For most of the twentieth century, people believed that lard was indigestible and unhealthy. They mistakenly believed that eating foods that contained cholesterol would raise your cholesterol, which would lead to heart disease. We now know that all the above … Read More
As an Amazon, Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As I’m getting started with pigs, I was happy to discover Homegrown Pork: Humane, Healthful Techniques for Raising a Pig for Food by Sue Weaver, and I can’t imagine a more comprehensive … Read More
When you decide to start a homestead, whether in the city or country, it can be tempting to buy a few critters of every species that you can afford and that your property or home owner’s association will allow. But … Read More
When people are new to owning livestock, they usually don’t want to have too many males. When I’m asked a question like, “Can I breed a buck (or ram or boar or whatever) to his daughter?” I usually say, you … Read More
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Pig Tales: An Omnivore’s Quest for Sustainable Meat by Barry Estabrook gives you the inside scoop on all things porcine, from wild hogs to pastured domesticated hogs, and hogs that spend … Read More
When people get their first pigs, or any livestock for that matter, they often worry about how they will handle winter. It doesn’t matter whether they’re in Missouri or Michigan. This is understandable since we wimpy humans would quickly die … Read More
If you don’t grow 100% of your own meat like we do, then how do you know what meat is the best? What does grass-fed beef mean? What about pastured pork? What is free-range chicken? What do meat labels … Read More
If you raise cattle, pigs, sheep, and other four-legged animals, how can you sell meat? You have two basic options. You can have your meat processed and then sell individual cuts, either wholesale or retail, which means you are selling meat. … Read More
If you’ve decided to add pigs to your homestead, the next question is, “which breed?” I am partial to the heritage breeds because they do well on pasture. Initially we raised Tamworths, which we purchased from a breeder in the … Read More
When we moved to the country, we had been vegetarians for 13 years, and we remained vegetarian for another year, then we very gradually started eating a bit of our own chicken here and there, as well as one of … Read More
Thrifty Homesteader was created in 2012 after the publication of my second book, Ecothrifty. The name was coined by one of my followers because I said that I didn’t want anyone to think that they had to be rich to homestead or live a greener life....
