Homesteading

Can you believe it’s January already? And we are starting a new decade!

What a great time to be setting goals and breaking thru barriers!

Every year, I take the winter to plan for the next spring, summer and fall. That is when the real work is done around the homestead.

Of course, winter is a great time to learn new skills indoors and try new things. Check out this post to get some ideas —> 37 Important Homesteading Skills to Learn This Winter.

But winter is also a great time for evaluating the good, bad and the ugly of the year before.

Here is a picture of my family after Christmas church service (that’s why we are dressed up!):

Here are a few of the goals we have set in past years:

12 Months of Homesteading Goals for 2017.

Looking Towards the Future: Our Goals for 2018.

Our Homesteading Year In Review and Next Year’s Plans.

So let’s discuss 2020 and our plans for the homestead.

Homesteading Goals for 2020

As I said in my previous post, 2019 was kinda rough.

You can read about it here –> 2019 Year In Review of Our Homestead Happenings.

As you can see, we did accomplish some of the things we wanted to this year, but not even close to all of them.

It can be disappointing when we don’t accomplish our goals, but that doesn’t mean we give up.

We just reevaluate our goals and make new ones for next year.

So here are our goals for 2020. They are more about our family’s physical and financial health than typical homesteading goals. You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Health

• I lost 35 lbs. in 2019 and I am going to continue my weight loss journey until I get to my goal weight (about 45 more lbs. to go!).
• I want us to be more active as a family. That means more camping, hiking, biking and doing things outside. We have always done these things, but as I get thinner and stronger (I am doing CrossFit 3 times a week), these activities should get easier and more fun.

Finances

• 2020 is the year we get our finances under control again. Getting out of debt and saving for the future are big priorities. In order to do this, we need to get our budget under control.
• Because we want to get out of debt this year, we are putting our house up for sale at the end of January. It may take a year or two to sell, but hopefully not. This makes me sad because we love our house and homestead, but it needs to be done.
• I am committing to balancing our checkbook each day (I’ve been doing it every couple of weeks) so we can keep on top of unexpected expenses. We use the online software YNAB for our budget and checkbook.

Gardening

• We are going to redo our garden and use water troughs for the bulk of our raised beds.
• We are going to try growing heirloom tomatoes from seed again.
• We are going to have a smaller garden in case we sell our house.

Animals

• We only have chickens this year. We aren’t adding any new animals because we may be moving.

Emergency Preparedness

• We need to add more water storage.
• We would like to store a year’s worth of food.
• We would like to have a successful hunting trip for elk.

That’s quite a list, I know. But we are talking about the whole year, so it is doable.

I am really excited to get the house all cleaned up and on the market. I am one of those weird people that likes moving.

We will be downsizing to a smaller house in town, which means a smaller yard as well. I don’t know what the future brings, but no matter where we move we will still consider ourselves homesteaders.

After all, homesteading isn’t about how many acres your have or the number of animals. It’s about a self sufficient, back to basics mindset. You can have that no matter where you live!

Good luck to you and all of your goals in 2020. You can do this!

What are your homesteading goals for 2020? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

It has been a great and frustrating year, all at the same time.

Our garden didn’t grow well, I lost 35 lbs, changed the name of this website and had lots of trouble with my teenagers.

What a year!

Of course, this is a homesteading website, so I won’t go into the details of our personal life. You are here to hear about my garden, animals and other homesteading adventures.

Here are the plans we had for 2019 that I wrote about at the end of last year: Our Homesteading Year In Review and Next Year’s Goals.

So let me break it down for you.

2019 Year In Review: What went wrong

Let’s start with the bad stuff. Then we can only go up from here.

Garden

We had a late snow (May 20), which just happened to be the last week of school for the kids.

So, needless to say, we got a late start in the garden. No spring veggies at all.

When we finally got the seed starts transplanted from indoors, they had a rough time of it. Peppers and tomatoes just don’t like the cold, even if you put walls of water around them.

Then, June 21 (the summer solstice), we had a freeze that wiped out my transplants. I had to go buy plants at the local nursery, which was very frustrating.

We used water troughs in part of the garden as an experiment. More on that below. They had many great qualities for a good garden, but we had several flooding incidents that killed the plants inside.

Overall, our garden did not produce as well as usual. I’ll talk about the harvest below, but let’s just say I didn’t have much to put away for the winter!

Animals

Rabbits

We decided to get rid of our meat rabbits this year. We were just feeding and watering them without utilizing them for meat. We did enjoy the fertilizer they produce, but it just wasn’t worth the cost or effort if we weren’t going to breed.

Chickens

We have battled predators on our homestead every year, and this one was no exception.

We lost several chickens to a badger, which the dog found and killed.

We lost 2 to a cold snap in early September.

We had a couple just die, not sure why.

So out of 12 chickens, we only have 3 left. We have moved them to a small coop, close to the house for the winter. We will reevaluate our chicken situation in the spring.

Orchard

Our fruit trees started off well. Several of them bloomed and produced fruit.

Then we had some windy days mid summer and all of the fruit was blown off. Therefore, we had no fruit harvest this year.

2019 Year In Review: What went well

Now that the whining is over, let me tell you what went right this year on the homestead.

Garden

We started a new gardening system with water troughs this year. I love the look and functionality of the troughs. They have several benefits, including:

• Blocking the moles that are digging in our garden.
• Less bending over to weed.
• The garden looks clean and neat.
• We can control the dirt (our soil is too clayish for gardening)

For the most part, the first year was a success. We know what we need to do to fix the flooding issue and the troughs are much easier to maintain overall.

We will be moving them to another part of the garden next year, but still using them.

To find out more about our garden experiment, check out this blog post —> Building A Metal Water Trough Vegetable Garden {an Experiment}.

The harvest from the garden was not nearly as much as in past years, as mentioned above. But we did harvest some vegetables to eat fresh (not much canning this year). Here is what we harvested:

• Banana peppers
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Beets

Yard

We planted 3 large evergreen trees in our yard this fall. We have been wanting to do this for awhile, but they are pretty expensive.

We may plant 2 or 3 more next fall if we have the funds.

Solar

We have had solar electricity at out house for over a year now and it’s working great. We produce more than enough during the summer and year around except for the occasional snow storm in the winter.

Our electricity bill for our home is $30 a month, which is just the fee to be grid tied. You can find out more about our solar package in this blog post —> Our Solar Power Experience: One Year Later.

Overall, this year was just okay. And that’s okay.

Not every year homesteading is going to be amazing. Life happens. Weather happens. Your kids are teenagers and have their own minds (when did that happen?).

Here are some other years I wrote about our homestead so you can get some perspective of different ups and downs in homesteading.

2018: Our Homesteading Year In Review and Next Year’s Plans.

2017: Homesteading Heartbreaks and Breakthroughs: A Year in Review 2017.

It is good to record what happens on your homestead so you can look back at the end of the year. This helps you learn what needs to change and see how much progress you’ve made each year.

I am thankful for this homesteading life and all the things I am learning along the way. It may get frustrating at times, but when things go right it makes it all worth while.

How was your homesteading year this year? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

Solar power is just amazing to me.

We live in a place that gets a ton of sunshine each year, all year round. So it only makes sense to harness that power into electricity for our home.

Our first home build 7 years ago had a 20% solar package with a solar hot water system.We were still grid tied, but it cut down on our electricity costs.

After that home burned down (not related to the solar package), we decided to increase the size of the home and not have solar.

But after a couple of years in this house, we realized that solar really is the way to go. Even though we still wanted to be grid tied, we wanted to take advantage of the great amount of sun we get all year long.

So last spring, we started looking for companies that installed solar panels in our area. There aren’t a ton because we live in a small town in the country.

But we found one that we could afford and they installed our system in July of last year.

So now that it has been a year since we started the process, I wanted to share with you our experience and what we have learned so far.

Our Solar Power Experience

What to consider before getting solar:

When investing in something like solar, you should do your research. Here are some questions to ask:

• How much can you spend on panels?
• Do you want to DIY or pay someone to install panels?
• How much sunlight does your home get yearly?
• How many panels do you want (50%, 75%, etc)?
• How much does your electric company charge to be grid tied?
• How does your electric company pay you for excess?
• How do you want to monitor the panels?
• How much do batteries cost to be off grid?
• How long until your panels break even on cost?
• Can you add more panels later if desired?

What kind of solar package did we get?

Our solar system includes:

• 24 x Q-Cell 305 Watt Solar panels
• 24 x DC Optimizers
• 1 x SolarEdge 6000H-US Watt Inverter
• Monitoring via SolarEdge
• iPhone app to see how much we are producing

Why we didn’t DIY it:

There is lots of information online about DIY solar and how to make and install your own solar panels.

Since we have had our house burn down, we are just a little more sensitive to electrical problems and what can go wrong.

If you have the know how and ability to make your own solar panels and install them yourself, I say more power to you. But we just weren’t comfortable with it.

But if you want to DIY your solar project, click here for more info and some great project ideas —> 10 Solar Power DIY Projects To Save You Money.

Why don’t we want to live off-grid?

• We like the convenience and ease of being grid tied. I know that might not go along with the thinking of many homesteaders, but we have never wanted to be off grid.
• The purpose of the solar panels is to save money and use an alternative source of energy.
• The batteries you need to have to be off grid are very expensive and not in the budget at this time.
• We have a strong electric company. Our power rarely goes out.

What was our experience over the year?

Once we had the solar panels installed and working, we haven’t really thought about them much. We can check the app every once in a while to make sure they are working, but we don’t think about it most days.

About once a month, we get our electric bill. This is when we realize how much we are saving, and that the extra cost will pay for itself in a few years.

Besides that, we have had no problems with the equipment or function of the solar panels. They run like they are supposed to without us thinking about them at all.

How much did it save us over the year?

Now to the nitty gritty. The money.

We paid $24,156 total for the solar panels and their installation.

We pay $32 a month to be grid tied to the electric company.

Our electric company will send us a check once a year for the surplus we produced. This will be different depending on your electric company, so find out ahead of time how they deal with this.

Our normal electric bill would be any where between $100 to $300, depending on the time of the year, if we are running our air conditioner or using our wood stove. This is for a 3000 square foot house in Colorado.

So if you figure we are saving about $200 a month, times 12 months; we are saving $2400 a year in utility costs. So in 10 years the price would break even.

But since our loan is only for 4 years, we will have the total paid off by then. After that, we are only paying $32 a month for electricity, no matter what time of year it is. And we get a check each year for the surplus. Not a bad deal!

Do we think solar is worth it, so far?

Absolutely. We love having solar for these reasons:

• We like using an alternative source of electricity.
• We enjoy a small electric bill each month.
• We feel like we are using our natural resource (the sun) to produce energy wisely.
• After we pay off the panels, we will be able to pay virtually nothing (monthly fee – excess electricity produced) to power our home and lifestyle.

If you have been considering solar for your home, I highly recommend you do the research for yourself and find what works best for your family.

As for our family, we are happy we jumped back on the solar power bandwagon. We hope you join us too!

What is your experience with solar power? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

I had never heard of elderberry or its benefits until I became a homesteader.

But in the fall and winter, it becomes a big buzz word around the community.

So today, I wanted to take a deeper look into elderberry, with its benefits and drawbacks. Then we will discuss how you can use this plant on your homestead to benefit your family.

What is elderberry?

“Elderberry refers to several varieties of the Sambucus tree, which has clusters of white flowers and black or blue-black berries. The most common variety is Sambucus nigra, also known as European elderberry or black elderberry.” Healthline

You can grow these in your backyard, just like other berries. Then you can make all kinds of elderberry concoctions without paying the hefty health food store price tag.

What are the benefits of elderberry?

You have heard that elderberry syrups and gummies can help you get through the cold and flu season quicker, but what are the real benefits of elderberry?

• High in nutrients, including vitamin C, dietary fiber, antioxidants and flavonols.
• Can reduce severity and length of the cold and flu
• May have positive effects of heart and blood vessel health.
• Helps fight cancer
• Fights harmful bacteria
• May support the immune system
• Could protect against UV radiation
• May increase urination
• May have some antidepressant properties.
• Info from Healthline.com

What are the dangers of elderberry?

Elderberry can be toxic if not used properly.

In order to eat the berries, they need to be cooked first. Eating raw elderberries can lead to stomach issues in humans.

The flowers of the plant are edible, but not the bark or rest of the plant.

Follow instructions properly when making homemade elderberry products to ensure your family’s safety.

How can I use elderberry on the homestead?

Here are a few recipes for different ways to use elderberry in your home and on the homestead.

Elderberry Syrup

How to Make (Immune-Boosting) Homemade Elderberry Syrup @ Live Simply

Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup @ Graceful Little Honey Bee

Elderberry Tincture

How To Make An Elderberry Tincture @ Traditional Cooking School

Frozen Elderberry Drops

DIY Frozen Elderberry Drops for Kids @ Eco Living Mama

Elderberry Jelly

The Best Elderberry Jelly Recipe @ Taste of Home

Elderberry Gummies

Elderberry Gummies for Cold, Flu and Sleep @ Real Food RN

Elderberry Jam

Elderberry Jam: A Homemade, Sugar-free and Easy-to-Make Jam @ Claudia Canu

Elderberry Tea

How to Make Elderberry Tea @ Wellness Mama

Elderberry Vinegar

How to Make Elderberry-Infused Herbal Vinegar @ Mountain Rose Herbs

Elderberry Elixir

Elderberry Calendula Cold & Flu Elixir @ The Herbal Academy

Elderberry Lollipops

Paleo Elderberry Lollipops with Lemon Balm & Lavender @ Salt In My Coffee

Elderberry Honey

Fermented Elderberry Honey @ Grow Forage Cook Ferment

Elderberry Powder

How to Dehydrate Elderberries and Make Elderberry Powder @ Healing Harvest Homestead

That is a long list! There are so many ways to incorporate elderberry into your family’s life to increase their immune system and keep them well this cold and flu season.

How do you use elderberry in your home or homestead? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

Before I had my own homesteading blog, I would love to read homesteading and homemaking blogs. I loved to hear their stories and learn the things I needed to know to move my homestead forward.

And even now, I love to read other people’s experiences with homesteading in blogs and see their videos on YouTube. After all, we can all learn from each other’s ups and downs.

So today, I want to share with you my favorite homesteading blogs and why I love them. I have done this for the past 3 years, but the list changes each year.

Some of the list stays the same as these bloggers only get better with experience.

Some of the list changes because people stop blogging or just don’t make the cut.

Here are the lists from the past 2 years:

Top 20 Must Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018

My Top 20 Favorite Homesteading Blogs of 2017

And, without further ado, here is the list of this year (drumroll please). . .

Top 20 Binge Worthy Homesteading Blogs of 2019

1. The Prairie Homestead

Jill @ www.theprairiehomestead.com is a fun writer with a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to homesteading. She has written several e-books about natural homesteading and enjoys using essential oils often in her homestead. She has an awesome YouTube channel and recently released a homestead cooking course.

2. The Elliott Homestead

Shaye @ www.theelliotthomestead.com just wrote an awesome book called “Welcome to the Farm” in addition to her 2 table books. Her blog is fun and informative with great photography as well. She has a great YouTube channel and also runs a homestead cooking membership group.

3. Reformation Acres

Quinn @ www.reformationacres.com has a very informative and beautiful blog where she talks about homesteading life. She also has an amazing Etsy shop where she sells homemade goods and products.

4. Melissa K Norris

Melissa @ www.melissaknorris.com runs a blog, podcast and Academy that shares her wealth of knowledge on homesteading topics such as gardening, animals and preserving food. She also has an informative YouTube channel and has published several homesteading books.

5. Homestead Honey

Teri @ www.homestead-honey.com not only has an informative blog, but she also has e-books, coaching, mentorship programs and an Etsy shop.

6. The Rustic Elk

Danielle @ www.therusticelk.com writes her blog to inspire others to homestead, even as she is struggling to find her own ideal homestead.

7. Imperfectly Happy Homesteading

Tiffany @ www.imperfectlyhappy.com shares her triumphs and struggles about homesteading, homeschooling and everything she is learning along the way. She also posts a weekly list of free kindle books on homesteading topics.

8. The 104 Homestead

Jessica @ www.104homestead.com has a wide variety of homesteading topics on her blog, but she seems to love her goats the most. She also has written several helpful e-books.

9. A Farmish Kind of Life

Amy @ www.afarmishkindoflife.com shares her life as a mom and homesteader. She has also written a book to help guide her readers through homeschooling as well.

10. Attainable Sustainable

Kris @ www.attainable-sustainable.net shares her triumphs and struggles of her homestead in Hawaii.

11. The Upcycled Family

Beth @ www.theupcycledfamily.com has great tips for gardening, alternative health and she also homeschools her children in rural Kansas. She uses oils and herbs to take care of her family and animals.

12. Our Simple Homestead

Tracy Lynn @ www.oursimplehomestead.com helps her readers do what she and her husband did-get out of the rat race and back to the simple life on their homestead.

13. Common Sense Homestead

Laurie @ www.commonsensehome.com discusses homesteading, gardening, home remedies and health in her informational blog. She also has written e-books about these topics.

14. The Grow Network

Marjory @ www.thegrownetwork.com is very knowledgeable about the homesteading lifestyle, but also emphasizes non traditional health and healthcare information. She sells several DVDs, online courses and a membership site.

15. A Modern Homestead

Victoria @ www.amodernhomestead.com writes about homesteading skills and frugal living. She has an e-book that will help you save money on your grocery bill and make healthy meals for your family.

16. Fresh Eggs Daily

Lisa @ www.fresheggsdaily.com loves to talk about her chickens, but she is so much more than that! She has a tv show, several books and makes appearances around the country speaking to people about raising chickens.

17. Weed Em And Reap

Danielle @ www.weedemandreap.com has transformed her life and diet by growing her own food and raising her own animals. She does this on a one acre urban farm. She has a great YouTube channel too!

18. Piwakawaka Valley

Dana @ www.piwakawakavalley.com is a homesteader in New Zealand. And not only does she do all the homesteading stuff, but she is also a homeschooling mom of 3 and is a weekend nurse. Amazing!

19. The Fewell Homestead

Amy @ www.thefewellhomestead.com is an author, blogger, homesteader and the founder of Homesteaders of America. She lives in Virginia and blogs about homesteading, homemaking and being a Christian.

20. Pampered Chicken Mama (aka The Frugal Chicken)

Maat @ www.thefrugalchicken.com is an authority on backyard chicken keeping and homesteading. She has been featured in several media outlets and has a YouTube channel.

I hope you get the chance to check out all of these amazing bloggers. Just click on the links for each number to see their inspiring blogs.

It is good to follow other homesteading bloggers and YouTubers to give us inspiration and let us know that we are not alone in this journey.

We aren’t weird or strange for trying to live this lifestyle to the best of our abilities. Homesteading is a way of life that isn’t for everyone, but these bloggers love it and you will too!

Also, if you like Facebook, here is a list of homesteading related Facebook groups to join for more inspiration and help on your homesteading journey —> The Ultimate List of Homesteading Facebook Groups.

Thanks to these ladies for inspiring me and teaching me every day!

Who did I miss? Link your favorite homesteading bloggers in the comments below and I will check them out! And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

PVC pipe is something almost every homesteader has laying around the house.

It is cheap and versatile, which makes it perfect for many homesteading projects.

So today, I want to share with you some ideas of things you can do to use up the PVC pipe you have on your homestead.

12 Awesome Outdoor PVC Pipe Projects for Your Homestead

PVC Chicken Feeder @ The Owner Builder Network

DIY Garden Tool Storage @ Newly Woodwards

Irrigation for Raised Bed Gardening @ Modern Homemakers

DIY PVC Cover For Raised Beds @ Homestead Lifestyle

Hand-Held Corn and Bean Planter @ Sensible Survival

Free PVC Chicken Tractor Plans @ Raising Backyard Chickens 101

PVC Chicken Waterer @ Instructables

Gravity-Based PVC Aquaponic Garden @ Off Grid Quest

Summer Camp Chairs @ Simple Simon & Company

PVC Tomato Cages @ Homestead Lifestyle

DIY Platform Swing @ The Naughty Mommy

DIY PVC Canopy @ The Kreative Life

Don’t these projects look amazing! So creative and easy to do.

One thing I want to remind you of is that PVC pipe can get broken down and brittle after constant sun and weather exposure. So if you plan on keeping these projects outside all year, you will want to paint them to protect them from the elements.

I hope you found a project (or two) that will fit your family’s needs for your homestead. This is a great way to use those extra PVC pipe pieces you have laying around this summer.

What do you like to make out of PVC pipe? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!