As cooler fall weather arrives and we start decorating, it's fun to realize that many natural fall decorations make healthy chicken treats. So plan accordingly and decorate for fall knowing that after the fall holidays have passed, you shouldn't throw out all those Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. The Fall Decorations That Make Healthy Chicken Treats: Pumpkins, decorative gourds, squash or dried corn cobs all make healthy chicken treats. So, don't throw them out ... continue reading...
Easy Homemade Bath Salts Recipe
This is an easy homemade bath salts recipe that can be made from common ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It's great to make for yourself, but it's also great for gifting. Tied up with an appropriately colored ribbon and tag, it can be a thoughtful gift any time of year. It's part of our blogger's collaboration on Gifts From The Homestead. Scroll down to find links to many more recipes for gifts from your homestead! Bath Salts Recipe ... continue reading...
Making Herbal Vinegar
Herbal vinegar is an easy project that can be done at any time of year that fresh herbs are available. It's good to have these kinds of vinegar on hand to boost the flavor of our favorite dishes, and they can be particularly nice to use during the colder months when there are no fresh herbs coming from the garden. Like homemade vanilla extract, they are simple to make and will add a wonderful shot of summertime flavor to salad dressings, marinades, gravies, and ... continue reading...
Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201: Getting Started
Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201: Getting Started (How To Choose, Prepare & Care For Your First Goats) is now For Sale! ($6.99). The book is available from this site as a pdf download, or it is available for ebook readers from Amazon. This is the second ebook in a series of four on Nigerian Dwarf goats and it tells you what you need to know to get started with the breed. My history with these little goats began in 2005 when my partner and I finally left suburbia and moved onto ... continue reading...
Homesteading Blogs Listed By State
Taylor-Made Homestead decided to take on the BRILLIANT reader-suggested task of compiling a list of homesteading / Simple Living blogs based on where the blogger resides. The reader suggested that since cooking directions can change based on altitude and gardening plans can differ based on planting zone, such a listing would be beneficial for blog readers. Below you’ll find that updated list (updated to remove blogs that no longer appeared to be posting and add some terrific new ... continue reading...
How To Save and Store Bean Seeds From Your Garden (& Why You Should)
Beans are one of the easiest seeds for a gardener to save, and this post on how to save and store bean seeds from your garden will give you all the details. Saving bean seeds really does have benefits over buying seeds each year. In order to save bean seeds (or any garden seed for that matter), you do have to grow an open-pollinated (often described as heirloom) rather than hybrid variety, but there are many good open-pollinated varieties of beans to choose from (see ... continue reading...
Integrating Pullets into the Chicken Flock
It’s starting to feel a bit like fall, so it’s time to think about integrating pullets (the female chicks that hatched in the springtime) into the main chicken flock. It seems that we’ve had female chicks (which have grown into pullets) to introduce into the flock every fall for the past several years, and every year we get a little better at getting them introduced without “pecking order” scuffles. The process described below is for chicks that have already been on your property for at ... continue reading...
Easy Curried Couscous Salad Recipe
This recipe looks like it has lots of ingredients, but it's a really easy couscous salad recipe because all you need to do is boil water and mix the ingredients. The salad only takes a few minutes to make and has lots of flavors! It makes a great side dish for chicken. The curry powder in the recipe is what gives it lots of flavors, but curry powders can vary greatly depending on who makes it. Therefore, be sure to get a high-quality curry powder that you enjoy for this easy couscous ... continue reading...