We have lived in our home iut in a rural area since 95. But as I am no longer working due to illness & now disability & we are on one income until my husband retires. We are now starting to turn our 1.7 acre into a semi-homestead. Finding your channel has been so very helpful. Thank you for all you are sharing.
Thanks for another great post!! We enjoy your videos! A suggestion for next week: reading list - a list of books you have found useful on the homestead
Experience is a great teacher, and your experience shows. I'm an older widow now, but hubby & I lived pretty well thru an eleven day, January power outage in Maine. We were prepared, but 'troubles' are a natural occurrence. Health is your greatest (earthly) asset.💕🙏✝🙏💕
I like forward to watching you guys. I made a spare bedroom into storage. I dont have a place for cold storage. So I closed off a bedroom and shut the heat regesters. Opened up my windows a few inches..I put in shelves .I have no children so I have no use for that room This is my first year at this so I will see . An old house and no basement just a yuuuuuky croul space.We are 63 and 70years old and a new home is not a good idea.
God Bless you for your dedicated sharing. Thank you so much! In all of my gardening, canning, prepping, especially for long winters, living the good life by raising none GMO, organic foods, there is peace and contentment along with the work, and learning wonderful skills. I’ve lived in earthquake country. How to keep jars and other things from falling off of storage shelves is quite important. A thin strip of wood like lath attached about 1/3 the way up in front of the quart jars seems like a helpful idea to share. Also securing shelving to the wall would save a lot of grief in most cases, too. Heavier items stored lower, lighter items up higher, also cutting card board pieces maybe 5” tall squares to slip between glass jars to keep them from bumping one another would help. Along with showing how to attach shelving to the wall, there’s also the water heater tank, stove, refrigerator, freezer, dressers televisions, self standing cabinets, that could use being attached for safety sake. Prepare ahead sturdy hanging places for lanterns and lights to have one’s hands free. Teach everyone how to melt some candle wax on a plate to hold it safely upright, or could it be put in ajar so the wind won’t blow it out and be hazardous to material nearby, etc. You are Wonderful people!! Enjoy!
See what you are doing ? = Cheddar cheese making! Please share a video about cheeses- still love that Dream cheese video! As always am so grateful for your videos, Thank You for sharing!
Yes, please make a video on how you make cheddar etc. with kefir as the starter culture as you mentioned you do in a past video. And please show us what you use for a cheese press. Thanks in advance!
How would you can water? Just water bath or full pressure can? I would love to see your entry way or wherever everyone has their boots and coats. How do you organize that for 11 people? I’ve got three kids and it’s a disaster 😂 Love you guys!
I just love these videos. We are hoping to get a homestead this coming spring. And you share with us so much knowledge and awareness I truly appreciate everything you do for all of us. God bless you and your family.
Great videos. Another thought on temporary emergency lights are solar landscape lights. They can be decorative around house, barn, other outbuildings but in a pinch you can grab them to use inside the house, basement, barn, etc. don’t forget to put them outside to recharge.
Dear people, you are so right. As an old Chinese proverb states: every journey starts with one step. We did experience with our kids, that the first one was chaos, the second added was getting crazy, and from the third on, things got more easy. We didn't stress about it, we almost didn't notice, they were just added and got along very nice, fitted right in. :D With homesteading, I'm still in the 'waiting-room turned into classroom' stage (as Jess Sowards puts it so adequately) We got our first chickens: they started laying! And we grew paprika and it's bearing fruit now (inside!)! Now we are starting to learn fermenting and canning... for my birthday last week, I got fermenting jars and a big jug for making apple cider :D It's working nicely, baby-steps but going forward. I still think it's funny to have back up power, but I guess it's indeed needed where you live. And if we were not living in the city, I guess we would maybe have a generator as well, since I've seen them standing around farms when we drive by. I can not remember when we had major power loss in the town where we live. When I was very little, we had a power problem due to some industry stuff happening in my town (other side of the country), and that was for about a few hours at night. And when we were building a room next to our house, the big scoop-thing tore a power-line because it was somewhere in the ground where they hadn't drawn on in the map. Another few hours. So we cooked water for tea in the neighbours' house some meters away ;) No freezer problems or something even. But I do remember my grandmother, and my mother (when we were very little) having candles and oil lamps stored somewhere. I know where to find mine blindfolded, I guess that came with the genes xD O yeah, telephone lines... what we always see go breaking in movies... we don't have those. Our telephone lines also lay in the ground, and we personally don't even have a landline. Ah well, the stuff that does and doesn't happen when you are in a town in an over-regulated country :D Thank you for this video! It makes me more aware what is possible in other countries, and makes me think of things that could happen in The Netherlands/Holland. Blessings and love, Diana
Picked up a great tip from someone who lived in Alaska. Far enough from your main shelter you should have setup a backup shelter. He used a nice big canvas military tent, which could survive all seasons in Alaska and had a stove inside with chimney. Inside he stored a few drums of supplies with tight lids, things like batteries with flashlights, defensive weapons (its Alaska, alot of wild game!), and food. This shelter was to be used in the event the main shelter burst into flames. He actually used it once in am emergency, thankfully his home did not burn down. But imagine if you live out in middle of nowhere and a fire happens or other emergency damage to your main shelter/home.
Re: canning. I am an "ingredient" canner at heart. This year, however, I have put up "finished" soups (as opposed to just bone broth or vegetable broth), beef stew, vegetable stew. Agreeing with you, having some of those "convenience" foods is a good idea for the winter.
We are expecting snow this evening and a snow event on Wednesday. We are very self sufficient. However, your chat covered a few things which will help us prepare, should the weather hit us dead on or skim by the wayside. Thanks for your attention to detail when sharing your knowledge.
We had a power outage because of fire at the sub station...No power for most of the day...I was determined to not open the fridge or freezer in case they took more time than expected to restore the power. Also to test my ability to eat what I already had stored for emergencies. I had crackers and peanut butter plus canned peaches for breakfast...Lunch was a peanut butter sandwich and more canned peaches. The water really came in handy to brush teeth etc...and it was all i had to drink that day because I didn't store any canned juice etc ...Anyway it was a good trial run for other emergencies that will likely occur in the days ahead. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Very good guys! We have all our wood in and am pretty prepared for winter...…..just had snow today. I need to stock up on my Chicken Broth I am low on that. I do make it myself when I have chicken carcass. I also keep all my veggies garlic onion scraps in a gallon bag and then make up veggie broth with that. Stay warm neighbor. Thanks for caring enough to encourage others to be self reliant it is sooooooo important. Take care......
Good stuff guys. We are on the grid with electricity, water, sewer and natural gas, but I have a 55 gallon drum of kerosene for our oil lamps, kero-sun heaters, and diesel fuel winterizer. We also have six Ham radios and a 5000 watt generator and a solar system. We have 12 propane tanks as well. The nearest 'store' is the "Hard Times" mini mart gas station which also sells propane. Our goal is to be able to totally off grid at a moment's notice. Love you channel and hope to meet you guys at the get together next year.
I'd be very interested to see a video on making bar soap. I love watching your videos. You are very informative and inspirational. On our homesteading journey much in part because of you!
Thanks for getting our minds going! This has really encouraged my husband and I to be thinking ahead before we move onto our farmstead (Lord willing) in the spring. I would love to know and see a bit more of what your first aid kit looks like. What do you keep on hand for your large family of littles? I completely understand going through bandages and tape, but I still use polysporin for all the times the kids get a dirty or questionable cut, and haven't figured out an alternative for pain relief either.
If you don't have water heaters for your troughs or barrels always put a piece of wood or something for small animals who may fall in and need a way out.
Thank you again for sharing all your wisdom and experience.! Great answer to the question Carolyn, that is something I think of too and love love your analogy. I tend to want and try to tackle too much at once and need to remember one skill at a time! :)
We milk goats and notice that at this time of year their milk actually gets creamier. Thanks for another great informative video! Blessings from Northern Alberta :)
We live on Whidbey Island surrounded by trees. I always fill the bathtubs when the wind starts blowing, so we can flush, clean, etc.,. We have a shared well with no generator. Rain barrels for the chickens (we aren't so cold as Idaho)
"Roll with it!" My wife was gone for 2 months to help our daughter and I and my son was left to harvest and preserve. My son works 12 hour days so except for his 1 or 2 days off I was the person to harvest and preserve. I canned, dehydrated and freeze dried everyday and also made time to tend the garden, mow the lawn, feed & water the chickens and clean up and cook meals. Hard? Not really, just continual step by step progress. I consider who I can maximize my steps and have everything in a line to process all my preserves. Check out Lean Manufacturing to see what mindset you have to have to minimize steps, be aware of ergonomics, tools where you need them, lighting and fresh air for a healthy environment. I hope it helps.
I would love more information on your first aid kit and what you have in there different from the 'norm'. I try to keep my personal care and medical items as natural as possible so expanding on this would be great thanks.
I always wonder that about milk. I think milk tastes so much richer and creamier in the summer than it does in the winter. I've asked many if it had anything to do with the feed because that makes the most sense but no one could seem to answer that. Thank you!
We are a Christian, homeschooling family who just moved away from Spirit Lake, Idaho to North Arkansas. So howdy👋 We are very familiar with where you live :) You look familiar too, so maybe I have met you! We went to Valley Baptist Church in Priest River for a years...so maybe you visited? Your channel looks wonderful for learning and homesteading. Keep up the good work!
So, I have a question regarding generators. I would really appreciate a titorial on generators. What size generator would I need to run a typical refrigerator/freezer or stand up deep freezer. I would also like to know how big a generator would generate enough electric for a few lights, etc.
We try to live this way. I really enjoy watching you both! We are always learning new things and appreciate the way you present information. We had never thought about canning water! How long do you think for quart jars in water bath or pressure canner? Thank you! God bless!
In 97 we lost power for 2 weeks. My son was 3 months old. We had a propane stove and used that to melt snow. We boiled it for drinking and melted pots of snow for bathing and toilet usage. I was visiting my folks when the power went out.
Yeah, you are so right about winter in warm weather areas. LOL. Sometimes we get really cold! It can possibly get down to 60 which is freezing for my family!
Well, this is from a year ago, but you asked for video ideas...would you do one about moving your farm from one state to another? I believe you've done it a couple times and could give some sound advice. You have a larger household and homestead than we do, but we are dreading picking up our farm and moving it to another state. How do you cope? How do you coordinate everything? Do you use a livestock hauler or start over with your herds/flocks/etc? And do you start from scratch with your stored foods, eating up everything you've canned before the move?
Pretty awesome. Key is TIME. Missed plowing garden by 3inch rain may get it yet. PS. We see this pss time to time. FYI. I think it is PPS. PPS. So it's post post script. Not post script script. Thx always.
I was watching a video of a family that had moved to the country and in an area that normally doesn't have severe weather, the first year while they are living in a camper there was an ice storm! They show the husband climbing onto the roof to clear the ice from the roof. And breaking large icicles to keep them from bringing down the huge trees. So even in the South you have to be prepared for severe weather. And your vehicles too, I read of one woman who did have emergency lights and other supplies in her car and was at the side of the road when a snowplow buried her car for a couple of days! Always have food and drinks in the vehicle and not in the trunk where you can't reach them in an emergency. Those nutrigrain bars with fruit in them are good. A bag or two of granola, or trail mix is a good idea too. 4Patriots sells packages of a bar that has lots of calories in it and can sustain you until help arrives. Just have some drinks available because it's very dry. Another thing to think about ahead of time is how are you going to remove the snow to get to the barn. I have read about people in the old days who went out to the barn to feed the animals and weren't found until the Spring thaw! Many people learned to have enough rope to tie to the front door and get to the barn and back. A small snowblower is a great idea no matter where you live. Another idea is to have lots of books, games, decks of cards to play with and keep your children and yourself from going stir crazy after a few days of no internet, TV have an old transistor radio to listen to music, and an emergency radio to be able to listen to the weather reports. Remember to have extra medication filled your pharmacist can give you an extra months supply once a year, I'd do that just in October or November before the weather gets bad. And plenty of otc meds, such as for vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, allergies, bandages, and to stop bleeding in case of an injury. You don't want to have to wait until the EMTs get there to stop a heavily bleeding wound. Head wounds bleed a _lot_! I was there when a three year old fell off of the piano and she was crying and bleeding profusely. A ham radio is a great idea too.
prep kitchen night before (wash up jar set up supplies) then do prep work dicing cutting refrigerator, prep food and start dehydrators, next morning start your canning early , have a crock pot meal ready for families, and have the family help do the chores is a good idea. would you change anything.. also i love this room is this your real kitchen or a second canning area..
Great channel! My wife and I have learned mountains of information from this channel. Carolyn, not only are you informative but you are a very pretty girl as well. I say that respectfully. Off to check on my pressure canning stew.
I know you have a large family....I always wonder when watching your videos, how do you know how much food to prepare each day for your family? You must go through a ton of food!
Love you guys and your wonderful info that helps others...also love your pantry......where do you get your black labels for your jars on your shelves? What are they called? Thank you and Gob Bless!
I purchase a mixed package of bulk batteries and freeze water to keep the freeze cold longer and as it defrosts provides drinking water. Also propane cook stove and a backup stove. I am trying to save for a quite generator for running space heater and fireplace fan God bless
Just noticed that this was one year ago so how did you do on this years winter preps? 2 years of firewood? Any new things to add to this list? One thought was animal feed and water and alternate method of travel to and fro. Have a great weekend!
I keep a couple of cans of tuna in the fridge for tuna salad, it's already cold all I have to do is add seasonings and mayo. So you don't have to chop celery and onions in an emergency you can chop them ahead of time in tablespoon size amounts and put them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and put them in the freezer, when frozen peel off the wax paper and put in a freezer bag. Also use celery seeds and onion flakes for seasoning.
I watched the video using the link you had sent by email BUT, this latest video is not showing up on RU-vid, under my subscription. All other videos are. What has changed? I usually watch the videos during the week and I hate to miss some. Thanks.
With climate change and the seasons being so unusual this year, 2023, do you think this advice still holds well for this coming year? Is there anything more you'd like to add or do differently?
When the TP hoarding started, I posted on my FB page ways to clean yourself without TP. Small wash cloths can be used for number 1 and keep some in a antibacterial soapy liquid for number 2. Also buy a bidet for your commode, they sell portable ones too.
With regards to canned water, why would you choose to can it and not just put it into holding containers/bottles? Are you referring to water that would need to be sterilized by boiling anyway so two birds one stone, or is there another reason?
