Tools & Supplies That Have Passed The Muster

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Where’d you find that?!

The time we’ve spent searching for supplies that fit into our criteria is staggering.

Tools need to hold up to our vigorous use in harsh high heat conditions and have a minimal negative impact on the environment.
Supplements need to have integrity, be cost-effective, clean, non-GMO and make a positive difference for us.
Kitchen supplies need to hold up to and be free from leaching lead, aluminum, and other toxic substances into our food.
Food items need to be grown or raised responsibly without pesticides, herbicides or GMOs.

To the best of my knowledge, the items that I recommend follow these criteria. I appreciate any input from my readers to help uphold the integrity of these recommendations. I am always updating this list as I try out new things so check back often to see what’s new. I hope these recommendations save you time and money!

Books

Books about food:

Great book for anyone getting started on a real food journey.

Did you know you can make cheese without commercial cultures? This book kinda blew my mind.

Books about raising livestock naturally:

Great way to see how herbs have been used to treat all sorts of livestock for all sorts of ailments.

Ok, so my 2₵ is that this book is a great testimony of how minerals really have a profound effect on goat health. This helped me learn which minerals are good for what. That being said, I reach for herbs in place of synthetic minerals. I still find this book incredibly useful.

Human Supplements

Instructions on how to MAKE YOUR OWN liquid magnesium chloride can be found here. You may click on the picture to buy the ingredient.

Here’s the best-priced cod liver oil that I could find that doesn’t remove the natural vitamin A and D and replace with a synthetic version.

This is how we get vitamins D3 and K2.

Natural Goat Care Supplies

This is what I have used to rid my goat of suspected mites. It took months of applying every few days but eventually did work. It has worked great for cuts too.

Kitchen Items

This 5 oz measuring glass is very handy for substances that shouldn’t come into contact with metal or plastic. This is how I measure out my homemade liquid magnesium each day. In the reviews, people recommend hand washing to preserve the markings. I’ve been lazy and washing in the dishwasher for over two years with no issues.

To make your own ultra long-term food storage

OK so technically I don’t keep this in my kitchen as it is large and a bit noisy. I keep it in in the mud/laundry room which works great for us. It has been amazing for preserving everything from raw eggs to moringa leaves. I even use it to prepare extra kefir grains to store longer term. You can even perpetuate certain cheese cultures and preserve them with this machine.

It does require some maintenence with each use, but it’s pretty simple. Just drain and filter the motor oil and you’re good to go.

NOTE: My father gifted me the large 5 tray machine. He didn’t realize we would have to have an electritioin com in and install an appropriate socket for it. Of course I am hugely grateful for this gift, but I would save yourself the trouble and get the small or medium one.

I plan to make some videos showing how I use this machine and what the pros and cons are so be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get the scoop.

Soap Making Supplies

The elastic around the top of the arm is probably a little snug for most people. I was able to tolerate it but will probably snip the elastic to loosen a bit if they don’t loosen up after a few uses. Other than that these gloves have been much easier to work with that some of the others I’ve tried.

Preparedness Supplies

I chose a Berkey water filter for our family. These are my reasons:

I like to be able to clean it out from time to time. I’ve read about a family who was very ill for a very long time before they finally thought to cut open their reverse osmosis device and found it full of black mold. 🤢 It’s probably not likely to happen to most people, but I just don’t like the thought of it being a possibility.
I like that the Berkey doesn’t remove minerals.
I can take it anywhere, like camping or a motel on the beach 😊.
It doesn’t require water pressure to work so it’s good for emergency situations.
The Berkey has options for removing fluoride and arsenic.
It actually looks very beautiful in my kitchen!

Friends recommended I get the biggest one we could afford so I got the Imperial. We have a family of 4 and I’m glad we got a large one. We use it for soaking grains, making broth, rinsing produce, etc. so for us big was the way to go. Even with its large capacity, I fill it every day. This one below even has a stainless steel spigot.

I would recommend getting an extra set of filters. This way you get twice as fast filtering for the same cost as if you bought them consecutively. They don’t get used up by time, but by the amount of water they filter.

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