# New to homesteadng



## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Me and the wife plan on homesteading next year, lots of knowledge and smarts. I lived in a tent in New Mexico by myself, but have never done it with a wife..any suggestions or tips?


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Welcome to the forum. Here's my suggestion: buy your wife a soft mattress for the bottom of that tent.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

More information would be nice. Things like age, experiences, location, financial status would help if you're looking for advice or encouragement. If you have knowledge to share then share! Why a tent? 
agree with Sentry re. the mattress. A good night's sleep is a good way to start any day.


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## OutInTheWoods (Jun 13, 2016)

When you build the shack - make sure that at least the kitchen area is nice.

I've been cruising the board and there's lots of good information here - poke around and you'll find what you need.


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

I don't plan on living in a tent sorry I worded it wrong, haha we have 20 acres North of Houston I. The piney woods with a cabin on it. Just looking for modern ways to live off the land as far as farming and agriculture. I'm a backwoodsman but never have had anything but a tent and stove, but I want to live solely off of the land


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I stick with my soft mattress recommendation. 

But there is much to read on this forum about homesteading. You could lost for days in the info. Check out the forum headings and click on what interests you.

You can also search this site much easier using Google's search function. Like this: site:www.preparedsociety.com homesteading 

Only replace homesteading with whatever specific topic you want. This method is 10x better than the built in search function IMO.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Welcome!

I think your wife's comfort will be very important in how this whole deal works out. 

Also, think about the things that are important to her now, and know that they will be important to her when you get to your homestead. 

Some women would be right at home without running water, electricity, indoor plumbing, but we are few and far between. 

I have a friend whose husband went camping for years with all kinds of people, but she would not go unless or until they had a camper. She has some unusual fears and can easily get freaked out about some things. She would never be a homesteader without running water and etc. I on the other had could and would, although I do like those creature comforts.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

My Ex and I use to be avid campers.All of our "group" had campers or very nice tents,while we did the" make do" effort.After spending 2 weeks cooking under an umbrella on a 2 burner propane stove in rain everyday,a tent that flooded so bad that the only dry spot was about the size of a tabletop(in the middle) as we cut a hole in the bottom to let the water out.This was with 2 kids under the ageof 5.I finally got tired and said enough is enough. If you go out in that boat and leave me here I'm going home(60 miles) and leave your a$$ here. He went and so did I with the 2 sick kids.Point here.... be sure the wife has a few comforts and homesteading will be MUCH easier.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

When I first read it I thought you were Texas beer rescue then I realized you were one r short. I love bees too. Welcome.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

texasbeerescue said:


> I don't plan on living in a tent sorry I worded it wrong, haha we have 20 acres North of Houston I. The piney woods with a cabin on it. Just looking for modern ways to live off the land as far as farming and agriculture. I'm a backwoodsman but never have had anything but a tent and stove, but I want to live solely off of the land


Living solely off the land is a noble goal but difficult to obtain ... especially on 20 acres. You're going to need some way to make money for taxes and those things you can't make or barter for. You'll most likely need to pay for vehicle liability insurance as well. So, a way to make money is a must have. If you can truly live frugally you won't need a lot but you'll always need some. You're going to need gardening skills and seed and a way to prepare the soil plus water for the dry times. You'll need to be able to repair anything you own and make a lot of things yourself out of materials on hand. I'd be careful about livestock acquisition. I've seen a lot of homesteaders who spent most of their available cash on livestock food. There are reasons that livestock like chickens, goats, rabbits and pigs are the most prevalent in third world countries. They'll eat almost anything. Find out what you can hunt all year long. I've heard that Texas has a lot of feral hogs and that might be a good source of year-round meat if you can get permission to hunt them. Fishing is a good food acquisition resource as well. I don't normally advertise on the open forum here but I have a book out titled, Creating the Low Budget Homestead (available at Paladin Press or at Amazon books) that might help you a bit. We did kind of the same thing you're planning. Another book of mine might help as well. It's titled, Build Your Own Low-Budget Solar Power System (Amazon Books). We did some bartering for our first solar panel. If you have specific questions ask them. I'm sure someone here has the right answer.


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## prepperking22 (May 21, 2016)

gabbyj310 said:


> My Ex and I use to be avid campers.All of our "group" had campers or very nice tents,while we did the" make do" effort.After spending 2 weeks cooking under an umbrella on a 2 burner propane stove in rain everyday,a tent that flooded so bad that the only dry spot was about the size of a tabletop(in the middle) as we cut a hole in the bottom to let the water out.This was with 2 kids under the ageof 5.I finally got tired and said enough is enough. If you go out in that boat and leave me here I'm going home(60 miles) and leave your a$$ here. He went and so did I with the 2 sick kids.Point here.... be sure the wife has a few comforts and homesteading will be MUCH easier.


Agree with making sure your wife has some comforts of home, especially if she's not as experienced as you are. It might be a novel idea until you start making definite plans. Make sure she's involved in the planning. Good luck to you.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

texasbeerescue said:


> I don't plan on living in a tent sorry I worded it wrong, haha we have 20 acres North of Houston I. The piney woods with a cabin on it. Just looking for modern ways to live off the land as far as farming and agriculture. I'm a backwoodsman but never have had anything but a tent and stove, but I want to live solely off of the land


20 acres in northeast texas won't support 2 people unless you are willing to invest 200K up front (or 20 acres anywhere for that matter). What exactly are you trying to accomplish? A well stocked bugout location or are you actually thinking of trying to feed 2 people on what nature provides on 20 acres of cut over pines...


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Well five deer in the freezer last a year. So with two huntin, makes ten deer so under estimate and figure 7 deer a couple pigs and a decent garden, chickens goats and mabye some turkeys


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

Warm welcome from Arizona (valley people).


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## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

Cotton said:


> 20 acres in northeast texas won't support 2 people unless you are willing to invest 200K up front (or 20 acres anywhere for that matter). What exactly are you trying to accomplish? A well stocked bugout location or are you actually thinking of trying to feed 2 people on what nature provides on 20 acres of cut over pines...


Don't disparage the cut over pines. A whole community of Mennonites moved into our area 3 years ago from Pennsylvania Dutch country. The property taxes got too high where they were, and they went in together and bought a huge chunk of land that had been strip mined and pulpwooded. They divided it into 100 acre farms for each family and started clearing and fencing land. Now, just 3 years into it, it's already starting to look like beautiful, productive farm land.

beerescue, our family has done some off-grid homesteading before. The main take-away from what's been said so far on this thread is "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Make sure you listen to your wife and provide her with what she needs, whatever it is.

That said, the main thing you really need is a good, reliable source of water -- spring, well, or catchment system. After that, a good shelter. Tent is okay starting out, but make a more permanent shelter one of your top priorities. Also, when you start gardening, realize that making the soil healthy and fertile will be your first and most important task. In the piney woods, the soil is going to be very acidic.

Well, that's my 2-cents worth. Good luck, and enjoy the adventure!


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Ya we have a 3 bedroom house and a small pavilion on it with a kitchen and a well. There is also a running spring that I wouldn't mind one day building a catfish pond below it. I'll update with pictures this evening thanks for the positive enforcement!


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Heres the pavilion.. Kitchen bathroom and shower


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

is the 3 bedroom house up to par,when it comes to the both of you?.if not.then you might want to walk through it,and look every thing over real good.and write down what you think of,and notice.make what repairs that are needed before moving in.look each and every room over,closely.and decide what yall can do to improve on.extra shelves and/or cabinets is a added pluss for storage..others have mentioned garden.and you've mentioned a spring.a garden within reasonable distance from it,is good.start canning foods,if yall haven't already.on account that'll cut down on the grocery bill.and that lil extra money can be spent on something else,that yall need.might wanna screen in the open area of the pavilion,so yall can sit there without insects..


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## zimmy (Aug 17, 2012)




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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

i just thought,is the pavilion kitchen big enough to use for canning vegetables and meats?it'd be great if it is.on account,yall wont be heating up the home during the summer if it is..and a outdoor smoker for smoking diff meats.but for making jerky as well..


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## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

Summer kitchens are great! I remember my grandmas very well.


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Ya there is also a 3 bed two bed house about 50 yards from the pavilion. It's an old house, but in fair condition


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Well we did it. Wish us luck!!!


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

I sincerely wish you all the luck in the world. 2 questions, you said you got a few deer on your property, great. Q) What happens when the game runs out? Lots of in depth discussions here in the forum about thousands of people having to hunt game in a disaster, might want to read up on those threads…

The first concern is water. Do you have a natural spring? A source of fresh water?

If not… how close are you to the “Ogallala Aquifer”? If you don’t have a ready source of fresh water that 20 acres is untenable.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Cotton said:


> I sincerely wish you all the luck in the world. 2 questions, you said you got a few deer on your property, great. Q) What happens when the game runs out? Lots of in depth discussions here in the forum about thousands of people having to hunt game in a disaster, might want to read up on those threads&#8230;
> 
> The first concern is water. Do you have a natural spring? A source of fresh water?
> 
> If not&#8230; how close are you to the "Ogallala Aquifer"? If you don't have a ready source of fresh water that 20 acres is untenable.


If you have to rely on the Ogallala Aquifer, think very deep wells.


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## texasbeerescue (Jun 14, 2016)

Thanks! I have shot 5 deer a year out there for 12 years now and haven't seen a change yet, if that day comes we will have to consider something different and yes there is a working well and a spring


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

canning meats comes to mind.i don't know how long the meat will last when not refrigerated.but yet.you could can your own venison,pork,beef and all..and of course,vacuum seal what yall want to refrigerate and freeze.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

jimLE said:


> canning meats comes to mind.i don't know how long the meat will last when not refrigerated.but yet.you could can your own venison,pork,beef and all..and of course,vacuum seal what yall want to refrigerate and freeze.


I've had my canned salmon last twenty years. I've heard of documented cases of it lasting over a century.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

i got 9 large mouth canning jars at the first part of this month.next i'll be getting at least 4Lb'S of bacon next month.on account i figured.if i mess up on canning a meat of some kind.it might as well be bacon..


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

jimLE said:


> i got 9 large mouth canning jars at the first part of this month.next i'll be getting at least 4Lb'S of bacon next month.on account i figured.if i mess up on canning a meat of some kind.it might as well be bacon..


Lots of YouTube videos on canning bacon. Bacon is a bit more labor intensive than chicken or beef. You have to wrap it in parchment paper to keep it from becoming one "glob". Meat isn't hard to can but you HAVE to use a pressure canner.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

yeah,thats one reason i took the time to learn how,before i stepped into going for it.and i did come across a site that tells how n all.except she use's butchers paper instead.in which i hear thats a mistake.but not with parchment paper..


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

jimLE said:


> yeah,thats one reason i took the time to learn how,before i stepped into going for it.and i did come across a site that tells how n all.except she use's butchers paper instead.in which i hear thats a mistake.but not with parchment paper..


The parchment paper soaks up grease. Butchers paper doesn't.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

terri9630 said:


> The parchment paper soaks up grease. Butchers paper doesn't.


and i think thats why bacon will stick to butchers paper.and thats why a person will be spending,who knows how much time,getting it off of the bacon.


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

terri9630 said:


> Lots of YouTube videos on canning bacon. Bacon is a bit more labor intensive than chicken or beef. You have to wrap it in parchment paper to keep it from becoming one "glob". Meat isn't hard to can but you HAVE to use a pressure canner.


I've seen videos about canning meat and it was also said about ground beef having to be cooked in a skillet before canning to prevent it from fusing together. If bacon is precooked, does it still need the parchment paper? The only videos I've seen with bacon were canning it while it was raw. This Thursday I'm going to order a pressure canner and am hoping to can the rest of the meat here without screwing it up (I've only done water bath canning and never used a pressure canner before). The only meat I can dehydrate with fairly decent results is chicken. I'm having a problem with dehydrating hamburger patties and bacon so the next step is to try canning them.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Elinor0987 said:


> I've seen videos about canning meat and it was also said about ground beef having to be cooked in a skillet before canning to prevent it from fusing together. If bacon is precooked, does it still need the parchment paper? The only videos I've seen with bacon were canning it while it was raw. This Thursday I'm going to order a pressure canner and am hoping to can the rest of the meat here without screwing it up (I've only done water bath canning and never used a pressure canner before). The only meat I can dehydrate with fairly decent results is chicken. I'm having a problem with dehydrating hamburger patties and bacon so the next step is to try canning them.


I've never pre cooked bacon before canning. I'm not real fond of canned hamburger. It's convenient but I don't like the texture. I've never tried to dehydrate bacon, to much fat. I've done ground meat in the dehydrator but not patties. I don't think they would ever dry enough in the middle. They would also take forever to rehydrate. I've never canned hamburger patties but I have canned sausage patties. I used a small/regular canning ring as the form for the patty to make sure it would fit in the wide mouth jar. I browned the patties before I put them in the jar for canning. It helped keep them from sticking together in the jar. I dry canned them.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

Elinor0987 said:


> I've seen videos about canning meat and it was also said about ground beef having to be cooked in a skillet before canning to prevent it from fusing together. If bacon is precooked, does it still need the parchment paper? The only videos I've seen with bacon were canning it while it was raw. This Thursday I'm going to order a pressure canner and am hoping to can the rest of the meat here without screwing it up (I've only done water bath canning and never used a pressure canner before). The only meat I can dehydrate with fairly decent results is chicken. I'm having a problem with dehydrating hamburger patties and bacon so the next step is to try canning them.


the one with-out the gauge,is the one i have.and i got it from wal-mart.in which i haven't had any issues with it,what so ever,..


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