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Posts by : Dan West

Author / 47 Posts

The day man learned how to make knives was the day they started thinking about how to sharpen it. Here are some of the best resources we’ve found for learning more about knife sharpening..

You’ll find 28 knife making resources in this entry of The Self-Reliance Catalog, covering everything from knife making 101 and knife making suppliers to recommended books and and detailed free guides on how to make your own knives…

“Be warned: if you start keeping bees and develop a real interest in them, it will be with you for …

Hugelkultur is touted as “the ultimate raised garden beds”, popularized by Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer. As permaculture teacher Paul Wheaton explains it, “Hugelkultur is nothing more than making raised garden beds filled with rotten wood.” Learn all about it here…

It may seem unbelievable that a simple compost pile filled with anaerobic bacteria could heat water to temperatures hot enough to scald skin. It is, however, entirely possible and easily replicated at home…

An Earthship is a type of “off-the-grid ready” passive solar house that is made of both natural and recycled materials (such as earth-filled tires)…

In the old days you’d find several types of earth-sheltered houses around the world, including Native American houses such as the Navajo hogans, Sioux earth lodges, pit houses of the West Coast and…

The yurt is a low-impact structure that causes no permanent damage to the land on which it is pitched. It is easy to erect and can be taken down in hours. It is cool in summer and, with a stove, warm in winter. Robust and versatile, the yurt has evolved into the ultimate portable dwelling…

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a perennial flowering plant with many beneficial uses on the homestead…

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial flowering plant of the pea family that has been cultivated as fodder since Roman times, and has a ton of benefits for farmers, homesteaders and permaculture designers…

On this page we’ve gathered the best resources, videos and tips that there is to find online about building and using your own earthen / clay / cob oven…

The last few years have become the proving grounds for all forms of consumer technology. Home automation and mobile tech …