What’s wrong with Jill Winger? Did she take Laura Ingalls Wilder a bit too seriously? It’s a question worth examining when considering the lifestyle of this modern pioneer. Continue reading
Go beyond the basics with these easy butter making tips. (Read on to find out how to make molded butter, like pictured above. Photo by Elizabeth Geiser.)
Editor’s Note: June is National Dairy Month, so in celebration, we’ve asked local homesteader and butter expert Karen Geiser to give us tips for making better butter. So, get ready to churn – it’s going to be delicious!
If you come by the Lehman’s store on a Thursday, you likely have seen my son and me churning butter. It is amazing how many butter stories I hear each week, from reminiscing about churning with grandma to folks who do it on an industrial scale. The grandpas often comment to my 10-year-old son, “When I was your age, that was my job” while others jokingly remind me, “Honey, you know they sell butter in the store these days.” Besides being a great conversation starter during my demos and giving our arms a nice workout, making fresh butter for my family is definitely an act of love and we savor the taste and nutrition from our fresh butter. Continue reading
Spring is in full force on our homestead this month…baby chicks have arrived! (Photo by Elizabeth Geiser)
May has brought plenty of rain to Ohio but just enough sunshine for some productive days of working outdoors and we are enjoying the extended daylight. The lettuce seedlings, spinach, radishes and Japanese turnips are growing rapidly in the misty rain but as we wait on them to get to harvest size, we are relying heavily on our perennial vegetables at the supper table. Some of our favorite spring flavors are asparagus, rhubarb and winter onions (aka Egyptian walking onions.) It is nice to have numerous perennials in the garden that don’t require planting each year, just some light maintenance and harvesting. Several take a few years to get established but if you are planning to stay on your property long term, getting these perennial crops started is a worthy investment. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: They’re back! Our guest bloggers Doug and Stacy are sharing with us today their journey of providing water for their off-grid home.
The one thing we cannot live without is WATER. Somehow that thought escaped us when we bought our 11 acres in the Midwest. We, being Doug and Stacy who homestead off grid on YouTube and other social media, came straight from city life. The property we found had a little of everything except the most important thing which was a water source. The pond on the property was the only source for water, and we thought putting in a well could be a good option. What we didn’t realize was the average cost of a well in our area is $10,000 and up. This is with no guarantee that you will even hit water! We came to our property with no debt and so spending that kind of money was not in the plan. We knew that this lifestyle was going to require being solution focused and patient.
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Stacy with oil lamp
Editor’s Note: Please welcome back our special guest bloggers Doug and Stacy from popular YouTube channel OFF GRID with DOUG & STACY! Eight years ago, they decided to leave the rat race, cut that average $100 a month electric bill, and live a much more simpler life. Today they’re sharing with us how they light their home without electricity.
One of the biggest things people take for granted is electricity. The ability to flip a switch and turn a light on is rarely thought about or questioned. When you live off the grid like we do and embrace the pioneer lifestyle, turning the lights on takes a bit more thought and effort. Continue reading
Lehman’s Tiny House has arrived!
Simple living in a small space might be just what you need. Big houses come with big bills and big chores and sometimes – big headaches. Which is why we’re pleased to announce the unveiling of Lehman’s Tiny House on a Tiny Homestead on April 20 at our store in Kidron, Ohio. There is no charge to attend the event, which will be held from 10 am to 3 pm. Continue reading
Doug and Stacy standing on the front porch of their off grid cabin
Editor’s Note: Today we’re welcoming two very special guest bloggers, Doug and Stacy from the popular YouTube channel OFF GRID with DOUG and STACY. They’re sharing with us their journey to a simpler life. Enjoy! Continue reading
As people, we love love. You love love, I love love, everyone loves love!
It feels great to love other people, things, places, everything. Feeling love is a fundamental part of what makes us human. It connects us all and gives us all something in common – we all want to love and be loved. The complex, wonderful thing that is ‘love’ guides all living things to act not only for themselves but for others, too, and that is what keeps the world going! Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Here’s the second installment of Glenda’s Simplify Your Life series. If you missed the first part, you can read it here. And feel free to share with us your journey to a simpler life in the comments below.
A simpler life is about taking another step forward on your journey to an intentional, fulfilling life. But why live a simpler life? Continue reading
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
– Leonardo Da Vinci, brilliant Renaissance artist
I am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. Why should there be only one day a year when you are encouraged to make a fresh start?
That said, the beginning of a new year does make me think of ways to improve myself and the world in which I take up space. Because we stand for a simpler life, allow me to share some simple living thoughts running around my already-crowded brain this January. Continue reading
