Everyday Homesteading

Learn about foraging for wild edibles with expert Lisa Rose, author of Urban Foraging.  For links and more information, visit the blog post that accompanies this interview here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/urban-foraging/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MORE ABOUT US! WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family...

We’re all busy and have a lot on our schedules, and sometimes we only have time for a quick podcast. Come listen to this podcast short as we answer your questions in a short amount of time.  Today’s podcast short is talking all about warming up your garden soil so you can get crops in the ground sooner! For more information, links mentioned, and more great Homesteading Family content, visit the bl...

We’re all busy and have a lot on our schedules, and sometimes we only have time for a quick podcast. Listen to this podcast short as we answer your questions in a short amount of time.  Today’s podcast short talks about WHEN you can begin planting out in the garden! We discuss what friable soil means and what happens if you start gardening too soon. For more information, links mentioned, and more...

We’re all busy and have a lot on our schedules, and sometimes we only have time for a quick podcast. Come listen to this podcast short as we answer your questions in a short amount of time.  Today’s podcast short talks all about early spring gardening! This isn’t a technical time on the calendar but more regarding your last frost date. It’s when your ground begins to be workable, and you’re no lon...

If you're looking to implement permaculture design on your homestead or even on a suburban lot, you're in the right place. Join me as I discuss permaculture design, along with the most common mistakes to avoid, with Nicholas Burtner from  @schoolofpermaculture . For more tips, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/permaculture-design-mistakes-to-avoid/ - Take Nicholas&...

Learn to use permaculture methods in your garden! If your garden is too far from your house, it can be easy to neglect it, causing crop loss. For more information on basic permaculture methods, visit this post about organizing your property's permaculture zones on the Homesteading Family website.  You know that every month, we send out a physical magazine to over 10,000 subscribers? Each issu...

Do you think gardening in winter just isn't possible in your area because it's too cold with too much snow? Watch this video with Rick Stone from ourstoneyacres who lives above 4,000 feet in Utah to learn how he grows and harvests fresh produce from his garden (on just a quarter-acre lot in the suburbs) all year long. For more details and links to where you can find Rick and his free onl...

What's the best watering system for the vegetable garden? It depends! And our answer may surprise you. For more information on our watering systems, visit this blog post on watering strategies in the garden on the Homesteading Family website.  You know that every month, we send out a physical magazine to over 10,000 subscribers? Each issue has seasonal recipes, fresh inspiration for your kitc...

Just like we prepare for many other things around the homestead, preparing for a new baby is no different. It takes forethought and planning to help with the smooth transition when adding a new family member. Not only that, but it's important to have plans in place to allow both mom and baby the appropriate and healthy amount of time to recuperate and recover after delivery. For more links an...

You have to make a plan to build up and maintain your soil. It's a bit like a bank account where the plants deduct from the soil health and we have to continually deposit health back into the soil.  We're big proponents of the no-till garden method and practice these methods for the best soil health as possible.  For more information check out these blog posts: Super-Charging Your Soil D...

Today's Pantry Chat we're chatting with Mary from  @MarysNest about learning lessons from those who went through the Great Depression, how these lessons are still applicable today, and tips for implementing more traditional skills into our every day life. For more information, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/cooking-from-home-when-times-get-hard/ Be sure to check...

We’re all busy and have a lot on our schedules, and sometimes we only have time for a quick podcast. Come listen to this podcast short as we answer your questions in a short amount of time.  Today’s podcast short is talking all about planning out your garden and knowing where to plant specific crops before it's time to plant. There's a big difference, in our house, between the main crop...

We're all ready for the gardening season to come, but there are a few things we need to prepare for first! Such as ordering your seeds! If you haven't already ordered your seeds, we highly encourage you to do so soon. But how do you read those seed packets when it comes time to start your seeds indoors or plant them in the garden? That's what we're discussing today on this epis...

We’re all busy and have a lot on our schedules, and sometimes we only have time for a quick podcast. Come listen to this podcast short as we answer your questions in a short amount of time.  Today’s podcast short is answering the question of when you should plant your garden. Well, it depends! You first need to know and understand your first and last frost dates, then take into consideration your...

Meal planning is a great way to make better choices with your grocery budget, but it's not necessarily something we all look forward to or make time to do. So how can we eat healthy while on a budget? Join me and Tiffany from Don't Waste the Crumbs as we share our tips. For more information, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/eating-well-on-a-budget/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...

Welcome to another episode of the Pantry Chat. This week we’re discussing the importance of homestead planning in the new year, along with our weekly chit-chat and answering your questions! For more information, to listen to the podcast, or for links mentioned, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/pantry-chat-1-7-2023 TIME STAMPS: 0:00 - Chit Chat 5:15 - Joel Salatin 5:44 - Mod...

It's that time of year again when we're sitting down and evaluating the year. What went right, what went wrong, and how are we adjusting and moving forward in 2023? For more info, visit the blog post: https://homesteadingfamily.com/2022-homesteading-familys-year-in-review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MORE ABOUT US! WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together...

What is the deep litter method when it comes to raising backyard chickens? It's a way to keep healthy, happy chickens in a stink-free coop (no ammonia smell) by piling up shavings into a deep bed on the floor. If you use this method, the deep bedding also creates garden-ready compost simultaneously. Join me with Harvey Ussery as we discuss everything you need to know about getting started and...

A lot of people are looking to start homesteading in some way right now, whether that's starting a garden, raising animals for meat or maybe backyard egg-laying chickens, or even just starting to cook more from scratch. If that's you, then watch today's Pantry Chat with Jessica Sowards from  @RootsandRefugeFarm   all about getting started with homesteading. For all the links and mor...

This time of year can conjure up stressful feelings for many, so how can we all enjoy stress-free holidays? Here are some of our tried and true tips to help... Check out the blog post for more easy, inexpensive and DIY gift ideas: https://homesteadingfamily.com/enjoying-stress-free-holidays ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TIME STAMPS: 0:00 - Chit Chat 7:55 - Keeping the Holiday's Sane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MORE AB...

Have you ever wondered if you could butcher meat? You might be surprised! In this episode of the Pantry Chat, we're discussing the best methods for getting started and some of our tips from our years of experience. For more info and links, visit the blog post here: h ttps://homesteadingfamily.com/tips-for-butchering-meat Time Stamps 0:00 - Chit Chat 11:07 - Preserving With Paraffin Wax 14:30...

Homesteading while pregnant isn’t always easy. Though I’ve had several children, this latest pregnancy has been the hardest by far, and I’ve had to learn some new ways of coping with the day-to-day while also looking after my own health. Join me for today's Pantry Chat with Lacie Dickson from @The Fit Farmer - Mike Dickson as we discuss the changes we're making on the homestead while pre...

Welcome to this week's episode of the Pantry Chat! This week we're talking all things beekeeping and what you should consider before getting started with bees. We have expert beekeeper Kaylee Richardson from  @The Honeystead with us to share her wisdom on raising and keeping bees for honey. For more information on this topic, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/keepi...

Well, we're not in the pantry this week, but we're still here to answer your questions! We've taken to the comments section on our past YouTube videos to answer your questions! For more information and links, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/pantry-chat-q-a-11-2-2022 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TIME STAMPS: 0:00 - Chit Chat 10:00 - Composting Meat 11:42 - Water Glassing...

Putting your garden to bed for the winter is very valuable. It can save you time, energy, and equipment come spring. If you prepare your garden properly in the fall, you can jump right into planting season come spring. For all our winter garden prep tips, read the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/12-things-you-must-do-to-prep-the-garden-for-winter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINKS MENTIONED: - I...