Off-Grid farm to double in size – if it can raise money by 26 April
Plotgate Farm in Somerset UK is becoming a remarkable success story for its pioneering, community agro-ecological style of farming. It was designed from the get-go
Small Growers Deserve Same Green Subsidies As Farmers
ALL over the world, governments are handing farmers green subsidies in the form of carbon credits for certain types of planting and land management that
Water kefir farming
I appreciate today’s short attention span theater, I have a lot to say about kefir. If you want the short version, scroll down, you’ll see
Understand Your Growing Zone
Growing your own food, and enough of it to last a while, is one of the pillars of living off the grid. Knowing about your
Food, not supplements
Food comes after water in the hierarchy of the things you need to sustain life off-grid. First Water, then Food, then Fire, then Shelter, although
Water glass eggs?
One of the things that some of my neighbors have done when moving out to the country is get chickens, some do it for the
5 tips on growing strawberries
Are strawberries your favorite fruit? Want to grow them yourself at home? Here’s 5 tips on how to grow more strawberries than expected! Practice makes
Low maintenance Chickens
It’s great to rear chickens – eggs, scratchy kind of companionship, and eventually a roast bird. But should every off-grid home have a few? They
Never buy grain for your chickens again!
When I picture raising chickens, it’s always free range (of course!), I see a farmer walking through a flock of hungry chooks tossing handfuls of
Remote Cabins Threaten Norwegian Wildlife
Norwegians love to unplug once in a while — disappear from civilisation into their remote cabins. Being in contact with the nature is one of
Cooking with the sun
There are several different ways to use the sun in cooking, aka solar cooking or solar ovens. If you live in a sunny place, the
5 tips para crecer fresas
¿Las fresas son tu fruta favorita? ¿Quieres cultivarlos tú mismo en casa? ¡Aquí hay 5 consejos sobre cómo cultivar más fresas de lo esperado! No
EcoSolarCool new Solar Refrigeration
EcoSolarCool have kick-started 2017 with the release of two new Solar Refrigeration models. The new additions to the upright product line aim to minimise
UNESCO Credits SOIL Course
Last month I outlined the Permaculture course available at the School of Integrated Living (SOIL) in the ecovillage Earthaven (see here). Recently, this program has
Trail Cameras for Hunters or Animal Lovers
Whether you are an avid hunter or just love watching animals behaving normally in their natural habitat, you will want to read this. A trail
Feeling Hot Hot Hot: Solar Cooking in Action
Cooking can be challenging in itself. Following recipes, getting the right ingredients and hoping it comes out tasting delicious – unless you’re a top class
Be Our Guest – Food Preserving Part 2
In Part I, I covered canning and smoking as food preservation methods. This article takes a look at refrigeration and dehydration. Freezing and refrigeration is
Please don’t eat the bunnies
I’m really concerned about how people, especially young people will fare if/when TSHTF, I am right now, as I type, having a conversation with a
Be Our Guest: Food Preservation Part I
Charcutier Sean Cannon is opening his first restaurant, Nape, in London this month. Born and bred in Norfolk, Sean told the Guardian how growing
Cooking from scratch
Cooking and eating are two (of many) pleasures in life for me, I learned how to cook from watching my mother who was a fantastic
SHTF cake aka comfort food
In times of stress, and SHTF would create a lot of stress, it’s good to have some comfort food to help bring the stress down
Por Qué No Comprar Grano para Gallinas
Cuando me imagino criando pollos, siempre es de campo libre (¡por supuesto!), Veo a un granjero caminando por una bandada de hackeadores hambrientos arrojando puñados
Cuidados Sencillos para Gallinas Sanas
Es genial criar pollos: huevos, un tipo de compañerismo áspero y, finalmente, un ave asada. ¿Pero debería cada casa fuera de la red tener algunas
Root cellars
With spring in the air, summer right around the corner, many of our gardens are booming with lots of produce, much of it we eat
Strawbale gardening dangerous?
I have always loved the idea of using straw or hay, lots of it in my garden as a thick mulch, I follow the Ruth
Off-Grid crock pot
I love the idea of cooking low and slow, but being off-grid means I don’t have the electricity to spare to run an electric crock
What’s your backup plan?
It used to be that big storms caught us by surprise, now it seems that more and more we have several days up to a
Living in a greenhouse
I’m sure I’m not the only person who ever wondered how it would be to build a greenhouse around your house, these folk in Stockholm
Foraging gifts for the family
Foraging for food sounds difficult but with these tips you will get an easy start – and soon become an expert forager. Introducing foraging into your
Improvements on the rotisserie
The chicken rotisserie has really been a hit around the SkyCastle, PB has been working on it, tweaking it, improving it, making it work better
Low-energy rotisserie made from scrap
The chicken cooker went live, this is something PB has been working on for a few months now, I might have thought it wouldn’t be
Do what you love, love what you do
What is your passion? If money were no object (and just what does that actually mean anyhow???) what would you be doing right now? Now,
And the pressure is on
Pressure cookers that is, yesterday while surfing the internet, I ran across an article on Mother Earth News about cooking with pressure cookers. It reminded
Filing cabinet smoker
I’ve seen some ingenious peeps on FaceBook and YouTube, this has to be in the top 10 of cool DIY, have you seen the
Project green junk – Reflector oven
I have some truly ingenious friends on FaceBook, and Kent Lee Ivey is one of the best, he loves nothing more than to travel around,
Keyhole garden
It’s so nearly spring, I am itching to get out and do some gardening, I’ve been getting seed catalogs, the siren song of the gardener.
49 Raw Food Recipes
50 Raw Food Recipes By Audrey & Matt You may: – already be following a raw food diet (100% or less) – know about raw
Kicked my freezer-fridge conversion out
Not away, but outside, I’m still using it, but with the colder temps and the more overcast days, I decided to let nature work for
Permaculture in Colorado needs a water permit
“A forest full of food” has a nice ring to it, and the concept is realized using permaculture farming techniques. Grant and Kathy Curry of
Pizza pizza
This past week was a hard one, my work partner and I worked extra long days so that we could have a few extra days
Freezing food
For the longest time, I’d buy my produce at the farmer’s market over the weekend. When the next Friday rolled around and I hadn’t used
Fermented foods
Earlier today, after church, I was getting ready to lay down to take a nap, the radio was playing softly in the background, I typically
How to start a farm with *no money – video
This video is titled, “How to start a farm with no money”, well I’m here to tell you that you need SOME money, but if
Permaculture in Moretown, Vermont
Ben Falk is a permaculture designer based in Moretown, Vermont. In this video, he speaks about different aspects of homesteading and cold weather, notably his
Gardening roundtable
About a week ago, I got a phone call from one of my neighbors and friends out here, it was time to do another gardening
Mom knew best – cooking from scratch
Mother’s Day passed last weekend, for me it’s a bittersweet day, I’m happy because I’m a mother, but it’s sad because my mother is gone.
Dry canning crackers
One of the things many of us do is buy up deals and sales at the store or buy in bulk from the big box
A tale of two smallholdings
The contrasting fortunes of two British smallholdings are a useful guide on how to succeed, and what NOT to do, if you are planning to
Top 10 wild foods to forage in spring
Roger Phillips, author of a new book on foraging, shares his top 10 springtime finds and throws in four recipes that combine them to best
It’s garden time!
I grew up watching gardening shows on PBS, one of my favorites was the Victory Garden, and during pledge week, they would always have Howard
Dollar stores for preps
It’s been a while since I have written about cooking, food and recipes, if you follow me any at all, you know that food is
Air pruning?
Ever heard of air pruning? Neither have I… I just watched this video and I’m blown away, I think of all the people who do
Not prepped at all….
During this last major cold snap, I heard a story on NPR (National Public Radio), it’s the only radio station we can pick up out
EU to ban heirloom seeds and criminalize unregistered gardens
(Truthstream Media.com) If the global domination is allowed to take root, biotech and Big Agra will control the world food supply, at the expense of
Grilling in the sky castle
I love cooking, nearly anything, but until very recently I have kept my cooking adventures within the walls of the sky castle, a few weeks
Nine last minute DIY Christmas gifts
In this last weekend just before Christmas, some of us are still behind on gifts, and often there are extra friends, family and such who
How to make a frugal and festive Christmas dinner from the pantry
Aside from the gifts under the tree, one of the big expenses of the holidays is the food. Nearly everyone finds that their grocery bill
Cash crop funds lifestyle
growing luxury veg is pleasant and profitable
The Christmas rush has begun…
Unless you are blind and deaf or live under a very large rock, you are probably being bombarded with Christmas ads on TV, radio, internet,
A Simple way to Harvest Honey
One of the benefits of harvesting single combs at different times throughout the season is that you get to sample honey from multiple flora sources
Mason Jar Meals
Alyson McClelland’s mom cans everything from barbecue sauce to fig jam. Once the delicious condiments are consumed, McClelland gives new life to all those empty
Wood fired ovens and Pizza Kettles
No need to spend $2000 or more on a wood-fired oven. You can build your own for $600. Ovens were first developed for baking bread,
10 steps to save money
We chose to downsize our lives, though in many ways we are living better than we did before. By turning our backs on consumerism, choosing
The Pantry Primer: Where to stash your stockpile
Stockpiles: they aren’t just for pantries anymore! You might be wondering where on earth you can stash all of the food required for a one-year
The Pantry Primer: stockpiling grains
Food storage calculators recommend 300 pounds of grains per person for a one year supply. For a family of four, that is a whopping 1200 pounds
The Pantry Primer: Stocking your supply of fruits and vegetables
A major challenge when living from your stockpiled foods is getting enough fruits and vegetables. Without produce, your family can be at risk for nutritional
Marjory Wildcraft
I just listened to a Coast to Coast am show featuring Marjory Wildcraft as a guest, I have heard her name before and probably
Could prepping become illegal here too? Venezuelan govt to detain “hoarders”
I’ve been talking a lot lately about prepping, getting ready for whatever is coming, whether it be a personal issue (job loss, cutting hours, illness
No pressure, cooking
No matter where I live, be it off-grid or in an apartment in a busy downtown area or anywhere in between, I would find my
Rabbits for meat pt 4
OK, so you are on board for raising and eating rabbits, but you want more for your furry food source than just living in small
Rocket stove updates
I am really excited about the improvements people have been making on rocket stove ovens and thermal mass rocket stove heaters. All you need do
Rabbits for meat pt 3
This is the 3rd in a series on raising rabbits for meat and fur. Some look at the cute bunnies and can’t imagine eating them,
How to create a root cellar for food storage
I ran across a book and an article all about making your own root cellar, this being the end of the summer, beginning of fall,
The Pantry Primer: Making meals from pantry basics
Your pantry is only useful if you can make tasty, filling meals from it. It is vital that you purchase “ingredients” rather than meals, so
What to Eat When You’re Broke
The lower your income is, the more difficult it is to be particular about what you feed your family. This probably isn’t an earth-shattering
Fall vegetable garden
Many of the same guidelines apply for fall gardening as spring gardening. The site for the garden needs to have a water source, full sun
How to butcher a chicken humanely – video
This is one method of dispatching and butchering a chicken, I noticed he said “sorry” to the chicken before starting the procedure… it’s what I
Growing vegetables in a tiny space
Growing vegetables in a small space, like a roof-terrace or a backyard has different rules and skills (and work-rate) compared to a larger piece of
Autumn is coming, what’s in your garden?
It’s hot, hot hot, those of us with gardens are in full swing… now it’s time to start your fall gardens. Things like greens, spinach,
20 Ways to build a whole food kitchen on a half price budget
Making a trip to the grocery store these days is like running a gauntlet. From one side you are assaulted by food-like substances in brightly
Rabbits for meat pt 1
Living more frugally can mean growing your own food, that can include more than just plants, it can mean meat. Many people who live in
Plot your own Year of the Veg
IF you don’t already grow your own veg, now is the time to convert – and you could be reaping the benefit by October –
Food storage ideas…
Preppers are always trying to get everyone else to at least begin stocking up on some short and long term food storage, honestly the biggest
Meatless sausage
I’m not a vegan, a vegetarian or anything remotely like that, I have nothing against anyone who chooses not to eat meat, they have more
Freezer-fridge conversion update
Had to clean out my fridge today, while that’s not such a big deal to most, to me it’s (almost) a pleasure to do because
A Peek into an Organic Prepper’s Pantry
Having extra food put aside is something I have talked about quite a lot here, it’s a very important insurance policy for you and your
Man shoots flying squirrel
In this film from Reuters, 28 year old off-gridder Nick Weston is seen taking aim at the sky and then picking up a squirrel, as
Keep your cool with warm weather cooking methods
I live in the high desert mountains of far western Texas, the summer days are hot, fortunately the evenings and nights tend to be cooler,
Kosher Certification Program Bans All GMO Ingredients
As always, I’m on the lookout for non-GMO foods, when I read this article I jumped for joy, finally a mainstream (at least as far
Eggs Benedict on a mountain
I read just the other day about some study “they” did that says people who take pictures of their food and post the pictures on
Just say NO to GMO
Little by little I have been actively working on removing GMO foods from my pantry, to make it more painless I focus on one food
Sleepy?
Here’s a scenario, you are working hard, say chopping wood for winter, or perhaps you are starting your garden this spring, you have been working
Low Energy pasta…..
Another great recipe from Corey Naughton Pasta is a wonderful thing to us off-gridders. Long storage life, high in carbs, you can make it at
Poison Apples: “Organic” Fruit can be Tainted by Antibiotics until Fall 2014
I may have found out why the apples Corey tossed to his deer were rejected by the deer, scary but true, it would seem that
One more tragedy
With the tragedy of the bombing in Boston, this is just one more reminder that we need to be prepared for as many different situations
The Lost Art of Scratch Cooking
Food is so important, unless you were raised on a working farm, most of us have no idea where our food comes from, during the
A Shock to the system
From regular contributor Corey Naughton Like many of those who live off-grid I like to eat healthy. There comes a point when one must define
Dry canning ground beef
There are 3 main ways of preserving meat, freezing, drying and canning, I’m sure there are a few more ways but those are the main