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 curriculum. From what I understand that’s not the case today. Too bad. So is sewing a survival skill? I would argue that it is. Read further to find out why. Quilts make Great Gifts Why learn to sew? A burning question for many may be…. Why should I learn to sew? To which I reply, why not? Like gardening, food preservation, animal husbandry and butchering, sewing is jus ..read more

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 the same time juggling the demands of the home place. Possessing the right equipment can make the difference between struggling to get everything done and being able to keep up with the workload. One of the questions all of us face is which piece of large equipment is the ultimate choice for working the land, a tractor or a tiller. Let’s expl ..read more

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 is a survival skill. In a worse case scenario, knowing how to cook so you can feed yourself and your family is one of the most basic survival skills there is. The Makings for Many Winter Meals During the Covid pandemic, we were amazed at the number of seemingly helpless people who relied on take out food to sustain them despite being stuck in thei ..read more

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 sleeve? Sewing machines have been electrified for decades, but they had their beginnings as non-electric machines which were powered by foot pedal. In other words they were off-grid sewing machines! Our Singer Treadle Sewing Machine Mr. Singer’s introduction of a mechanical sewing machine revolutionized garment making as it saved an enormous amount of time. No more hand sewing to keep the fam ..read more

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 years ago I bought a whole bolt of it. Why buy so much? Here’s six uses for utility muslin on the homestead. Utility Muslin Ready to be Cut Six uses for Utility Muslin Utility muslin has many uses around the homestead. I’ve used it to make casings for large homemade sausages such as bologna and salami. I’ve used it to make small bags for straining fruit for jelly and large bags for straini ..read more

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 two different things and they shouldn’t be confused or used interchangeably. Self-Sufficiency Versus Off-Grid, Is There a Difference? Let’s explore the differences. Full Woodshed Will Supply Fuel for Cooking and Heating Off-grid Versus Self-Sufficiency By definition, off-grid means to be completely unplugged from the power grid as well as other pub ..read more

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 homegrown poultry seasoning. Finished Poultry Seasoning Ready for Storage Recipe for Poultry Seasoning Here’s the recipe I use to make our own poultry seasoning. 4 tsp dried marjoram 4 tsp onion powder 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dry sage 2 tsp dry savory 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp white pepper Combine all ingredients in a spice grinder and grind until the mixture becom ..read more

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! But there’s some more good news! You can make your own home canned convenience foods for when life gets hectic and time too short to prepare a full meal from scratch. Here’s 9 home canned convenience foods from the garden for any self-reliant homesteader. Pint Jars of Stewed Tomatoes in Foreground with Quarts of Tomato Soup to the Right ..read more

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 in some fashion throughout the spring and summer growing season, they will quickly overwhelm all efforts to grow lawns, flowers and in our case, vegetables. And then in the fall, they have a natural tendency to reseed themselves. Some Unpicked Weeds Around Apple Trees Let me ask you this. Have you ever noticed the similarity between a weed and a cat? What’s the one trait in comm ..read more

Those people aren’t off grid! How dare they claim that! Twin Otter landing on Hockley Lake 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 put up a short video clip on social media of Johanna and me. That video clip touted our self-reliant, off grid lifestyle. That video clip went viral. Over a million views which generated enormous interest in us with hundreds of comments. We tried to respond to most. We are grateful for the overwhelming love and support from the vas ..read more