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2. Eat a lot of oranges? Tired of going through the whole ordeal of peeling them? We have this handy orange peeler on hand and it makes the WORLD of a difference!
3. One of our must have when making soap is a stick blender. Like the food processor, this can be used for a ton of different things in the kitchen!
4. A Digital Scale is used way more than I ever thought it would be used in our kitchen. Whether we are measuring food, apothecary items or herbs… it’s a super handy tool to have available.
5. JARS! Whether you are canning or need a place to store those herbs you just picked- jars are a necessity! We use the half-gallon jars and the 16-ounce jars the most.
6. Butter Churn. Want to make butter easily with a churn? Check these out.
In the Tool Shed:
We use tools around the farm almost every day. Whether it’s to fix a broken board, put up new fencing, fixing pipes or just getting something from “up high”, life on the homestead would be a lot more difficult without these tools.
7. The Drill. We all have our preference on what brand to use but, regardless of that, the drill is by far one of the most used tools on our farm. Whether we are building something new or fixing that board that broke, the drill definitely beats the screwdriver for those big projects! (But, let’s be honest…we all need a screwdriver around, too!)
8. The Robo Grip. What?? You haven’t heard of this one?! Well, let me just tell you. This really comes in close second to the most used tool on this farm. The Robo Grip is this awesome plier that, well, gives you a robo grip! It comes in super handy when you have a nut you just can’t get off or you’re changing the blades on the mower or you’re holding something still or, well anything that you need some extra strength with.
9. PVC Cutter. Well, around here, it seems the more animals we get and the more pipes we have- the more accidents there are! A PVC Cutter is one of those things that you won’t use every day but you will be oh-so-happy when the day comes that you need it and you have it on hand!
10. A Hammer. Now, do yourself a favor and get a good quality hammer. If you choose right, this will be one of those things you will only have to buy once! We have a Wooden-Handled Hammer and LOVE it.
11. Needle Nose Plier– for those hard to reach things you just need to get out!
12. Staple Gun. This actually comes in a lot more handy than you might think. We just recently used ours to attach new wire onto our chicken tractor.
13. Zip Ties (Aka Cable Ties). Have something you need to attach, but don’t have or want to do it permanently? Grab some zip ties and get started! I really prefer the 12″ size because it’s better to cut off the extra than to not have enough!
In the Barn:
The barn is that place where you end up needing something on a moment’s notice…and don’t have it. As homesteaders with animals, we spend a ton of our day in or around the barn, using all sorts of things. Here are the items we use the most every day.
14. The Bucket. This is a staple. Without a bucket, you’d have to feed the animals…by using your hands or tipping the bag over the fence. Make it easy on yourself with a bucket! (I also like to train the animals “the bucket” so I can move them easily by enticing them with food if I have to!)
15. The Scoop. These 2-Pint Feed Scoops are my new favorite on the farm. They fit the perfect amount of feed and I can fill up my buckets so much faster with this large-sized scoop!
16. Halter. Depending on the type of animals you have, a Halter could really come in handy and is a must-have if you have horses. Even cows, sheep, goats and other animals use halters. (Note: cows often use neck-straps instead of halters) There are times you will have to move animals and this just makes it so much easier.
17. Lead Ropes. Yes, as in multiple lead ropes. We have several and having a bunch comes in handy if we have to move several animals at one time.
18. Brushes & Combs. You have to keep that hair neat!
19. Weigh Tapes. If you are planning on selling some animals, chances are people will ask how much you think they weigh. Having a weigh tape on hand helps solve that issue (given that the animal is comfortable with you walking up to them and measuring!) I have one for each type of animal: Calf & Cow, Goat & Sheep and Horse & Pony. They even have them for hogs and deer!
In the Dairy:
If you have a dairy (or just a milk cow, goat or sheep), these are a few things I definitely recommend having on hand. Note: there is a lot more involved in a dairy than what is listed here! Interested in hand milking? Check out this hand milking starter kit and this udder care starter kit!
20. Stainless Steel Pail. Milking by hand? I recommend this 16-quart pail with the tilting handle to make pouring easier!
21. Milk Strainer. Strain your milk with this strainer. It is durable and good quality.
22. The Milking Machine. Tired of milking by hand? Check out this NuPulse Milking Machine package. It comes with everything you need (minus cleaning and processing supplies)!
23. Teat Dip Cup (Foaming). I SO love our foaming dip cup. You use the Foam-n-Dip with this cup, pour some into the bottle and squeeze to get the foam. By dipping this onto the cows’ teats after you are done milking, you are helping to prevent any infection from entering. I prefer the foam over non-foam because it greatly reduces waste.
24. Strip Cup. By “stripping” (milking) the first few squirts of your girls’ milk into this cup, you can check for any abnormalities in the mesh screen and address any issues quickly, as they come up.
25. CMT Mastitis Test. Think you may have a case of mastitis? This test will check the milk with wonderful results.
Live in the southeast USA and interested in dairy cattle? Join our group- Southeast Dairy Cattle Exchange!
26. The Family Cow. This is an awesome book that covers all kind of topics when it comes to the family milk cow!
27. Country Wisdom & Know-How. This is 488 pages of pure wisdom, covering everything you ever wanted to know about being self-sufficient!
28. Draft Horses and Mules: Harnessing Equine Power for Farm & Show (Storey’s Working Animals). We have and use a draft horse on our farm and this book was awesome for introducing us to how to work her properly! Check out our video below!
29. The Home Creamery: Make Your Own Fresh Dairy Products; Easy Recipes for Butter, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Creme Fraiche, Cream Cheese, Ricotta, and More! I just love all the recipes in this book!
30. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. This book. If you are interested in learning how to eat healthier and using the food you eat as a protagonist for your health.. you have got to read this.
So, there you have it. 30 items every homesteader should really have. Although there is a lot listed here, this is by far not a complete list. Everyone has their preferred items for their homestead. So, I want to hear from you! Tell me what you have to have on your homestead by commenting below. And, who knows, I might just make another list!!
Margaret @ Pure Pearl Homestead says
Where on earth would we be without buckets buckets buckets galore?! It seems I have them everywhere and then nowhere when I need them (weeding or harvesting the garden!) Also, thanks for adding books to your list! Though you can learn a lot from just doing it, it’s important to have a background and a place to look quickly if you have questions!
Dianna says
I have just found your website and am looking forward to exploring it. Thank you for taking the time to create a pdf document. It looks great, but with a full color background it will take a ton of ink to print (in color or black and white). (I am assuming that it will print out just like it looks on screen.) I will just write the list down in my homesteading binder. Again, thanks for creating this document and the website. Have a blessed day.