Issue 29: November/December 2026

Description

What’s Inside?

From Anna Sakawsky, Editor-in-Chief:

“As another busy year on the homestead winds down, it’s important to take some well-deserved time to pause, reflect, rest, dream, and, of course, eat, drink, and be merry with family and friends. That’s what this time of year is all about, and it’s worth cherishing.”

From homemade holiday gifts and old-fashioned Christmas traditions to building stronger family rhythms and practicing real rest, the November/December 2026 issue of Homestead Living magazine will help you slow down, honor meaningful traditions, and create a more intentional homestead holiday season.

Here are the articles waiting for you inside this stunning issue …

Holiday Decorating with Foraged Greenery

Melissa K. Norris shows how to gather evergreen boughs, berries, and natural accents from your own property (or nearby) to make simple, beautiful wreaths, swags, bouquets, and garlands. She walks through easy assembly steps, tips for keeping greenery fresh, and ways to bring the scent of the season indoors so you can create warm, meaningful holiday decor without using store-bought items.

Disentangling From the System

Joel Salatin outlines 10 practical steps for reducing dependence on modern systems, from living on less and cutting digital participation to sourcing food directly, building a more self-reliant home, and choosing alternative education. He encourages homesteaders to pick one or two areas at a time and steadily move toward greater resilience, freedom, and peace of mind.

Winter Egg Production

Lisa Steele explains why hens naturally slow or stop laying in winter and shares the lighting, nutrition, and housing adjustments needed if you want to keep eggs coming through the cold months. She also covers the trade-offs of forcing production, how to prevent frozen eggs, and simple ways to preserve summer eggs so you can still enjoy them while giving your flock a well-earned rest.

A Century of Chickens

Rachel Mast Bontrager traces the century-long story of Murray McMurray Hatchery, from its humble beginnings during the Great Depression to its ongoing commitment to preserving more than 100 rare and heritage chicken breeds. She highlights how the family-run operation still carefully stewards its breeding stock, hand-packs and ships day-old chicks, and continues the tradition of its beloved annual catalog.

Designing a Dream Farmhouse

Shawn & Beth Dougherty share how they redesigned their home from the ground up after a fire, prioritizing function so the house would support the daily work of homesteading rather than fight against it. They walk through practical choices for energy efficiency, passive food storage, milk handling, mudroom flow, and family gathering spaces that reduce friction and make the rhythms of farm life smoother.

Growing Nuts

David Hughes offers practical guidance for adding pecans, hickories, walnuts, chestnuts, and hazelnuts to the homestead, covering variety selection, growing conditions, spacing, and harvest timing for each. He also shares traditional processing methods and tips for sourcing trees so homesteaders can establish a reliable, low-maintenance source of nutritious nuts.

Homemade Holiday Teas

CeAnne Kosel shares three simple, festive tea blends (peppermint-cocoa, cinnamon-rooibos, and citrus-spice) that are easy to mix up with pantry ingredients and package as thoughtful gifts. She includes flexible recipes, brewing tips, and ideas for labeling and presenting the blends so you can enjoy them yourself or share them with friends and family this holiday season.

Gifts From the Kitchen

Victoria Pruett shares simple, from-scratch recipes for gingersnap cookies, maple marshmallows, and homemade hot cocoa mix that make thoughtful, edible holiday gifts. She also offers easy packaging ideas so the treats become an invitation to gather, linger, and enjoy a cozy evening together.

Bringing Back the Christmas Goose

Carolyn Thomas rediscovers the old-fashioned Christmas goose, sharing the practical reasons it once graced farm tables, the benefits of raising geese on a modern homestead, and her own experience roasting one for the holidays. She includes straightforward cooking guidance, recipes for classic roast goose and gravy, and tips for saving and using the rich rendered fat.

The Gift of Family Recipes

Anna Sakawsky reflects on how preserving family recipes (such as her Ukrainian-Canadian family’s perogies) connects generations, honors ancestors, and keeps cultural heritage alive through food. She encourages readers to write down, share, and adapt their own family dishes, and includes her Baba’s traditional potato-and-cheese perogy recipe as a practical way to pass the tradition forward.

Embracing an Analog Life

Alex and Sarah Maher share simple, practical ways to slow down and live more intentionally by choosing paper planners, physical books, basic watches, and analog kitchen tools over constant digital convenience. They also highlight the value of local community and neighborly trading, showing how small, slower choices can reduce distraction, deepen presence, and create lasting skills and memories worth passing on.

Herbal Infusions

Bevin Cohen explains how to craft versatile herb-infused oils for both the kitchen and the apothecary, covering herb and oil selection, simple infusion methods, and storage. He also shares clear safety guidance (especially the importance of using dried herbs) and shows how to turn the finished oils into salves or flavorful culinary staples.

Soapmaking 101

Malia Steffen walks beginners through the basics of making soap at home, explaining saponification, the difference between hot and cold process methods, and essential lye safety. She covers fat and oil choices, the importance of using a soap calculator and superfat, and includes a simple cold-process coconut oil recipe to get started.

Building Your Family Ark

 Rory Groves uses the story of Noah’s Ark as a model for creating resilient families that can weather cultural and economic storms. He emphasizes strong marriage bonds, shared work and worship, protecting children, maintaining joy, and pursuing a clear family calling so the home becomes both a refuge and a quiet witness.

Taking a Sacred Pause

Arielle Pierre describes how her family keeps a weekly Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday sundown, using intentional Friday preparation and a screen-free, unhurried day to rest, worship, and reconnect on their busy Alabama homestead. She shares practical steps for meal prep, animal care, and family traditions that make the day both a spiritual anchor and a genuine source of renewal.

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

Melissa K. Norris reflects on the hard but necessary lesson that just because you can take on more (such as another dairy cow) doesn’t mean you should in your current season. She encourages homesteaders to honestly assess their capacity, let go of what no longer fits, and create space to actually enjoy the work and journey.

PLUS … Homestead Living’s 2026 Holiday Gift Guide!

We’ve curated a practical collection of tools, kitchen and preserving essentials, gardening supplies, livestock items, and natural home products recommended by partners and trusted contributors. The guide does it again, highlighting durable, useful gifts that continue to earn their place long after the holidays and support the everyday homestead work we’re all doing!

*NOTE: Purchase of this single issue will NOT start a monthly subscription to Homestead Living. You can do that right here 😉