November 24, 2020
November 20, 2020
November 19, 2020
November 18, 2020
November 17, 2020
November 27, 2020
Pressure canners are an indispensable tool for home food preservation, being the only safe way to can low acidity foods and meats. Being one of the more expensive items you are likely to have in your kitchen, and you family's safety on the line, choosing between Presto and All American canners can be a difficult decision.
November 26, 2020
When I tell people that I live off the grid, and am striving to build a self-sufficient homestead, some of them think I'm living an extreme life and seeking to go back in time. With respect, these people are wrong. Here is why I think homesteading is not only the lifestyle of the future, but possibly the only future we have left.
November 25, 2020
With hundreds of books available on homesteading, self-sufficiency, gardening, raising livestock, storing food, and more related to living off the grid, which ones are worth the money? Here are my picks for eight essential homesteading book that every survivalist or off grid enthusiast must have on their book shelf.
Root cellars are cool old tech that keeps food --- primarily fruit and vegetables --- fresh for up to a year, without any electricity. Building a root cellar is great way to store harvests from large gardens, and as a backup in case of emergency. So here is my simple guide on how to build root cellar, with bonus tips at the end ---
With some many people considering making the move out of big cities, and considering building a country or rural lifestyle, I thought you might be interested in unexpected facts about country living. Here are 15 things that I wish I had know before moving from the city to the country.
When I first decided to make permaculture my full-time job, I spent a lot of time looking around for opportunities to make a living using permaculture design. With so people out there laid off from work, I decided to publish a list of what I've found to be a good idea. Here are 9 opportunities to make money with a permaculture business, and one **bonus** idea which could be huge in the near future.
While planning for my own permaculture forest garden, I needed to know exactly how far apart to plant my trees. Since the answer isn't easy to find online, I decided to write a simple, clear explanation of how far to space trees in your orchard.
While setting up a solar system for your home can be serious business, solar panels can be quite fun as well. They are really amazing creations, so today I I decided to share some cool facts about solar panels. Here are 10 amazing facts that you probably didn't know about solar power.
With my permaculture food forest well underway, I went the route that is increasingly popular in the community, a duck pond for biofiltration and fertigation. Here is my experience on how to build a permaculture duck pond.
Living off the grid connects people with nature, themselves, and even spiritual peace. Being out in the country, away from the fast-paced polluted lifestyle of the cities, is an experience that makes the entire lifestyle worth it. What inexperienced off gridders don't realize is that in the countryside they are subject to a new enemy. Deer.
Sitting down to plan my next year's permaculture garden and build my food forest, I wondered what crops work best as permaculture cover crops. After doing my research, these are the most productive ground cover plants you should be putting in your permaculture garden or food forest.
Whenever I talk to someone new about permaculture, they immediately love the idea of a more natural lifestyle. However, it can seem intimidating to get started. That's why I wrote this dead simple guide to getting started with permaculture for the complete newbie.
When I first started learning about using wind turbines to generate off grid energy, I thought that a solar charge controller and wind turbine charge controller might be the same thing. However, now I know that mixing up the two can be a huge expensive mistake. That's why I decided to write this short article explaining exactly what a wind power charge controller does, and how to choose the right one for your system.
Sometimes, picture can we worth a thousand words. If you are getting started with an off grid solar system, this is the simplest complete diagram that available to learn how to connect your own off grid solar system.
While the dream of living self-sufficiently is so seductive, if you are anything like me, you might wonder is it too good to be true? With so many people looking to make the move out of the city, I thought I would give newcomers a run of what, in my own off grid journey, it really costs to live off the grid.
Today, while planning an upgrade to my off grid hot water system, I went looking for the best solar water heater options available at a reasonable cost. Solar electric based heaters are not cost efficient compared to direct solar heating, and so many off-gridders end up resorting to propane or natural gas based water heaters. But, there are many great lesser known solar water heating options out there.
Joel Salatin style pastured poultry is an increasingly popular method used by farmers and homesteaders who raise healthy organic chickens. This method allows chickens to forage the land naturally. But how much land does a pastured poultry flock actually need?
As a former apartment dweller gone country, people often ask me how they too can get out of the city and develop a self-reliant rural lifestyle. With everything going on in the cities recently, I thought it would be a good time to explain how to move out of the city and go off grid.
As a yurt dweller, people often ask me if I can consider my yurt to be a permanent place to live. While the laws aren't always perfectly clear on this, I thought I would pass I what I know about the status of yurts as permanent structures
I see a lot of advice out there about how to quit your job and make money living off grid that is just plain wrong. Very few homesteaders will admit that they drive 100s of miles a week to commute to work. But, after working for years to afford to go off grid, I found the secret to support myself in the country.
I often find myself with piles of brush, looking for creative ways to leverage this fruit of my labor to the fullest. After searching for a better way, I found somethings to do with brush that made me stop just burning it, and I'll never go back.
When I heard that you can make free gas from kitchen scraps for stoves, heaters, or even propane refrigerators, I knew I had to look in to it. And, I love it! Here is everything you need to know to get started making your own biogas.
When I first started going off grid, growing all my own food seemed like a daunting task. But, it doesn't have to be that complicated. Here is how you can grow your own off grid garden for survival or self-sufficiency.
I created this site to help everyone achieve their dream of living off grid, building their own home, growing their own food, and living debt free.
