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Category Archives: Homesteading/Prepping
Butchering Equipment for the Self-Reliant Homesteader
With the onset of cooler weather, late fall/early winter is traditionally the time larger animals such as pigs and cows are slaughtered on the homestead for the freezer. Now that fall is upon us, let’s talk about the butchering equipment … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Six Uses for Utility muslin on the Homestead
Utility muslin, a cheaper grade of muslin than that used in crafts and sewing, has been in use on our homestead for decades and as such has been a valuable addition to my fabric stash. So much so that many … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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12 Steps to Becoming More Self-Reliant
If you’ve been wanting to become self-reliant but are unsure how to proceed, consider these 12 steps to becoming more self-reliant to get you started. If you’re already on your path to self-reliance, there may be some items in this … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
2 Comments
The Aging Homesteader
Aging is a fact of life. Even though we’ve been homesteading for over 43 years and we’re in our 60’s, we haven’t slowed down much. But we know the day is coming when we’ll slow down to the point it … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged Gardening, Homestead Building, homesteading, self sufficiency, self-reliance
5 Comments
Woodlot Thinning
For 42 years, I’ve actively managed and worked in the woods. The forest has been a source of firewood, income, recreation and exercise. Johanna and I cannot imagine living anywhere else other than surrounded by forest. I cannot look at … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance, Woodlot
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Thoughts Regarding The Coronavirus
This will be one of those non-negotiable, we won’t budge on our philosophy type posts. Johanna and I are a bit frustrated! We felt it might be of value to some of you to discuss our thoughts regarding the coronavirus … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged Coronavirus, homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
10 Comments
Our New Book – The Self-Sufficient Backyard: For the Independent Homesteader
Johanna and I are thrilled to announce that our new book The Self-Sufficient Backyard: For the Independent Homesteader is available for purchase in both ebook format and/or printed copy. Here is the link to the webpage: https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/my-book/ We are not … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping, Uncategorized
Tagged Gardening, Homestead Building, homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
30 Comments
Spring 2018 Update On Our Off Grid Homestead
It’s been quite some time since we gave everybody an update on our progress or lack thereof. Let me give you the spring 2018 update on our off grid homestead. We made it through the winter in the tent just … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
8 Comments
Forest Fires and How We Survived Them – Part 2
Imagine if you will, being outdoors and hearing a chugging sound in the distance and realizing that chugging is not a choo choo train coming. When you run down to the lake’s shoreline, four miles in the distance, you fix … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance, wilderness living
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Forest Fires and How We Survived Them – Part 1
You never want to look out your window or step outdoors and see a column of black/gray smoke rising from the nearby forest. That happened several times to us when we lived out in the Saskatchewan wilderness. Those experiences give … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping, Uncategorized
Tagged homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
6 Comments
Mid-Summer Homestead Update.
We wanted to take a little time to show you what we have accomplished since our last update. We’ve made some real progress. I especially, am results driven and things don’t always look like they’re progressing fast enough. But when … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
8 Comments
Squeeze a House into a Tent
Most of us live in some form of traditional home complete with the typical layout. We probably have a living room, dining room, bathroom, kitchen and utility area. Unless a person is a tiny home enthusiast, most homes are of … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
6 Comments
Wall Tent, Our Temporary Home
Have you ever heard of a wall tent? You may be familiar with backpacking and family camping tents put out by various companies but there is another breed of tent used by hunters as well as the mineral and oil … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
6 Comments
Road Building and Preliminary Orchard and Garden Preparation
We’ve come a long ways in a relatively short period of time. In my last update post, we had selected our property and were clearing a homestead site by manual chainsaw work. Johanna was piling all the brush into large … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Our New Off-Grid Homestead is Underway!
If you’ve been following along via facebook, you know we arrived safe and sound in Nova Scotia. We haven’t stopped since arriving. We own two properties along the coast and we had the hard decision of which one would be … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, self sufficiency, self-reliance
8 Comments
Homestead Road Building
Busting a road through the woods is an expensive proposition. You may have to pay a logger to drop trees. You will have to hire a bulldozer to clear the roadway. Then you will need to pay for load after … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, self sufficiency, self-reliance
1 Comment
The Homestead Plan – Part 2
Welcome back! Continuing on from yesterday’s discussion, I asked numerous questions and suggested ascertaining all the different attributes of your property and mapping them out. Now let’s start to lay out your homestead plan using that information. Laying Out the … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
2 Comments
The Homestead Plan – Part 1
I’ve written numerous articles regarding the basics; what to look for in a homestead site as well as options for the homestead water supply. At this point, I’d like to tie things together a bit. Let’s call it the homestead … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, self sufficiency, self-reliance
1 Comment
Increase Your Chances of Homesteading Success
Since the start of our posting, we have made a logical step by step analysis of the many considerations a person needs to ponder when contemplating a move to an off-grid homestead. Having done this for 37 years, it is … Continue reading
Posted in Homesteading/Prepping
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
1 Comment
