Directory

This is a place where you can find website links for information, products and resources that have value to me as a homesteader and maybe will to you as well. It gives me great pleasure to share what I’ve learnt to help others learn knowledge, save money or find products that help to achieve goals and dreams. I’m in the process of building on what is here.

Start Your Own Website

Want to start your own website? New WordPress.com customers can use our referral code to earn credit for both you and us! If you start your own website with this code, we will receive US$25 credit towards a WordPress.com plan. If you purchase a paid plan, you too will receive a US$25 credit, plus a free custom domain name for the first year. Click here to use our referral code.

Homesteading Channels

These are my favourite homesteading channels to watch on YouTube – some of my people. There’s always something to learn and encouragement to gain and share, whether it be about gardening, animals, building projects or just how to run a homestead with kids in tow.

Roots & Refuge – Faith, family, a new farm and big, big dreams. Get your dose of gardening, peace, perspective, inspiration and encouragement here. Everyone needs a Jess in their lives.

Lumnah Acres – If there’s a project, Al and Gina can do it. Building projects, growing food, processing their own meat, felling trees and a huge new property they’re starting from scratch on.

The Hollar Homestead – They travelled the US in a motorhome to find their homestead and family dream. They will give anything a go and are very innovative. Meg is whiz in the kitchen and Ben is always making things from what he can find, especially if its metal.

Sow The Land – A positive, creative family who are great at teaching homesteading skills to others. Jason does beautiful woodwork and Lorraine is great with food and minimal living. They’ve just bought their second homestead, upgrading from 1.5 acres.

Weed ’em & Reap – Urban farming on 1 acre. Danelle is queen of the goats and organisation and Kevin is king of finding stuff on the side of the road or for cheap. Their teenage kids are always good for a laugh.

Gardening

Dave’s Garden — All kinds of plant information and PlantFiles – a very useful, huge searchable database for species and cultivars.

Gardening basics — A good introduction to garden terms, basic gardening information and DIY projects the family can do in the garden. A great resource for kids or beginner gardeners, especially in the U.S. (Note: I don’t advocate for hedgehogs in NZ.)

Go Gardening — Articles and information about all things gardening – how to’s, what to do and plant inspiration.

NZCPN – New Zealand Plant Conservation Network — A great database for information about NZ native plants.

Oratia Native Plant Nursery — No longer in operation, but still a source of information on a wide range of natives – good for checking what conditions plants like to grow in.

RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) — Plant Selector and Plant Finder, mainly useful for exotic plants.

SEEDS

Egmont Seeds — Online seed shop for flowers, veges, herbs and more.

Kings Seeds — Online seed shop for flowers, veges, herbs, microgreens and cover crops.

Koanga Institute — Online shop for heritage vegetables seeds, bulbs and tubers and fruit trees, plus information about all things to do with growing edibles and living sustainably.

Setha’s Seeds — Online seed shop for heritage vegetable seeds, including garlic, onions and potatoes.

Chickens

Chicken Calculator — Not something to help you with chicken maths, but a genetics calculator for those interested in colour breeding. Complicated, but fascinating.

The Chicken Chick — A very informative website with straight-up articles on all kinds of chicken care.

Fresh Eggs Daily — A source of information on natural chicken keeping, plus egg recipes and more.

Natural Products

Dirty Hippie — Natural body products made here in NZ, including shampoo/soap bars and probiotic deodorant, plus handy, eco-friendly household items like soap drainer trays. The lavender shampoo bar is my one and only hair cleaner.

Nature Body — My other source of NZ-made natural body products. They also have probiotic deodorant, plus balms and lotions, bamboo toothbrushes, stainless steel straws and more.

Pure Nature — My main one-stop essential oils shop. They also sell a wide range of ingredients and supplies for making natural body products, cosmetics, soap, candles and beeswax wraps. If you click on this referral code — Who wants a discount? — you will get $10 off your first order and we get rewarded too.

HealthPost — An online pharmacy with a wide range of natural pharmaceutical and health products plus eco-living products.

Food

Grounded & Co. — Coffee and tea that’s fair trade, certified organic and helping the planet? Yes please.

Henderson’s (Henderson’s Bacon) — The bacon to buy. Why? It has no cancer-causing preservatives like most of the bacon in our country and isn’t full of water. Also, it tastes like proper bacon. Available at good supermarkets.

Honest Wholefood Co — A great source of bulk pantry foods, particularly beans, lentils, popcorn kernels and other dry goods.

PureCoco — Our source of bulk coconut oil. They also have coconut aminos (soy sauce alternative) and other coconut products that are unrefined, chemical free and sustainably and ethically sourced. Use our referral code — Who wants a discount? — to get 10% off your first order and we get rewarded too.

Real Food Direct — A great source of bulk foods including peanuts for peanut butter, seeds, spices and more. Use our referral code — Who wants a discount? — to get a $10 off coupon and we get rewarded too.

RECIPES

Gluten Free on a Shoestring — One of my main sources for yummy, well-executed gluten-free recipes. Just don’t look at it when you’re hungry.

Mama Knows Gluten Free — One of my main sources for simple gluten-free recipes.

Equipment / Household Products

Kiwi Family Kitchen — A great place to buy jars, lids and other preserving and fermenting equipment. They have a range of jar brands. Our main source for jars and leak-proof lids to freeze or process food in.

Luvele — Australian company that produces and sells vacuum sealers (and bags), mincers and more. Where we got our vacuum sealer.

Ozfarmer — Australian supplier of self-reliance products including pressure canners, freeze dryers, jars, lids and more, which can be shipped to NZ.

Southern Hospitality — A source of high quality kitchen equipment like stainless steel bowls, utensils and oven trays.

Knitting

Ravelry — The knitting website you can’t do without – search thousands of patterns through all kinds of filters, add patterns to your queue, manage your projects, keep track of your yarn stash, etc.

Lovecrafts — A one-stop shop for yarn, needles and more, with fast delivery and sales of dangerous frequency.

Spotlight — The local one-stop craft shop for yarn, fabric, accessories and more.

Ethical Shopping

Trade Aid — Food, chocolate, homewares, clothing accessories, toys, crafts, soap and more – an NZ not-for-profit organisation who supports small farmers and artisans under strong fair trade principles.

Tearfund Gift For Life — Instead of buying a gift for someone, buy a gift for someone in need in a developing country on behalf of them. You could pick a chicken, medical supplies, stopping trafficking or more. Gifts with a real purpose.