100 Days of Useful Homesteading Skills: Day 11 – Know What You Can Throw or Give Away

grass-fence-street-lawn-old-wall-689469-pxhere.comWhen you have obligations on an active and time-consuming new homestead, the last thing you want to do is come indoors after a long day outside and deal with clutter. The best way to deal with this is to edit your belongings now, before you make the move.

It is hard, we know. There are many things we don’t wish to part with because we have sentimental attachments, or because it cost a lot of money, or because we might need it later… There are always reasons to keep it, you must find reasons for letting it go.

Sometimes this involves some subconscious trickery on your part. We do various things to prove to ourselves that we don’t need certain things anymore. Continue reading

100 Days of Useful Homesteading Skills: Day 8 – Baking Bread

table-wood-wheat-restaurant-meal-food-714023-pxhere.com.jpg

Baking bread is a true homesteading skill. Almost a lost art, though it is making a come back.

There is nothing quite like biting into a freshly baked loaf of hot bread.

A friend once asked us why we bother to bake bread when it can be purchased so inexpensively in the store. There are many good reasons and these are what we shared with her. Continue reading

100 Days of Useful Homesteading Skills: Day 5 – Cast Iron Cooking

isolated-dish-food-cooking-produce-vegetable-1098415-pxhere.com.jpgThese days, modern kitchens are crammed with high-tech gadgets and convenient appliances. In a modern kitchen, cast iron cookware might feel out of place.  However, in the homestead, it is almost a necessity.

Not only is it inexpensive, which makes it easy on the budget, but it is multi-purpose, and can last several lifetimes.

Some folks might be intimidated by cooking or cleaning cast iron but it is actually not as difficult as one might think. In fact, a well-seasoned skillet is easier to clean than most modern cookware.

If you are considering cast iron I have five tips for making your choice to cook with cast iron even easier: Continue reading