So far, we have gathered our tools for the wine making process, made the mash for the first ferment, and this week it's time to transfer our wine to a 1 gallon jug for the second ferment! Photo credit: Canva.com Are we having fun yet? I know I am! Despite the fact that I am 72 days sober on the day I'm writing this article, I really do enjoy making wine. We grow ...
HANDMADE
Wine Making Process: How to Start an Easy First Ferment
Do you grow fruit on your homestead and are not sure what else you can do with it? Has your family eaten enough of it that they are ready for it to go out of season? Are you jammed and jellied out? Why not try wine making? In this post, I'll take you through step 2 in the fruit wine making process, which is starting the first ferment. ( Didn't catch step 1? Read it ...
Wine Making Process: What You Need to Get Started
Preserving what we grow is so rewarding, and there are so many ways to do it! Home canning, dehydrating, freezing, and even storing are a few ways to "put up" the foods you grow, but there are definitely more! One of my favorite ways to preserve fruit is to make wine. This post will kick off a series that will take you through the fruit wine making process, step-by-step from ...
How to Make Strawberry Wine Step-By-Step
Looking for something to do with those few extra pounds of strawberries at the end of summer? Why not capture summer 2018 in a bottle by learning how to make strawberry wine? It's sweet, it's refreshing, and you don't need much to make it if you already have the equipment and supplies. Photo courtesy of Canva.com If you haven't made wine before, don't worry. Inside of ...
How to Make Your Own DIY Soap Without Lye
When it comes to soapmaking, we DIYers tended to make our first batch with trepidation. The reason for this is because of the use of lye--a product that most of us aren't used to handling. It doesn't have to be this way, though--you can make your own trepidation-free DIY soap without lye! Making soap without lye is done by using a product called 'melt and pour' soap. ...
Fast and Easy Hot Process Goat Milk Soap Recipe
Making soap can feel intimidating, but it's really pretty simple if you use this hot process goat milk soap recipe. The part that makes most people nervous is working with lye, but once that skill is mastered, it's easy to make homemade goat milk soap quickly and easily. Homesteaders are usually DIYers, often taking responsibility into their own hands to learn the ...
Quick, Easy Mason Jar Soup Recipes to Give at the Holidays
Holidays. It's that time of year where gift-giving is pretty much expected, yet who has all the money to spend (at least) $25 per person for a decent gift? While I know it's early to be thinking about the holidays, I've already started working on our holiday gifts. From crocheted super hero ornaments to cookie mix in a jar, I'm determined to be armed with inexpensive handmade ...
Quick, Easy Cookies in a Jar Recipes to Give at the Holidays
The holidays are a long way away, but for those of us who are planning to forego buying some or all our gifts for a handmade holiday this year, it's never too early to get started with making gifts. The gift of cookies in a jar is as easy to make as it is a delicious gift to give! Food gifts seem to be out of style for the most part, having been replaced with more ...
How to Make the Most Delicious Homemade Vanilla Easy
We homesteaders love to be self-sufficient, don't we? And when we can save money at the same time, that's the perfect combination! Making homemade vanilla extract is one of the best ways to save money and learn a new skill that can be used with other things like herbs and even fruit! Photo credit: Canva.com I have been making my own vanilla extract for a good 10 years. ...
Kristi has been writing on homesteading topics for years here and at her previous blog, The Mind to Homestead. She has also guest posted at ThePrepperProject.com, From Scratch Magazine, and other sites around the web. Her family lives in Sunny Southern California on a one acre hobby farm where they work diligently to feed themselves by producing their own dairy, eggs, and produce. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and here, at Stone Family Farmstead.