it, I mean winter! January in Virginia is always a volatile time. Some days the weather is sunny and 50 and other days you are faced with blistering winds, snow, and below freezing temperatures. In today’s article, we are going to be talking about our favorite hacks to make your winter farm chores more bearable. Winter is one of the most beautiful times of year here in the Shenandoah Valley, but it is also unpredictable. We have learned quite a bit over the last few years as we have braved winter on the farm. Farming in winter is not for…
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The Best Egg Laying Chickens
Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes the cheep of baby chicks in every Tractor Supply across the nation. If you are looking to invest in egg laying chickens this coming year, you have come to the right place. We love a beautiful basket of farm fresh eggs adorning our kitchen like the next homesteader, but what we really love is a great breed of chicken. In this article, we will discuss what makes a good egg layer and our picks for the best egg laying chickens to add to your homestead. What Makes the Best Egg Laying Chicken People raise chickens for a lot of different…
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The Best Animals For Homesteading Beginners
If you are anything like us when we started out homesteading, you want to do it all and you want to do it all yesterday! I have been there and unfortunately done that. While I can relate to the desire to do all of the things, I encourage you to walk before you run when it comes to homestead animals as they require more commitment and long term care than some other homesteading ventures. In this article, I am going to share with you the best animals for homesteading beginners and what you need to know before you bring them onto your homestead. Understanding Your Homesteading Goals Before you start…
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7 Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries
We have all seen the rising prices on the grocery store shelves. Since the pandemic threw a wrench into our food system, followed by high inflation, there is not much that has escaped the rising costs. So this year I have approached grocery shopping a little differently. Check out how I save money on groceries! My philosophy this year has been all about saving money, and one of the biggest ways my family has spent money in the past is on groceries. It is really not a stretch for our family of 5 to have a monthly grocery bill of $700 to $800. That is relatively cheap compared to the…
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How to Render Pork Fat for Lard- Ninja Foodi Version
Lard is an important fat in many homesteaders kitchens. From biscuits to moisturizer, animal fats have long been used in a variety of ways on the homestead. Today I am going to show you how to render pork fat for lard in the Ninja Foodi. You can substitute the Foodi for any slow cooker or heavy bottomed pot and it will do just fine. One of my goals this year is to reduce the amount of items I have to purchase from the grocery store. I have stopped purchasing self rising flour, vanilla, brown sugar and now I am no longer purchasing cooking fats! Why? Because the sum of the…
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How to Make Vanilla Extract at Home
The cost of everything seems to keep going up and up and up now a days which means we have to learn how to be frugal with the items we purchase from the grocery store and ensure we are getting the most bang for our buck. Today at the grocery store vanilla extract costs about $9 for a 2 oz bottle. That seems excessive to me, so instead of purchasing the bottle from the store, we are going to learn how to make vanilla extract at home for less than $2.50 an ounce! What is Vanilla Extract? Vanilla extract is simply a mixture of alcohol and vanilla beans that is…
