This isn’t a complete list of my favorite homesteading products, but definitely some of my favorites. I’ve been gathering over the years to make for a smoother homesteading operation. However my favorite homesteading products came to mind when considering all the blessings around here that make homesteading easier and or more enjoyable.
This isn’t a must have list to operate a homestead efficiently either. When we started this entire process I had little to no tools, or products to help me along, these are just some of my favorite homesteading products I love, and hop you find some you do too.
Kitchen Items I love
A new addition to my arsenal of homesteading supplies, my grain mill although a bit pricey has been worth every penny. Taking only moments to grind up flour. This will increase your self-sufficiency. To be able to grind up your own wheat for all the homestead recipes is definitely a favorite. Not to mention the fact my kids are able to use it as well.
I understand not every homestead has their own dairy source, but even if you buy store bought milk you have the ability to make your own cheese. This is such a simple cheese press design, there are others that are much fancier, but I wanted something simple for me and the kids to use and affordable. This is a much used item around here.
My KitchenAid is old, I’ve had it for over 10 years and I use it almost daily. Definitely money well spent, it helps cut down my time in the kitchen by mixing all the things for me.
4. Large Cooking Pot
This was actually a hand me down from my neighbor. I use this very often, and pretty much 24/7 when canning season begins. I couldn’t do all the things without this pot this is a staple in my kitchen.
5. Yogurt Maker
I have tried different yogurt makers but this one is fabulous, and unfortunately is discontinued by the company, however you can find brand new ones for a decent price on ebay. The lady who opened my eyes to dairy goats let me borrow hers I was disappointed when I realized they were no longer selling them. I luckily found a brand new one in the box on ebay and it makes the best yogurt so easily!
6. Bow Knife for perfectly sliced bread!
Oh the Bow Knife, a favored item in my kitchen. Another mom from our co-op was cutting some bread for the kids one afternoon and I was blown away by how perfect her bread came out. Looking like store bought bread, she said her secret was a Bow Knife. I found this seller on Etsy and he makes beautiful knives. I cook an insane amount of bread around here, this was a game changer for me, and took my bread from looking like someone chopped it with a butter knife to store bought slices.
7. Sourdough Starter Le Creuset Canister
Since I always have Dan, the sourdough starter on my counter, I wanted it to be in something aesthetically pleasing. I love my Le Creuset Canister it’s easy to wash and has the ability to hold a lot of sourdough starter since I’m always baking up something sourdough. I did ditch the wooden lid it came with and use my homemade bowl covers to allow the sourdough to breathe.
8. Cast Iron – Lodge
I made a decision a few years back to eliminate a majority of my pans because they contained teflon, I can’t believe I didn’t realize the dangers with that. Anyways I switched all my pots and pans over to Stainless Steel, and Cast Iron. I’m so glad I did, for some reason food cooked in Cast Iron just tastes better. Bread is crispier, casseroles are tastier, not to mention cooking with cast iron is an excellent way to add Iron to your diet. I chose Lodge because it’s American made, and the quality is awesome and the price is pretty great as well. My favorite piece is my bread cast iron muffin pan, and my casserole dish but I love them all. It took me about 6 months to collect all the Cast Iron items I’d hoped for.
9. Dutch Oven
I actually have two, I couldn’t part with one over the other, so I have a cast iron Dutch Oven that’s awesome, and another hand me down from my neighbor that is stainless steel. I love both and use them pretty equally. If you are a constant baker like me, I encourage you if you don’t already have a Dutch oven, then to get one. You won’t be disappointed.
10. Measuring Cups
I love measuring cups and mine get used daily. I have two favorites that I love and would say are a necessity on our homestead and in my kitchen. The Pyrex glass is so easy to clean and I love that it comes in a pack of three different sizes.
11. Harvest Right Freeze Dryer
A big investment for our self-sufficiency efforts, but well worth it. There is definitely a learning curve with the freeze dryer, but it is really awesome for increasing your food storage.
Miscellaneous homesteading products I find useful
12. Grow Lights
Grow lights are a necessity, if you live somewhere where the weather is more favorable then maybe you wouldn’t rely on grow lights as heavily as I do. Since the majority of our year is some sort of freezing, I like to start my seedlings under grow lights for a majority of fall and winter. These lights are awesome they are easy to install and despite the photo below they give off a dull glow. Giving me something green to tend to as well as giving us much larger plants to put out when the weather permits.
13. Berne Women’s Softstone Duck Quilt-Lined Insulated Bib Overalls
I’ll be honest it took me a while to commit to these, they just aren’t that stylish. But wow are they comfortable. I am tall, with a really weird and long torso so overalls are like a permanent wedgie which just isn’t comfortable. I found the Berne overalls in a tall and I’m so glad I did. No wedgie while I’m out tending to all the things around here. They are exceptionally warm, they don’t rip on fencing, I can kneel down in all the muck around here without even getting my underclothes wet or dirty. I wish I had purchased them sooner these definitely fall into my favorite homesteading products.
On another note, the wolf shirt is a joke between my husband and I. Did anyone else grow up in a small town where your local stores all had wolf shirts with some sort of intergalactic background!?
14. Gorilla Cart
My husband bought this for me a couple years ago, and it gets a ton of use around here. Most days you will see me dragging that thing around behind me helping me complete all my tasks. Well worth the money, and the help around here.
15. Incubator
I purchased this incubator a few years back and it’s helped us successfully hatch a lot of birds. I wanted something the kids could see the eggs, and be a part of. A bit of an upfront investment, but helpful if you want to raise your own chickens without having to go to Chick Days at Tractor Supply or wait for a mama hen to go broody. Able to hold up to 22 eggs it’s the perfect size for our small chicken operation.
16. Chick Heat Plate
I am overly worried about using those red lights for heating baby birds that hatch here. Having heard horror stories of barns burning down, and have read many different articles that the constant red light for the chicks isn’t healthy for them. We use a heat plate to heat all of our baby birds that we hatch, including our turkey poults. Not a fire hazard, or a drain on your energy source, and healthier for the chicks.
Sixteen items seems a bit random, but these are my favorite homesteading products that make my homesteading efforts easier. I didn’t go out and buy these all at once; it’s been years of collecting, researching, and putting them to use.
What is one item around your homestead or house that you think is an absolute necessity?
Happy Homesteading!
Danielle
Thank you for sharing all these items! I loved it and also, YES to the wolf shirts 😉 small town NH – I have a spectacular wolf T-shirt which a neighbor gave me
Thank you so much, some treasures in that list! Yes!! So glad you get the small town wolf shirt reference, and you too have one for your own enjoyment!
Oooh, interesting! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you! Hope you found something you could find useful!
So many of these I need to invest in. Freeze dryer, grow lights, and I didn’t know I needed a bow knife until I read this haha
Hi Kayla! The bow knife, is seriously amazing it’s needed for any home baker. I forgot to add my dehydrator, that’s a big favorite for me as well, helped me get the hang of things before the freeze dryer. The freeze dryer is amazing and such a blessing but also causes me to cuss more than I should eek! it’s finicky and smart. And with these long, cold, dark Nevada days the grow lights are a huge benefit to kick-starting the garden with our short growing season here! So glad you found some useful things!
This is a great list, thanks for sharing! Learning to grind my own flour is high on my list of things to learn, and I’ve never heard of a bow knife before, I’m going to be looking into that!