Hey friend, Have you ever found yourself busy with summer projects like house renovations, chicken coop and animal pen chores, or even time away? If so, you may have been surprised at what a little neglect can do to your vegetable garden. A few days is plenty of time for cucumbers to get bigger, beans to multiply and perfectly manageable vegetables to turn into a counter full of work. So if your garden is doing the same thing right now, todayâs reads are all about putting some of that food...
about 5 hours ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hey friend, One thing I wish more people understood about homesteading is that you donât have to wait until you own the homestead to start. You can learn how to preserve food in an apartment kitchen. You can grow something on a balcony. You can learn to cook without relying on another electric appliance. And you can start figuring out which skills matter to your family long before you ever sign papers on a piece of land. In fact, learning some of those skills ahead of time makes the eventual...
4 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hey friend, August is one of those months when the garden can steal all your attention. Youâre picking, preserving, watering, weeding and already thinking about what needs to happen before fall. Meanwhile, the chickens are still out there expecting room service. So todayâs reads are three simple chicken projects worth keeping handy. Nothing complicated. Just practical ways to keep the flock comfortable, make better use of your feed, and do a little more yourself. How to Make a Chicken Dust...
5 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hey friend, By this time of the summer, a garden can go from "nothingâs ready yet" to "where did all these vegetables come from?" in the blink of an eye. And once you start picking, thereâs another question. What are you going to do with all of it? A little planning now can mean less waste, fewer frantic preserving days, and even fewer seeds to buy next spring. Today Iâve got three practical reads for dealing with whatâs coming out of the garden right now. 5 Vegetable Garden Harvesting...
7 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hey friend, Thereâs a big difference between giving kids chores and teaching them how to take responsibility for useful work. Feeding animals. Helping in the garden. Learning how to use tools safely. Cooking. Cleaning up. Figuring out what to do when something doesnât go according to plan. Those everyday jobs can teach kids an awful lot. Thatâs why I wanted to let you know about a new free online training happening this Wednesday, August 12. Itâs called Raising Successful Kids on the...
9 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
An Off Grid Life Thursday reads Hey friend, Deer (and rabbits, actually) can turn your gardening hard work into a buffet if youâre not careful. Use these ideas to keep them out. And get started on growing something new from garden scraps. Then try this recipe for peanut butter bread. Itâs a great addition to a school lunchbox or as a healthy after-school snack. But first... đĄ Free training for homestead families If youâre raising kids while learning homesteading skills, this looks worth...
11 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
An Off Grid Life Thursday reads August can feel like a blur, especially as I get older. Each year just flies by. I can't believe that our youngest is now a teenager. She was born shortly after I moved up to our Northwest Territories off grid home, where we lived full-time for many years. What about you? I bet youâre balancing harvest, planning next yearâs beds, and grabbing family moments before the kids head back to school, or to homeschool. If you have it, now's the time to discover new...
12 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
An Off Grid Life Weekend Reads As my kids get older and now that our homeschooling journey has ended, I have learned so much about how children learn. And one of the biggest lessons was this. When worksheets feel stale, step outside and let nature be the teacher. Read about how we homeschooled through our previous summers and grab a bath salts tutorial easy enough for kids to make. You know, I think the girls were eight and five when we first started making this. Then head indoors to whip up...
15 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hi Reader, Sooner or later, almost every homesteader needs to build something. It might be a raised garden bed, a chicken coop, a storage shelf or a simple repair around the house. But when you donât know which tools you need or how to use them properly, even a small project can feel intimidating. Thatâs why I wanted to tell you about the new Basic Carpentry Class from the School of Traditional Skills. It was created for beginners and starts with the basics: how to choose and use essential...
16 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Hey friend, By August, not every harvest needs to turn into a full canning project. Sometimes the smarter move is freezing a small batch, drying what you can, or dealing with the tomatoes before they take over the counter. Here are three practical ways to preserve food without making the whole kitchen your project for the day. Ways to Preserve Tomatoes Start here if tomatoes are piling up and you need practical ways to save them for winter meals. Read article How to Freeze Fresh Vegetables...
18 days ago â˘Â 1 min read