Articles

  • Why the Homestead Life Rejects Convenience

    Why the Homestead Life Rejects Convenience

    We live in a world of pre-sliced cheese, next-day shipping, and programmable thermostats. You can go years without touching real dirt, making real food, or solving a real problem with your own two hands. Everything is engineered to be as smooth, fast, and frictionless as possible. We call it “convenience.” But maybe that word isn’t Read more

  • Lessons of Thrift from a Civil War Era Farmer

    Lessons of Thrift from a Civil War Era Farmer

    Edmund Morris’ book Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming presents a unique view into the life of an ordinary man, who like many today, dreamt of moving to the country as a small time farmer. Morris describes how he in his mid 40s purchased just ten acres in rural New Jersey Read more

  • To Farm, Or Not to Farm

    To Farm, Or Not to Farm

    The idea of quitting my day job and turning the homestead into a for-profit farm is an alluring idea. In sum, what I can’t help but contemplate regularly is whether I really want to be a homesteader or a farmer, a grower for my family or for the larger community. While the idea of ditching Read more

  • Analysis Paralysis on the Homestead

    Analysis Paralysis on the Homestead

    Homesteaders want to do many things, often with limited budget, space, and time. Particularly in those first few years, many will feel overwhelmed by the dozens of projects they want to complete. I feel this acutely, especially when I estimate the expense and time required to complete even half those projects, many involving skills I Read more

  • One Rule of Farming to Never Forget

    One Rule of Farming to Never Forget

    There are many little rules to farming or homesteading, some passed down from grandparents, some learned from experience, and others learned from YouTube or blogs. There is one rule I’ve come to learn through experience and lots of research into different homesteading endeavors. The rule that I find is little talked about but rarely broken Read more

  • Why I Bought a Compact Tractor (and not any other farm vehicles)

    Why I Bought a Compact Tractor (and not any other farm vehicles)

    Ideally, I would have an ATV, a UTV, a farm truck, a back-hoe, and a compact tractor (heck, throw in a super-sized tractor since it’s all hypothetical), but I (like most of you) don’t have a couple hundred thousand dollars laying around (yet – still hoping God wills me a stray winning lottery ticket). However, Read more