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- Ron & Johanna Melchiore on Canning with Superb Canning Lids
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Tag Archives: homesteading
Is A Garden Worth Growing?
Is a garden worth growing? What a great question. When you factor in all expenses including your time, many wonder if a garden is worth it. Do I get enough return for my investment of time and labor? Does raising … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Canning with Superb Canning Lids
We sure have done a lot of canning over the last 44 years and that doesn’t include the many years Johanna canned with her Mom and Dad as a young lady. Truth be told, all canning is now done by … Continue reading
Posted in Homestead Cooking
Tagged Food Preservation, homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, prepping, self-reliance
2 Comments
Is Sewing a Survival Skill?
Is sewing a survival skill? Good question. Some would argue sewing is a forgotten or dying art and therefore irrelevant. I couldn’t disagree more. Back when I was in high school, learning to sew was part of the Home Economics … Continue reading
Tractor Versus Tiller for the Self-Reliant Homesteader
Most serious homesteaders come to realize at some point in their journey to self-reliance that certain equipment not only makes life easier but is essential for efficient utilization of time. For financial reasons many homesteaders hold down jobs while at … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening
Tagged Gardening, Homestead Building, homesteading, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Is Cooking a Survival Skill?
Food is one of life’s most basic necessities. Relying on someone else to prepare your meals be they restaurant meals, take out/deliveries or prepared convenience foods such as frozen pizzas and entrees is far from being self-reliant. So yes cooking … Continue reading
Posted in Homestead Cooking
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, self sufficiency, self-reliance
2 Comments
The Off-Grid Sewing Machine
When preparing to go off-grid, one item that may be overlooked is the family sewing machine. Who gives this device a second thought until they need it to repair a rip in their pants or a tear in a shirt … Continue reading
Posted in Off Grid Living
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
3 Comments
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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The Modular Backyard Power Plant
Our new book The Modular Backyard Power Plant has launched. It is a combined book and video geared specifically for people on the grid worried about losing power for days, weeks or longer term. This system will bridge the gap … Continue reading
Posted in Off Grid Electrical
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
14 Comments
Self-Sufficiency Versus Off-Grid, Is There a Difference?
Although quite a few people view these terms as synonymous, in reality they are not. There is most definitely a difference between self-sufficiency and being off-grid. Often the terms off-grid and self-sufficient go hand in hand but the terms mean … Continue reading
Posted in Off Grid Living
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Homegrown Poultry Seasoning
With the approach of the holidays, many of us will be making stuffing and roasting the holiday turkey. There’s nothing better to season both of these than your own homegrown poultry seasoning. Here’s how to grow and concoct your own … Continue reading
Posted in Homestead Cooking
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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9 Home Canned Convenience Foods From the Garden for any Self-Reliant Homesteader – Part 2
Continuing on from our 9 home canned convenience foods from the garden for any self-reliant homestead part 1 we published previously, here are a few more options for you. Soup stock and Broth Nothing you buy from the store compares … Continue reading
Posted in Homestead Cooking
Tagged homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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9 Home Canned Convenience Foods From the Garden for any Self-Reliant Homesteader – Part 1
If you’ve begun your journey to self-reliance, you’ve probably noticed you’re relying less on processed convenience foods and are spending more time in the kitchen cooking and preparing foods from scratch you’ve grown from your garden. We think that’s awesome! … Continue reading
Posted in Homestead Cooking
Tagged homesteading, Off Grid Cooking, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
2 Comments
Alternative Methods to Weed Control
I know this post is coming a little late to be useful this year but I’m hoping this post will be helpful next growing season for all gardeners and homeowners who wrestle with weed control. Unless weeds are dealt with … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
2 Comments
Those people aren’t off grid! How dare they claim that!
Those people aren’t off grid! How dare they claim that! The following was written by two off grid people, Ron and Johanna Melchiore, sent to you via satellite for distribution on social media. A couple of weeks ago, our publisher … Continue reading
Posted in Off Grid Living
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
9 Comments
Our Solar Greenhouse Construction
We’ve mentioned our solar greenhouse many times over the years both in Saskatchewan and now here in Nova Scotia. Our greenhouse is an indispensable necessity for us and an invaluable resource for maintaining our self-reliant lifestyle. It not only allows … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, 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
Six Herbs for Homegrown Herbal Teas
If, like us, your goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible, we can recommend you raise these 6 herbs for homegrown herbal teas. We’ve grown these 6 herbs for years and never tire of drinking them. They are as … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening
Tagged Gardening, homesteading, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance
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Basic Knitting Equipment for the Self-Reliant Homesteader
As we’ve eluded to in previous posts, winter on the homestead is the perfect time to engage in pursuits there’s no time to do during the busy summer months. Knitting is a pleasurable hobby but for the self-reliant homesteader it’s … Continue reading
Winter Activities on Our Homestead
We had a recent inquiry about our woodlot work as well as our winter activities on our homestead so here it goes. With gardens put to bed, preserved bounty socked away in the root cellar, pantry and freezers, life on … Continue reading
Posted in Off Grid Living
Tagged homesteading, off grid, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance, Woodlot
2 Comments
