Self Reliance On A Small Homestead
Thanksgiving Hacks for Homesteaders Just in case you need a little help getting ready for the big day, here are some Thanksgiving hacks for the homesteader… or for anyone really! I’m sharing tips for making prep work go more smoothly and some links to recipes and helpful instructions. I hope…
Pumpkin Pecan ‘Pie’ Pancakes These delicious pancakes come with their own ‘crust’ and make a wonderful holiday breakfast! They are delicious with maple syrup, butter, and a sprinkle of pecans on top. Ingredients• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached flour)• 1/2 cup cornmeal• 3 Tablespoons sugar• 4 teaspoons baking powder• 1 teaspoon…
The Farm Hand’s Companion Show & Pa Mac Every now then someone comes along and makes education fun and entertaining. That’s exactly what you get from Gary “Pa Mac” McWilliams and The Farm Hand’s Companion Show! Pa Mac created this series of short videos to show all manner of folks…
Roasting Green Peppers This summer we tried roasting green peppers from our garden over a fire in the backyard. They were delicious! When the first frost threatened, I picked every last pepper in the garden and brought in a half bushel of them. A couple weeks ago we fired up the…
What’s The Best Way To Prepare Stewing Hens? Old stewing hens are pretty tough birds. I have found that the following methods are the best ways to prepare them: pressure cooking pressure canning in broth boning and grinding the meat (raw or cooked) These methods work very well for making old chickens…
Why Do Chickens Molt & What Can I Do About It? Chickens molt to replace their worn out feathers with new ones. Old feathers don’t insulate and protect a bird from cold, wet weather as well as a set of glossy new ones. All birds go through this process, just as other…
Harvesting & Using Green Tomatoes Just before our first frost I harvested all of the green tomatoes from my garden and brought them in the house. If they have a slight blush of orange, they will often ripen in a sunny windowsill for fresh use or cooking. They may not…
First Frost of the Season We normally have a frost in late September or early October in Northern Illinois. This year we were treated to a much later freeze overnight Friday, October 16th. The killing frost wiped out all of my heat loving veggies and the flowers in my pots. I can’t…
A Very Pretty Chicken Quilt Not too long ago I was contacted by a lady named Rebecca who found one of my chicken photos online and wanted to use the image for creating a quilt. Needless to say, I was flattered that she asked! She promised to share a photo when the…
Common Chicken Questions People from all over the world contact me with comments and questions about homesteading. Chicken questions top the list! Here are some of the common questions I am asked about raising chickens…I hope that this post will answer some of your questions too! How Many Eggs do…
Scenes From The Pioneer Fest The Boone County Autumn Pioneer Festival gives visitors a glimpse of early settler life in Northern Illinois each September. I thoroughly enjoy spending an afternoon walking through the displays, dreaming about what life was like back in ‘the day.’ There’s always so much to see…
Cast Iron Cookware at the Autumn Pioneer Fest Last weekend was the annual Autumn Pioneer Festival in Belvidere, Illinois. I try to make it there every year to see all the great pioneer living displays. It reminds me of my Grandparents’ home a little bit and brings me back to…
The End of Our Summer Veggies The cool days of autumn slow the production of tomatoes, peppers, beans, and other heat loving veggies. I feel a little sad when I walk through the garden and see tiny little peppers that will never ripen. It’s always bittersweet knowing that there won’t be…
DIY Succulents Review Let me just start by saying that I have killed jade plants, cacti, and aloe vera, as well as a number of other houseplants over the years. It’s not that I don’t have a green thumb. It’s just that I tend to sort of wear out my…
Autumn on Our Homestead Our weather is gorgeous, with sunny days and crisp nights. Jack Frost has yet to visit and my tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplants, and squash are still filling our table and tummies. I have yet another batch of spaghetti sauce cooking down in the kitchen as I write. The…
Make Your Own Tomato Paste The tomatoes are still ripening in my garden and I’ve been cooking and canning my own spaghetti sauce for the last week and a half. The latest batch of tomatoes wasn’t large enough to make a full canner of sauce, so I processed tomato juice…
