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How to make a huge rainwater cistern We had less than 1" of rain between October 2012 and July 2013. But, now that July is here, the rain season has started, which means that it is Spring, here! We received about 2.5" of rain in the last 48 hours. The rainwater cisterns are filling up! We...

We live in a very dry climate, and all of our water comes from rain catchment. It typically rains from July through October, but the rest of the year is dry. So, we have to be extra careful with our water use, and especially for growing food, we look to increase our water efficiency as much as...

Mushrooms often get overlooked in the grand scheme of gardening, just because they're not plants. However, they are extremely beneficial to your garden's soil, are highly nutritious, and make a tasty addition to almost any meal. While it's true that some species can be a little tricky to grow...

We've been raising bees for a while in our top bar bee hives. With a top bar hive, you produce a lot of extra wax. To use that wax, you need to melt it and filter it. This solar powered wax melter is perfect for the job. Just throw in your comb and put it in the sun! You'll need some basic...

We have a new instructable on how to tan and process rabbit furs. In this example, we make a a rabbit fur hat. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Rabbit-Fur-Hat-from-scratch/ Learn more about how we raise rabbits: http://www.velacreations.com/food/animals/rabbits.html

We recently completed our newest rainwater cistern. It cost about $1,600 to make, and took us about a week. It holds 6,000 gallons of potable water, and can be made by just about anyone. We start by leveling a site and making a ring of bricks. The bricks serve as a foundation for the metal...

What is a Food Web? The Food Web is a holistic approach towards small scale food production. Basically, it's a way to increase efficiency and yields by integrating your livestock. If you are going to raise animals on your homestead, you should design connections and interactions between them...

This is how to get your BOL bunker set up for cheap and easy. It's a really simple construction system using dirt and billboard tarps. You could do this even in a very remote location, as the materials required are very lightweight. The basic design is posts, then stucco mesh, then thick...

When considering what material to use for a floor, few people look beyond a concrete slab, with something like tile or carpet as a finish. For us, however, there were several factors that made a stabilized compressed earth brick (SCEB) floor far more appealing, including cost, skill, and time...

People keep bees in many different kinds of hives, but we will focus on a cheap and simple design, called the Honey Cow. MATERIALS: 55 gallon plastic barrel, preferably food grade (makes two hives) 22 feet of 1x2 nominal lumber 46 feet of 1x1 lumber 2 X 8 foot of 2x4 nominal lumber A 3 feet by...