This New Addition in My Homestead Vineyard Was a Game Changer

My homestead vineyard has been struggling in recent years. I’ve gotten less and less of a harvest to the point where I didn’t see a point in continuing to put the work in to maintain it every year. It takes a lot to keep the vineyard maintained in terms of pruning, mowing, thinning, deleafing, putting up bird netting, and harvesting. But I thought I’d try one last idea to increase my yield and make all that work a little more worthwhile.

In this video I talk about a bunch of things going on the vineyard, one of which is this new game changing addition.

#organicvineyard #homestead #winemaking

This Cheap, Easy Solar Power System Cut My Electric Bill A LOT

I recently decided to expand my solar power system because I’ve begun implementing more electric appliances in my house to get me off of propane, the only fossil fuel I use in the home. The system I used was super easy and incorporated a microinverter, which allows a connection without a charge controller and some of the expensive components required for a traditional power system. For about $500 I was able to add 810W to my system. As of the posting of this video I’d already made back about $100 of that investment in utility bill savings.

I have a tiny power system compared to most, but that’s because I live simply and sustainably in a small house in an ecovillage. But this system can be upscaled for any application anywhere. The benefits are that all you need to buy is the panels, a microinverter, wiring, and fuses. It’s basically plug and play, as I demonstrate in this video.

#solarpower #microinverter #easysolarpower #offgridsolar

Radical Self Suffiency on the Homestead

Last year I captured a swarm of bees and set myself up a new hive. I’ve never done beekeeping so this was a learning experience. But considering how little effort it’s required so far, I’m in for the long haul. Maybe I’m naive, but so far I haven’t had any problems and all I’ve gotten was a huge harvest of delicious natural local sugar.

In this vlog we head out to my vineyard to check on the hive and do some stuff with the grapes. I’ll also explain some of the ways I’m making use of the honey I harvested this season.

#beekeeping #honey #organichoney #selfsufficiency #homestead #homesteading #localsugar

I Hated the 9-5 RAT RACE | Now I Homestead

Many years ago I left the city life and the rat race to homestead in an ecovillage in rural Missouri. Now I set my own schedule as a digital homesteader, working part time to make ends meet while I grow as much of my own food as possible.

In so many homesteading videos they seem to talk about their gardens and give you a tour, but rarely do they seem to show you what they’re actually harvesting and eating. Many will also exaggerate the amount of food they’re growing for themselves. I don’t do that. I’ll show you what I harvest and I’ll be realistic about the limits of what I can produce for myself.

I always hope my videos will give inspiration to some to ditch the 9-5 and live a simpler life off the land. And don’t forget to cooperate with your neighbors because it’s impossible to go it alone.

#selfsufficiency #homesteading #sustainableliving #ditchthe9to5 #ecovillage

Radical Self-Sufficiency | Living Off Our Land

This video is all about self sufficiency. I get so much food coming in from my garden that I have to have ways to preserve it. There’s canning, there’s fermentation, there’s turning one form of food into another, and I do it all in this video. From making cheese from raw organic local milk to canning tomatoes, to making sauerkraut, it’s all here in a typical day in my life living hardcore sustainable in an ecovillage.

Vamos Haciendo La Historia music at the end by Grupo Pancasan

#homemadeCheese #canning #organicgardening #selfsufficiency #cheesemaking #sauerkraut #homesteading #homestead