Category
Homesteading
Putting food up, keeping the power on, and getting more out of what you already grow.
Homesteading gear gets sold on romance and bought on impulse. The equipment that earns its shelf space is usually boring: a canner that fits your stove, a freezer that survives an outage, a way to get water when the pump is down.
This section is about the surplus you already have and how to keep it from going to waste.
Start here
Start with the crop that overwhelms you
In order. The first decision constrains the second, and the third is where most people start shopping.
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Buy for the surplus you actually get.
If you drown in tomatoes every August, buy the canner. If it is apples, buy the press or the dehydrator. Buying the best-reviewed machine for a crop you do not grow is how gear ends up in the barn loft.
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Protect water and power before comfort projects.
A way to keep water running and a freezer cold through a three-day outage protects everything else you have put up. That comes before the sourdough setup.
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Learn one method all the way through.
One season of confident water bath canning beats three half-learned techniques and a shelf you are not sure about.
What I cover here
Articles land under these headings as they publish.
Canning and preserving
Water bath, pressure canners, jars, and lids.
Dehydrating and freezing
Trays, sealers, freezer choices, and storage life.
Water and backup power
Generators, transfer setups, pumps, and storage.
Butchering and processing
Poultry gear, grinders, and cold storage.
Woodstoves and heat
Splitters, seasoning, moisture meters, and safety.
Pantry and storage
Shelving, root cellaring, and keeping pests out.
Other sections
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