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The off-grid homesteading
Blog
Welcome to our blog!
Lessons learned on the journey toward independence
In our blog is a wealth of knowledge that we've accumulated over many years of off-grid living, as well as the lessons we've learned through trial and error. Our experience in the School of Hard Knocks has taught us valuable lessons that we are excited to share with you. In addition to our own expertise, we've also hand-selected a group of guest contributors who are experts in their respective fields. Their contributions provide even more valuable insights into homesteading, off-grid living, and emergency preparedness. We hope you enjoy learning from their knowledge and experience as much as we have!
Blog Categories
Off-Grid Power
Electricity is the kingpin in modern homes. Without it, many essential systems can't function. Learn how to make your own power with solar, micro hydro, and other sources.
Growing Food
Learn to grow your own food with tips on starting a homestead garden, including vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, small fruits, composting, and more in this section.
Storing Food
Learn to preserve and store your own food with off grid kitchen tips, recipes, and info about canning, dehydrating, and other food preservation related topics in this section.
Water
Most water systems are completely dependent on the power company. Learn how to make yours as independent as possible so your family has a reliable source of water.
Safety
Prevention and preparation are key to ensuring safety, covering physical security, home fire protection, wildland fire preparedness, and more in this section.
Communication
Communications is an often overlooked part of preparedness and homesteading. Learn how to stay in touch while living in a remote location as well as during emergencies.
most recent posts
Where I Get My Garden Seeds
Its that time of the year... Spring fever. And its also time to start planning the garden and choosing which seeds to start. If you haven't already done so--NOW IS definitely THE TIME to order seeds for this summer's garden! We all need to learn to collect seeds...
Dealing With A Chimney Fire
Chimney fires are not necessary when you take the proper precautions. When heating with wood one of the most important safety precautions to take is to keep creosote build-up from occurring in the chimney/stove pipe. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)...
Poor Man's Efficient Refrigerator
In years past, almost all conventional refrigerators and freezers were so inefficient as to render them useless to folks living off the grid. This meant the only options were rather expensive DC units (such as Sunfrost). While these models are super...
Water Cisterns
There are really three main questions to decide in regard to a water cistern: Should it be above-ground or underground? Should it be concrete or plastic? What size (capacity) should it be? Above or Below? First, unless you live in an area that absolutely will not have...
Water Pipes for Plumbing
Using the correct pipe for a particular job can be quite critical. It is important to ensure that it is large enough to not restrict the flow of water, but yet not any larger than it needs to be (due to cost). There are also the considerations of what type of pipe to...
How to Measure Vertical Fall of Your Water Source
To measure the vertical fall of your water source, you will need some form of a level. The preferred instrument is an optical sight that has a level built into it. This device allows one to sight a level line while looking through the optical sight. One such level is...