Michelle I want to encourage you that there is more than one way to live the homestead life, no matter what “they” say. You are a legit homesteader! You are the real deal, no matter if you freeze your jam, use a dishwasher, store your carrots in the frig etc. Don’t put pressure on yourself or listen to the nay sayers. You are a gem, you are doing a great job. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Instead of doing 8 hours a day "fake job" taxing on your body and your soul, doing 2 hours a day real work outside sounds like a much better option, sometimes I wonder how the hell we dig ourselves into this hole.
@@morethanfarmers Have you guys ever watched The Hollar Homestead? This is who you guys remind me of!!!! They are more advanced as you guys are where they were in their earlier video's.
I love the "shortcuts" you take advantage of. Amen ... there is a need for efficiency so you can maintain sanity and have enough time for each other and your children. It's awe-inspiring to see everything you and your family get done in a day!
I like y'all's style and work ethic. And since I've cancelled my cable 7 years ago, I have time to subscribe to channels like yours and still get my own garden and chicken work done. Carry on!
I like how reminded us that having the skills to survive will be way more important than doing everything manually - especially while tech and energy and medicines are still conveniently available right now.
We do the same thing, I don’t have a cow but I’m up at 3am heading to the gym then work. The kids help out by letting the chickens out and checking the water for the rabbits. In the evening all I’ll have to do is feed, move the meat birds and put the chickens back up in the evening
You are absolutely right! When we went to once a day it helped us out so much. Homesteading can become overwhelming real quick. Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing and God bless y’all❤
The homestead can be slightly overwhelming. I wanted too much and planted countless vegetables that we couldn't use up. One does learn. I'm happy for you that you were able to learn it at a young age. Thank you for your time, I love your channel
Another modern convenience for someone that wants to make all of the sourdough things BUT doesn’t have time to ‘stretch & fold’ on a schedule…a bread machine (dough setting)-only way I’m successful with making sandwich bread, pizza crust, pasta dough (all the sourdough things). Also, I love hearing about the gardening & how you’re using your produce to feed your family.
Yes it’s rough going what your doing. Working on the homestead, & working a full time job. As for milking the cow yes it’s hard to milk by hand. But you did a good job on defense separating it, and putting the wire across the gate you could call it for them to go into the other field after you unhook it to go to the other pasture. Joe
Great advice. I’m working a full time job and learning as I go. We have. 22 chickens and two horses. Learned how to can enough meat for a year. Bought a 1/2 cow for the freezer. Making sourdough bread. Upping my skill level day by day. Loved this video ❤
I am SO IMPRESSED with your dedication! To family, to your homestead, to YOURSELVES! You do so much more, as a family, than most people are able to do, while they raise their kids! Your kids know responsibility, hard work, and most importantly, SELF RELIANCE!! All the best stuff you all do is teaching your children so that in THEIR FUTURES, they will set goals, work hard to reach those goals, and be happier adults because you gave them a platform, and an understanding, of what it is to be COMPLETELY, AND TOTALLY SELF RELIANT, because that is the world, and education, you gave them! And you LIVE IT EVERY DAY! That is SO NECESSARY, and so few understand that! The adults that you are growing will be leaders of their own lives, futures, and all because you do what you do! We NEED people like you, and the kids, that can thrive, and be masters of own destiny! It all boils down to spectacular parenting, and it all comes from THE BOTH OF YOU!!! You are AMAZING! THANK YOU!! You have given me hope! Most especially of a beautiful future!
I realize that this is an older video, I hope you see this comment. I’m getting my husband to binge watch your videos 😊 and he is hooked!! He is interested in what the leather pouch is that Cody wears on his belt. Thanks in advance! Much love and prayers from Michigan ❤
You should look into getting a freeze drier. It's a great way to handle extra produce, meat, eggs, and alot more. Done properly things will stay good for thirty years.
My husband and I both work full-time off the farm. It can be exhausting, especially when rush time at work happens during rush time on the farm. This year we both had change in job roles which unfortunately required a spring crunch time... which is also crazy time on the farm with gardens and new animals. 🤦🏻♀️I find the general maintenance is very doable... but it's the surprise events that throw off the day, like about to leave for a day at work and realizing you have an animal loose or with an injury. Then it's a mad scramble to quickly accomodate. I really like your points about using modern conveniences or shortcuts when needed! ❤ As much as I'd love my own dairy animals, we just don't have the time, so I just pick up from the Amish on the way home from work.
Wow...that's big...I can't imagine both of us having jobs. Even with Michelle being home, there's times especially in the spring where things get really crazy. Milking is definitely the chore that takes the most time around here...supporting local farmers is so important! Great choice
Awesome awesome video you guys!! I believe in high efficiency to get it all in, not all my homestead folks show or teach how to do that. Thank you!!!🙏🙏🙏
Efficiency is 100% the key! My kids take care of the animals day to day these days (a lot of them actually belong to them), we predominantly feed once a day but use big feeders and big waterers. When we move there will be more effort on my part with the animals as we will start milking again, which we currently aren't doing. I love your idea of permanent electric areas, I think we will do similar as there is zero appeal in moving electric fence daily for me. Hubby works in town 4-5 days a week, I do all the gardening except for the odd thing that needs both of us. Team work makes the dream work! Take care, and thanks for the inspiration - Dana
Interesting video about being efficient running a Homestead and work a Full-time job at the same time. I think a big key to you and your wives success is working together so well as a team.
I had no idea you could milk once a day! Learned something new! And my Mom was raised on a dairy farm. We just never talked about milking… she wanted to be in the kitchen. Lol. Great video!
New sub here. Really enjoying your videos. Love to see the interactions with your children❤. I grew up on a farm and we were brought up like you described- everyone pitches in to help. We learned to work hard, to help others, to be thoughtful of others etc. very wholesome lifestyle.
7:25 I cannot express how deeply this resonated with me. It feels good seeing successful homesteaders saying the same thing I’ve been saying. Never understood the “you have to do it the hard way” type of homesteader. They will turn around and say “Our ancestors hundreds of years ago” Like bro, do you realize unless you’re talking about the darn Paleolithic era, ALL of our ancestors took advantage of what was modern at the time. They did not CHOOSE to farm with old school equipment they possessed, they HAD to do so because that was survival. You’re telling me if you offered the access to electricity to your great x10 grandparents they would’ve said, “No thank you. This is our lifestyle” Boy let me tell ya what. This is only the 3rd video I’ve watched and you guys are already my favorite homestead channel. Also it’s because I just bought 5.5 acres so seeing what you’ve done with your 5.5 acres has blown my mind.
I love how practical you all are! Yes! Why be "I'm not using that big freezer for my jam! I'm gonna can it all!" But why?? I can my own produce but I also freeze what I can't use! My jalapeños were out of control this year so I froze them whole! They still work like the fresh ones! Why kill myself? I used to feel guilty if I wasted even one tomato. Now I just use, can, freeze, eat, give. Done Love you guys ❤ kudos P.S. ignore the negative nannies (they obviously don't have 4 precious babies!) Amen
True work True food and that is key to Energy, when you work with what you like and eat real food from earth not from water hydroponic chemistry stuff and they get Energy
I run 2 companies one seasonal spring and fall. And I am building a homestead 6.5 hours north off grid and of current house by hand. Keep it simple stupid. We are only a family of 6 now. As older kids have moved out. Some tips. Tax sale houses are cheap but need work. This allowed us to get out of debt. 3 years ago we bought 10 acres up north. Can get organic cert this year. Our town house has small garden 1/3 of lot size. My mom has organic orchard. Which we help out on. Picking berries for market and tree chores. You gotta work. Started eating 4 meals. Breakfast before sun up, lunch before noon, dinner by 5 and when work is done at sun down supper. It took me 2 days to pound down 2 inch point well with home made driver. We use hugelkultur mounds up north. Some much rotten wood around. We have ferns not grass up there so use ferns as green carbons. It is a natural mature food forest. With about every kind of berry you can find in the U.P. of MI. Which gave us a great start. As to knowing where things want to grow. And see what isn't growing as good in the space. Been mixing domestic strawberries in with the wild and replacing ferns in that section with asparagus. Have some little cherry trees so planted sweet cherries by them. Hope to graft to the wild ones but may have to be tart cherries. Found I can graft pear to service berry trees that get 20-30 feet tall. Working on propagating as many thimble berries and billberries as possible. Way sweeter and better profits than raspberries. Learning to prune wild blueberries as we have many patches. Really need to build a sugar shack for syrup, jams, jellies, wine, and honey. After I finish cottage. Got foundation hand dug. I do masonry work so have block saved up. Killed my chainsaw milling a large dry leaning white pine. Trying to mill some 10x10+ 8 foot post. I like 90 day or less seeds for summer crops. 60 day seeds for spring and fall crops. We mostly grow heirloom varieties. My Gravenstein apple is early and gets hit once every 3 years by frost. Hazelnuts are good easy plant and high protein too. Plant a garden bush border to keep deer out. They won't jump over what they can't see. And gives shade to plants that don't like full sun. It helps during droughts. Our corn and asparagus help shade lettuce and carrots. Which that bed is in partly shade too. It seems to rain for days first week of May here. So I make sure my sweet corn is in the ground. We always have onions, potatoes, and lettuce planted all year. Always harvesting them. We grow leaf lettuce indoors and greenhouse. Onions and potatoes are always planted and over winter for use. The purple kale grows great but best when small. I end up composting a lot of it but not in worm bed. Great work. Fight that soil compaction some way.
Michelle, I also use homesteading as therapy. I need it and my body appreciates it. You make me feel fat more capable of learning more about this lifestyle so thank you for your authenticity ❤
Thanks for sharing! I love how you "move" paddocks. We are getting ready to put in a pasture fence and we are going to work that into the design...brilliant!
Loved watching this video... It's such a good message about how to spread the load and work together as a family. No one should be ashamed of using all the tools at their disposal (modern conveniences) to get things done in an efficient way. While it's great to be able to do things using the traditional methods, we should be able to take advantage of the newer ways as they are available. Way to go and thank you for sharing this message!!!
instagram.com/p/CtM0OZvxvVp/ We have a jam video on our channel! and i dropped a link for an instagram reel that walks through the steps of making jam:) Hope this helps!
I have turned my yard (1/2 acre) into a veggie garden and have some chickens. Also wprk a full time job. It's my hobby more than my partner so he doesn’t do a lot (he would if I asked, but we respect each other's time). I'm also a gamer, so keeping up on stuff is hard, but if you manage time and don't overwhelm yourself then it can be done. I add a bit more each year- last year got a small greenhouse and expanded the garden a bit more. I enjoy watching all the seeds i planted grow and learning new ways to grow and use harvests, plus i appreciate what others do with their own homesteads too.
I just found y’all’s channel today and I LOVE the content y’all share! I think I watched 10 of your videos today. Seems like you guys have a sweet family. We just moved to our 26 acres 7 months ago, so lots of projects going on. Thanks for what you both do, you have a new subscriber today!
Welcome to the community! So glad you're enjoying our content! I can only imagine all the work that would go into 26 acres...I'd love to have more land someday! Best wishes on the projects:)
I am amazed by your family such a breath of fresh air❤, I’m in Florida I have raised beds too I’m really planning to expand and you have given me so many ideas I will be watching all your videos and I know I will get some greats tips
I agree with shortcuts 100%. As long as you have the skills to do things 'off grid', go ahead and give yourself permission to use your electricity to make it simpler. You are living my dream. Love the videos. GOD bless
love your channel, just found you a week or ago. AND I was just in Ohio for my Fathers Memorial.....Arcadia, Ohio.....my roots & birthplace. I loved being back, it rained (hooray), the village is quiet and I saw friends & classmates. live in So. Calif. since 1972...your channel is refreshment for me! 💛💗💚🤎
Having your fencing set for moving your cows makes so much sense. I see other people spending ages moving electric fences and water and have wondered why they are spending so much time messing with fencing. Great tips on reducing work, especially work that isn't efficient. Cheers.
I’m taking notes. For sure! Now how did you guys manage building your house while working? That’s a miracle in itself! My husband and I are trying to with our daughter and we aren’t even working full time and it’s HARD. Don’t get me wrong, I love the gardening part (I’d do it anyways even if it wasn’t food) but we retired from our business so we can build and it’s taking forever lol.
If I'm honest, we wrecked our marriage while building our house. We would do it differently now if we could go back. We have gone to counseling since and are both still getting coaching and therapy to heal the damage that was done. So grateful for the healing that we've experienced! If we could do it over, we would get a bigger loan and take off work during the building process:) So yeah, don't feel like you're wimpy haha...You're doing the it the wise way:)
@@morethanfarmers Oh wow. Thank you for your honesty. I am sorry it was so rough (and I could see how it would be hard on anybody). I am grateful we’ve had the time we have had to do this work. We definitely do not take it for granted! I’m glad you guys were able to make things better in the long run. It’s definitely a marathon not a sprint, both building a house and marriage! Best of luck to you both. ☺️Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is quite helpful. This whole experience for us has been humbling but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Thanks so much for this great video. I appreciate all the useful information. It actually gave the wife and I a lot to talk about, since we are in the beginning stages of looking for our forever homestead!
One of the best things we added to our property for efficiency and convenience was JUG automatic waterers for all the large animals. It saves us probably 4-5 hours a week and since we live in a cold area the waterers paid for themselves quickly in power savings from not running stock tank heaters all winter. It's also really nice when it's -30 out to not have to hand fill water troughs.
The work / life / TH-camr balance is hard. You guys are doing great. I don’t know how you stay on a good posting schedule. It’s been tough for me. Also this thumbnail is so good. All around great content man, as I said before. You deserve this explosive growth in your channel. Keep at it guys!
This is great! My husband and I operate our farm very similarly. He works a full time job (usually including over time), and most of the farm chores are mine to do (although, he does deal mostly with our sheep. I only have to do a few things here and there with them). I look at it like if he's working away from the home doing his job, then it's my job to hold down the fort here at home and make sure our family eats well, our home is clean and the kids are educated. I've not always been a pro at it, but I am getting better and better as time goes on. It does help to assign chores to the kids. They are great helpers, especially as they get older. But I agree with you that it's important not to heap too much on their shoulders. They need plenty of time to just play. I feel like they get the best of both worlds because they're learning tons skills and responsibility while also getting to just be kids. I feel like the key to managing all of this is to hone in on what's the most important and learn how to do it with joy. Your wife is so right that if we just burn out while trying to accomplish our homestead goals, we'll be in a bad mood and defeat the purpose of why we're doing this. Getting the work done is one thing. Doing it with joy is another thing. You're doing such a great job on your homestead and with your family!
Thank you for this great comment. Sounds like we have a lot of similarities:) Best wishes to you as you hold down the fort! It's crucial for the success of a homestead!
Hi from australia, just found your channel, we are so keen to do this we home school our youngest, have like 20 chickens ,2 ducks and growheaps of stuff on a 600sqm block in the city. Thx for sharing what you do, hoping to do this on bigger block one day.
You are on the right path. I suspect you will one day want to do this full time. I will throw a few ideas your way. See what makes the most $ but needs the least land. Example. Garlic , planting when the garden/ field chores are done in fall . A highly profitable crop. You are a handyman, take a look at mushrooms.If you have a town not too far, another high profit crop. Sprouted greens. Again, if you live near a larger city. These are the modern things eaten now. I am speaking strictly from a commercial point. Btw. Trellis your apple trees, not hard to learn. Makes picking much easier. Your strawberries would do better under that tunnel you have. Earlier crop and much much cleaner And easier to pick. Btw I am almost 90, worked on farms, market gardens and had my own farm as well Enough, from the wheelchair superintendent. You are a wonderful family.
Haha..I love it! Thank you so much for all the insights! Sounds like we could learn quite a lot from you! I like the mushroom and garlic idea. We've had good luck selling asparagus as well!
@@morethanfarmers yes asparagus. If you are early good money in that. Mushrooms would be my favourite. Some have taken seacontainers and spray foamed inside, built some shelves and away they were. The specialty types make lots sold to restaurants. Actually easy to get started because now you can buy a single bag and try it. You appear to have a green thumb. If you have access to market those sprouted greens must do well. Cheers.
I think all of the things you both talked about were very easy to understand, straight forward and practical. I think you would be great in teaching and training other how to do homesteading. Some times other homesteaders are trying to give too much information at one time. They also go from step one to step seven and back to step two. Keep it simple, straight forward and slowly get into some of the harder items, just one step at a time. Thank you for this video. God bless y'all and keep growing!
Love this video!, you guys inspire me to do more. I also have a full time job and play on the worship team at my church. I started a garden a few years ago and just expanded it this last winter, I want to add chickens within the next year. God Bless y'all
So glad to have found your channel. Thank you for the valuable content! 😊 We are city slickers and moving to a hobby farm in about 2 weeks. 😳 We have a lot to learn and plan to take it slow!
God bless you guys, is not easy to raise animals and have bigger garden. I try to make farmers cheese from store milk,don't get well not even when I bought raw milk from store,please if you have any recipe for farmers cheese with store milk, I appreciate. Love to bake sweets for my husband with farmers cheese. Thank you.
We will keep this in mind for future videos! I love to hear that people are making things from scratch even though they aren't necessarily raising everything themselves! It's still a huge step in the right direction!
Do you guys have a video on making bone broth in the instapot?? I've tried it a cpl times & wasn't super thrilled with the outcome, so know I just need to tweak how I'm doing it. Also I've been making butter in the mixer, but have seen you'd it in your ninja & wonder if it's quicker& maybe easier on the appliance? Any chance you could do a shorter video on how to do those things? Thanks so much for your videos, I really enjoy them!! Blessings!!
We do not have a bone broth video yet:) Michelle just puts the correct ratio of bones and water into the pot and sets the instant pot on LOW pressure for 3 hours. It gels beautifully. If it doesn't gel well for you, then up the amount of bones to water ratio. And yes...we definitely like the ninja better for butter. It doesn't take nearly as long and its way less messy! Michelle is coming out with a butter course soon explaining exactly how its done because we get so many questions about butter. We talk a little bit about butter making in this video...th-cam.com/video/o-1rGC-s_YI/w-d-xo.html
Maybe someday you could live off of your TH-cam like others (x amount of subscribers) and grow enough produce for yourselves and extra to sell for others for income in the future???😊
I know YT will be a job in itself so I’m not kidding myself that we’ll have tons of extra time, but I feel like once I’m not doing all three (TH-cam, homesteading, AND a full-time job) maybe we’ll be able to put more brainspace into growing some more stuff on our homestead.
Somebody else commented about it, and I thought it was kinda funny that I didn't think to mention that 😊 I'm a warehouse manager, and in charge of quality control, for a window and door wholesale distributing company.
I just got a cheap one off Marketplace. It's a dual suspension Next. I wanted to start with somethin cheap and see if it's actually somethin I'll stick with. We made a little trail through our woods with a tiny jump and a teeter-totter. There are some mountain bike trails not too far away that I wanna try soon!
you have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If your instapot boosts your productivity, why wouldn't you? I have power tools for a reason, a good large miter saw and chainsaw will save me a months worth of labor trying to hand saw everything.
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Michelle I want to encourage you that there is more than one way to live the homestead life, no matter what “they” say. You are a legit homesteader! You are the real deal, no matter if you freeze your jam, use a dishwasher, store your carrots in the frig etc. Don’t put pressure on yourself or listen to the nay sayers. You are a gem, you are doing a great job. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Thanks for your kind words, April.
Instead of doing 8 hours a day "fake job" taxing on your body and your soul, doing 2 hours a day real work outside sounds like a much better option, sometimes I wonder how the hell we dig ourselves into this hole.
Hell might be the key word…
I couldn't agree more.
You are working smart! May God watch over you and bless your beautiful family on your journey. ❤
Thank you so much!
@@morethanfarmers Have you guys ever watched The Hollar Homestead? This is who you guys remind me of!!!! They are more advanced as you guys are where they were in their earlier video's.
More and more people are becoming more fascinated with this lifestyle. I am working toward this myself.
That's great! Best of luck!
I love the "shortcuts" you take advantage of. Amen ... there is a need for efficiency so you can maintain sanity and have enough time for each other and your children. It's awe-inspiring to see everything you and your family get done in a day!
Amen! and thank you!
Amen to efficiency to maintain sanity!
I like y'all's style and work ethic. And since I've cancelled my cable 7 years ago, I have time to subscribe to channels like yours and still get my own garden and chicken work done. Carry on!
Thank you! That means a lot! Best wishes on the homesteading:)
I like how reminded us that having the skills to survive will be way more important than doing everything manually - especially while tech and energy and medicines are still conveniently available right now.
We do the same thing, I don’t have a cow but I’m up at 3am heading to the gym then work. The kids help out by letting the chickens out and checking the water for the rabbits. In the evening all I’ll have to do is feed, move the meat birds and put the chickens back up in the evening
That’s awesome! Just gotta figure out the ways to make it work. 3am is pretty rough though 😏
@@morethanfarmers it’s not too bad, it gets the juices flowing
You are absolutely right! When we went to once a day it helped us out so much. Homesteading can become overwhelming real quick. Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing and God bless y’all❤
So true!
The homestead can be slightly overwhelming. I wanted too much and planted countless vegetables that we couldn't use up. One does learn. I'm happy for you that you were able to learn it at a young age. Thank you for your time, I love your channel
Another modern convenience for someone that wants to make all of the sourdough things BUT doesn’t have time to ‘stretch & fold’ on a schedule…a bread machine (dough setting)-only way I’m successful with making sandwich bread, pizza crust, pasta dough (all the sourdough things). Also, I love hearing about the gardening & how you’re using your produce to feed your family.
Yes it’s rough going what your doing. Working on the homestead, & working a full time job. As for milking the cow yes it’s hard to milk by hand. But you did a good job on defense separating it, and putting the wire across the gate you could call it for them to go into the other field after you unhook it to go to the other pasture. Joe
Great advice. I’m working a full time job and learning as I go. We have. 22 chickens and two horses. Learned how to can enough meat for a year. Bought a 1/2 cow for the freezer. Making sourdough bread. Upping my skill level day by day. Loved this video ❤
That’s awesome! Keep it up!
I am SO IMPRESSED with your dedication! To family, to your homestead, to YOURSELVES! You do so much more, as a family, than most people are able to do, while they raise their kids! Your kids know responsibility, hard work, and most importantly, SELF RELIANCE!! All the best stuff you all do is teaching your children so that in THEIR FUTURES, they will set goals, work hard to reach those goals, and be happier adults because you gave them a platform, and an understanding, of what it is to be COMPLETELY, AND TOTALLY SELF RELIANT, because that is the world, and education, you gave them! And you LIVE IT EVERY DAY! That is SO NECESSARY, and so few understand that! The adults that you are growing will be leaders of their own lives, futures, and all because you do what you do! We NEED people like you, and the kids, that can thrive, and be masters of own destiny! It all boils down to spectacular parenting, and it all comes from THE BOTH OF YOU!!! You are AMAZING! THANK YOU!! You have given me hope! Most especially of a beautiful future!
Wow, thank you so much Victoria. We're so glad this brings you joy. ❤️
I never thought about practicing making certain items with store bought items. That's a good idea. Thanks for that advice!
You’re welcome!😊
I realize that this is an older video, I hope you see this comment. I’m getting my husband to binge watch your videos 😊 and he is hooked!!
He is interested in what the leather pouch is that Cody wears on his belt.
Thanks in advance! Much love and prayers from Michigan ❤
You should look into getting a freeze drier. It's a great way to handle extra produce, meat, eggs, and alot more. Done properly things will stay good for thirty years.
I’ve considered it.. thanks for the tip!
Love following your works, would love to have a homestead one day, sending love from Norway ❤️
Thank you! Good to hear from so far away 😊
New subscriber here and I am enjoying your videos, we are in Ohio also.
Welcome!! It's so cool to have Ohioans in this community!
My husband and I both work full-time off the farm. It can be exhausting, especially when rush time at work happens during rush time on the farm. This year we both had change in job roles which unfortunately required a spring crunch time... which is also crazy time on the farm with gardens and new animals. 🤦🏻♀️I find the general maintenance is very doable... but it's the surprise events that throw off the day, like about to leave for a day at work and realizing you have an animal loose or with an injury. Then it's a mad scramble to quickly accomodate.
I really like your points about using modern conveniences or shortcuts when needed! ❤ As much as I'd love my own dairy animals, we just don't have the time, so I just pick up from the Amish on the way home from work.
Wow...that's big...I can't imagine both of us having jobs. Even with Michelle being home, there's times especially in the spring where things get really crazy. Milking is definitely the chore that takes the most time around here...supporting local farmers is so important! Great choice
You guys are killing it! Good video!!🤙
Hey thanks man! Good to hear from ya 😊
I 100% agree that I have the skills but I'm going to use modern conveniences while we have them
Awesome and informative video. I'm super impressed with all you do and accomplish just on a daily basis. Way to go y'all. God Bless!
Thanks so much!
Awesome awesome video you guys!! I believe in high efficiency to get it all in, not all my homestead folks show or teach how to do that. Thank you!!!🙏🙏🙏
Thanks! That’s the message I want to come across 😊
Efficiency is 100% the key! My kids take care of the animals day to day these days (a lot of them actually belong to them), we predominantly feed once a day but use big feeders and big waterers. When we move there will be more effort on my part with the animals as we will start milking again, which we currently aren't doing. I love your idea of permanent electric areas, I think we will do similar as there is zero appeal in moving electric fence daily for me. Hubby works in town 4-5 days a week, I do all the gardening except for the odd thing that needs both of us. Team work makes the dream work! Take care, and thanks for the inspiration - Dana
Love it! Thanks for sharing, I love hearing others' stories.
Great, informative, looks like you have your hands full. With sharing work it looks easy and fun for all
Not always easy and not always fun, but those qualities are definitely there, and it gets better as time goes on 😉
Interesting video about being efficient running a Homestead and work a Full-time job at the same time. I think a big key to you and your wives success is working together so well as a team.
Hey Ben 😊
It is! Took us a long time to learn that, and we're still learning 😉
I had no idea you could milk once a day! Learned something new! And my Mom was raised on a dairy farm. We just never talked about milking… she wanted to be in the kitchen. Lol. Great video!
Is a real lifesaver for us 😊
New sub here. Really enjoying your videos. Love to see the interactions with your children❤.
I grew up on a farm and we were brought up like you described- everyone pitches in to help. We learned to work hard, to help others, to be thoughtful of others etc. very wholesome lifestyle.
Thanks for the subscribe! Welcome to the channel.
7:25
I cannot express how deeply this resonated with me. It feels good seeing successful homesteaders saying the same thing I’ve been saying.
Never understood the “you have to do it the hard way” type of homesteader. They will turn around and say “Our ancestors hundreds of years ago”
Like bro, do you realize unless you’re talking about the darn Paleolithic era, ALL of our ancestors took advantage of what was modern at the time. They did not CHOOSE to farm with old school equipment they possessed, they HAD to do so because that was survival. You’re telling me if you offered the access to electricity to your great x10 grandparents they would’ve said, “No thank you. This is our lifestyle” Boy let me tell ya what.
This is only the 3rd video I’ve watched and you guys are already my favorite homestead channel.
Also it’s because I just bought 5.5 acres so seeing what you’ve done with your 5.5 acres has blown my mind.
Right on! 😊 Good luck with your property!
I am one person, but I long to get some property and start a small homestead. I am a disabled Veteran and have two government checks.
Thank you for your service! And never give up on your dreams:)
I love your videos. Dude, by looking at you, I feel you like Alternative Music. Yes_? ... I do. Blessings
Yeah somewhat.. Christian punk rock.. Hawk Nelson, Relient K, Kutless 😊
I love how practical you all are! Yes! Why be "I'm not using that big freezer for my jam! I'm gonna can it all!" But why?? I can my own produce but I also freeze what I can't use! My jalapeños were out of control this year so I froze them whole! They still work like the fresh ones! Why kill myself? I used to feel guilty if I wasted even one tomato. Now I just use, can, freeze, eat, give. Done
Love you guys ❤ kudos
P.S. ignore the negative nannies (they obviously don't have 4 precious babies!) Amen
Right on! Thank you!
True work True food and that is key to Energy, when you work with what you like and eat real food from earth not from water hydroponic chemistry stuff and they get Energy
I run 2 companies one seasonal spring and fall. And I am building a homestead 6.5 hours north off grid and of current house by hand. Keep it simple stupid. We are only a family of 6 now. As older kids have moved out. Some tips. Tax sale houses are cheap but need work. This allowed us to get out of debt. 3 years ago we bought 10 acres up north. Can get organic cert this year. Our town house has small garden 1/3 of lot size. My mom has organic orchard. Which we help out on. Picking berries for market and tree chores. You gotta work. Started eating 4 meals. Breakfast before sun up, lunch before noon, dinner by 5 and when work is done at sun down supper. It took me 2 days to pound down 2 inch point well with home made driver. We use hugelkultur mounds up north. Some much rotten wood around. We have ferns not grass up there so use ferns as green carbons. It is a natural mature food forest. With about every kind of berry you can find in the U.P. of MI. Which gave us a great start. As to knowing where things want to grow. And see what isn't growing as good in the space. Been mixing domestic strawberries in with the wild and replacing ferns in that section with asparagus. Have some little cherry trees so planted sweet cherries by them. Hope to graft to the wild ones but may have to be tart cherries. Found I can graft pear to service berry trees that get 20-30 feet tall. Working on propagating as many thimble berries and billberries as possible. Way sweeter and better profits than raspberries. Learning to prune wild blueberries as we have many patches. Really need to build a sugar shack for syrup, jams, jellies, wine, and honey. After I finish cottage. Got foundation hand dug. I do masonry work so have block saved up. Killed my chainsaw milling a large dry leaning white pine. Trying to mill some 10x10+ 8 foot post. I like 90 day or less seeds for summer crops. 60 day seeds for spring and fall crops. We mostly grow heirloom varieties. My Gravenstein apple is early and gets hit once every 3 years by frost. Hazelnuts are good easy plant and high protein too. Plant a garden bush border to keep deer out. They won't jump over what they can't see. And gives shade to plants that don't like full sun. It helps during droughts. Our corn and asparagus help shade lettuce and carrots. Which that bed is in partly shade too. It seems to rain for days first week of May here. So I make sure my sweet corn is in the ground. We always have onions, potatoes, and lettuce planted all year. Always harvesting them. We grow leaf lettuce indoors and greenhouse. Onions and potatoes are always planted and over winter for use. The purple kale grows great but best when small. I end up composting a lot of it but not in worm bed. Great work. Fight that soil compaction some way.
Wow! Sounds like you have a lot of knowledge under your belt and a lot of great stuff going on! Thank you for your time!
What a beautiful couple.
Amazing sharing I can see everything specially beautiful farm thank you so much
I love your channel. My hubby and I are using you…lolol….for inspiration! Bless you,
Michelle, I also use homesteading as therapy. I need it and my body appreciates it. You make me feel fat more capable of learning more about this lifestyle so thank you for your authenticity ❤
Thanks for sharing! I love how you "move" paddocks. We are getting ready to put in a pasture fence and we are going to work that into the design...brilliant!
Wow! Thanks...so glad I could be helpful! In the beginning, I didn't have an efficient pasture system. I can promise you it's worth it:)
Want to commend you both on parenting. Kiddos seem respectful, helpful, grateful, n happy - just great job guys!
Thanks ☺️
Loved watching this video... It's such a good message about how to spread the load and work together as a family. No one should be ashamed of using all the tools at their disposal (modern conveniences) to get things done in an efficient way. While it's great to be able to do things using the traditional methods, we should be able to take advantage of the newer ways as they are available. Way to go and thank you for sharing this message!!!
Hey Texan! I will SUBSCRIBE you your channel 🌷🐝💐
@@myurbangarden7695 - was just checking out yours... so informative!
Amen! So good to hear from like-minded people:)
@@morethanfarmers - absolutely!!!
I love how you have rotational pastures all connected to a common area
Thank you for sharing this! Do you have a video on what you do to prep strawberries to freeze for jam? If not, could you make one?
instagram.com/p/CtM0OZvxvVp/ We have a jam video on our channel! and i dropped a link for an instagram reel that walks through the steps of making jam:) Hope this helps!
I have turned my yard (1/2 acre) into a veggie garden and have some chickens. Also wprk a full time job. It's my hobby more than my partner so he doesn’t do a lot (he would if I asked, but we respect each other's time). I'm also a gamer, so keeping up on stuff is hard, but if you manage time and don't overwhelm yourself then it can be done. I add a bit more each year- last year got a small greenhouse and expanded the garden a bit more.
I enjoy watching all the seeds i planted grow and learning new ways to grow and use harvests, plus i appreciate what others do with their own homesteads too.
I just found y’all’s channel today and I LOVE the content y’all share! I think I watched 10 of your videos today. Seems like you guys have a sweet family. We just moved to our 26 acres 7 months ago, so lots of projects going on. Thanks for what you both do, you have a new subscriber today!
Welcome to the community! So glad you're enjoying our content! I can only imagine all the work that would go into 26 acres...I'd love to have more land someday! Best wishes on the projects:)
I am amazed by your family such a breath of fresh air❤, I’m in Florida I have raised beds too I’m really planning to expand and you have given me so many ideas I will be watching all your videos and I know I will get some greats tips
Awesome! Good luck!
Fantastic video. Thanks for putting this together.
Thanks for your time
I agree with shortcuts 100%. As long as you have the skills to do things 'off grid', go ahead and give yourself permission to use your electricity to make it simpler. You are living my dream. Love the videos. GOD bless
Well said! I love when people can use modern conveniences guilt free while knowing they could survive without them:) Keep dreaming!
You two are awesome, anyone who comments you aren’t doing it right, are crazy,, way more than the rest of us are doing
love your channel, just found you a week or ago. AND I was just in Ohio for my Fathers Memorial.....Arcadia, Ohio.....my roots & birthplace. I loved being back, it rained (hooray), the village is quiet and I saw friends & classmates. live in So. Calif. since 1972...your channel is refreshment for me! 💛💗💚🤎
Thank you! Welcome to the community! So glad to have you here and its awesome that you got to visit Ohio:)
Having your fencing set for moving your cows makes so much sense. I see other people spending ages moving electric fences and water and have wondered why they are spending so much time messing with fencing. Great tips on reducing work, especially work that isn't efficient. Cheers.
Amen! It saves so much time!
I like your choreography, its nice to watch
Thank you very much!
I’m taking notes. For sure! Now how did you guys manage building your house while working? That’s a miracle in itself! My husband and I are trying to with our daughter and we aren’t even working full time and it’s HARD. Don’t get me wrong, I love the gardening part (I’d do it anyways even if it wasn’t food) but we retired from our business so we can build and it’s taking forever lol.
If I'm honest, we wrecked our marriage while building our house. We would do it differently now if we could go back. We have gone to counseling since and are both still getting coaching and therapy to heal the damage that was done. So grateful for the healing that we've experienced! If we could do it over, we would get a bigger loan and take off work during the building process:) So yeah, don't feel like you're wimpy haha...You're doing the it the wise way:)
@@morethanfarmers Oh wow. Thank you for your honesty. I am sorry it was so rough (and I could see how it would be hard on anybody). I am grateful we’ve had the time we have had to do this work. We definitely do not take it for granted! I’m glad you guys were able to make things better in the long run. It’s definitely a marathon not a sprint, both building a house and marriage! Best of luck to you both. ☺️Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is quite helpful. This whole experience for us has been humbling but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Excellent tips that you guys are giving, and it is lovely to see you working together and with the kids. TYSM for sharing all this stuff!
Our pleasure!
Thanks so much for this great video. I appreciate all the useful information. It actually gave the wife and I a lot to talk about, since we are in the beginning stages of looking for our forever homestead!
Awesome! That’s the biggest thing.. talk through stuff and work together. Took too long for us to figure that out 😉
One of the best things we added to our property for efficiency and convenience was JUG automatic waterers for all the large animals. It saves us probably 4-5 hours a week and since we live in a cold area the waterers paid for themselves quickly in power savings from not running stock tank heaters all winter. It's also really nice when it's -30 out to not have to hand fill water troughs.
Wow!...This is great. I looked up the JUG waterers and they're genious! Thanks so much for sharing.
It must be hard work but it looks like happy hard work. It makes me happy to see you guys living so happy. Thanks for sharing!
when it comes to time management:
A manager at at a place I worked always said: The day has 24hours.. and then you still have the whole night...
😂
My favorite new homesteading channel!
Wow, thank you!
The work / life / TH-camr balance is hard. You guys are doing great. I don’t know how you stay on a good posting schedule. It’s been tough for me.
Also this thumbnail is so good. All around great content man, as I said before. You deserve this explosive growth in your channel. Keep at it guys!
Thanks man! Finally feels like a breath of fresh air after so much of the grind.. still a grind but at least there’s there are results 😏
This is great! My husband and I operate our farm very similarly. He works a full time job (usually including over time), and most of the farm chores are mine to do (although, he does deal mostly with our sheep. I only have to do a few things here and there with them). I look at it like if he's working away from the home doing his job, then it's my job to hold down the fort here at home and make sure our family eats well, our home is clean and the kids are educated. I've not always been a pro at it, but I am getting better and better as time goes on. It does help to assign chores to the kids. They are great helpers, especially as they get older. But I agree with you that it's important not to heap too much on their shoulders. They need plenty of time to just play. I feel like they get the best of both worlds because they're learning tons skills and responsibility while also getting to just be kids. I feel like the key to managing all of this is to hone in on what's the most important and learn how to do it with joy. Your wife is so right that if we just burn out while trying to accomplish our homestead goals, we'll be in a bad mood and defeat the purpose of why we're doing this. Getting the work done is one thing. Doing it with joy is another thing. You're doing such a great job on your homestead and with your family!
Thank you for this great comment. Sounds like we have a lot of similarities:) Best wishes to you as you hold down the fort! It's crucial for the success of a homestead!
You are both working smart! I have been enjoying watching your channel. You are doing a great job doing what your doing. Keep going!!!
Love your chicken tractor
You both have given great advice. Thank you so much and God bless
I'm really enjoying your channel. Happy TH-cam recommended you.
Awesome! Thank you!
Beautiful cow !!
Thank you very much!
Hi from australia, just found your channel, we are so keen to do this we home school our youngest, have like 20 chickens ,2 ducks and growheaps of stuff on a 600sqm block in the city. Thx for sharing what you do, hoping to do this on bigger block one day.
Sounds amazing! I love how you're not waiting to live this life until you get more land!
You are on the right path. I suspect you will one day want to do this full time.
I will throw a few ideas your way. See what makes the most $ but needs the least land.
Example. Garlic , planting when the garden/ field chores are done in fall . A highly profitable crop.
You are a handyman, take a look at mushrooms.If you have a town not too far, another high profit crop. Sprouted greens. Again, if you live near a larger city. These are the modern things eaten now.
I am speaking strictly from a commercial point.
Btw. Trellis your apple trees, not hard to learn. Makes picking much easier.
Your strawberries would do better under that tunnel you have. Earlier crop and much much cleaner
And easier to pick.
Btw I am almost 90, worked on farms, market gardens and had my own farm as well
Enough, from the wheelchair superintendent. You are a wonderful family.
Haha..I love it! Thank you so much for all the insights! Sounds like we could learn quite a lot from you! I like the mushroom and garlic idea. We've had good luck selling asparagus as well!
@@morethanfarmers yes asparagus. If you are early good money in that. Mushrooms would be my favourite. Some have taken seacontainers and spray foamed inside, built some shelves and away they were. The specialty types make lots sold to restaurants. Actually easy to get started because now you can buy a single bag and try it.
You appear to have a green thumb. If you have access to market those sprouted greens must do well.
Cheers.
@@91hiace You have shared some wonderful ideas. Thank you for helping others. Blessings.
I think all of the things you both talked about were very easy to understand, straight forward and practical. I think you would be great in teaching and training other how to do homesteading. Some times other homesteaders are trying to give too much information at one time. They also go from step one to step seven and back to step two. Keep it simple, straight forward and slowly get into some of the harder items, just one step at a time. Thank you for this video. God bless y'all and keep growing!
Thank you! That was very encouraging! And i agree, simplicity keeps people from getting overwhelmed:)
Great content.
Very good video. Thank u
Love this video!, you guys inspire me to do more. I also have a full time job and play on the worship team at my church. I started a garden a few years ago and just expanded it this last winter, I want to add chickens within the next year. God Bless y'all
That's awesome😁
Blessings ❤
Danke!
Wow, thank you so much!
@@morethanfarmers you deserve a lot more.
You guys are so cool and wow!!! So amazingly driven!!! God bless you. I’m so glad to watch your videos! ❤
Thank you! You too!
Thank you so much for showing us your process.
You're very welcome! I wish I would have known all this stuff when we first started:) We had to learn it all the hard way;)
So glad to have found your channel. Thank you for the valuable content! 😊 We are city slickers and moving to a hobby farm in about 2 weeks. 😳 We have a lot to learn and plan to take it slow!
Wow! I wish you the very best! Take it slow and enjoy the ride! It's the best life😁
Y'all are always practical. Love it.
High compliment! Thank you!
You guys are awesome!. Love this channel best homesteading channel on TH-cam!
That's a high compliment! Thank you so much for the encouragement! Kind comments like this keep us going:)
Great video
God bless you guys, is not easy to raise animals and have bigger garden. I try to make farmers cheese from store milk,don't get well not even when I bought raw milk from store,please if you have any recipe for farmers cheese with store milk, I appreciate. Love to bake sweets for my husband with farmers cheese. Thank you.
We will keep this in mind for future videos! I love to hear that people are making things from scratch even though they aren't necessarily raising everything themselves! It's still a huge step in the right direction!
Really enjoying this channel!
Glad to hear it! Thank you so much!
Good video. Keep up the good work
Could you repeat what breed of chicken you use for meat birds? How many weeks to grow out? Thanks
We do the rainbow rangers:) We grow them out to about 10-11 weeks!
Do you guys have a video on making bone broth in the instapot?? I've tried it a cpl times & wasn't super thrilled with the outcome, so know I just need to tweak how I'm doing it. Also I've been making butter in the mixer, but have seen you'd it in your ninja & wonder if it's quicker& maybe easier on the appliance? Any chance you could do a shorter video on how to do those things? Thanks so much for your videos, I really enjoy them!! Blessings!!
We do not have a bone broth video yet:) Michelle just puts the correct ratio of bones and water into the pot and sets the instant pot on LOW pressure for 3 hours. It gels beautifully. If it doesn't gel well for you, then up the amount of bones to water ratio. And yes...we definitely like the ninja better for butter. It doesn't take nearly as long and its way less messy! Michelle is coming out with a butter course soon explaining exactly how its done because we get so many questions about butter. We talk a little bit about butter making in this video...th-cam.com/video/o-1rGC-s_YI/w-d-xo.html
@@morethanfarmers awesome!! Thanks so much!!
Great topic, how many years is your guys homestead been up and running.
We bought our property and built our house 9 years ago. We started building up our homestead around that time...its been quite a process:)
Maybe someday you could live off of your TH-cam like others (x amount of subscribers) and grow enough produce for yourselves and extra to sell for others for income in the future???😊
I know YT will be a job in itself so I’m not kidding myself that we’ll have tons of extra time, but I feel like once I’m not doing all three (TH-cam, homesteading, AND a full-time job) maybe we’ll be able to put more brainspace into growing some more stuff on our homestead.
Where did you get your mobile chicken pen?
Built it 😊
Did you bend the conduit or was that something you already had?
I think I need a new baby daddy lol 😂 mine can play video games here recently and that's it I think he gave up
🥴
Brilliant. Efficiency check. Not minding other people check. Have lots of kids to ease the workload, just kidding 😂
😂 If anybody thinks having kids eases the workload they're gonna get some revelations 😉
Why dont you have one of those chicken doors that open by a timer and is sun or battery powered. Not that expensive.
I bought one and haven't got it put on yet 😉 It's on my in-the-near-future to-do list 😁
We still don't know what you do for a day job... ;)
Somebody else commented about it, and I thought it was kinda funny that I didn't think to mention that 😊 I'm a warehouse manager, and in charge of quality control, for a window and door wholesale distributing company.
@morethanfarmers haha. Helpful to know other homesteaders have outside jobs too. I Interesting to know what others do too.
Why don't you use a milking machine
Good question.. I do when she’s giving more milk. It’s not worth the extra hassle and cleaning when she’s giving less than 2 gallons.
@@morethanfarmers true
Have you checked into solar panels?
Not much. It’s something I’d like to do in the future, just haven’t gotten that far yet.
With the way prices keep climbing, the sooner the better...
Do y’all have Jersey cows
No, we have a guernsey😊
What mtb do you ride?
Have a great day
I just got a cheap one off Marketplace. It's a dual suspension Next. I wanted to start with somethin cheap and see if it's actually somethin I'll stick with. We made a little trail through our woods with a tiny jump and a teeter-totter. There are some mountain bike trails not too far away that I wanna try soon!
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you have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If your instapot boosts your productivity, why wouldn't you? I have power tools for a reason, a good large miter saw and chainsaw will save me a months worth of labor trying to hand saw everything.