Our Life. Our Story

Apr 4, 20192 min read

A Homemade File Cabinet Sap Evaporator

We were in need of something more than just a turkey fryer to get our sap turned into syrup. The turkey fryer does indeed work well for...

Mar 25, 20191 min read

2019 Maple Syrup Season Kickoff

The long, cold days of winter are quickly becoming a thing of the past! The first day of spring has come and gone. The snow is slowly...

Feb 28, 20192 min read

Homemade Broom and Boot Brush Stand

When space is limited dual purpose items are very important. The entryway of our house is always full of snow and dirt so we really...

Jan 22, 20191 min read

How To Make Chaga Tea Two Ways

Chaga freshly harvested from the Birch tree needs to be processed before you can make Chaga tea. Processing the Chaga right away is...

Jan 17, 20191 min read

Making Birch Oil From Birch Bark – Ancient Medicine, Tar and a Natural Superglue

Today we bring a Bushcraft Special! VIDEO OUTLINING THE BIRCH OIL PROCESSING METHOD WE USE: Using our land in every way we can is very...

Jan 16, 20191 min read

Chaga Hunting – What is Chaga & Sustainable Harvest of Chaga Mushroom For Tea

What is that weird black stuff that grows on Birch Trees? It just so happens that the weird black thing growing on your Birch tree is a...

Apr 15, 20184 min read

4 Ways we Spend Less/More now that we Homestead

While it would be great if everything about homesteading was cheaper, not everything about homesteading saves us money. Here are a few...

Apr 11, 20182 min read

Spring Has Arrived – And So Have The Bears

Mother Bear and 4 cubs in southern Manitoba It’s been a long winter. Our first full winter in Manitoba. And it seems that it’s not...

Apr 11, 20181 min read

Dehydrated Tuna Pet Treats For Cats Dogs & People

If there’s one thing both Caddis our pooch and Minnow our 3 legged cat can agree on, it’s their love of dried fish treats. They both go...

Apr 5, 20181 min read

$50 Collapsible Chicken Brooder – Lumnah Acres Inspired

Every spring, we invest in chickens to raise on our homestead. Some of these chickens will be added to our flock of laying hens, while...

Mar 16, 20182 min read

Passive Solar Heating with Pop Cans

This solar pop can heater could be used for free heat in an ice fishing hut, greenhouse, a chicken coop, your shop, a hunt cabin, your...

Mar 8, 20184 min read

Country Vs City – Pizza Margherita

Can you make as good of a meal with ingredients sourced from the country as you can with all the ingredients available in the city? A way...

Mar 6, 20184 min read

Pizza Margherita

We eat pizza at least once a month on the homestead. Planning meals ahead of time isn’t our forte, so we always end up making our own...

Feb 26, 20182 min read

Heating Our Greenhouse With Compost – Part 1

It’s warmed up quite a bit here in southern Manitoba. Warm enough that it tempted Dave to get out and start cleaning up and thawing out...

Feb 25, 20182 min read

Didn’t Plan Ahead Pizza Dough

It is often the case at Dans Bois that we look at each other at 6 pm and ask: What’s for dinner tonight? Well if the answer you really...

Feb 21, 20182 min read

Oot ‘N Aboot – Chicken Toys & Wood Harvest

We’ve reached mid-February of the first full year on our homestead. Regardless of your confidence in a groundhog’s predictive ability,...

Feb 21, 20181 min read

Three Ingredient Dog Treats – Pumpkin Flour Peanut Butter Puppy Treats

This easy recipe makes a soft cookie our dog Caddis loves. Making dog treats from scratch allows you to control their size. These treats...

Feb 11, 20181 min read

DIY Mesh Produce Bag Scrubbie

We have a lot of knitted wash cloths around the house, but sometimes you need a bit more friction. That is where these scrubbies come in...

Feb 11, 20181 min read

Chicken Coop Poop Shelf Update

This is our first year keeping chickens over winter in Manitoba. It gets quite cold here (to say the least) so it was very important to...

Feb 9, 20182 min read

Dishwasher Magnets

While we may be living the homesteader life, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a few luxuries. One luxury that we decided was worth it was...