We've had some cold temperatures this winter but not a lot of precipitation of ice or snow. I decided this week to get out and get some pictures around the homestead of the houses and outbuildings. Many people are always sending messages about many things around the homestead and I thought I would post some snapshots of the various items in questions and comment about them.
It can sometimes really help to see how some things are set up if you are also thinking about setting up in ways similar on your homestead. So here are some random photos around the homestead. If you have any questions about what you are seeing, please post it in the comments below and we can try and help!
This is the top of Tim's (@hansjurgen) house. The solar and wind power help power his house and a freezer that we use.
This is our homestead woodshed. It looks like I need to keep stacking. I cut the wood and my two boys stack it up.
The roof of the woodshed drains into one of our two 1500 gallon tanks on the homestead. This tank collects water from the outdoor kitchen and the woodshed. The tank is uphill of the houses and flows downhill with buried underground piping.
Painted Tanks
This is the second of our two 1500 gallon tanks on the homestead. It collects from the roof of one of the houses on the homestead. Almost every roof on the homestead has some sort of water collection tank attached to it. Our tanks are all painted black. They come in a white color. There are a number of reasons to paint the tanks with black paint.
- It keeps the algae growth inside the tank down. Algae will grow and eventually die off and then putrefy the water and can make you sick.
- The black color absorbs the heat from the sun and keeps the water from freezing as quickly. It can decrease thaw time.
- The original color of the tanks are white. Over time as pollen from the trees fall, it will discolor the white tanks and they just look nasty. A nice black tank shows less dirt and gives a nicer overall appearance to your homestead.
Here is another view of the outdoor kitchen with the water tank. You can also see our outdoor brick oven. And the tractor is thrown in for good measure!
Some of our sheep relaxing in the sun.
Some tasty raw milk from one of our neighbor's milk cows. We love raw milk and Jaimie has been busy making yogurt, sour cream and cheese the last few days from all the milk we have been getting.
So that's the homestead right now at the beginning of February. Spring will quickly come and our attention will turn to planting and getting ready for another harvest. Homesteading is about taking it one day at a time.
Relax and enjoy the adventure!
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Day by day as it warms up I expect many of us will be getting back into our zone of gardening and not have as much time as we need. Setting up a system that works is the key!
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Keeping organized is important! Yep!
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You have a beautiful homestead. Thank you for sharing it with us in pictures.
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You're welcome!
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I am so happy that I began following you. As I was reading your post, I said to my husband, "Why is there not a show about this?!?!" His response was, maybe there is, we don't watch TV anymore, but you seem to be watching it on STEEM so that's cool. I do have a question, which is really from him. Do you have regular flush type toilets or compost toilets on your homestead?
Plus, THANK YOU for sharing this so others can see that it is possible and doable :) <3
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We have compost toilets. Been using them for over 5 years. They work great and we didn't have to pay for an expensive septic system.
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Wow, that is so cool !!!!
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Thanks for sharing the pics. I'm not brave enough to just pick up and enter the offgrid world. However, we are building a cabin and pre-preparing an offgrid homestead in the Arkansas Ozarks, and will move onto it upon retirement in a few years. I have found your experience and content invaluable in getting some things figured out and questions answered. Keep it coming!
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Beautiful Scenery!! Love It!
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Life is about taking it one day at a time as well. Homesteading likely amplifies the importance of this. Great posts!
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Well Zac, things are getting better and better since the time I first saw you guys three years ago on the homestead channel.
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Just found your blog, nice shots you posted here. I see the simple pump in front of the cistern, is it working well for you? We also homestead in the Ozarks and have a simple pump, odd coincidence or synchronicity?
I love all the roof catchment you've set up, so crucial here in the Ozark with abundant rain. Does any algae accumulate in your pipes? We have a PC elevate black cistern plumbed with pex and it grew algae in the pipes over the summer. No biggie as an inline filter takes it our before it goes to irrigate.
Thanks for sharing these inspiring images.
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im jealous at your lack of snow!
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Loved the tour of your homestead! Cool post for early February,
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Hey, glad to have found your page! I use to follow you guys on youtube.
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I have enjoyed the videos of your homestead being built to what it is. Really helpful in my design. Thanks for you vlogs.
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I have an off the cuff question, what is a ballpark figure on your property taxes? Not Income that is a different thing. Do you pay property tax on all your houses/buildings? - Glad I move here when you did, but I still miss the POD cast!!
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The two pics that really stand out for me are the outdoor brick oven (GOSH! I'd love one of those) and your wood shed! GREAT visuals for understanding your life
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In the pic of Tim's house, is that a black water storage tank hovering above the roof? If so, does he use a 12 volt pump to get water to it? What capacity is it, and what facilities does it supply?
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There is a bronze handpump located below it on the wall in a brown box. It will pump one liter with every pull so filling it up is fast. It gives water to the kitchen sink.
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A nice, neat homestead. I am "puzzled" by only one thing. In the past you related that a woman had given you sugar cane. Now you grow and harvest sorghum. Perhaps the answer is out there on another medium and I have not seen it but, was the cane misidentified to you? Or have you simply confirmed that it is in fact sorghum? Or did you discard the cane in favor of the sorghum? I minor detail for sure but, one I'd like to clarify if possible. If I have missed the obvious I apologize in advance.
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One guy told me that it was original sugar cane as real sugar cane will produce seed heads. Commercial sugar cane will not. Someone else told me it was actually a larger variety of sorghum. So who knows who is right. I just tend to call it cane sugar and sometimes will call it sorghum. It's SWEET either way! Seeds are available on our website.
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So it is the stuff she gave you, just the identification may be changing over time. That's an answer and that's all I wanted, there's no hidden agenda or anything. I guess if it's sorghum its syrup, if it's cane it's molasses.
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That's right sugar cane is reproduced through cloning, not seed. Molasses comes from cane, syrup from sorghum.
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Thanks for the posts! I mine them for things I can include in our new property. I have enjoyed your youtube videos, and have followed you to Steemit. It is nice watching your kids grow up, and the work you do for your family is good to see! Do you find that 3000 gallons is plenty of water? Why don't you catch the water from the greenhouse for the aquaponics? Might make up some of the evaporation that is causing you trouble.
Keep it coming, Love to watch!
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Fire roasted pizza...yum! Might be worth coming down for a camping trip this fall!
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