Start Here: Embrace a Self-Reliant Lifestyle with Practical Advice
If you're new, start here to embrace a self-reliant lifestyle - one rooted in beauty, purpose, and growth.
From seed to story, everything I grow, write, or teach begins with one goal: helping others live beautifully and self-sufficiently, because sustainable living isn't about perfection - it's about purpose, and both beauty and self-sufficiency grow from the same soil.
Welcome to Experimental Homesteader, your comprehensive guide to self-sufficiency and sustainable living.
Whether you're learning to grow your own food, preserve your harvest, or create a more intentional home, this space is designed to help you live beautifully and self-sufficiently in every season.
Start Here - Explore My Core Resources
Read The Chocolate Lover's Garden
Discover how chocolate, gardening, and self-sufficiency intertwine in one of my signature gardening books.
Get it on Amazon →
Join the Homesteading & Gardening Academy
Access workshops, printables, and seasonal courses that help you live beautifully and self-sufficiently.
Visit the Academy →
Download the Seasonal Foraging Journal
Track wild edibles, harvest notes, and recipes through every season.
Shop Now →
1. Lifestyle
Explore organic living, home remodeling, decorating, cleaning, fashion, beauty, and toy reviews.
- Spooky & Sustainable Halloween Table Decorating with Oranges
- 15 Organic Cooking Tips for a Healthier, More Self-Sufficient Kitchen (Organic Cooking Tips Series - Part 1)
- Mastering Wood Stove Usage: Tips and Tricks
- Ant Man The Movie Plus Fun Activity Worksheets
2. Prepping
Learn survival and emergency preparedness strategies.
- Building Resilience Through Prepper Pantries: A Guide for Homesteaders and Preppers
- Food Security Preparedness - What To Do Before Disaster Strikes
- What To Do If There is No Water On The Homestead Property
- Cold Weather DIY Heat and Light Sources
3. Animal Husbandry
Gain insights into caring for horses, goats, sheep, poultry, dogs, and cats.
- How To Care For Goats
- The Ultimate Guide To Goat Milk For The Modern Family
- Goat Milk Butter Recipe (Easy Homemade Butter From Fresh Goat Milk)
- How To Use And Separate Goat Milk Heavy Cream
4. Crafty Creations
Engage in natural crafting, essential oil distillation, herbal preparations, homemade cleaners, spinning yarn, weaving, paper crafting, Cricut projects, and sewing/embroidery.
- How to Marble Paper with Shaving Cream and Acrylic Paint
- How to Paint a Horse Suncatcher with Gallery Glass Paint
- How to Make DIY Printed Candles with Tissue Paper and Vintage Designs
- How to Make a Quilled Baby Gift Tag with Paper Ducks
5. Elegant Cooking
- Homemade Apple Pie with Swerve Sweetener: A No-Added-Sugar Recipe
- Anastasia Confections Salt Water Taffy Review: Soft, Chewy and Full of Flavor
- How to Make Fortune Cookies with Pie Crust
- Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe: A Halloween Tradition
6. Food Preservation
Master stocking up, canning, freezing, dehydrating, and root cellaring.
- Does the LĒVO II+ Actually Belong in a Homestead Kitchen? My Honest, Everyday Review
- Favorite New Food Preservation Products Every Homesteader Should Know About
- Canning Food: Is It Worth The Time And Effort? Why I Still Do It (Even When It's Hard)
- How to Preserve Fall Apples Without Canning
Recipes
All The Recipes From Elegant Cooking And Food Preservation
Free Downloads and Printables
For free downloads and printables, sign up for our newsletter to access eBooks, eCourses, PDFs, recipe cards, chalkboard mason jar labels, and Disney Activity Sheets.
Grouped Topics
Stay ahead with our month-by-month homesteading and prepping guides tailored to seasonal needs.
Celebrate every season and holiday with DIY projects, homestead prep, and tips for creating memorable celebrations.
Each category provides practical guidance for a well-prepared homestead year-round:
Fall Prepping
Prepare your homestead for winter with essential tasks like root cellar storage, food preservation, and livestock winterization.
- The Ultimate Apple Roundup: Fresh Recipes, Desserts & Preservation Guides
- Caramel Pecan Apple Butter Recipe - An Easy Fall Apple Spread
- The Best Way to Store Potatoes: Maximize Your Fresh Ingredients
- Crafting And Preserving Halloween Treats on the Homestead
Food Security and Summer Sustainability
Ensure long-term food security through strategies like solar dehydration, outdoor cooking techniques, and strengthening homestead security.
Harvest and Summer Food Preservation
Maximize your summer harvest with techniques such as water bath and pressure canning, long-term produce storage, and drying methods.
Homestead Holidays and Winter Preparedness
Celebrate the season while preparing your homestead for winter, featuring handmade gifts, cozy meals, and essential preparedness tips.
National Prepping Month
Get ready for anything with a prepping challenge via email, emergency drills, bug-out bag essentials, and self-defense techniques.
- Mastering Useful Survival Skills: 10 Essential Techniques for When You Bug Out
- Grow Your Own Laundry Detergent
- Running Out Of Toilet Paper? You Need To Read This!
- Seasonal Foraging Guide for Homesteaders: Year-Round Wild Edibles
Self-Reliance and Off-Grid Living
Embrace self-sufficiency with skills like solar power, alternative energy projects, and sustainable off-grid solutions.
Self-Sufficiency Skills and Homestead DIY Month
Build your skills with projects like soap making, candle making, and setting up alternative heating.
Winter Preparedness and Homestead Planning
Ensure your homestead is ready for winter with tasks like stocking up on animal feed, making emergency heat plans, and seasonal meal planning.
Learn More -
Learn more about me, making money online, and tech-related product reviews on my personal website SheriAnnRicherson.com.
For gardening enthusiasts, visit my gardening blog, Exotic Gardening Thoughts.
You can also grab my blogging advice over at BiannualBlog-A-Thon.com
If you are into collecting vintage Halloween decorations, be sure to check out my blog HalloweenCollectorsSociety.com
Helping people live beautifully and self-sufficiently - Sheri Ann Richerson