Self Sufficiency
Why Goats Are The Best Animal To Have On Your Farm

Home Animals Why Goats Are The Best Animal To Have On Your Farm
Goats are great for the homestead. If you’re still not convinced why you should start having and loving them, do everything for the love of goats!
image via goat lovers anonymous on instagram
For The Love Of Goats
If you are in the market for the perfect animal, prepare to be swept off your feet. The answer is goats! Following are some of the ways in which goats make wonderful additions to any farm, make great pets, provide a variety of products and services around the homestead, and are easy to keep.
Why Goats Are The Best Animal To Have On Your Farm
Goat Dairy Products
Milk from dairy goats retails for sometimes twice the price of cow’s milk, but can be produced on your homestead for far less. Goat milk is wholesome and delicious on its own, amazingly sweet and tasty. It can be used in cooking, and made into great yogurt and a wide variety of cheese products as well.
Nothing beats easy homemade feta or seasoned chevre made out of fresh farm milk from your favorite goat. Guests at my homestead practically swoon at the taste of my spicy soft cheese spread on a slice of crisp oven-toasted crostini. Most soft cheeses are amazingly easy to make. Sweet goat ricotta takes less than an hour and has been made in my kitchen by visiting children.
Cheese-by-products are excellent additions to the diet of other farm animals such as pigs and poultry, making goat milk an essential link in a farm food synergy.
You’ll also like: Goat Cheese Recipes
Goat Fiber
Breeds with long wooly coats are shorn annually, or possibly more often in certain climate conditions, and the coats are used to create roving and fine yarns. Other breeds grow an undercoat called cashmere which can be combed out and used for fiber.
Goat Meat
Most of the planet eats goat meat. Here in the western world, we are not as acclimated to it as are other cultures, but we would do well to develop a taste for it. Goat meat is lean, healthful, low in cholesterol, and economical to produce.
Learn More About Harvesting Your Goat Meat Here
Goat Brush Clearing
Goats gravitate towards “mid-level browse”, meaning they prefer to eat vegetation taller than the grass but shorter than trees. This includes shrubbery and brush which is often tough for homesteaders to control on their own. Goats are the perfect solution for persistent weeds and noxious invasives. A herd of goats can do the work of landscaping equipment, but with far less expense and impact.
Goats can help with garden cleanup as well. They can be finicky and all herds have their own preferences, but they generally like vegetable greens. Mine make short work of the large leaves and stalks of plants such as cauliflower and brussels sprouts, thereby freeing up a lot of space in the compost pile.
Goat Ease of Care
Goats require very little beyond food and clean water. You will want to provide them with basic veterinary care and maintenance, shelter and protection as necessary in your location, and some routine grooming and hoof care. Beyond those essentials, goats are surprisingly undemanding.
Goat feed entails only browse (or grass if no browse is available), hay in off seasons, and grain. They eat a wide variety of vegetation, including Christmas trees and dry leaves. – It is important to note that a few species of evergreen trees are toxic to goats, and that leftover sprays, tinsel, and ornament hooks are potentially dangerous.
Most goat owners like to give supplements as well. Minerals and extra nutrients are often said to improve goats’ health and appearance, but may not be necessary in every situation.
Goats can often be loaded into the back of a station wagon or covered pickup and transported to the veterinarian, which is usually faster and cheaper than waiting for health care to come out to the farm as is done with larger livestock.
If your goats are pets, you will probably find that they are less expensive than traditional companion animals such as dogs and cats. As livestock, they can be less costly than larger animals as well.
Housing for goats is uncomplicated. In some climates they need only a three-walled shed in which to take shelter from inclement weather and to get out of the sun and wind. In colder areas they need more protection. Goats take up a great deal less space than larger livestock, allowing a penny-pinching homesteader to bang for the buck in infrastructure costs.
Shelter for goats
Goats’ smaller stature make them a better choice for handling and managing. Even full-sized goats are nowhere near as strong and weighty as cattle or pigs.
Enjoyment
Goats are just plain fun to be around. They are sweet-natured (some breeds and individuals more than others) and agreeable. They are clever, friendly, and easy-going. Kids are especially entertaining and adorable.
Who doesn’t want to play with cute baby goats all day?
Goats are the perfect hybrid of livestock and pets, being hardy enough to embrace barnyard and pasture life without being fussed over, and interactive enough to be a treasured pet.
Goats are clean, too. Some owners bathe them and others do not. As long as they are kept in decent living conditions and, with the exception of males during rutting season, goats smell pleasant and keep themselves tidy. Their feces are small firm pellets which compost easily and smell far less pungent than that of other barn animals.
Goats are truly amazing creatures. If you start off with a pair (a far better idea than having just one, since goats are herd animals and crave the companionship of their own kind) it will be hard to stop at just two. It is just so easy to say yes to goats, but doing so just might turn out to be one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and your homestead.
This Article Was Found On pioneersettler.com Read the Original Article

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Self Sufficiency
NYC Adds Nearly 4,000 People Who Never Tested Positive To Coronavirus Death Tolls

New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll Tuesday, bringing coronavirus-related deaths in the city to around 10,000 people.
The city decided to add 3,700 people to its death tolls, who they “presumed” to have died from the virus, according to a report from The New York Times. The additions increased the death toll in the U.S. by 17%, according to the Times report, and included people who were suffering from symptoms of the virus, such as intense coughing and a fever.
The report stated that Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio decided over the weekend to change the way the city is counting deaths.
“In the heat of battle, our primary focus has been on saving lives,” de Blasio press secretary Freddi Goldstein told the Times.“As soon as the issue was raised, the mayor immediately moved to release the data.”
The post New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll appeared first on Daily Caller
This Article Was Originally Posted On dailycaller.com Read the Original Article here
Self Sufficiency
How To Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut In A Mason Jar
The thing about homesteading is you get to create your own ingredient right from scratch! Cheese, yogurt, butter and now sauerkraut, a delightfully sour and crunchy ingredient you can use on your meals — or consume by itself — while on a homestead, or while facing this health crisis!
This homemade sauerkraut is a great meal because it has a long shelf life. You can either make plain sauerkraut or mix it with herbs and spices. In this tutorial let us make Lacto-fermented sauerkraut that preserves all the good probiotics in a jar, good for your guts.
So how to make sauerkraut in a mason jar?
RELATED: How To Make Buttermilk On Your Homestead
Delicious Sauerkraut Recipe Every Homesteader Should Know
Why Make Sauerkraut?
Not only does sauerkraut spoil a long time, but it is also a meal in itself, and it is also easy to make! You don’t need to be an expert cook, all you need to do is follow these simple steps.
So let us get started. Here are the steps in making sauerkraut in a mason jar.
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cabbage or 2 1/2 lbs cabbage
- 1 tablespoon of salt
Tools Needed:
- knife
- bowl
- mason jar
- smaller jar
- rubber band
Step 1: Wash & Clean the Tools & Ingredients
Wash all the equipment and utensils you need. Wash your hands too.
You don’t want to mix your sauerkraut with bad bacteria, anything that is going to make you sick.
Next, remove the faded leaves from your cabbage. Cut off the roots and the parts that don’t seem fresh.
Step 2: Cut the Cabbage Into Quarters & Slice Into Strips
Cut your cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Then, slice it into strips.
Step 3: Place in a Bowl & Sprinkle With Salt
Put the stripped cabbage into a bowl. Sprinkle the cabbage with 1 tablespoon of salt.
TIP: Use canning salt or sea salt. Iodized salt will make it taste different and may not ferment the cabbage.
RELATED: Homemade Yogurt Recipe
Step 4: Massage the Cabbage
Massage the cabbage for five minutes or more to get the juice out.
TIP: You’ll know it’s ready when you see a bit of juice at the bottom of the bowl and will look similar to coleslaw.
Step 5: Press Cabbage Into the Mason Jar
Add the cabbage to the mason jar gradually. Press it in hard to allow the juice to come out. Do this every time you add about a handful of cabbage.
IMPORTANT: Food should be covered by the liquid to promote fermentation. Add any excess liquid from the bowl to the jar.
Step 6: Press a Smaller Jar Into the Mason Jar
You want to squeeze every ounce of that juice from the cabbage. To do this place the mason jar in a bowl and get a smaller jar.
Fill it with water or marble to make it heavy. Press it into the bigger mason jar. Allow any juices to rise to the surface.
Step 7: Cover the Jars With Cloth & Tie With Rubber Band
Leave the small jar on. To keep your jars clean from annoying insects and irritating debris, cover your jars with a clean cloth. Then, use a rubber band to tie the cloth and the jars together, putting them in place.
Step 8: Set Aside & Check Daily
Set it aside in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight. Check the water level daily. It should always be above the cabbage.
Step 9: Taste Your Sauerkraut & Keep at Cool Temperatures
After about five days, you can taste your sauerkraut. If the taste is to your liking, tightly cover it with the lid and store in the fridge or cellar.
NOTE: If after five days it’s still not your desired taste, leave it for a few more days. This will allow the fermentation process to continue.
You can now enjoy your sauerkraut in a mason jar. Enjoy its goodness! You can use it as a side dish or mix it with your favorite sandwich.
Things to Remember in Making Sauerkraut
- Store away from direct sunlight and drafts.
- Colder weather will make the process longer. Spring is the best time to make them since the warmth helps activate the fermentation.
- Always make sure that the cabbage is below the water level during the entire fermentation process.
- If the water level decreases during the fermentation process, you can make a brine and add it.
Let us watch this video from Kristina Seleshanko on how to make delicious Lacto-fermented sauerkraut in a mason jar!
So there you have it! Making Lacto-fermented sauerkraut in a mason jar is as easy as slicing the cabbage into strips. Remember that as long it remains unopened, your sauerkraut can last for months. Best of all, you can partner this sauerkraut in many recipes.
What do you think of this homemade recipe? Share your best sauerkraut recipe in the comments section below!
Fellow homesteaders, do you want to help others learn from your journey by becoming one of our original contributors? Write for us!
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Self Sufficiency
9 SPRING VEGETABLES FOR YOUR GARDEN
Having plants in the house will bring peace to people. Having a little garden with vegetables is even better! You can grow these vegetables in your backyard garden easily as well!
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In this article:
Growing veggies in your garden will give you an opportunity to understand what you eat and value it more. Early spring is when most vegetables are being planted. Keep reading to learn about 9 spring vegetables that anyone can grow in their garden!
Tomato
Tomato is the most popular garden vegetable in the States! There are different varieties to choose from. Tomatoes need to be planted in early spring because they won’t survive a frost.
Because tomatoes are consumed daily, try adding them to your garden! They’re not difficult to grow either.
Eggplant
Eggplants are known to have low-calorie, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Plus, they are delicious! So why not plant them in your garden?
Eggplants shouldn’t be planted too early because they won’t be able to survive a frost. So you could consult an expert in your area before you plant your eggplants.
Beets
Beets are known to be a superfood for its various health benefits. They’re easier to grow in the garden, usually around late March or early April.
If the weather is always cool, beets will keep getting bigger and bigger. Once the weather starts to warm up, you’ll need to harvest them, or they’ll go to waste.
Spinach
Spinach is a delicious early spring veggie, and it’s also very beneficial for health. And it’s not difficult to grow spinach in your garden!
Spinach needs cold weather to grow. Getting spinach to grow is easy, but keeping it growing will require some extra care.
Pea
Peas are usually planted in late April. Peas will die in freezing temperatures, but they also won’t survive the heat either. So make sure you plant your peas in early spring.
Peas are widely used in many different ways, and there are different types of peas. The soil you’ll be planting your peas should be suitable for them, so make sure you ask while buying seeds.
Carrot
There are different types of carrots, but regardless of their size and color, it’s a fact that carrots are both delicious and rich in vitamins.
They’re root vegetables, so with proper sun and watering, they can be picked up as baby carrots as well.
Radish
A radish is an excellent option for beginners because it doesn’t require too much care. Radish is easy to harvest.
Radish grows fast, so it’s better to keep an eye on it after a few weeks. Radish usually is grown pest-free, but there’s always the chance of unwanted guests, so watch out for worms. Radish can be eaten raw or can be added to garnish recipes.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower isn’t the easiest vegetable to grow at home, but it is very popular.
Cauliflower grows better in colder weather, so before you plant it, consider the climate of your garden. Cauliflower can be eaten raw or cooked, and it is known to be very beneficial for health.
Asparagus
Freshly picked, tender asparagus is very delicious!
Asparagus plants get more productive with each harvest, and mature asparagus harvest can last for months! Make sure you plant them at the correct time, or else they might go to waste.
All the vegetables listed above are great for your healthy diet, and it’s fun to watch them grow. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow your own veggies and eat healthy this spring!
So tell us which veggies will you be growing this spring? Tell us in the comments section!
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