This is about the fourth year we have been raising some of our own food, and while each year we get a little better, this year we are cutting back a little and trying to conserve some of our time. We are focused on trying to learn the layout of our future homestead, so instead of having a lot of experiments at our home, we are focusing on what we have some success with. Continue reading
A few weeks ago we showed how to make a small rocket stove using a recycled #10 can and a few old soup cans.
It was a cool project, but I quickly got a couple emails from people wanting to see how to actually use the darn thing.
It is pretty simple.
Its called a rocket stove because the design causes a draft much like a rocket, so it WANTS to burn. Continue reading
As a byproduct of keeping bees, I have a lot of wax, which lead me into candle making. Simple beeswax candles are very easy to make, last a long time, don’t smoke or leave soot, and make a very clear light. However, they can be large and take up too much space to put in small survival or bug out kits.
Today we will use scrap to make a very small candle that fits very well in minimalist kits as well as weighing next to nothing. Continue reading
This is a very simple trick to get a long lasting emergency light for very low cost.
Simply take a tub of shortening, insert a natural fiber wick (I use cotton string) and light.
As the shortening melts it is wicked up and burned. I have heard a tub of shortening can last as a candle up to 48 hours. Personally I have not timed it, but it I do think it can last a while.
If you need more light (or heat) you can add additional wicks – but obviously this will decrease the longevity of the candle.
As with any candle you must use common sense and never leave it burning unattended or in a closed environment.
Hope this is helpful.
Continue reading
We have been teaching for the past 10 years, and have been running the YouTube Channel and website in its current direction for the past couple, but we have had our dream to build a sustainable homestead/teaching center/community resource for the past 30. It has taken us a long time to get to a point where we could expand.
We are very pleased to announce that we recently purchased 15+ acres in Wayne County TN and will, over time, begin to take our dream and shape it in the real world.
We looked long and hard to find the right land, in the right configuration, in the right area – and while Wayne county was outside our preference of an “easy” drive from Nashville, the land was so perfect in other areas that this plot won out. Continue reading
