The Virginia Farm is in Good Hands
We’re not expecting this to happen any time soon, but the knowledge that we have a great property in a beautiful location makes my workday in the office that much more enjoyable.
Blue Ridge Mountains Call Me Home
The geography and Blue Ridge Mountain culture had a visceral effect on me that I can’t quite explain, except to say that it just felt like… home.
Pressure Canning Chart: Foods, Processing Times, PSI and Elevation
A pressure canning chart with foods, processing times, PSI settings and adjustments for elevation.
Water-Bath Canning Chart With Altitudes and Times
A chart providing water bath canning processing times for different foods, including guidelines for altitude adjustments.
Making Your Own Pellets for a Pellet Burning Stove
One of the arguments I always had with myself against buying a pellet burning stove over a wood burning one is that I didn’t want to be dependent on someone else to supply my fuel. To me, that just kind of defeated the purposes in some ways. While researching this issue I came across several pellet-making devices, such as the one shown on the left.
Water Saving Tip: Wash Your Hands in The Toilet
Yes, you read the title right. And no, this isn’t a joke. We have one of these in our basement bathroom, because there is a toilet but no sink, and it works perfectly.
Questioning Wisdom About Fixing Old Things for Reuse
Most off-grid folks, homesteaders and sustainable living devotees will tout the benefits of reusing everything and fixing up old stuff until it’s lived several lifetimes. That goes for everything from adding a new handle to an old shovel to finding throw-away windows at the dump or fixing up the old washing machine. For the most part, they’re right. The financial and environmental cost of producing something new, even if it’s more energy and cost-efficient, is usually much more than the cost of fixing something old.
Homesteading Blogs
These are the homesteading blogs I read. The blog owners may not know who I am, but I read their posts every day from my Bloglines account, and if you’re interested in sustainable living then you should too!
How to Freeze Green Beans
Freezing vegetables is easier than canning them, and in many cases can lead to a fresher taste. The only downside is that canned foods will keep even if the power goes out. If you want to give freezing a try before you start to learn the finer art of canning, green beans are a good place to start.
Sick Of The Recalls!
It seems to me that our population is too great for our food to be produced here in the United States, especially when farmers are subsidized in a way that encourages large-scale monocropping of corn and soy bean at the expense of the diversification of our national food supply. While homesteading to grow your own food is a great solution if you have the time, land and resources, I don’t think it’s a viable option for the hundreds of millions of people who live in apartments and urban centers in North America.
