The 10 Top Homesteading Sites

Homesteading is somewhat a solitary activity by the sheer definition of it. When, in the 1970's people were heading into the wild and woolly backwoods of Canada, Alaska, and Montana, they accepted that their lives would be dangerous, lonely, and independent. This is what the whole point was, after all. Self dependence. Man against the environment. Man against himself. Ooorah.

Now, of course, it is slightly different. With technology a homesteader can link up with others of like mind and communicate through the magic of the Internet. Need to learn how to butcher, build a wooden hinge, make butter, or plant a garden? Google is at your fingertips.

To some extent the websites are few and far between and alot of times when they are explored they will be found to have been abandoned months before due to low posting, or just not very helpful. Homesteaders, as a group, don't have time to chat. Much.

Here are several sites that I found helpful, up to date (at least at this writing) and interesting. Some specialize in Homesteading chat, some in information, some in political issues that effect you. Some were chosen for the supplies that they carry. Comment below and link to any other sites that may have been missed. This page is by no means all-inclusive.

Homestead Exchange Network, or HEN, is a pretty recent site that has the potential to be big. Not only is there a forum with lots of subjects, but there is also the beginning of a store, mentoring capabilities, assistance programs, and on and on. Think of it as a small farming community where every member is willing to help the other with both time and resources. One of the picutres on the home page is of an old fashioned barn raising, and this seems to portray the purpuse of the site perfectly.

In checking the forums there were posts on everything from cooking and gardening to raising livestock, a place to let others know about your homespun business, a forum for children, a place for questions about herbs and nutrition, and my personal favorite, Help, I Need Support Today.

Who hasn't needed a place to go to rant, cry, or admit defeat and get some words of encouragement? This is especially true for the homesteader who may be living a life that relatives and friends don't support, accept, or understand. Check this site out, and register. It is worth supporting even if you are a homestead wanna-be.

Update: Sadly HEN is no longer an active site, although I believe that the content is still there for now.

If you are going to homestead and go off grid you have to check out Lehman's It is full of every type of machinery for off grid living and some very cool stuff. This was the type of catalogue that homesteaders in the OLD days used to drool over by the light of their smokey fires.

Need a hand crank flour mill or meat grinder? Get it here. Wood burning cooking stove? They have several. Lye soap, clotheslines, composters...anything that you might need to keep your homestead humming along is but a click away.

Many Tracks offers articles like window quilts and solar heated chicken coop. The author writes in an easy to understand, lively style that is interesting and helpful.

Homestead org. offers lots of information and articles, how-tos, advice and chat boards to keep you connected with other homesteaders.

Backwoods Home is the online site for the magazine of the same name. Handling money, family issues, farming, everything that has to do with homestead living can be found here.

Home Building is a site with information, maybe all the information, you will need to build a home. Do you need to know about cob? Rammed earth? It is all here.

Environmental News Network is the place to go to find out anything. Top news stories from an environmental angle get you the information you need to know to make choices and decisions wisely. A daily read, for sure.

Care2 Green Living is sort of all inclusive. Information is here!

Tree Hugger is another website to turn to daily. Everything about everything is here with links, forums,articles, how-tos and why nots. Need to know if a company is or is not socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible? Tree hugger is the place to find out. Great research and writing that is trust-worthy and factual.

This site has great images, is very user friendly and loads like a dream. They claim to add over 24 articles a day to their archives and when you look at the amount of information on these pages it is easy to believe.

And of course, Mother Earth News is the ultimate. This magazine has been around a long, long time and probably was found under teenage beds in the 1970's nearly as often as Playboy and Penthouse. The website is as helpful as the magazine and the archives are extensive.