My new book, Homegrown and Handmade, second edition, comes out next month, and I'm incredibly honored that farmer extraordinaire Joel Salatin wrote the Foreword. ~~ Deborah by Joel Salatin "What can I do?" The question encompasses both the angst and hope of people touched by personal gravitas in a dysfunctional world. It's perhaps the most common request I receive in my … [Read more...]
Foreword by Joel Salatin:
Making the hard decisions
Someone once told me that she attended a conference where one of the presenters asked the audience, "How many of you can't stand the thought of a dead animal?" A number of people raised their hands. Then the presenter said, "Then don't get any live ones because they all die." Wow! That's harsh! I could never do that to an audience. But that man was absolutely right. They all … [Read more...]
Book review: Plowing with Pigs
I was originally drawn to Plowing with Pigs and Other Creative, Low-Budget Homesteading Solutions because I am planning to raise pigs, but it turns out you really can't judge a book by its cover! While there is a chapter about pigs and the many ways they can help you around your homestead, this book is actually a collection of many different affordable homestead solutions. The … [Read more...]
Jewelry on the homestead
When it comes to jewelry on the homestead, you have to think about your safety, your animals' safety, and your happiness, in no particular order. Fifteen years ago when we moved out here from the city, I loved to wear jewelry all the time. That changed one day when a goat tried to rip off my necklace. Amazingly, I was able to rescue the necklace before she broke the chain. That … [Read more...]
Setting homesteading goals for 2017
You've probably thought about what you'd like to accomplish in 2017. I sure have! Most people talk about "resolutions" for the new year, but did you know that most resolutions are forgotten before the end of January? In fact, one statistic says that only 8 percent are accomplished! So, instead of resolutions, I want to talk about goals for the new year. People take goals … [Read more...]
A new voice for aspiring homesteaders
Because I've been at this homesteading thing since 2002, it gets a little tough sometimes to remember how things were in the early days. Of course, I will never forget my biggest bloopers and real tragedies, but I don't always remember the little questions I had. That's why I'm excited to welcome Janie to the Thrifty Homesteader team. She and her husband are at the very … [Read more...]
4 steps to time management on the homestead
How do you get everything done? That's probably the most common question I'm asked about homesteading. Time management on the homestead really is not any different than time management in professions that are characterized by a fair amount of unpredictability and lack of control. We could argue for hours about which one is more unpredictable and uncontrollable -- the weather or … [Read more...]
5 things you need to survive winter
When we first moved to the country in 2002, I had no idea what I needed to survive the outdoors during winter. That first year, I was so cold because I wasn't dressing properly for the weather. Over the years, I gradually started shopping more at the farm supply stores and less at the mall. Although it might seem that they have a lot of the same products, such as coats and … [Read more...]
6 reasons homesteaders need a kitchen scale
When I started reading about how to make soap, I noticed that everyone said I needed to have a digital kitchen scale. Why do I need a scale to make soap when people have been making soap for thousands of years? Eventually I learned that when people made soap historically, they used whatever oil was available locally, which usually meant lard or tallow in the U.S., coconut or … [Read more...]
Homesteading in Nigeria
In 2002, Katharine Norton left her home in Ireland to move to east Africa to work in Bible translation. Last year, she and her husband and 9-year-old daughter moved to Nigeria where they started a homesteading lifestyle, along with three goats, four chickens, and a kitten. In addition to homesteading, Katharine also homeschools their daughter. There are no restrictions or … [Read more...]