Ten Items that will Simplify Your Homestead and Your Life

Homesteading is extremely rewarding and it can also be a lot of work. Having the right tools for the job can make such a difference in saving you time and even money. Just like Julie Andrews has her Favourite Things in the Sound of Music, here are my favourite things that have simplified my homestead life.

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How to save time on your homestead and simplify your life.

Cheese Making Essentials

Rennet is needed for cheese making. Rennet helps the milk to coagulate and form cheese curds. There are four types of rennet: animal, vegetable, microbial, and genetically modified FPC. (Did you know, that 90% of cheese made in the US is made with genetically modified rennet?) I only use animal rennet as it is the most natural form of rennet and the most reliable. Dissolve one of these tablets in 1/4 cup of water. One tablet is good for 4L of milk.

Cheesecloth is needed for straining the curds from the whey, but it is really hard to find a good cheesecloth and they can be so hard to wash. When I started using these Paint Strainer Bags for cheese, I stopped wasting so much cheese and clean up got a whole lot easier! The bags can also be used in the garden, for wine-making, and for painting!

An essential item for cheese making is a thermometer. This digital, easy-to-read thermometer works great for cheese making and doubles as a meat thermometer for when you’re grilling your steak to perfection.

Kitchen Items to Simplify Your Life

A Danish Dough Whisk is so awesome for stirring sourdough starter into flour. Little tools like this can make baking so much more enjoyable!

You don’t want to store your homemade bread in a plastic bag. These natural-fabric bread bags are the perfect way to keep your hard work fresh and the crust crispy.

For the best quality sea salt, you can’t beat Redmond’s. It is a natural, unrefined sea salt without any additives.

I love my instant pot so much, I have two of them! I use it to make yogurt, stew, small batches of cheese, steaming spaghetti squash, and so much more. If you want to save time in the kitchen, this is a must have!

I don’t own a blender because I hate cleaning the pitchers. Instead, I own a Nutribullet blender and I use it for making butter, smoothies, chopping nuts, and making salad dressings. With only one cup to wash, it is another one of those time savers. Thank me later!

Speaking of butter, these butter molds are fantastic. Not essential, but they do save me time when I’m forming my fresh raw butter.

I like to turn glass mason jars into storage jars for dehydrated foods. These coloured lids work so well, I had to buy a second pack! I love that these come in a mix of wide mouth and standard mouth. I find standard mouth jars are the best for storing dry goods like beans and dried fruit.

My raw milk goes into 1 L glass mason jars and I use these mason jids which make it easier for everyone to pour the milk. I use the same on a 500 ml glass jar for cream. I prefer wide mouth jars for milk and cream.

Pickle pipes are so great for fermenting small batches of vegetables in mason jars. In the summer, I always have something fermenting on the counter. (I like the wide mouth the best because they are easier to clean.)

To go along with the pickle pipes, I use fermenting weights in my fermenting jars. These keep the veggies below the surface of the liquid to prevent mold. When you do all that hard work of cutting up the veggies, you don’t want your ferment ruined by mold.

Gardening Supplies That Save Time

Number one favourite is my Hori garden knife. It is a trowel, a serrated knife, and a weeding tool all in one. It also makes a wonderful gift for your gardening friends.

A seedling heat mat is so beneficial for starting seeds like tomatoes and peppers. Any of the heat-loving seeds will germinate faster with this heat mat. But don’t use it for broccoli, cauliflower, or lettuce. They like the soil on the cool side!

Seedling babies need 16 hours of light every day. To save time, use this automatic indoor timer to set the lights to go on and off without having to think about it! The timer can also be used inside your greenhouse to turn on a small heater in the spring to take the chill off. (Tomatoes don’t like to get colder than 10C.) And, get an extra timer to use to turn your wifi off at night. You’ll sleep better!