Tag: vegetables

Ohio Homestead Lifestyle: A Hard-Scrabble Rant from a Weather-Beaten Homesteader

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Ohio, Ohio Homestead Lifestyle, Ohio Survival PreppersLeave a comment

Listen here, I’m sick and tired of folks thinking the homestead life is some kind of leisurely stroll through a field of daisies. Out here in Ohio, it’s a battle every damn day. The weather’s fickle as a wild fox, the soil’s a pain in the ass to work with, and the so-called “easy homestead life” is a fairy tale told by city folk who don’t know a plow from a pitchfork.

I’ve been busting my back on this Ohio homestead for years, and I’ll tell you this straight: if you ain’t ready to learn and work like a damn machine, you might as well pack it up and go back to your cushy apartment with your grocery store aisles. This ain’t no hobby. It’s survival.

Let me break down what it really takes to keep a homestead running here in the Buckeye State. And I’m not just talking about planting a few tomatoes and calling it a day. No, you’ve gotta be skilled up, hands dirty, brain working, and heart set on this life, or you’ll starve or freeze come winter.

15 Homestead Skills You Better Learn Quick

  1. Soil Preparation and Composting
    This land won’t grow squat if you don’t build your soil right. You better know how to compost kitchen scraps, manure, and dead leaves into gold. If your soil’s dead, your crops die.
  2. Garden Planning and Crop Rotation
    Planting the same damn crop in the same spot year after year is how you kill your soil. You gotta know which crops work well together, and which ones suck the life out of the dirt.
  3. Seed Saving
    Buying seeds every year? Ha! That’s money wasted. Save your own seeds from your best plants. It’s cheaper and your plants will adapt better to Ohio’s climate.
  4. Basic Carpentry
    If you think you can build a coop or fix a fence without basic carpentry skills, you’re dreaming. Get comfortable with saws, hammers, and nails, or you’re done.
  5. Animal Husbandry
    Whether it’s chickens, goats, or pigs, knowing how to care for animals is non-negotiable. Feed ’em right, clean their pens, and know when they’re sick.
  6. Preserving Food
    Canning, drying, freezing—whatever it takes to store your harvest so you don’t waste it. Ohio winters are brutal, and you’ll need food stockpiled.
  7. Herbal Medicine
    Modern medicine isn’t always around on a homestead. Learn which plants treat cuts, burns, or stomach aches. A little knowledge can save a trip or a hospital bill.
  8. Firewood Cutting and Splitting
    Heating with firewood is how we survive cold snaps. Chainsaws, axes, splitting mauls—master them or freeze your butt off.
  9. Water Management and Rainwater Harvesting
    Rain here isn’t reliable. Collect it, store it, and manage runoff so your crops don’t drown or parch.
  10. Basic Plumbing and Repairs
    When the water line freezes or the septic acts up, you can’t call a plumber. Know how to fix leaks, clear pipes, and maintain your water system.
  11. Trap and Hunt Small Game
    Sometimes the garden fails or runs dry, and a homesteader’s gotta eat. Small game hunting and trapping can fill the freezer.
  12. Soap Making
    Cleanliness matters, but store-bought soaps often come with nasty chemicals. Make your own with lye and animal fats.
  13. Beekeeping
    Bees mean pollination, which means better crops and honey. Knowing how to manage a hive is a skill worth its weight in gold.
  14. Blacksmith Basics
    Fixing tools and making hooks or hinges out of scrap metal keeps your homestead running. You don’t need to be a pro, but you better know some basics.
  15. Weather Forecasting Without Technology
    If the power’s out, the internet’s down, and your phone’s dead, how do you know when a storm’s coming? Learn to read the sky, the wind, and the critters for signs.

The Real Dirt on Ohio Weather and Land

If you think Ohio is all flat plains and gentle rolling hills, think again. It’s a patchwork of rocky soil, stubborn clay, and pockets of good land that’ll bite you if you don’t respect it. Spring floods can drown your seeds before they even sprout, and summer droughts will fry your crops if you don’t irrigate right.

And don’t get me started on winter. We get snow and ice like nobody’s business. If you’re not prepared to feed your livestock and keep water flowing, you’re done. A single frozen pipe or an empty feed bin means disaster.

3 DIY Homestead Hacks That Will Save Your Bacon in Ohio

1. Old Tire Raised Garden Beds
Don’t have money for fancy beds? Stack old tires filled with good soil and compost. They retain heat, drain well, and keep your plants from being smothered in that Ohio clay muck.

2. DIY Solar Water Heater
Cut a black hose, coil it on your roof or south-facing wall, and connect it to a water tank. The sun will warm your water for washing and watering plants without a dime spent on propane.

3. Chicken Coop Heat Lamps Using Broken Headlights
Don’t toss old car headlights! Clean ’em, mount a heat lamp bulb inside, and you’ve got a reflector to keep your chicks warm through cold snaps.

Why Most People Quit

I see it every year — fresh-faced city folk with dreams of homesteading glory move out here, and six months later, they’re back on Craigslist selling off their chickens and tools. They didn’t learn the skills, they didn’t prepare for Ohio’s brutal climate swings, and they underestimated the work.

Homesteading isn’t about Instagram-worthy garden pics or “sustainable living” buzzwords. It’s about hard, gritty work day in and day out. It’s waking before dawn to milk a goat, fixing a fence in a thunderstorm, or hauling a cord of firewood when your back screams.

The Honest Truth

If you want to survive and thrive on an Ohio homestead, start with learning these skills, get your hands dirty, and stop whining about the weather or “how hard it is.” Every skill listed above is a lifeline. They’re what separate the homesteader from the wannabe.

There’s no room for laziness or shortcuts here. Nature doesn’t care about your schedule, and neither does the land. You gotta respect it, work with it, and adapt. Only then will you turn this rough Ohio soil into a homestead that feeds your family through harsh winters and fickle seasons.

Final Warning

So don’t come here thinking you can hop on a tractor once a week, plant some seeds, and call it a homestead. Learn the skills, build the hacks, and sweat blood for it. Otherwise, you’re just another quitter with a pile of rusty tools and broken dreams.

Ohio’s a beautiful place to homestead — but it’s no damn vacation. Get your hands dirty, your mind sharp, and your grit thick. That’s the only way you’ll make it through the Ohio homestead lifestyle without losing your mind.

New Hampshire Homestead Lifestyle

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn New Hampshire, New Hampshire Homestead LifestyleLeave a comment

New Hampshire Homestead Lifestyle: A Hard Truth From a Gritty Homesteader

Listen up, city slickers and wannabe weekend warriors, because I’m about to give you a real slice of the New Hampshire homestead lifestyle. It ain’t pretty, it ain’t easy, and it sure as hell ain’t for the faint-hearted. You think you’re going to just pack your bags, slap on a pair of boots, and suddenly be a master of the land? Hell no. This life will chew you up and spit you out if you don’t come prepared and willing to fight for every damn inch of self-reliance.

First off, let me say this: the terrain in New Hampshire is rugged and relentless. The granite hills, thick woods, and unpredictable weather will break your spirit if you don’t have the grit to push through. But if you do, if you stick it out and get your hands dirty, there’s no sweeter freedom than calling your homestead your fortress.

Homestead Skill #1: Firewood Processing
You better learn to fell, split, and stack your own firewood before the snow piles up. Nothing’s more soul-crushing than waking up freezing because you ran out of heat. Chainsaw, axe, and muscle—that’s your holy trinity here.

Homestead Skill #2: Garden Planning and Crop Rotation
If you want food on your table, you need to master the art of growing it. That means planning your garden to avoid exhausting your soil. I’m talking potatoes, beans, kale, carrots—whatever you can grow in New Hampshire’s short but intense growing season.

Homestead Skill #3: Seed Saving
Stop buying seeds every year if you want to save money and keep your garden resilient. Learn to save and store seeds from your best plants. It’s a skill that’ll make you laugh at the fancy garden centers.

Homestead Skill #4: Animal Husbandry
Whether it’s chickens, goats, or pigs, knowing how to raise and care for livestock is non-negotiable. Sick animals don’t wait for a vet to show up; you better know your basics—feeding, shelter, and health checks.

Homestead Skill #5: Basic Carpentry
Your homestead is going to need constant repairs. From fixing a fence to building a chicken coop, knowing how to handle tools and wood is essential. If you can’t swing a hammer, you’re just dead weight.

Homestead Skill #6: Foraging
New Hampshire’s forests are full of wild edibles, but if you don’t know what’s safe, you’re asking for trouble. Learn to identify mushrooms, berries, and herbs that can supplement your food stores.

Homestead Skill #7: Canning and Preserving
When your garden bursts in summer, you better be ready to put up those fruits and veggies for winter. Canning, drying, fermenting—these skills keep you fed when snow’s knee-deep and stores are closed.

Homestead Skill #8: Water Management
You need clean water every day, and you better know how to collect, filter, and store it. Whether it’s from a spring, rainwater catchment, or a well, water is life, and you can’t afford to mess this up.

Homestead Skill #9: Basic First Aid
Out here, the nearest hospital might be miles away, so you better know how to patch wounds, treat infections, and stabilize injuries. This ain’t just a nice skill; it’s a damn necessity.

Homestead Skill #10: Blacksmithing or Basic Metalwork
Fixing tools and making your own hooks, nails, or hinges saves money and time. If you can’t bend metal or at least maintain your tools, you’re going to be out of luck when something breaks.

Homestead Skill #11: Soap Making
You think soap just magically appears? No. You make your own from lye and fats, or you go dirty. Cleanliness is crucial, but it takes work to keep hygiene up here.

Homestead Skill #12: Beekeeping
If you want honey and pollination for your garden, you gotta work with bees. Beekeeping isn’t for the timid—these little buggers can sting, but they’re worth the trouble.

Homestead Skill #13: Solar or Alternative Energy Maintenance
If you want to reduce your reliance on the grid, you better know how to install and keep your solar panels or wind turbines working. Electricity doesn’t just happen on a homestead.

Homestead Skill #14: Hunting and Trapping
For many of us, hunting deer or small game supplements our food supply. Knowing how to track, hunt, and process game is a skill passed down for survival.

Homestead Skill #15: Composting and Soil Health
If you don’t feed your soil, your plants won’t thrive. Composting kitchen scraps, manure, and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil is the backbone of a productive garden.

Now that I’ve laid down those basics, here’s the part where I get real about how to get ahead on your homestead with a few hacks that’ll save you blood, sweat, and tears.

DIY Homestead Hack #1: Repurposed Pallet Garden Beds
Don’t buy fancy raised beds when pallets are everywhere and free. Strip the pallets down, arrange them into beds, and fill them with your soil mix. They’re cheap, durable, and keep your garden neat while saving your back from bending into the dirt.

DIY Homestead Hack #2: Rainwater Barrel Setup with Screened Tops
Water is gold. Set up rain barrels under your roof runoff with screens on top to keep out mosquitoes and debris. This gives you a steady water source for your garden without hauling buckets back and forth.

DIY Homestead Hack #3: DIY Solar Food Dehydrator
Save your surplus produce by building a solar food dehydrator out of scrap wood, some fine mesh screens, and clear plastic or glass. It uses the sun’s heat to dry fruits and vegetables for long-term storage without electricity.

Let me tell you something else: this lifestyle isn’t about comfort or convenience. It’s about grit and grinding through winters where the snowdrifts tower over your head and summer droughts that parch your crops to dust. It’s about waking up before dawn and working until the stars come out, day in, day out, because if you don’t, you don’t eat.

The media will romanticize homesteading — all fresh eggs and homemade bread — but they leave out the freezing nights, the busted water pumps, the chiggers in your boots, and the damn raccoons that tear apart your chicken coop at two in the morning. That’s life here. If you’re not ready to fight for it, stay in your city apartment and keep paying for your lettuce from the store.

But if you are ready? Then welcome. Learn these skills. Fix your fences. Plant your seeds. Raise your animals. Harvest your wood. Preserve your food. Because New Hampshire’s wilderness will test you every step of the way, but it will also give you a life worth living—raw, honest, and free.

And one last thing — don’t come whining about the bugs, the cold, or the hard work. This land belongs to those who respect it and earn their keep. Get out there and prove you’re one of them.

New Jersey Homestead Lifestyle: A Gritty Guide from a New Jersey Homesteader

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn New Jersey, New Jersey Homestead Lifestyle, New Jersey PreppersLeave a comment

Listen here, city slickers and wannabe suburban farmers! If you think setting up a homestead in New Jersey is all quaint little gardens and Instagrammable mason jars, you’re dead wrong. This lifestyle will chew you up and spit you out unless you come prepared and tough as nails. I’m here to tell you what it REALLY takes — with no sugarcoating, just pure, unfiltered homesteader grit.

New Jersey might be small, but it’s no joke. Between the urban sprawl creeping in, the unpredictable weather, and the constant pest problems, you better have a full arsenal of homestead skills to survive and thrive. This ain’t a vacation or a cute weekend project — this is life-or-death hard work. So, strap on your boots and listen close. Here’s my top 15 skills you’d better master if you want to call yourself a New Jersey homesteader:

1. Soil Management and Composting

Don’t think you can just throw seeds in any patch of dirt and get a bounty. New Jersey’s soil can be stubborn, acidic in places, and downright crappy in others. You better know how to test, amend, and compost like a pro. Composting isn’t just a nice thing — it’s the backbone of your garden’s health.

2. Water Harvesting and Management

NJ weather swings from drought to deluge. You gotta build rain barrels, swales, or ponds to catch every drop. Wasting water is a death sentence for your crops and animals.

3. Animal Husbandry

Chickens, goats, bees, rabbits — whatever you keep, you better know their needs, diseases, and how to butcher if it comes to that. This isn’t a petting zoo. It’s food production.

4. Seed Saving

Store-bought seeds? Ha! Those hybrids won’t save you next year. Learn to save seeds from your best plants. That’s how you maintain resilience against pests and weather.

5. Pest and Predator Control

Raccoons, groundhogs, deer, and crows will raid your garden like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. You need fences, traps, scare tactics, and good old-fashioned vigilance.

6. Basic Carpentry and Fence Building

Got a busted fence or a coop that’s falling apart? You’d better fix it yourself or watch everything inside get slaughtered overnight. Knowing how to build and maintain structures is non-negotiable.

7. Preserving and Canning

Your garden will flood you with tomatoes, peppers, and beans in the summer. Can, pickle, freeze, dry — if you don’t preserve, your bounty will rot and you’ll starve in winter.

8. Firewood Cutting and Stacking

Central heating might be a luxury here, especially in older farmhouses or cabins. Know how to chop, split, and stack firewood efficiently. A warm home in January isn’t going to happen by magic.

9. Butchering and Meat Processing

If you raise meat animals, you better be ready to butcher or find someone who can. This skill saves you a fortune and guarantees you know exactly what’s going on your plate.

10. Herbal Medicine and First Aid

Pharmacies might be close in New Jersey, but if you’re off-grid or during an emergency, you better know how to use local plants for healing and treat wounds.

11. Trap and Snare Setting

Small game is a vital protein source. Learn to trap rabbits, squirrels, or even coons. It’s not pretty, but it’s survival.

12. Tool Maintenance and Sharpening

Nothing slows you down faster than dull blades or broken tools. Know how to keep your saws, axes, knives, and pruners razor-sharp and ready.

13. Welding and Metalworking

Fence posts broken? Gates sagging? Knowing how to weld or at least do basic metal repairs can save you a small fortune and endless frustration.

14. Crop Rotation and Polyculture

Planting the same thing year after year will kill your soil and invite pests. You need a solid plan for rotating crops and mixing species to keep your land healthy.

15. Weather Forecasting and Reading Nature

New Jersey weather is fickle — sometimes brutal. Learn to read the skies, feel the wind shifts, and use old-timer signs to prepare your homestead for storms, freezes, or heatwaves.

Now that you’ve got a rough idea of the skills it takes to live this life, let me drop three DIY homestead hacks that will save your sanity — and maybe your life.

DIY Hack #1: The Easy Rain Barrel Overflow Diverter

Here’s a no-brainer that saved me tons of headaches. Most rain barrels overflow and flood your foundation or garden beds. Grab a cheap garden hose, cut a hole near the top of your barrel, and attach the hose with a hose clamp. Run the hose to a soak-away pit or a dry well. This simple trick keeps water from pooling around your house and channels it where you want it — no fancy plumbing needed.

DIY Hack #2: Chicken Tractor from Pallets

If you want fresh eggs and pest control but don’t have space for a permanent coop, build a cheap chicken tractor with used pallets and scrap lumber. Just lash pallets together into a moveable pen, add some wheels or handles, and your hens can graze new ground every day, fertilizing and eating bugs without destroying your garden.

DIY Hack #3: Solar Food Dehydrator on the Cheap

Canning and freezing take power and time. Build a solar dehydrator from a wooden box, black-painted metal trays, and some old window glass. The sun does all the work drying your herbs, fruits, and veggies. It’s perfect for those hot New Jersey summers and cuts down on your energy bills.

Look, homesteading in New Jersey isn’t for the faint of heart. Between the crowded suburbs, hungry critters, unpredictable weather, and the damn bureaucracy, it can grind you down faster than a root cellar full of moldy potatoes. But if you roll up your sleeves, master these skills, and use hacks like these, you can build something real — a self-reliant, gritty, New Jersey homestead that feeds your family and keeps you off the grid.

And if you think it’s easy? Well, I’ve got news for you. It’s not. It’s one heck of a fight every single day. But it’s worth it. Because in the end, there’s nothing sweeter than the taste of food you grew yourself, the satisfaction of a warm fire on a cold night, and the knowledge that you can survive without begging the system for scraps.

So quit whining, get out there, and get your hands dirty. Your homestead isn’t going to build itself, and that Jersey devil of a garden sure isn’t gonna tend itself either. You want this life? You better work for it. No excuses. No shortcuts. Just hard work, smart skills, and a whole lot of stubborn Jersey pride.

Montana Homestead Lifestyle: A Gritty, No-BS Account From the Frontlines

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Montana, Montana Homestead LifestyleLeave a comment

Listen here, city slickers and wannabe homesteaders thinking you can just waltz into Montana, slap up a cabin, and live off the land like it’s some picturesque Instagram fairytale — I’ve got news for you. Montana ain’t some cushy weekend retreat. It’s a brutal, relentless fight every single day to carve out a life that’s your own. If you want to survive and thrive on a Montana homestead, you better get your hands dirty and your brain working harder than you ever thought possible.

I’m sick and tired of folks romanticizing homesteading without knowing the first thing about the skills it demands. So, here’s a no-holds-barred rundown on what it really takes to live the Montana homestead lifestyle, and some solid DIY hacks that can save your sorry hide when the going gets tough.

15 Gritty Homestead Skills You Better Master or Go Home

  1. Butchering and Meat Processing
    If you can’t butcher your own animals, you’re dead in the water. Montana winters mean your freezer better be stocked with meat from your own cattle, pigs, or chickens. And if you can’t do it yourself, you’re paying someone else or eating store-bought — and that’s not homesteading, that’s dependency.
  2. Wood Cutting and Splitting
    Your stove runs on wood. If you can’t chop and split it yourself, you’re freezing your butt off come November. Chainsaws, axes, and mauls aren’t optional; they’re survival tools.
  3. Gardening in Rocky Soil
    Montana’s dirt isn’t some rich loam you find elsewhere. You learn to amend, double dig, and nurture your soil or watch your crops die. No green thumb? Forget it.
  4. Canning and Preserving
    You grow it, you don’t waste it. Knowing how to safely can, dry, and ferment your produce is the difference between feasting and starving come winter.
  5. Animal Husbandry
    It’s not petting zoo work; it’s constant vigilance over livestock health, breeding, and feed. Chickens, goats, cows — they don’t raise themselves.
  6. Basic Veterinary Care
    When your nearest vet is an hour away through snowdrifts, you better know how to handle minor injuries and illnesses yourself. No phone calls, no waiting rooms.
  7. Fence Building and Maintenance
    Keep your animals in, keep predators out. A fence that falls apart is a death sentence for your livestock.
  8. Water Management and Well Maintenance
    Water doesn’t magically appear. Wells freeze, pumps break, pipes burst — learn to fix your system or dry up.
  9. Blacksmithing and Tool Repair
    Tools wear out. Nails bend. If you can’t fix your tools or even forge simple replacements, you’re stuck.
  10. Fire Starting and Control
    In Montana’s dry seasons, wildfires are a real threat. Knowing how to start a fire safely for warmth or cooking, and how to control and prevent runaway fires, is vital.
  11. Trap Setting and Wild Game Processing
    When crops fail, you eat what you catch. Knowing how to trap and butcher wild game like rabbits, squirrels, or even deer is a crucial backup plan.
  12. Composting and Soil Building
    You can’t keep farming the same ground year after year without rebuilding your soil. Composting is hard work, but essential.
  13. Septic System Maintenance
    Not glamorous, but you better know how to maintain or repair your septic system. Otherwise, your homestead turns into a cesspool.
  14. Basic Plumbing and Electrical Repairs
    Unless you’re lucky enough to live completely off-grid, basic repairs on your plumbing and wiring save you money and prevent disaster.
  15. Winterizing Your Home and Equipment
    Montana winters are merciless. If you don’t winterize your home, vehicles, and tools, you’ll spend half the year repairing frozen pipes and busted engines.

Three DIY Homestead Hacks That’ll Save You Time, Money, and Your Sanity

1. Solar Water Heating From Old Car Radiators
Forget expensive solar panels or fancy setups. Take a used car radiator, paint it black, and set it in a south-facing window or on a roof frame. Connect it with some garden hoses and you’ve got a simple solar water heater for your bath or washing needs. It’s cheap, effective, and low-tech — perfect for a Montana homestead where every penny counts.

2. Chicken Coop Heat Using a Recycled Clay Pot Heater
Winter nights are killer on chickens, and electric heat lamps? No way, that’s a fire hazard and electricity guzzler. Instead, grab a terra cotta pot and a terracotta saucer, stack them over a small candle or tea light inside a metal holder, and you’ve got a tiny radiant heater for your coop that won’t burn your birds or blow your fuse.

3. DIY Cold Frame Using Old Windows
Want to stretch your growing season but can’t afford a fancy greenhouse? Scavenge old windows and build a cold frame box. It traps the sun’s heat during the day and protects seedlings from frost at night. It’s a simple, rustic solution that makes your garden grow longer and stronger without breaking the bank.

Why Montana Homesteading Isn’t for the Faint of Heart

People romanticize the Montana homestead lifestyle as some peaceful retreat from modern chaos, but it’s a relentless grind. Winters last half the year. The summers are short and intense. Predators lurk. Droughts, pests, and wildfires threaten your crops and livestock. If you think you’ll be sipping moonshine on the porch with a cute dog and a basket of freshly picked berries, wake up.

You’ll be waking up at dawn, hauling water, chopping wood until your back screams, fixing broken fences in the rain, butchering your own animals in the dead of winter, and preserving food until your kitchen looks like a jam factory. You’ll wrestle with stubborn soil, rats in the barn, and the heartbreak when a beloved animal gets sick and there’s no vet for miles.

The Reality Check No One Tells You

The Montana homestead lifestyle demands mastery — of skills, of problem-solving, of patience, and of plain old grit. You need to be resourceful enough to turn scraps into food and fuel. You need to be tough enough to wake up every morning knowing that if you don’t do your job, your family might freeze or starve.

This is not a hobby. It’s a full-on commitment that breaks most people. But for those who stick with it, there’s a fierce freedom here — the pride of feeding yourself, heating your own home, building your own life from the ground up. The kind of freedom you can’t buy.

So What’s the Bottom Line?

If you want to live the Montana homestead lifestyle, get ready to learn these skills — fast. There’s no room for laziness or romantic daydreams. The land demands respect and effort every single day.

  • Learn to butcher and process meat because your freezer depends on it.
  • Master wood splitting and chainsaw use so you don’t freeze.
  • Tend your soil like it’s your most precious crop — because it is.
  • Know how to fix fences, pumps, septic tanks, and tools — because nobody else will.
  • Preserve every scrap of food so you’re never caught empty-handed.
  • Build DIY solar heaters and cold frames from scraps because money is tight and ingenuity is everything.

Montana will chew you up and spit you out if you’re not prepared. But if you learn these skills and hustle like hell, you’ll own a slice of the wildest, most rewarding lifestyle out there.

Want it easy? Go back to the city. But if you’re ready to fight for every inch of your homestead, Montana’s waiting — fierce and unapologetic.

Missouri Homestead Lifestyle: Ain’t No Place for the Weak

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Missouri, Missouri Homestead Lifestyle, Missouri PreppersLeave a comment

Let me tell you something straight out of the gate — living on a Missouri homestead ain’t some picnic under the big sky. If you think you’re gonna stroll out here, plant a garden, and sip lemonade while watching the sunset, you’re dead wrong. This life is tough. It’s grit, sweat, and blood, day in and day out. Missouri’s got its charm — fertile soil, rolling hills, four seasons that don’t quit — but it’ll chew you up if you don’t know your business.

Now, before you go dreaming of your rustic cabin and bountiful harvest, listen up. You need to earn this life. No fancy stores, no delivery apps, no running to the corner for a pack of smokes or a gallon of milk. You’re the boss. You’re the farmer, the handyman, the cook, the nurse, and the defender of your patch of earth.

So, here’s what you need to stop whining about and start mastering if you want to survive and thrive on a Missouri homestead.

15 Homestead Skills You’d Better Learn — Fast

  1. Garden Like Your Life Depends on It
    Missouri’s climate means you get a decent growing season, but it’s not forgiving. You better know how to prepare your soil, rotate crops, and fend off pests naturally. Plant hearty vegetables — beans, tomatoes, corn, squash. Learn to save seeds because every seed counts.
  2. Preserve Food to Last Through Winter
    Can, dry, ferment, pickle — if you don’t know how to store your harvest, you’re screwed come January. Missouri winters may be cold, but they’ll starve you faster than a summer drought if you don’t have food stored.
  3. Raise Livestock Like a Pro
    Chickens for eggs, goats for milk, hogs for meat, and maybe a cow if you’re really committed. You better know how to build shelters, feed, and care for these animals. Sick animals don’t wait for the vet to show up; you’ll need to diagnose and treat them yourself.
  4. Basic Carpentry
    Your homestead isn’t a fancy hotel. You’ll be fixing fences, building coops, mending roofs. Nail that board, saw that timber, and don’t half-ass it. Missouri’s weather will tear apart anything shoddily built.
  5. Fence Building and Repair
    Nothing keeps predators or wandering critters out like a good fence. Electric or barbed wire, learn to stretch it tight and keep it upright. A broken fence is an open invitation to disaster.
  6. Water Management
    Know how to find, store, and purify water. Missouri has creeks and springs, but they’re seasonal. Rain barrels, cisterns, wells — make sure you can access clean water every day.
  7. Firewood Splitting and Stacking
    Winter comes, and when it does, you better have wood stacked and ready. Don’t expect to run to a gas station to heat your home. Learn to fell trees safely, split logs, and stack for good airflow.
  8. Herbal Medicine
    You can’t call 911 for every cut, bruise, or stomach ache. Know your herbs — echinacea, yarrow, mint, comfrey — and how to use them. Nature’s medicine is your first aid kit.
  9. Food Foraging
    Wild blackberries, ramps, morel mushrooms — Missouri’s woods and fields are a pantry if you know where to look and how to harvest safely.
  10. Canning and Jar Sealing
    Nothing says homesteader like a pantry full of jars. Learn to water-bath can or pressure can meats and low-acid vegetables. If you mess this up, you risk poisoning yourself and your family.
  11. Basic Plumbing and Electrical Repairs
    Sure, modern homesteads may have power and running water, but outages happen. Fix leaks, patch wiring, and troubleshoot systems. Don’t wait on a stranger to get your lights back on.
  12. Composting and Soil Building
    Healthy soil means healthy crops. Learn to compost kitchen scraps and manure, turn it into black gold, and keep your land fertile without chemicals.
  13. Animal Butchering and Processing
    If you raise animals, you better know how to process them for meat respectfully and efficiently. It’s not pretty, but it’s necessary.
  14. Mechanical Skills
    Tractors, mowers, generators — keep them running, or your life grinds to a halt. Know your machines inside out and keep tools sharp.
  15. Weather Forecasting Without an App
    Cloud formations, wind direction, pressure changes — learn to read the sky and ground. Missouri weather can switch on you fast, from drought to flood in days.

3 DIY Missouri Homestead Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Yesterday

1. Rain Barrel System with Mosquito Screens
Missouri gets plenty of rain, so don’t waste it. Set up rain barrels with fine mesh screens on top to keep mosquitoes out. Use this water for irrigation and washing — save your well water for drinking. Bonus: position barrels near downspouts and connect multiple barrels with hoses for bigger storage.

2. Solar-Powered Chicken Coop Door
Early mornings in Missouri are brutal — freezing cold or sweltering heat. Build a solar-powered automatic door for your chicken coop. It opens at dawn and closes at dusk, keeping your birds safe from raccoons and opossums without you having to run out in the dark or mud. A cheap timer, small solar panel, and some scrap wood can do the trick.

3. DIY Root Cellar Cooler with Earth and Straw
Missouri summers can get brutal, but your food doesn’t have to spoil. Dig a shallow hole on the north side of your house, build a small wooden box, and insulate it with layers of earth and straw. Use old window panes or shutters for a door. This cool spot keeps veggies crisp without electricity. Perfect for potatoes, carrots, apples — all the staples.

Why Missouri Homesteading Is No Joke

Missouri’s landscape may look soft — rolling hills, river valleys, oak forests — but this land demands respect. Tornado season will blow your fences to hell. Winters will freeze your pipes if you’re careless. Summer humidity breeds bugs and mold that will test your sanity.

But the people who stick it out here — they’re tough as nails. They rise before dawn, face the sweltering sun or freezing cold, and get their hands dirty every single day. You don’t just “homestead” here. You live it, bleed it, and swear to defend it.

If you want to be a real Missouri homesteader, don’t expect kindness or shortcuts. Expect hard work, constant learning, and adapting every season. Master these skills and hacks, and you’ll stand a chance. Ignore them, and this land will swallow you whole.

So quit dreaming, get out there, and do the work. Missouri homesteading is for the strong, the stubborn, and the relentless. And if that’s not you, best find another place to chase your fantasy because this is the real deal.

Wisconsin Homestead Lifestyle: The Gritty Truth from an Angry Homesteader

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Wisconsin, Wisconsin Homestead Lifestyle, Wisconsin survival prepperLeave a comment

Listen up, city slickers and armchair farmers! If you think homesteading in Wisconsin is a walk in the damn park, you’ve got another thing coming. This life isn’t for the faint-hearted or those expecting some quaint hobby to pass the weekend. No, sir. It’s a brutal, bone-chilling, sweat-drenched grind — and if you don’t respect the land and the craft, you’ll be eating your own dust before the frost even sets in.

I’ve been busting my ass on this Wisconsin homestead for years, through blizzards that’d freeze the hairs in your nostrils, mosquitoes as big as your fist, and soil that laughs at you when you try to coax a crop out of it. But if you’re stubborn enough to want to do it right, there are some damned fine skills you better master. Otherwise, you might as well pack up and hit the highway.

Homestead Skills Every Wisconsin Farmer Better Have:

  1. Timber Felling & Wood Splitting
    Wisconsin winters will kill you if you don’t have enough firewood. Chop it yourself or freeze your ass off.
  2. Soil Preparation & Crop Rotation
    Those lazy farmers who don’t rotate crops end up with barren dirt. You want a decent harvest? Know your dirt and plan your planting.
  3. Seed Saving
    Why buy seeds every season when you can save your own? Keeps the lineage strong and your costs low.
  4. Animal Husbandry
    Raising chickens, goats, or cows isn’t just feeding and petting. It’s about reading their damn behavior, catching sickness early, and keeping them alive through hell.
  5. Cheese Making
    Wisconsin is cheese country, and if you’ve got cows or goats, you better know how to turn their milk into something that’ll keep you fed and maybe sold at market.
  6. Preserving & Canning
    The harvest doesn’t last forever. If you want food in January, learn to jar, pickle, and seal like your life depends on it.
  7. Honey Beekeeping
    Bees are a pain, sure, but they’re crucial. You can’t have fruit or veggies without pollinators, and honey’s liquid gold in winter.
  8. Basic Carpentry
    Build your own fences, barns, chicken coops. No contractors here. If you want it done right, you do it yourself.
  9. Basic Plumbing & Repair
    Frozen pipes? Leaky faucets? Fix it before it ruins your house or your day.
  10. Welding & Metalwork
    Farm equipment breaks. Period. Welding skills can save you hundreds on repairs.
  11. Butchering & Meat Processing
    You raise animals for food, right? Knowing how to butcher cleanly and safely is a must.
  12. Trap & Hunt Wild Game
    There are days your garden fails. Knowing how to trap rabbits or hunt deer can be the difference between dinner or starvation.
  13. Soap & Candle Making
    Homemade soap and candles aren’t just quaint crafts. They’re essentials when stores are miles away or closed.
  14. Root Cellaring
    Wisconsin winters mean frozen ground. You better have a cool, dry place underground to store your crops.
  15. Emergency First Aid & Herbal Medicine
    Ambulances don’t come out to your farm in a blizzard. Know how to patch wounds and use wild herbs for basic medicine.

Here’s the damn truth: Without these skills, you’re just a poser playing at homesteading. And if you think you can run to Menards every time something breaks or you need supplies, you’re dead wrong. The Wisconsin homestead life is about doing it yourself — or you don’t eat.

Now, I’m not just here to bitch; I’m here to arm you with some DIY hacks that’ve saved my skin more times than I can count. Listen carefully, because these aren’t your usual Pinterest fluff:

DIY Homestead Hacks for Wisconsin Warriors

Hack #1: The ‘Double-Walled Firewood Stack’
Winter will suck the marrow from your bones, especially with the wind tunnels that Wisconsin farms catch. Instead of stacking your firewood in a single pile, build two parallel rows about a foot apart. Fill the gap with dried leaves, pine needles, or shredded paper. This creates a windbreak that keeps your wood dry and ready to burn. Wet wood is worthless and just creates smoke that’ll choke you. This hack keeps your fire blazing longer and your home warmer.

Hack #2: DIY Root Cellar Cool Box
If you don’t have a fancy root cellar, don’t despair. Dig a deep hole in a shady spot (a north-facing hill works best). Line the hole with pallets or bricks for airflow and stack your veggies inside crates. Cover with burlap sacks, then soil and straw on top. This makeshift cellar stays cool and moist, perfect for potatoes, carrots, and onions through the freezing Wisconsin winter.

Hack #3: Chicken Coop Predator Proofing with Old Tires
Coyotes and raccoons love picking off your chickens like an all-you-can-eat buffet. To keep ’em out, place old tires vertically around the coop perimeter and fill them with gravel or dirt. The tires form a buffer that critters can’t easily dig through, and the weight holds down any flaps or chicken wire. It’s cheap, effective, and keeps your hens safe.

You want to know why homesteading in Wisconsin beats the hell out of you? Because this state demands respect. You can’t half-ass it, and you damn sure can’t expect it to hand you blessings on a silver platter. You’ve got snow that stays for half the year, insects that feast like it’s a banquet, and soil that sometimes acts like it’s more rock than dirt.

And don’t get me started on the government red tape and zoning laws that make you jump through hoops just to build a damn chicken coop. It’s like they want to keep us small farmers out so big corporations can turn the land into more cornfields and strip malls.

But we keep at it. Because there’s no sweeter pride than eating the food you grew, drinking the milk from your own cows, and warming yourself by a fire built with your own hands. We’re the backbone of this land, even if the city folks don’t see it.

If you’re serious about Wisconsin homesteading, put down the latte and pick up an ax. Learn those skills or starve. Build those fences, fix that tractor, tend those animals. And when winter comes, you’ll be the one with food on the table and warmth in your bones — while the rest are shivering behind their screens.

This lifestyle isn’t for everyone. It’s hard, it’s ugly, and it’s relentless. But if you’ve got the grit to survive, the rewards are sweeter than anything that comes pre-packaged from the supermarket.

Now get out there and earn your homestead.

Food Security 101: Top 10 Stockpile Staples

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn Food stockpiling, Homesteads, SHTFLeave a comment

Food Security 101: Top 10 Stockpile Staples for the Homestead

Living on a homestead is more than just a lifestyle choice; it’s a commitment to self-sufficiency and preparedness. One of the most important aspects of this way of life is ensuring that you have a solid foundation for food security. There’s a certain peace of mind that comes from knowing you can feed your family no matter what the world throws your way. Whether you’re preparing for an unexpected crisis or simply want to make sure you’re well-stocked for the long haul, knowing what to stockpile is key.

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Food security on the homestead isn’t just about having enough food in the pantry. It’s about being resourceful, thinking ahead, and building up a collection of staples that will help your family thrive, even in uncertain times. There’s a strong sense of responsibility when it comes to providing for yourself and your loved ones. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 5:8, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” As homesteaders, we take that verse to heart, ensuring that we are prepared and able to provide for our families.

Let’s dive into the top 10 food stockpile staples that every homesteader should have. These items will not only provide you with essential nutrition but will also give you peace of mind knowing that you’re ready for whatever the future may bring.

1. Canned Goods

Canned goods are an absolute essential in any food stockpile. They have a long shelf life, are easy to store, and can provide you with a wide range of meal options in a pinch. Stocking up on canned vegetables, beans, soups, meats, and fruits will ensure that you have access to nutrients even when fresh food isn’t available. When purchasing canned goods, make sure to check expiration dates and rotate your stock regularly to ensure freshness.

Tip #1: Always buy a variety of canned goods to prevent food fatigue—opt for a mix of vegetables, meats, beans, and fruits.

2. Grains (Rice, Oats, and Quinoa)

Grains are a staple of any long-term food storage plan because they’re versatile, nutrient-dense, and easy to store. Rice is a homesteader’s best friend—it’s cheap, stores well, and can be used in a variety of dishes. Oats are perfect for breakfast and can be used in baked goods or as a thickener for soups and stews. Quinoa, while a bit pricier, is a great gluten-free option that packs a lot of protein and fiber.

Tip #2: Consider purchasing grains in bulk to save money, and store them in airtight containers to protect them from pests and moisture.

3. Beans and Legumes

Beans are another essential staple for homesteaders. They’re full of protein and fiber, which makes them an excellent choice for maintaining a balanced diet. Dried beans have an incredibly long shelf life, which is why they’re a popular item for long-term food storage. Stock up on various types, including black beans, kidney beans, lentils, and chickpeas. They’re perfect for soups, stews, salads, or as a main dish.

Tip #3: Buy dried beans in bulk and be sure to soak them before cooking to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility.

4. Salt and Spices

Salt is one of the most important stockpile items you can have—not only for flavoring food but for preservation as well. Salt is a time-tested method for curing meats, preserving vegetables, and seasoning dishes. Alongside salt, don’t forget to stock up on your favorite spices. Fresh herbs may not always be available, but dried herbs and spices can transform a basic meal into something flavorful and comforting.

Tip #4: Store salt in airtight containers, and consider vacuum-sealing smaller spice packets for long-term freshness.

5. Sugar and Honey

Sugar and honey are important staples for sweetening dishes and making preserves. Sugar is also crucial in the process of canning fruits and vegetables. Honey, on the other hand, has natural antibacterial properties and can be used in many medicinal and culinary ways. Both have a long shelf life and can be used in a variety of recipes.

Tip #5: Store sugar in airtight containers to prevent clumping, and opt for raw honey if possible, as it has a longer shelf life.

6. Flour and Baking Ingredients

If you’re a homesteader, you likely do a lot of baking. Flour, yeast, and other baking ingredients are essential for creating bread, muffins, pancakes, and other staples. Flour has a relatively long shelf life when stored properly, but make sure to rotate it regularly and keep it in airtight containers. You’ll also want to have a variety of other baking essentials like baking powder, soda, and cornstarch on hand.

Tip #6: Consider storing flour in the freezer for longer shelf life and to prevent pests from getting into it.

7. Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Foods

Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are perfect for the homestead pantry. They’re lightweight, easy to store, and offer a great shelf life, making them an excellent addition to any emergency stockpile. Freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, and even meats can provide valuable nutrition when fresh food is not available. These foods can be rehydrated with water and used in a variety of recipes.

Tip #7: Consider investing in a food dehydrator or freeze dryer to make your own dehydrated food at home for ultimate self-sufficiency.

8. Canned Dairy or Powdered Milk

Dairy can be difficult to store long-term, but there are options that will ensure you don’t miss out on this important part of your diet. Canned dairy and powdered milk are both excellent choices for homesteaders looking to stock up. They may not replace fresh milk, but they’re great for cooking, baking, and making drinks. Powdered milk can also be used to make cheese or yogurt, providing valuable protein and calcium.

Tip #8: Store powdered milk in airtight containers and keep it in a cool, dark place to extend its shelf life.

9. Root Vegetables (Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions)

Root vegetables are an essential part of any homestead’s food stockpile. They store well, provide essential vitamins and minerals, and can be eaten in a variety of ways. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are packed with carbohydrates and can be used in everything from soups to casseroles. Onions are a great addition to many dishes and can be dehydrated for long-term storage.

Tip #9: Store root vegetables in a cool, dry place to prevent sprouting and spoilage. If possible, grow your own to increase self-sufficiency.

10. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense and packed with protein, fats, and vitamins. Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are great options for your stockpile. They can be eaten as snacks, added to meals, or used for making nut butters. These foods are especially helpful in adding variety and texture to your meals.

Tip #10: Store nuts and seeds in airtight containers or vacuum-seal bags to prevent them from going rancid due to exposure to air.

10 Homestead Tips for Food Security:

  1. Rotate your stock regularly – Make sure you’re using older items first and replenishing your stock to keep everything fresh.
  2. Preserve your own food – Canning, dehydrating, and freezing your homegrown produce helps build up your food security.
  3. Grow a garden – The best way to ensure a steady supply of fresh food is by growing it yourself.
  4. Start a compost pile – Composting kitchen scraps will help nourish your garden, ensuring you have a sustainable food source.
  5. Invest in root cellars – A root cellar is a great way to store vegetables and fruits for long periods, keeping them fresh without refrigeration.
  6. Learn to forage – Wild edibles can supplement your food supply, and knowledge of local plants can be invaluable.
  7. Preserve your own meat – Learn to butcher and preserve meat through methods like curing, smoking, or canning.
  8. Store water – Having a water filtration system and backup water supplies is just as important as food.
  9. Barter with neighbors – Building strong relationships within your community can be a valuable resource for exchanging goods and services.
  10. Be prepared for emergencies – Having a well-stocked pantry and emergency plan in place will give you peace of mind.

Buzz Off Naturally: Chemical-Free Mosquito Solutions

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn end times prepper, PreppersLeave a comment

Buzz Off Naturally: Chemical-Free Mosquito Solutions for Preppers

It’s that time of year again, folks. The sun’s hanging longer in the sky, the air’s getting thick, and the bugs—especially the blood-sucking kind—are coming out in force.

I was sitting outside on my porch the other evening, enjoying a rare moment of peace. I had my gear packed by the door, the radio tuned in to emergency chatter, and a thermos of hot pine-needle tea in my hand. Everything was calm.

And then I heard it.

“BZZZZZZ.”

That high-pitched whine that cuts through the quiet like a bullet through a tarp. I didn’t even have to look. I knew what it was. A goddamn mosquito.

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Now, for the average person, that might just mean an itchy arm or two. But for those of us who live the prepper lifestyle—who plan, train, and prepare for what most people deny is coming—a mosquito is more than just a nuisance. It’s a threat. And in a true survival situation, it can be a deadly one.

Let’s break this down like survivalists should.

The Real Threat Mosquitoes Pose

Sure, they’re annoying. They bite, they itch, they buzz. But in a bug-out scenario, or even just extended time off-grid, they can do a hell of a lot more damage than that.

  • They contaminate food and water: One mosquito in your water stash or ration bag can render it unusable—or worse, dangerous.
  • They disrupt sleep: Try pulling night watch with a cloud of skeeters around your face. You’ll get no rest, and your reaction time the next day could cost you your life.
  • They carry disease: Zika, West Nile, malaria—mosquitoes are flying hypodermic needles loaded with disease. In a grid-down scenario, you won’t have access to hospitals, vaccines, or antibiotics.

That’s why I’ve spent years learning how to repel mosquitoes naturally, without relying on commercial sprays full of chemicals I can’t pronounce. In a survival situation, you might not have a store to run to. But you will have nature.

Let’s get into it.

1. Plant-Based Defenses

Nature gave us the tools. You just have to use ‘em.

Citronella, lavender, basil, lemongrass, peppermint, and marigolds are your front-line defense. These plants emit strong scents that mosquitoes absolutely hate. If you’re bugging in, plant these around your perimeter—windows, doors, and patios. If you’re bugging out, keep seeds in your go-bag or crush leaves to rub on your skin.

Prepper Tip #1: Keep heirloom seeds of mosquito-repelling plants in your survival seed vault. They’ll grow year after year without corporate dependence.

2. Essential Oils Aren’t Just for Hippies

Don’t let the aromatherapy crowd fool you—essential oils are a prepper’s secret weapon. Tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon balm, cedarwood, and clove oil are all potent mosquito repellents. Mix them with a carrier oil (like coconut or olive) and rub onto exposed skin.

Prepper Tip #2: Stash a few essential oils in your bug-out bag. They’re lightweight, multi-purpose, and last forever if sealed properly.

Prepper Tip #3: Use soaked cotton balls in film canisters (or spent shotgun shells) with a few drops of oil for on-the-go repellents.

3. Standing Water = Breeding Grounds

This one’s basic, but often overlooked. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still, stagnant water. That birdbath? That tarp sagging under rainwater? That forgotten bucket behind your shed? It’s a mosquito maternity ward.

Drain it. Flip it. Burn it if you have to.

Prepper Tip #4: In a bug-out camp, dig your gray water pit far from your sleeping area and cover it with leaves or brush.

Prepper Tip #5: Carry a small vial of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) tablets in your kit. It’s a natural bacteria that kills mosquito larvae without harming wildlife.

4. Garlic – Not Just for Vampires

Turns out, mosquitoes hate garlic almost as much as the undead do. Crush it, boil it, and spray it. You can mix a few cloves with water and spritz it on plants, clothes, or even around your tent.

Prepper Tip #6: Eat garlic regularly in the summer. It seeps out through your pores and makes your scent less attractive to bloodsuckers.

5. Smoke: The Old-School Method

Mosquitoes are weak flyers and even weaker when it comes to smoke. A campfire, a charcoal tin, or even smoldering herbs like sage and rosemary will keep them at bay. Bonus—it also masks your scent from other threats.

Prepper Tip #7: Pack dried herbs for burning. Sage and rosemary bundles are easy to make, store, and use.

6. DIY Mosquito Traps

Make your own bait traps using sugar water and yeast. The CO₂ emitted mimics human breath and draws them in. Once inside the bottle, they drown.

Prepper Tip #8: In a stationary camp, set multiple traps around your perimeter to draw mosquitoes away from your living quarters.

7. Natural Clothing Treatments

You don’t need DEET. Soak your clothes in permethrin before a trip—it’s derived from chrysanthemum flowers and lasts several washes. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to your laundry for lightweight protection.

Prepper Tip #9: Treat bandanas and neck gaiters with oils or permethrin. It’ll protect vital areas like your neck, face, and wrists.

8. Camp Hygiene = Fewer Bugs

Sweat, dirty socks, and food waste attract more than just bears. Stay clean. Bury waste. Use vinegar or lemon juice in your wash water to neutralize odors.

Prepper Tip #10: Sprinkle wood ash around your tent or bedroll—it helps absorb odors and deters insects.

Final Thoughts

Look, mosquitoes aren’t just annoying—they’re a legitimate threat to your survival. In the field, in the woods, or even in your own backyard, they can wreck your sleep, spread disease, and make an already tough situation unbearable.

But you don’t need to rely on a can of DEET and hope for the best. You can fight back, naturally, using the resources around you. Because if you’re serious about preparedness, you know the battle doesn’t end when the grid goes down—it just changes shape.

So this summer, take action. Build your mosquito defense plan. Stock the right oils, grow the right plants, treat your gear, and stay alert.

Because when the world’s gone sideways, the last thing you need is to be grounded by a damn mosquito.