All you need to know about handling oxygen absorbers
Oxygen absorbers contain iron powder that will drain any nearby oxygen by oxidizing (rusting). If they are put into a sealed container, they will over the course of a few days absorb any oxygen that is inside that container. Once all the iron inside them has been fully oxidized they cannot absorb any more and […]
Mylar Bag FAQ
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What are Mylar Bags? Mylar originally was a tradename for a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However nowadays it often is used as a synonym for any metallized plastic film. Mylar bags in a nutshell are metallized plastic bags. A thin layer of Aluminium is sandwiched between two layers of plastic and […]
Overnight Bush/Hunting Backpack Checklist
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As you guys already know, we are really passionate hunters and spend most of our weekends in the bush with the backpack. Besides filling the freezer, it is amazing to be so close to nature and enjoying the quietness without smartphone, internet and other technical distractions. For me personally, being in the bush feels like […]
Foodborne Botulism
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As a homesteader or someone who lives self-sufficient, canning is always a big topic. It is a great way to preserve your produce. However even when done properly, there are certain things you should take care of. One of the most dangerous things when canning is Botulism. This can even cause a fatal poisoning. This […]
Labeling Canning Jars
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When living self-sufficient or partly self-sufficient canning will be part of your life. Is it a great way of preserving your produce. However, buying canning jars new is quite expensive. Therefore, it makes sense to stat canning with Twist-Off jars. Those are the jars industrial produced jam comes in. When asking friends if they can […]
Correct food storage with Mylar bags
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,In our recent article “10 items you should always have at home” I pointed out why it is important to have some food stored at home. However, when storing dried food, with a long shelf life like rice, flour, pasta or dried legumes at home, many of you may have experienced certain problems which can […]
Skills for a self-sufficient lifestyle – Part 1
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On the acquisition of skills. The way to self-sufficient living will inevitably require you to have certain skills, that you either already have, or like most of us will develop over time. So apart from living a lifestyle that makes you resilient in certain disaster scenarios you can also see it as a journey where […]
Top 10 items you should always have at home
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For me personally a self-sufficient lifestyle also involves a certain level of preparedness in case of an emergency. I’m not talking about the end of the world and doomsday prepping. However, there are several emergency scenarios which can potentially happen and affect you in New Zealand, such as strong earthquakes, tsunamis, floods or just power […]
Putting together a survival kit
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The reason I’m writing about putting together a survival kit is every once in a while, there are stories about people that got lost in the bush. This did get me thinking of what I would do if I shared a similar fate. We spend quite some time in the bush, and to be perfectly […]
6 reasons why a self-sufficient lifestyle is worth it
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Well, nobody ever said that a self-sufficient lifestyle is a piece of cake. You actually spend most of your time on your feet. Caring for animals, producing food, preserving food and all the other chores can be quite exhausting. However, there are really good reasons that all the work is worth it. 1. You know […]