Homesteading Products for Self Sufficiency.

Going off grid is an attractive option if you want a more self sufficiency and minimum dependence on established institutions. Having a life where you do not depend on the electrical grid meansyou produce your own power sufficient to run all your electrical devices.   

Most people view life on a homestead as laid-back and romantic. However, the nice, slow, and dreamy lifestyle requires hard work and necessary tools, skills, and knowledge that you may not need beyond a homestead life.

If you are thinking of starting your homestead journey, or need to re-evaluate your current setup, this article has listed several vital homesteading products for your self sufficiency.

Generator

Homesteading without a generator can result to a wide range of inconveniences. Property owners do not have to worry about being stuck in the dark or in the freezing cold again. Powered by natural gas or liquid propane fuel, generators offer property owners peace of mind during a power outage by providing a reliable flow of power. There are various generators available on the market with different capabilities. Getting a whole house generator is the best decision since it can power various major appliances for days after a power blackout.

Aga

A stove with top hot plates that run at different, pre-set temperatures and enameled ovens with cast iron. Gasoline, electricity, oil, and propane gas can power the stove. Several versions of the AGA are available with two hot plates at the top, which replace burners on the modern stoves. The hinged, insulated lids that cover the plates maintain continuous heat when a user swings them down onto the hot plates not in use. That results to using minimal resources to cook, heat, or bake for an extended period.

Solar dehydrator

The system uses the same principal of ancient vegetable drying. Solar dehydrator use solar energy to dry food. The technology and capital required for this homesteading product is basic, and one can complete the operation at the comfort of their kitchen. It helps in extending the shelf life of vegetables and fruits. The device dries substances within a short period since it is warmer inside the dryer compared to the outside. Also, a solar dehydrator is labour saving since one can leave their product to dry overnight and protect the food against pests, flies, dust, and rain.     

Solar charger

The charger uses solar energy to provide batteries with electricity supply. A solar charge is portable and can be charged using sunlight. Solar chargers are good in a pinch for emergency scenarios. Solar chargers are good in a pinch for emergency scenarios. To make an emergency call, a solar powered charger will top off your phone just enough. If you find yourself in a remote area where no other power source is available, it is beneficial. Solar chargers can be a lifeline, especially in areas where blackouts are likely to occur, or in cases of natural disasters.

Wind turbine generator

The system is a reliable source of power that uses wind to create mechanical power. Wind energy does not cause air pollution compared to power plants that depend on combustion of natural gas and coal. A wind turbine generator converts the mechanical power into electricity for human use. Wind turbine generators provide users with unlimited free and clean source of fuel. The sustainable power source is not different from solar energy. A cost-effective renewable energy technology cost around six cents per kilowatt-hour. As long as the wind blows, the wind energy generator will provide energy for all your self sufficiency.

Rocket stove

The super-efficient small combustion stove is necessary for self sufficient. The rocket stove uses small fuel sources, such as twigs, dry grass, tree branches, and pine cones. One can build this stove within a day or two and watch it transform twigs into heat efficiently compared to most wood stoves, with much less set-up costs. It can cost practically nothing to create, if you are good at scavenging parts, and you can get the fuel you need to cook dinner, heat your house, and enjoy a nice hot shower when you prune your fruit trees.

Pickling kit

Pickled vegetables offer users with a wide range of health benefits, including enhancing the intestinal flora and the immune system, as well as increasing bacterial diversity. A Pickling Kit provides users with everything needed to come up with the ideal anaerobic fermentation environment.  

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a structure that one uses transparent materials, like glass, to make the walls and roofs. The structure is mainly used to cultivate plants that require controlled weather. Greenhouses vary in scale from small sheds to industrial-sized houses. It can provide endless hours of leisure and a constant supply of wholesome food for self sufficiency. When using the homestead greenhouse, the advantages of raising your own healthy plants and vegetables, extending the growing season, and even the chance of helping to heat your home are definitely possibilities.

Cupboard cold frame

The box is effective in a garden over plants to protect them from unfavorable weather. It is ground low and has a translucent roof, which enables easy access to light and has a hinge to ensure easy access. Cold cupboard assist in temperature control. Its man aim is to allow gardeners during winter to protect their plants from the wind, rain, snow and other poor weather. They are also helpful in hardening young plants, including semi-hardy annuals and plants. In autumn, it is essential in shielding cuttings and young plants from cooling, unsettled weather and first frost.

Cider press

The fruit press helps in separating fruit solids such as stem, leaves, skins, pulp, nuts, and detritus from fruit juice. The press grinds apples into pulp and presses the juices out. Liquid gold flows immediately you press. 30 seconds are enough to convert a fruit into juice in your glass. There is a wide range of different press styles, including the very basic hand press, and the conventional cider press with a grinder. The benefit of using a Cider press is that one can use it to press not only apples but also other fruits.

Water filter

The water filter eliminates impurities in water using either fine physical obstruction, biological process, or chemical process. Through physical filtration, water is strained to extract larger particles, often via a gauze-like membrane. It processes water with proprietary intelligent technology to eliminate impurities using chemical filtration. Similarly, in areas where municipal water is not available, drinking water supplies should be filtered. It is absolutely worth to install a filter that eliminates contaminant from your water source and make sure it is held properly.

Cheese making kit

Compared to the ancient techniques of making cheese, cheese making kits are a changeover since they are cost-effective, effective and universal. The kits come with everything you would want in a nice box to get your cheese trip started. Using a kit simplifies the process by eliminating the necessity of ordering a list of ingredients and is also suitable for professional cheese makers who appreciate comfort.

Storage jars

A list of homesteading products is not complete without storage jars for self sufficiency. A storage jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical glass, ceramic or plastic container with a large, open mouth covered with a lid, screw cap, lug cap, cork stopper, or roller cap. The mason jar is one of the most popular storage jars that can be used for storage and conservation of a wide range of products including, spickles, marmalade, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, jalapeño, chutney peppers, spiced eggs, honey, and many more.

Storage rack

One can store various items in a storage rack. You can use the product either for industrial or personal purposes. Modern homes do not need a cellar since they now depend on the practical and good-looking storage rack in storing anything needed. Currently, there are shelf unit storage racks available. They need no attachments. You just have to buy a rack and you are ready to store all your things. Storage racks provide an advanced storage design with much-needed space and commonly assembled by bolting, clipping, or welding.

Composter

One can recycle food and plant products into bone meal using composters. In order to do this, a user need to use any substances in the food and plant category in the composter. If the neighboring comparator faces away from the composter, it emits up to 8 signal strength depending on the block completeness. Composters seem to have a vacuum inside. Entities can therefore enter and leave the composter at the top. The height of the composter’s floor depends on its fullness. The floor is just above the block below when the composter is entirely empty. When loaded completely, the upper floor is slightly dipped.

Water butt

It is a large barrel that harvests rain water as it flows off from the roof. If used correctly, it can provide you with sufficient water to feed your garden during summer months. With a water butt, your plants can enjoy water without chemicals or minerals added to it. Also, it ensures to decrease the demand on main water supply and reduces chances of rain water runoff flowing into drains.

Sausage maker

A sausage maker is an essential homesteading device that helps in making sausages efficiently. A user only needs to feed meat at the top of the sausage maker. The appliance consists of a spinning corkscrew booster that moves meat towards the blades. A sausage maker can stow sausages in both manual and electro-meat grinders with a stuffing hose. The grinder plates are circular, honeycomb-style metal disks.

Bicycle

A bicycle is an essential product that comes in handy in self sufficiency. A bicycle makes it easy for one to move from one point to the other with ease. It also comes with a wide range of health benefits including metal well-being, weight loss, strengthen immune system, and builds muscles. Apart from the health benefits, a bicycle can get you to your destination within a brief period.

Kelly kettle

The mobile device used for boiling water on the outside with twigs and other small fuel. The device has a water jacket that covers the fireplace within the fire-base, producing an upward drawn chimney that guarantees effective and fast boiling, even during wet or windy days. Kelly kettle boils water in between 3 and 5 minutes, making it an essential and effective homesteading piece that one can use during any weather.

Cauldron and fire tripod

Cauldron is the most elegant, well-designed, robust and practical fireplace and barbecue ever. Manually made from solid steel sheets, a Cauldron changes your life literally. The utensil can change the lives of your grandchildren, including those who are not yet born. Cauldron and fire tripod can be a major investment. The round and smooth sides of the cauldron allow free circulation of heat, while you can keep hot charcoal or coal on its covering to provide maximum thermal coverage. One can use the effective tool to bake, slow cook, as well as barbecue.

Jam making kit

One of the best ways to preserve both fruit and vegetables is by converting them to jams and jellies for self sufficiency. Jam making at home is easy only with the right gear to ensure that your jams are secure for the rest of the year. Jam-making kits are low-cost, but can be pricey if you purchase the essentials individually. The kit includes essentials such as storage equipment, jam pan, fill funnel, thermometer, spoons, measuring jars among many others.

Beehives

Homesteading in a large compound requires a few beehives for self sufficiency. The enclosed structure where honey bee species live and raise their young ones. Bees carry pollen from crops back to the hive for storage. In the hive there are thousands of cells where the bee mixes honey with pollen to make bee bread to feed the young ones. With a few bee hives in your property, you can have your own supply of honey, which has a wide range of health benefits. Also, you can harvest the wax and use it for candles.

Compost toilet

This kind of toilet treats human waste through a composting, which is a biological process. The process turns human waste into compost after the organic matter decomposes. However, it does not destroy all pathogens. The toilet uses little or no water and does not cause any odors in the property. In addition, recycling your household waste into compost, promotes the fertility in the soil, providing the opportunity to produce healthy food.

Fruit cage

Only for protecting fruits or very grandiose, a fruit cage can be a quite simple structure. Some gardens are decorated as a focal point with ornate fruit cages. In this situation, the use of the fruit cage is not only practical, but creative and not just to secure the fruit one can use a fruit cage to protect vegetables vulnerable to pests. They are perfect to protect vegetables such as cabbages from butterflies that lay eggs and to save tender seedlings and lettuces from bunnies and birds.

Smoker

This outdoor cooking appliance has the potential to maintain low cooking temperatures for a long period, producing and holding smoke around the meat for absorption. A reliable smoker does this effectively and offers ample space for any amount of barbecue required. There are a wide range of smokers ranging from small electric units to huge smokers, enough to feed many people. Homesteading without a smoker can lead to various self sufficiency hiccups including food wastage. You can use the cooking appliance to smoke meat for later consumption.        

Mushroom growing kit

A mushroom growing kit is the best and simple way of growing your own mushrooms for self sufficiency. The kit contains everything you may need to grow your own mushrooms while homesteading. There are various species of mushrooms available; therefore, it is essential to identify your favorite before buying the kit. The kit production lasts for around 3 months. Some can continue to produce mushrooms after every few weeks up to a year. After that the kit is still useful since the mycelium is still alive even after all the nutrients in the substrate are used up.

Tool sharpening wheel

When homesteading, you need various types of tools and some may need to be sharpened regularly to work effectively. For self sufficiency, you need a tool sharpening wheel like a grinding wheel. This abrasive cutting tool can be manually powered or by electricity. The grinding wheel has an abrasive that acts as the teeth on a saw that helps provide an extra fine surface finish, making it ideal for sharpening knives and carving tools where minimum steel removal is needed.

Oil press

This is a mechanical technique for extracting oil from raw food materials. Most people use it in extraction of food oils from algae, seeds, and nuts. You only supply these raw materials to the press in its continuous feed. As the oil press works on the raw material, the friction produces heat, which makes it effective in extracting oil from the raw materials. The device uses standard decantation to separate the oil from the food substances. Electricity powers the equipment while others are powered manually.

Home brew kit

This kit is vital in homesteading for those who like taking a cold beer during hot months. Some home brew kits come with various ingredients and recipes. They include all the elements one may need to brew their first beer from malt, yeast, or hops. The kit is also comes with a detailed step-by-step instructions for users. If the kit does not supply the ingredients necessary to brew your unique beer, you can buy them separately and enjoy your homemade beer.

Fermentation crock

Also known as Harsch crock or gartopfcrock, is an effective device meant for fermentation. The device has a gutter in its rim where the user fills water to put an airlock on the top. That helps prevent food from spoiling because of mold growth or Kahm yeast from taking place on the surface. The sealing also helps keep fermentation odors in the crock. It also prevents flies and fruit flies from getting into your water-sealed crock. One can use the device to ferment cabbages and other vegetables.

Air rifle

An air gun is an essential tool for self sufficiency while homesteading. You can use the air rifle for small game hunting, recreational shooting, and for pest control. The projectile of an air rifle is usually a pellet. It is not powerful compared to other guns but can hurt or kill animals such as a rain deer. If you are in a predator-heavy area, the air rifle can come in handy. You can use it to protect yourself or scaring off predators.    

Fire steel

Fire steel is rod made ferrocerium. If scraped by a special striker, it produces fiery sparks that comprise of friction-ignited, burning metal. The sparks burn at 5000 degrees F. making it effective for igniting all types of tinder.