Category: homesteading

I love the taste of chestnuts, but since they are not common where I live, they are hard to come across. We were lucky enough to find some fresh ones at one of our local grocery stores at the end of December. So here we are. Roasting them on top of our woodstove. Most of my children do not like…

I look outside this morning and see snow on the ground. Yet, it is time to plant my tomatoes and peppers inside. Are you ready to start thinking about your garden yet? Every year we start our seedlings early. We could purchase plants in the spring as well, which we do if we don’t have seedling success. Although we have…

Making life simpler We have added all of the items that we listed below on our Amazon Shopping cart as well. https://www.amazon.com/shop/krismazy Kitchen tips and tricks Can you imagine living in a world with no or limited power? I can see a future with no power or a limited time/amount of power that each family can use. What are some of…

I love soups! I have always loved soups. Especially with a larger family… Want to make it bigger for more people, just add a few more things into the pot! We double and even triple this recipe – You will need a HUGE cooking pot to do this with. We are going to be freeze-drying a batch of this as…

I have searched high and low online for a copy of the freeze-dry cheat sheet. And I couldn’t find a print copy. So here is one that our family will add to as we gather and research more. Come back often to see if it has been updated! – (Last updated 10/29/2019)

Did you have any idea that you could make healthy dog treats and food in your freeze dryer? I am here to tell you! Yes, you can!! We like to make our dogs healthy and “raw” treats and food when we can. Over the last few years, I have been collecting offals (hearts, livers, etc) from many of the animals…

Welcome to another video using freeze-dried foods from our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. Here is a summary of what we thought of this batch: Frozen Peas – rehydrated in boiling water – taste just like frozen peas. Mangoes – eaten dried – kids gave 2 thumbs up as a fruit snack. Caramel Apples – Caramel was bubbly from the sugar….

Every week, we have new items in our freeze dryer for storage and for snacks for the kids. I love having freeze-dried fruit on hand for the kids so that they can have fruit available even if it is days away from grocery day or even the wrong season. Today’s video is all about Freeze-dried apples and peaches.

Saving Food by Freeze Drying 2-1/2 years ago, our family took the plunge and purchased a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. I wasn’t certain if the price = what we would save. Well, I can honestly save that after 2-1/2 years I LOVE my machine and I think that I have had enough time to test it. I did blow out…

Kunekunes are an AMAZING breed of pigs that we have had on our homestead for over 5 years now. We use them often when people request us to come and share our animals as part of a “petting zoo program.” Mama Pumpkin is one of our most requested animals to share.  Our family jokes that they are called “War Pigs”…

The obvious answers are that I love the lifestyle. I love the fresh veggies. I love the fresh meat and knowing where my food comes from. I love the sweat and tears. I love the animals. I love the time that I spend with my family while we are working on different projects. But one answer that I give more…

Throughout our lives as homesteaders, I wanted to make sure that my family were able to know all about the animals that we have, both large and small stock. Last night, we were honored to be a part of a local jackpot show. We are proud members of the Chino Valley FFA Pals group for all of my younger kids….

It is that time of the year. The summer for public school kids in our area is coming to a close. I love that we have a bit of freedom in our homeschooling. We have a handful of projects to still get worked on our homestead for this summer season Our aquaponics system is being put back up. In this…

Spring is here and so is the arrival of new baby kunekunes. They will be available for their new homes at the end of July 2019.

If you haven’t already organized… now is the time. Get those seeds organized and ready to plant. If you haven’t already seen our organizing tip video on your seeds, check out this post: https://krisandlarry.com/2019/01/25/seed-storage-and-other-tips-to-start-your-garden/ This week, I went onto Amazon and picked up empty planting 6-packs (Amazon Link). I picked up 720 cells which are 120 6-packs. There are listings…

20 years of researching has led me to the conclusion that you can homestead on truly any size property. You just have to have GREAT organizational skills on smaller properties to streamline what you want to accomplish. Here is a link to homesteading.com and 15 homesteading ideas for your property. https://homesteading.com/homestead-farm-design-ideas/

Download the 2019 Yavapai County Planting Schedule Over the last 20 years, I have been able to streamline how we store and use our seeds for our gardens. Check out the quick video below!

Our baby “War Pigs” have grown up and that includes Haka, the littlest runt from the litter of December 2017.  If you were at the Heights Church for the Christmas Eve services in 2017, you were able to see a litter of 3 day old baby kunekunes. (I added a few photos below) So here is a picture of Haka,…

The Benefits Of Raising Mealworms  Mealworms are an ultimate healthy snack for chickens, ducks, geese, and quail. They are jam packed with protein and something that your critters absolutely love. We raise our mealworms to feed to our hatching babies in the house. We raise (Grand Champion) Quail. The babies go CRAZY over the mealworms that we put in their feeders….

My children know that when they are starting to feel yucky, they can just go into the fridge and get out the elderberry syrup. And all they need to do is to take a spoonful. We have been making this for years.  Ingredients 3/4 cup dried elderberries (There are many places to get these… The best price that I have…

Have you met a Muscovy Duck? Muscovies are not related to any other duck, in fact, some believe they are possibly descended from geese rather than ducks. They are amazing additions to any homestead or farm.  Muscovies are a silent duck (Yes, you read that, they.do.not.quack) and they have amazing caruncles on their face and necks. They also have long…