Community, Help, and Encouragement for Active Parents
Untrained Housewife was started to celebrate the journey to knowledge and self-sufficiency. The thing is – it’s not an easy journey. I’ve grown so much the past few years and we’ve added a lot of milestones in our path to increased self-sufficiency. And we’ve had a few set backs as well. Milks Goats and Meat [...]
This summer was brutal. Heat and drought combined like a one-two punch in what seemed like a cruel and final knock- out blow to many. Mind you, all was not a loss. The country folk are long-thinking…one season, one year is not the end-all and be-all when your family is on the land for a [...]
My house just made it through several rounds of severe weather- really severe, with lots of tornadoes that killed people and destroyed homes. We were spared any damage, and we are grateful. However, our power was out for 24 hours. Again, we are grateful it was only 24 hours, because as I write, there are [...]
Start With Small, Fresh PeachesIdeally, the peaches will be picked right off the tree. More realistically, they will be purchased at a farmer’s market or the local grocery store. Be sure they are fully ripe, but still fairly firm. The heat of processing the peaches will cause them to soften. To can peaches whole, the [...]
Every family should have grab-and-go emergency bags for potential emergencies. Even young children can help pack a go bag and store it in an easy-to-access place. Make grabbing the survival bags part of your emergency drills with your family.
As a child, I was always puzzled by the descriptions of sour cream and sour milk in the Little House on the Prairie books. When our milk went off, it didn’t smell sour – it smelled like garbage! The culprit, of course, is pasteurisation. Heat-treating milk turns it from a living substance teeming with benefcial [...]
I began experimenting with making my own soap several years ago, firstly as something to sell at craft shows, secondly to save money. I began with melt-and-pour glycerin soaps. They were easy to do and looked nice, but people still wanted lye soaps, so I branched out. Supplies for Making Lye Soap There are a [...]
John Seymour shares decades of experience with readers in this impressive guide to living a more frugal, and self-sufficient lifestyle. This updated version from the 1976 edition includes more information than ever, as well as discussing modern equipment and information relevant for today’s homesteaders. Is it the “complete back-to-basics guide” it claims to be?
