Being without electricity for days at a time is becoming more and more common. Ice storms, tornadoes, and severe lightening strikes are part of our lives these days. Add the remote, yet not impossible, prospect of terrorist attack, labor strikes or power station shut down, and being prepared for the worst becomes a necessary reality. […]
Get Prepared – Edible Weeds
Did you know nature has provided a grocery store in your own backyard? I suspect that most of the weeds you mow, spray, and pull can actually sustain you in a major crisis at worst, or supplement your fresh produce at best! A very common briar, commonly called Greenbriar, is something Brer Rabbit loved, but […]
Get Prepared – More on Emergency Sources of Light
Survival Spot has published a list of the Top 100 Items to Disappear First During a National Disaster. Number 5 on that list is lamp oil. I have been a fan of kerosene lamps from the beginning of my adult life. While I have never had to endure a power outage of more than 24 […]
Embracing the Self-Sufficient Journey
Untrained Housewife was started to celebrate the journey to knowledge and self-sufficiency. The thing is – it’s not an easy journey. I’ve grown so much the past few years and we’ve added a lot of milestones in our path to increased self-sufficiency. And we’ve had a few set backs as well. Milks Goats and Meat […]
Looking Beyond the Pain of Summer’s Heat
This summer was brutal. Heat and drought combined like a one-two punch in what seemed like a cruel and final knock- out blow to many. Mind you, all was not a loss. The country folk are long-thinking…one season, one year is not the end-all and be-all when your family is on the land for a […]
Prepare for Emergencies – Light
My house just made it through several rounds of severe weather- really severe, with lots of tornadoes that killed people and destroyed homes. We were spared any damage, and we are grateful. However, our power was out for 24 hours. Again, we are grateful it was only 24 hours, because as I write, there are […]
Home Canned Peaches
Start With Small, Fresh PeachesIdeally, the peaches will be picked right off the tree. More realistically, they will be purchased at a farmer’s market or the local grocery store. Be sure they are fully ripe, but still fairly firm. The heat of processing the peaches will cause them to soften. To can peaches whole, the […]
How to Make Homemade Sour Cream From Raw Milk
As a child, I was always puzzled by the descriptions of sour cream and sour milk in the Little House on the Prairie books. When our milk went off, it didn’t smell sour – it smelled like garbage! The culprit, of course, is pasteurisation. Heat-treating milk turns it from a living substance teeming with benefcial […]
Soap Making 101: How to Make Handmade Soap at Home
I began experimenting with making my own soap several years ago, firstly as something to sell at craft shows, secondly to save money. I began with melt-and-pour glycerin soaps. They were easy to do and looked nice, but people still wanted lye soaps, so I branched out. Supplies for Making Lye Soap There are a […]
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live it Book Review
John Seymour shares decades of experience with readers in this impressive guide to living a more frugal, and self-sufficient lifestyle. This updated version from the 1976 edition includes more information than ever, as well as discussing modern equipment and information relevant for today’s homesteaders. Is it the “complete back-to-basics guide” it claims to be?
Homemade Green Glass Cleaner
It’s simple, non-toxic, and cheap to make your own glass cleaner. This is a homemade green product that works!
Best Websites for Beginning Homesteaders — My Top Ten Favorites
Looking to get started with a more self-sufficient lifestyle? These ten websites are a must for your bookmark list and a good place to learn more about small holdings.
