Welcome to The Homesteading RD's Blog!

Here you'll find my most most recent blog posts. Explore everything from companion planting and vertical gardening to raising meat birds and water glassing eggs. Don't miss my farm-to-table recipes!
A pressure canner, water bath canner, and steam canner are sitting on a range in a kitchen
Preserve Your Harvest

Water Bath Canning vs Pressure Canning vs Steam Canning

If you feel overwhelmed by all the canner options out there, this article is for you! …and I totally get it – there’s water bath canning, pressure canning (which is totally different than pressure cooking), and even steam canning. They sound kind of similar, but they are distinctly different!  Grab your favorite bottle of kombucha

Read More »
Chickens pecking at the ground in front of an automatic chicken coop door
Raise Chickens

The 5 BEST Automatic Chicken Coop Doors in 2026

It can be overwhelming to try to figure out the best automatic chicken coop door for you and your flock, but it doesn’t have to be! I’ve taken the guesswork out of it by doing the research for you. Having the right coop door can make a world of difference in terms of convenience, safety,

Read More »
5 of my incubators set out on my kitchen island
Raise Chickens

The 8 BEST Egg Incubators in 2026

You’ve decided to hatch your own chickens, but there are hundreds of egg incubators to choose from. So, how do you go about picking the best egg incubator for you and your homestead?! I’ve been hatching chicks since 2014 and have used MANY incubators along the way. In this article, I’ll share all of my

Read More »
Soil pH testers set up in the garden next to each other
Grow Your Own Food

The 5 Best Soil pH Testers in 2026

If your garden plants are stunted and not growing well, then acquiring the best soil pH tester on the market is a great first step to diagnosing the issue! Many people forget about testing the pH of their garden soil, so make sure that you aren’t making this common mistake. Soil pH testers provide valuable

Read More »
Holding up a mason jar filled with homemade garlic powder in a kitchen
Preserve Your Harvest

How to Make the BEST Garlic Powder

Making garlic powder is one of the easiest food preservation methods out there; however, a few key steps can really turn the product from drab to fab. Trust me! What really sets my homemade garlic powder recipe apart from the rest is that my method preserves garlic’s potent allyl sulfur compounds, which are often destroyed

Read More »
A quart mason jar filled with fermented carrot sticks. Sitting on a wooden cutting board.
Preserve Your Harvest

How to Make Fermented Carrots Sticks

Fermented carrot sticks are delicious, nutritious, and SUPER simple to make! Move over boring raw carrot sticks; these are so much more fun, tasty, and great for your gut health, too. You’re going to LOVE them! In this recipe, I’ll share with you my favorite way to make them, plus some other fun ways to

Read More »
Scroll to Top