Self-reliance

A cast iron skillet may look out of place in a modern, high-tech kitchen, but it definitely is a homestead staple. This heavy, clunky cookware is inexpensive and nearly indestructible. It can cook about anything, and, when ‘seasoned’ properly, is the original non-stick material. What more could a homesteader ask for?

Cooking and Seasoning Tips for a Cast Iron Skillet

If you’re a beginner homesteader, using this unconventional cookware may pose a wee bit of a challenge. But fear not, we have five tips for you to make cooking with a cast iron skillet easier! Don’t have a cast iron skillet? help writing a novel

Tip 1: How To Season

Using a new cast iron skillet can be aggravating, especially if you’re a first timer. However, if you season it properly, cooking in an iron skillet is a breeze. First, you wash it and dry it. Then you slather it with a thin layer of shortening or oil, and stick it in a preheated 325-degree oven for a couple of hours. Allow it to cool completely before using. Iron is a very porous material which means that the thin layer of oil will fill in the pores so that air, bacteria and food you cook with does not fill it and ruin the metal. Get the step by step breakdown here.

Tip 2: How To Cook

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When using your cast iron cookware, preheat it first before putting in your ingredients. Cook over low heat as too much heat can crack a cast iron. If you’re frying eggs or pancakes, make sure to melt the lard or oil first. Like any other non-stick cookware, it is best not to use metal utensils. You’re going to love these savory dinner recipes.

Tip 3: How To Remove Leftovers

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Deal with stubborn bits of food by pouring 1 cup of coarse kosher salt into the still-warm skillet. Use a folded kitchen towel or a non-abrasive cloth to scour. Discard salt and food bits, and rinse the skillet with hot water. Use cleaning process to finish.

Check out these amazing cast iron #skillet #recipes http://t.co/yWPJRz815E pic.twitter.com/50EhqKrJnw

— Homesteading (@HomesteadingUSA) May 20, 2015

Tip 4: How To Clean

Cleaning a new cast iron skillet can be a real chore. But once you get the hang of it and when it’s already ‘seasoned’, cast iron is as easy to care for as any other non-stick cookware.

Do not pour cold water over a hot skillet, this will cause your cookware to crack. After cooking, allow it to cool off before washing it.

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You can use soap and water to clean your skillet before seasoning it. After that, never use soap again. NEVER. Use hot water to wash your skillet and wipe out your pan with a non-abrasive cloth to clean, this preserves the seasoning. After wiping, recoat it with a thin layer of coconut or olive oil.

Tip 5: How to Restore

Rust got you down? Don’t even worry. Cover it in salt and scrape all the gunk away with a halved potato. These 2 simple food staples will save your life.

BONUS: How To Store

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Store skillet in a cool, dry place. If you have several cast iron skillets and need to stack them, place a towel in between the pans to absorb moisture and prevent scratching the seasoning.

Have you ever encountered any problems using a cast iron skillet? What are your best tips for cast iron cooking? Share your insight in the comments section below.

Now that you’re cast iron skillet is good to go, you’ve got to start using it. Check out my my favorite Cast Iron Skillet Recipes:

• 21 Savory Cast Iron Skillet Dinner Recipes
• 20 Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
• 12 Cast Iron Skillet Dessert Recipes

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Originally posted on July 10, 2016 @ 1:00 AM

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Ready to live a happier life? Here are 12 Ways Self-Sufficiency can do just that.

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Self-sufficiency isn’t always a breeze, but there are plenty of studies that show working outside, caring for animals and making your own living all have physical, mental & financial benefits that are not afforded to those with your run-of-the-mill, nine to five job.

Imagine: You greet another day to the sounds of your livestock stirring, sun shining into your bedroom and a garden bursting with produce you’ve planted and tended from seedlings. After eating a breakfast of eggs you collected from your rambunctious hens, you pull on a pair of old, comfy jeans and slip into your well-worn work boots so you can start your daily routine with your garden, animals, and home projects in the beautiful day awaiting outside. Of course, not all days on the homestead are like this, but let’s take a look at the goods of self-sufficient living that far outweigh the bads.

Related: 6 Things Homesteaders Can Live Without… Can You?

1. Exercise You Can Enjoy

You’ll do more squats and lift more heavy weights while tending your garden or installing solar panels and do more cardio chasing your hens back into their pen than you ever would in the gym…and you’ll enjoy the end result of not only your improved physical fitness but you’ll also enjoy both the proverbial and literal fruits of your labor.

2. Stress and Anxiety Relief

Research has shown that working with your hands can provide stress and anxiety relief as it gives your mind something to focus on that gives a definite result rather than the abstract goals that we strive to attain at our day jobs.

3. Lower Cost of Living

It makes sense that if you’re growing your own food you’re paying for less at the grocery store, and paying less money to get there. If your home is solar or wind-powered, it makes sense that you’ll be paying less of an electricity bill. Like most things, if you’re putting in more work it will result in less cost.

Related: 43 Off The Grid Hacks

4. More Resourceful

When you’re cooking zucchini for a month straight because your garden is overflowing with them, you learn new recipes or make up your own to keep squash interesting. Or if your horse is giving birth a little early and your vet is nowhere to be found, you’ll learn about equestrian anatomy and birthing processes quickly. Self-sufficiency requires you to think on your feet and use what you have on hand.

5. Mental Well-Being

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If you are outdoors soaking up vitamins known to boost your mental state of mind as you solve a problem you faced earlier in the day with a definitive result that you created yourself, you’re bound to feel pretty good about life by the end of the day.

6. Variety, Variety, Variety

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Even if you do the same chores every day, there is never routine on the homestead. There will always be a new challenge, opportunity or something that just makes you laugh at the spontaneous nature of your self-sufficient life.

7. You’ll Pay Your Debts off Quickly

While spending less money due to your self-sufficient lifestyle and getting breaks from taxes and loan repayments, you’ll be able to save up and pay off those debts in less time than if you stayed with your 9-5.

8. More Time Spent Doing what You Love

It’s no secret that doing what you love will make you happier, and if you live an off the grid life then your work is your joy!

Related: Homesteader’s Guide To Raising Backyard Goats

9. Rehabilitation for Injuries

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The repetitive motions of many chores done on the homestead (especially gardening) can help rehabilitate physical injuries as well as emotional and mental strains.

10. Perspective on What’s Important

Making your own clothing will change the amount of importance you place on labels and seeing your cows graze on organic grains in a pasture of green will give you a new perspective on organic vs. mass-produced meat and dairy.

11. Emergency Preparedness

Disasters both manmade and natural are inevitable, but with a self-sufficient lifestyle you’ll have a leg up on how to survive and even thrive in a survival or emergency situation.

Related: 10 Blizzard Survival Tips For a Safe Winter

12. Pride in What you Do

Doing what you love and being able to care for yourself and your family is hard work, but you will swell with pride at all you’ve accomplished and learned in your journey to becoming self-reliant. And you should be proud…that’s quite a feat! Becoming self-sufficient isn’t a walk in the park but the rewards are greater than the struggles. There are financial, emotional, mental and physical benefits that stem from all the varied facets of a self-reliant life that make the joys of a life off the grid that much sweeter.

Self-sufficiency doesn’t mean you have to go it alone! Subscribe to our newsletter and join our community of homesteaders to receive advice, tutorials, and support as you become more self-reliant so you can get more of the good stuff out of life with the help of other like-minded people.

Like this? You’ll Love: 133 Homesteading Skills for the Modern Day Homesteader

Originally posted on January 4, 2016 @ 1:00 AM

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Looking to collect rain water? Build your own DIY Rainwater collection system and harvest earth’s natural resource whenever rain comes to your homestead.

DIY Rainwater Collection System For Homesteaders

Rainwater collection is a great way to reduce your water usage. Did you know the average person wastes about 30 gallons of water per day? Holy moly! Just imagine if you could save at least a third of your water usage. Well, you can! A rainwater collection system is a really great way to recycle water during those hot summer months when water conservation is at its most necessary!

However, exercise caution. Some states enforce strict rainwater harvesting regulations. In Colorado, for example, collecting rainwater is illegal, as it is public property and belongs to the Colorado water table. Those who collect this water are diminishing the supply for agriculture. See more about rainwater regulations here.

Rainwater collection has been practiced for centuries. The growing movement for DIY water conservation only confirms our need to recycle our natural resources and replenish our own depleting supply. This step-by-step tutorial will get you started on your DIY rainwater collection system:

Materials:

• Paint strainer
• 5 gallon bucket
• 55 gallon drum with lid
• Downspout fittings
• Gutter strainer
• Cinder blocks (3)
• 3/4″ spigot with 1/4″ turn ball valve
• Permanent black marker
• Jigsaw
• Power drill with 7/8″ spade bit
• Half-round bastard file
• Utility knife
• 1 1’4″ galvanized wood screws

Step 1:

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With the 7/8″ spade bit, drill a starter hole in the side of the 5 gallon bucket.

Use your jigsaw to cut around the bucket.

Step 2:

Using your permanent marker, trace the top of the 5 gallon bucket on top of the 55 gallon drum.

Step 3:

Just like you did with the top of the 5 gallon bucket, drill a hole in the top of the drum with your 7/8″ spade bit to get you started. Following the guideline you created with the permanent marker, cut out the circle with the jigsaw.

The top of the 5 gallon bucket should fit snug in the opening of the 55 gallon drum.

Step 4:

Drill a hole at the bottom side of the drum with the 7/8″ spade bit.

File down the inside of the hole with your half-round bastard file.

Screw in your 3/4″ spigot until it fits securely. It may need to be filed a little more to fit just right.

Step 5:

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Prop the cinder blocks upright in a triangle manner next to the house. Place your drum on top of the cinder blocks.

Step 6:

Using the existing downspout from your gutters, add an extension to run down into the rainwater collection.

Measure and mark where you need to cut the fitting so that the end will run into the top of your collection barrel.

Cut the extension with a utility knife and fit to existing downspout.

Use brackets to secure the fittings to the side of the house.

Step 7:

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Trace the end of the downspout on the lid of the 5 gallon bucket. This will keep large objects from falling into the collection system.

Use the 7/8″ spade bit to drill starter holes.

Cut the remainder of your lid with the jigsaw.

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Place the lid back on top of the bucket to check for a proper fit.

Step 8:

Standing water can be a haven for mosquitoes, so we want to keep them out of the rain barrel.

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Tie a knot in the paint strainer and secure to the top of the bucket.

Step 9:

Place a gutter strainer in the opening of the gutter on the roof. This will keep large debris from making its way down the fittings and potentially clogging the gutters.

This rainwater collection system will be up and running in no time. Even your little ones will enjoy it!

Check out the step-by-step video tutorial:

Check out more DIY tutorials:

How To Build A DIY Saw Horse

DIY Solar Powered Air Cooler

DIY Garden Design | Grow 100 Pounds Of Potatoes

DIY Rainwater Collection System

Originally posted on June 26, 2015 @ 1:00 AM

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Ready to setup an emergency fund? Whether it’s on or off the grid, having an emergency fund money for just-in-case moments is not only responsible, but non-negotiable if you are planning for the future.

Set Up Your Crash-Proof Emergency Fund Before It’s Too Late

I’ve seen a lot of debate among investors about having a gold and silver emergency fund. Some swear by it while others claim that you shouldn’t bother.

US dollars are fine for an “everyday” emergency, but let’s face it – it’s likely you are prepping in the first place because the dollar is failing. Let’s cut the hype and I’ll show you how real emergency savings can save you in a crisis.

For more practical homesteading tips, click here.

1. Keep it Accessible.

An emergency fund won’t work if you can’t get to it. That means no banks or safety deposit boxes. In a financial crisis, your bank will be the first place to close. And last I checked, you can’t get gold from an ATM. So store your gold and silver emergency fund at home or at another trusted, accessible location.

Your fund must also be portable. If you have to bug out, don’t try to carry 75 pounds of silver on your back. For one to four people, 100-200 ounces of silver and a few ounces of gold should do the trick. Scale up for larger families.

2. Keep it Valuable.

One question for your gold and silver emergency fund – how much? The total value (in today’s dollars) should be about $5000 to $10,000, depending on family size. And you’ll need both gold and silver. Silver is the workhorse and will be used for everyday purchases, like food or fuel. Gold will be used as a store of wealth and portability (1 oz. gold = 5 lbs. silver).

3. Keep it Secure.

Don’t hide it under your mattress. A quality burglary-fire safe is the best protection. Don’t buy a cheapo model from Home Depot. And most gun safes aren’t up to the task, either. Good ones have a UL security rating.

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For more information, check out this safe ratings guide. Even a heavy safe can be removed by a couple of strong thieves. So bolt your safe to the floor in a concealed location. Avoid the master bedroom – it’s the first place thieves look.

4. Keep it Expendable.

If you hold a large amount of gold or silver, you may become a target for thieves… or government confiscation. So keep your emergency fund limited to what you can afford to lose.

Remember, the crisis won’t last forever and it’s not worth being murdered because you wouldn’t give up $100,000 in gold sitting in your safe. Lower the stakes and stay alive.

5. Keep it a Secret.

The best protection from thieves starts by not letting them know what you have. Usually it’s the wrong person overhearing an innocent conversation that tips a thief off. So don’t talk about your emergency fund out in public or with anyone outside your most trusted circle of family and friends.

And when you do tell someone, maybe because you are trying to help them do the same, emphasize the importance of secrecy.

6. Keep it Spendable.

A common mistake among preppers is to buy gold and silver at the lowest possible cost. Bullion bars may have a slightly lower premium than bullion coins, but you will pay the price later. Bars often require an assay to verify purity and weight. And bars are also easy to counterfeit by silver or gold plating low cost metals like tungsten.

So set up your emergency fund with 1-ounce bullion coins minted by large governments and purchased from a reputable dealer. Examples are the American Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf and Austrian Philharmonic. These are recognized worldwide and are more difficult to counterfeit (though there are fakes made in China – check out Mike Maloney’s video on how to avoid fakes).

Another option is so-called “junk” silver. Most US coins minted prior to 1965 contain 35%, 40% or 90% silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_silver). In an emergency, you want to keep things simple. So my first recommendation is to stick with 1-ounce bullion coins. But if you want some “junk” silver to supplement your fund, get a bag of 90% coins.

7. Keep it Easy When You Buy.

Do some research to find a reputable, competitive dealer. Don’t buy on price alone. Some dealers hound you with pushy sales calls and are just not worth the hassle. Others may be out of stock, putting your order on hold for weeks… or even months.

And worst case is they may have counterfeit coins. You can buy locally or online. Reputable online dealers (like Kitco.com) will ship in discreet packages that are fully insured with verified genuine coins. If you are unsure about a local dealer, test them with a small order first, then ramp up if they do well.

Looking for More Prep Tips? You’ll love 43 Off The Grid Hacks.

Originally posted on November 2, 2015 @ 1:11 AM

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Looking for something to make out of those old palettes lying around your homestead? Why not make a rustic coffee table! This diy project has handy craftsman written all over it!

Rustic Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

Isn’t it always better when you can find a way to repurpose something instead having to throw it away? We love this pallet coffee table that is made using only three wood pallets. The unique design of this table is sure to be a conversation piece. The top of this table is stable, smooth and flat, unlike many pallet furniture projects we have tried. This piece is a statement, but definitely still useful and would make a great addition to any rustic space.

Supplies for this wood pallet project:

• 3 Wood Pallets (amount will vary based on your size and number)
• Hammer
• Chisel
• Nail Remover (or a reciprocating saw if you know how to use one)
• Circular Saw (or a handsaw if you’re old-school)
• Basic Drill
• 4 Clamps (C-Clamps or any other variety)
• 5/32 inch drill bit
• 2 ½ inch screws (small box)
• Wood Glue (see tutorial for recommendations)

You can watch the video tutorial here from DIY Ready:

Step 1 – Deconstruct Pallets

First, get yourself some pallets. The more pallets you have, the bigger the table you can make. We only had three pallets lying around, so we decided to make a low sitting coffee table.

Start by deconstructing the pallets. You could use a power saw for the fastest deconstruction. But if you don’t have one, then you can use a hammer, a chisel and a nail remover to pry the boards apart.

Select the board you want to remove from the pallet and place the tip of the chisel in the crevice between the board and one of the side rails. Lightly tap the back end of the chisel with the hammer to wedge it between the two pieces of wood. Get the chisel in deep enough so that it will stand on its own without your support.

Now, using the rail as leverage, pry the board from it.

Repeat this process for the middle and the bottom sections of the board until the board detaches completely.

Once you have a pile of boards on the floor with nails sticking out of them, use the nail remover to pull the nails out.

Use the hammer to strike the tip of the nail until you create enough space to fit the nail remover between the nail and the board.

Insert the nail within the notch of the nail remover.

Use the bar for leverage to pull the nail out. The nail will bend as its being removed.

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When all of this is complete, you will have a pile of nail-free wood to make your table out of!

Step 2 – Prepare legs for assembly

Set aside the four best looking boards and two rails. These are going to be used later on to make the legs of the table.

Glue two of the boards together to make a single board with double thickness. Do this with the other two boards as well. When the glue dries, you will have a pair of double-thick boards that you can cut your legs from. You’re going to need some clamps and some glue. For our table, we used Gorilla Glue, but any high quality wood bonding agent will work.

Place glue on the inside edge of one of the boards and stack the other on top of it. Repeat this with the other two boards.

Place the two glued pieces side by side and clamp them together.

Step 3 – Cut the rest in half

While the legs dry, take the rest of the wood and cut it in half. Use a measuring tape to find the midway point of the board’s width and mark that spot with a pencil. Make another mark at the same length somewhere further down the board.

Connect the two dots by making a line between them with your pencil. You can use another board as a straight edge to guide you.

Once you have your line drawn, you will need to cut the board in half along the line. We used a power saw to cut our board in half, but if you don’t have one then you can cut it with a handsaw. If you’re using a power saw, you can stack the boards and cut many at one time. Repeat this step for all of the boards. The cuts do not have to be perfect since they will be on the underside of the table.

Step 4 – Glue the table top together

Once all the boards are cut, arrange them by color and size. Position them into a configuration that you like – this is going to be your table top.

Flip the boards over so that your tabletop is now facing the ground. The part facing you may look uneven, but don’t worry. The other side is flush with the ground and will look great after you glue the pieces together and flip it over.

With your vice grips, determine how many boards you can clamp at one time and split the table top into the least number of sections that you will need to get all the pieces glued together. With our vice grips, we had to break the table top into four sections.

Once you have the tabletop partitioned, take one of the sections and glue all of the touching pieces together. Keep in mind that if you’re gluing two pieces that are different sizes, you should put the glue on the smaller piece.

When the table legs have finished drying, remove the clamps and use them to clamp the first section together. Start your clamping at the middle and work your way outward, spacing the clamps as even as you can throughout the piece. This will help you to get a straight and tight fitting chunk that should hold shape after the glue has cured.

Flip the clamped piece over and wipe all excess glue away. If you used Gorilla glue like we did, it will continue to seep out and foam up even after you’ve wiped it away. You can wipe the glue away periodically, or chisel off after the after it has dried.

Step 5 – Assemble legs

Once the glue has cured, repeat the same steps for the remaining sections of the tabletop. In the meanwhile, you can assemble the table legs.

Begin by taking one of the rails that you’ve set aside and measure out a length that’s approximately the same width as the table. Repeat this with the other rail. Our table was narrow enough that we were able to cut both sections from one rail, but you’ve set aside two just in case.

Cut these sections from the rails with your saw.

Take the two boards that you made and measure out how tall you want your table to be. We decided to cut ours right down the middle which was at about 19 inches.

The legs can be whatever length you want. However, they all need to be the same length and so making additional cuts may be necessary until you get the lengths as close to perfect as you can.

Take one of your legs and screw it into one of the rail sections that you’ve cut. To ensure that the leg is properly aligned with the rail, you may use scrap pieces from the pallet that you didn’t use (or even one of the other legs) to do this. Just make sure that the leg and the rail are flush with the surface of the scrap wood on both sides. Use the other rail section to prop up the foot end of the leg so that it is level with the rail you are fastening it to.

Begin by drilling two pilot holes through the leg and into the rail section. We used a 5/32 drill bit for this.

Take your screws and use the drill to fasten the leg onto the rail.

Repeat these steps to attach the other leg to the opposite end of the rail. Then repeat these steps to build the other leg section.

Step 6 – Attach legs to tabletop

Once your legs have been assembled and all of your tabletop sections have cured, place the tabletop sections in the order that you want to assemble them in.

Push them together so that they appear to be a single piece.

Flip them over and place the legs on the bottom side of the tabletop exactly where you want them. Make sure that the table pieces stay pushed together.

Fasten the legs to the tabletop by driving screws through each rail and into each of the four sections of the tabletop, securing them into place. Start by attaching the two middle sections of the tabletop. Use a 5/32 drill bit to drill the pilot holes.

Fasten the rail with a 2 ½ inch screw.

For the corners of the tabletop, drill the screws through the rail at an angle as shown.

Drill a diagonal pilot hole.

Fasten a screw through the leg and into the tabletop.

Do this on the inside of the rail as well. If you did this correctly, you should have used 6 screws for each set of legs.

Repeat these steps for the other three corners until both leg sections are firmly secure. If the legs feel wobbly at all, don’t hesitate to add more screws for extra stability.

Now flip your table over and enjoy it!

If you want to remove any uneven sections from the table top, you can use a plane shaver to shave it flat.

You can hide the underside of the table if you want by taking a piece of scrap wood and screwing it to the front of the table.

Now you have a cool table with a staggered top made from pallet wood! Sand it and stain it for you living room, or stack tools on it in your garage.

Happy Table Making!

Now you can start using your gorgeous new reclaimed wood table once your stain, sealer, or paint has set. Enjoy!

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Originally posted on December 9, 2015 @ 9:00 AM

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