Homesteading Videos by Paul Wheaton

Paul describes the content of the two Art Ludwig Podcasts that are being offered. Visit http://permies.com/podcasts/ to get these two spectacular podcasts.

Suzy Bean renders lard in her favorite way. And she talks about some other lard rendering techniques that she has tried and doesn’t like as much. The way she likes: the stove top “dry method” (no water) in a cast iron skillet. She says a stainless steel pan would be good too. Low to medium […]

Just some buffalo filmed a little south of Missoula, Montana. Plus some new music from my friend Jimmy Pardo: “Buncha Fuckin Weirdos” For the part where the buffalo glot close to me, i was humming the tune. That seemed to draw them in. Relevant threads at permies (with more info about the music): http://www.permies.com/t/13946/art-music-aesthetics/montana-buffalo-song-bunc… http://www.permies.com/t/6301/art-music-aesthetics/china-pheasants-out-window […]

Erica Wisner shows us some of the latest innovation with rocket mass heaters. This time there are two innovations. One is sub floor heating. The heat of the rocket mass heater exhaust is routed under the floor and then outside. The other is heat bypass valve – the heat is the routed directly outside, bypassing […]

Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski talking about the uses of maple trees. Depending on the region, maple trees could make the best wood for bows. Skeeter talks a bit about maple trees and primitive skills. There is mention of the tie in with permaculture. Vine maple, big leaf maple and rocky mountain maple are discussed.

A tour of temporary and permanent outdoor kitchens. Includes cobville, O.U.R. Ecovillage, the bullock brothers farm, lost valley and others. Outdoor kitchens don’t have to me elaborate and/or expensive. Plus, these outdoor kitchens are keyed more to communities and groups. Outdoor kitchens are also a great place for canning and processing the fall harvest on […]

Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski tells us that serviceberry is the best wood for a fire in a tipi. Serviceberry is also known as juneberry and saskatoon. Serviceberry has a freaky deep taproot and is an excellent permaculture plant!

Comfrey may be the most talked about permaculture plant. It is commonly planted under fruit trees because it does not compete with tree roots, but it does compete with plants that do compete with tree roots. Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm tell us how she like using it as a poultice. We get to see […]

Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski, permaculture and wildcrafting instructor, talks a bit about what makes the best wood for carving a wooden spoon. This was filmed at sahale. As part of the washington state permaculture convergence. Skeeter mentions why eucaluptus would make for a terrible wooden spoon (taste). Skeeter talks about serviceberry (I have a hand carved […]

Using wedges, mauls and sledge hammers to split rails. These started off as some really big, sick cedar trees. Useful for split rail fence. Splitting logs for several hours. This video is just a taste. Most of the split wood was used for posts. Deer fencing could use super tall posts that you just can’t […]

This outdoor classroom is a kind of tee-pee-ish thing. Canvas, a few poles from the hillside and some rope makes an outdoor classroom for about a hundred people. … update – the roof of this outdoor classroom might be an old parachute! Video taken during an open house at the bullock brothers permaculture homestead.

Author of the $50 and up underground house book is building another eco house masterpiece! This is an above ground structure on top of a steep mountain ridge in north idaho. This may be the sixth eco house built on this property. Some of Oehler’s eco structures are underground and some are underground-ish. This eco […]

For a few weeks sandhill cranes kept hanging out at my house. Super early in the morning they would sing just outside my open window. Too early, too close to my window, and too loud really. Ok! I’m awake already! The music is by my friend Jimmy Pardo. To hear more of his stuff and […]

This building cost nothing to build. Well, nearly nothing. It is built of mostly pallets. Used pallets. Pallets that would have been thrown in the garbage. Karen Biondo of La Biondo Farm and Kitchen tells us the story and shows us around. It’s a sturdy shed that is used for an honor system farm stand […]

A tour of “the homestead” or “the mountain homestead” ecovillage featuring some fascinating cob and wood structures and wood carving. This eco village is next door to another ecovillage: cobville. Check out the cob oven, cob buildings and there are glimpses of other structures in the ecovillage. A peek at their gardens. A peek at […]

A solar food dehydrator / dryer made from a dead freezer. Brian Kerkvliet from Inspiration Farm in Bellingham, Washington gives us a tour of his contraption. This solar food dehydrator comes with a blackened air intake and a blackened air pull. Complete with biotracking! This is where somebody moves the dehydrator several times a day […]

This is an outdoor rumford fireplace made from cob at “the homestead” or “the mountain homestead” ecovillage designed to replace a campfire. The idea is that with a rumford fireplace people can circle around, not get smoke in their eyes and stay dry and warm even when it is raining. There is another rumford fireplace […]

Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski explains how lighting converts nitrogen in the air to nutrients for the soil

Greenhouse construction with a rocket mas heater, including an excellent demonstration of the rocket mass heater sideways burn. The greenhouse construction class is taught by Ernie and Erica Wisner, featuring the rocket mass heater techniques of Ianto Evans (of cob cottage company fame). I cannot think of a better approach to greenhouse heating. This is […]

This part of the tour is hosted by Ianto Evans and features three much larger cob buildings. Including one that is designed to show off a cob home designed for suburbia.