Sustainable Living Homestead Products | Self-sufficient Homesteading

Featuring brand new old fashioned vintage products used in the sustainable living Amish communities for the sustainable home, farm, garden, ranch and hunter.

Cottage Craft Works www.cottagecraftworks.com offers an emporium of old fashioned non-electric human powered products that were being used in almost every household at the turn of the century.

The online general store is like thumbing through an early 1900 Sears and Roebuck catalog. You will be amazed at the old time products that are still being made like butane clothes irons, oil lamps, treadle sewing machines, push garden cultivators, to hand crank kitchen appliances. You will find almost every item you will need for the homestead or for an off-grid self-sufficient lifestyle.  You will even find such things USA hand turned old fashioned blue stripe pottery bowls and crocks made using no lead or cadmium.

A large selection of hunting gear including hunting calls, USA made hunting apparel and even replacement gun stocks have been gathered here all in one place.

The folks at Cottage Craft Works have spent over 30 years exploring the various Amish communities going deep into the back roads mostly frequented by horse and buggies. They have found these old time products still being manufactured and used in the Amish communities. In many cases they are the only place online that you will be able to find some of the products they feature like a hand crank conversion Kitchen Aid Mixer, or a hand crank mini pie maker.

Many of the Amish products fall right into place for the sustainable homestead since the Amish follow such a simple back to basics sustainable lifestyle themselves.  Because the Amish have such large families you will find canning and kitchen wares made to process and produce small to large batches of food quickly. An all stainless steel water bath canner will process up to 15 quart mason jars at one time. Outdoor wood fired canners are capable for canning up to 30 quarts at one time.

In earlier times it was very common for families and neighbors to come together and share in the harvest.  The Amish still use this resource in canning and butchering.  The modern homesteader can do the same sharing in the cost of some of these Amish made products.

Cottage Craft Works provides an important economic impact to over 100 Amish owned shops across the Midwest. While 90% of the products come from small Amish shops and factories, other small American cottage based products are also featured hence, the company name Cottage Craft Works.

These are small American businesses where the owner(s) still touch the products they sale.

Not only are the majority of the products USA Amish made, they are made for a lifetime of use. The Amish just make things to last and have never tried to figure out how to make things that will break so that you have to come back and buy another one in a few years.  They also don’t make frequent model changes so that you can still get parts long down the road.  Cottage Craft Works also has parts available for the old Even Heat clothes irons, Heller Aller water well pumps, Coleman lanterns and White Mountain ice cream freezers just to name a few.

For the backyard homestead you will want to check out the popular heavy duty roller egg chicken nesting boxes.  These Amish made nesting boxes provide a protected compartment for the eggs to roll into as soon as the chicken lays them  resulting in fewer damaged eggs and much less labor in cleaning them.  If you have an egg eater in the flock these nesting boxes will likely take care of that.

One of the issues a new homesteader faces is copycat duplicate products being cheaply made overseas. The common hand crank egg beater is a great example.  You can purchase an imported egg beater for under $20 take it home and after the first time of use wonder how anyone could have survived using one of these. The gears don’t mesh well making them hard to crank.  In contrast the Amish made Country Egg Beater is a reproduction from the old fashioned Dazey Egg Beaters. They crank smoothly and are easy to use and clean. They will cost close to four times of one of the imported ones but they will provide a lifetime of daily use instead of cluttering up the kitchen drawers with unused items.

Hand push garden cultivators are another great example. You can purchase an imported copy of the high wheel garden cultivator.  While they might work fine for a small back yard garden, the serious homesteader depending on harvesting fresh food for the family table will soon find out that they are made light weight and take a lot of effort to push down to cultivate the garden.  The imported steel cutters are not as sharp and they use cheaper metals making them harder to keep a good cutting edge.  In contrast the Hoss Wheel Hoe garden cultivators are reproductions of the famous Planet Junior Cultivators widely used at the turn of the Century. They are USA made and also built to last a lifetime of use for the large homestead garden.

Many ladies are purchasing the reproduction treadle sewing machine cabinets along with the newer Janome 712T treadle sewing machine.  For many they learned to sew from their mothers or grandmother on these old fashioned treadle sewing machines and feel they can better control the speed of the sewing machine.  Many still have the old Singer Class 15 sewing machine passed down to them but the cabinet was long destroyed. Those will just purchase a new Amish treadle cabinet from Cottage Craft Works to put the machine back into service.

Cottage Craft Works in one of the remaining places where you can still purchase old fashioned USA made pottery water coolers and water bottle dispensing crocks. A petty important item as we face the uncertainties in the quality of domestic water supplies.

Many people are turning back into time to become more sustainable and self-sufficient.  The desire is being driven by many different factors. While many are turning backyard lawns into vegetable gardens and chicken coops fearing the safety of the Nations food change, others are preparing for a time where the vulnerable electric grid may be taken out by a man made or storm disaster. Others just want to get out of the economic rat race and return the family to a more wholesome simpler time as they grew up in. Some just want to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

Then there’s the unsettling world economy and threats of terrorism bringing uncertainties of being able to continue the modern lifestyle that so many have become so dependent on. If a minor short term electrical outage is any indication of just how dependent we have become on computers and the grid; perhaps preparing to be less dependable on the gird does makes a great deal of sense.

One thing is for sure our environment along with the grid is becoming more unstable with wide spread devastating storms hitting our country leaving people without power for weeks into months.

Whatever you define sustainable self-sufficient living as Cottage Craft Works unique gathering of products will fill most any sustainable living need. 

Unlike stockpiling items with a shelf life these are products that can be used every day and keep on using them for years to come regardless what may be in the future. Many of these products even work better and quicker than their cheapened down electrical counterparts.

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Self Sufficient Kitchen | Food | Tomato strainer stand for the Victorio and other strainers

We love our Victorio tomato strainer, we’ve had it now for over 25 years, but after our first big batch of tomatoes, we got really tired of shuffling the pots around every few minutes.

The problem is the strainer just does not sit up high enough to slide a tall pot under the discard end or the juice tray.

Solution my husband built a custom designed stand made of sturdy oak that extends the strainer up enough to slide a large pan on the discard end and then has a lower shelf for a large stock pot to go under the juice tray.

Now we can process a large batch of juice from start to finish without ever having to change pots.

The oak strainer stand mounts on a saw horse or metal bench stand where it can be bolted down to the top.

We have this one mounted on a metal stand. It has a wide enough base so it will not tip over when the side pot becomes full.

This is just at the right height to comfortably process the juice without lifting up to a table or counter height; this was another problem we had on our first batch.

My husband made the stand out of oak and finished in clear exterior grade marine varnish for years of service.

The one in the picture has been in use for over 25 years and has processed many gallons of tomato and grape juices.

We just started with the pots that we were using and took our measurements from those. 

This idea was brought to you by Cottage Craft Works. www.cottagecraftworks.com a self-sufficient sustainable living back-to-basics general store.

Sparrow & Starling Humane Bird Trap

If you're tired of cleaning bird droppings from your expensive RV, Boat, Equipment, or ridding your porch of sparrows we have the answer for you. Our Deluxe Sparrow & Starling Trap works to eradicate your property of these nasty pests. Starlings are also a natural predator to a Purple Martin Colony. 

This trap has been made and used in the Amish communities for decades. Simply place a small amount of cracked corn or cheap bird seed on the bait platform. When your pest sees a potential feast, they will enter and quickly ride the counterbalanced elevator down to the holding chamber before they realize what happened to their greedy quest. The trap is made of heavy gauge mesh, measures 16" x 17" x 7". We have used this trap for years to rid these pests from our property, it works amazingly well.

These traps can be purchased at Cottage Craft Works .com

Cottage Craft Works offers a full line of home and garden back to basic products, be sure to check out our old fashioned general store at https://www.cottagecraftworks.com

Budget Friendly Small Hobby Maple Syrup Wood Fired Cookers/Evaporators

These simple basic maple syrup evaporators will fill a long needed void for the small backyard maple syrup hobbyist. While you will find plenty factory built maple syrup evaporators for the larger maple syrup processors, the small hobbyist or single family who can’t justify shelling out a couple thousand dollars or more has been basically stuck with making their own evaporators or using makeshift pans and kettles over fire pits.  

Some of these homemade setups can be very dangerous to use, are not very efficient and cook the syrup unevenly with hot spots.

Many companies have hobby sized evaporators but are priced out of the market for the really small operator. One company does make a small wood fired evaporator unit geared toward the small backyard hobbyist. It is rated to do 4 GPH but it’s still priced well over a thousand dollars. In comparison you can purchase an Amish built basic unit with a three channel stainless pan from Cottage Craft Works that will do 5 GPH for well under a thousand dollars. 

Cottage Craft Works also carries a budget friendly 12 GPH basic unit with a 26” x 46” four channel divided pan. Larger Amish built hobby units are also available for up to 35 GPH. 

The small basic evaporator’s uses a heavy gauge welded steel fire box and then it is topped with a 20 gauge 6 “deep divided stainless steel cooking pan. It is all factory made to fit and function together in a nice compact unit capable of being moved and stored in a shed for the off season.

They won’t have all the bells and whistles of the larger units but they are made solid to last for years.  They come unpainted without, the stove pipe, fire brick, or insulation. But you know a good solid fire box with a large factory made divided pan to sit squarely on top is a far cry from trying to cook maple syrup in open kettles over an open fire pit.

Customers can use some cement board along the sides to make things a bit more comfortable, stack some used brick in to make the Arch, purchase some fire brick (about 10), a valve and plug for the pan and you’re ready to make maple syrup.

Custom options include adding a lid and an open 8” tall pan on the smaller hobby unit allowing the cooker to double duty as an outdoor canner that will hold mason canning jars, or heat water for other self sufficient living needs.

Cottage Craft Works www.cottagecraftworks.com is a full line back-to-basics general store featuring all kinds of products for self-sufficient sustainable lifestyles. 

USA Rugged Hunting Coats & Vest Made like Wick Outdoors, designed for Specific Hunts.

Heavy duty USA Made briar resistant hunting coats and vest for wild game, upland bird and hound dog hunting. These coats are made just like the old fashioned popular Wick hunting gear.

Extra fine old fashioned hunting coats and vest that you might expect to see on the cover of an early 1900s hunting magazine are still being produced in the USA by Dan’s hunting gear.  

Hunting has changed over the years and Dan’s has now incorporated D-Ring snap on pouches for all the latest electronic devices including GPS and dog handling transmitters.

Coats and vest built for the wild game and upland bird come with front loading game bags and ample pockets for other gear. All coats have optional snap on hoods and game bags.

Other coats can be worn as casual wear during the week and then transform into hunting coats using these snap on gear and game pouches. Most are available in orange or brown if you need to add orange to you hunting coat.

Coats are also available in camo and ladies pink influence. Choose from a wide selection of fabrics from the heavy duty 420 Denier Nylon, the same legendary nylon fabric used in the Wick Outdoor Works clothing, to soft cotton duck fabric. You will find a coat, vest, chap, or bib that will take you through the thickest thorniest patches to the wide open habitats for anything you’re hunting for.

Dan’s doesn’t skimp on the fasteners either.  One of the frustrations of purchasing an n imported coat is the cheaper made items use cheap fasteners and zippers. Dan’s clothing uses reinforced double stitching, rivets at stress points and a heavy duty #10 YKK Zipper.  Heavy duty snaps and D-Rings provide years of trouble free service.

Coats are still made to the old USA sizing standards as well. So much of our clothing options has been influenced by the smaller sized imported standards that it is difficult to know what is considered a large or medium size.

Dan’s hunting gear is made in the heart of the Ohio Amish community. Much of the clothing is made in area Amish shops. The Amish have long been known to make high quality products made to last.

You can find all of these wonderful USA made products at Cottage Craft Works .com

Cottage Craft Works is a unique online store featuring a full line of hard to find old fashioned American made products for the home, farm, ranch and garden. Hunting and outdoor gear is a specialty with everything from Amish made hunting calls, to hunting gear, gun accessories and replacement gun stocks.

Find Old Fashioned Vintage Products | New Reproduction Vintage Off Grid Products

Cottage Craft Works, www.cottagecraftworks.com is a unique online store specializing in USA made old fashioned products still manufactured and used within the Amish self sustaining communities. The Amish still use these old time human powered products that were being used at the turn of the century. 

Whether you’re looking to collect old fashioned products or you’re preparing for the potential of living off the grid you will find Cottage Craft Works online store is like taking an amazing trip back in time.

During the time leading up to Y-2K people fearing the potential for off grid survival were flocking to Amish communities in search of old fashioned vintage products just in case they did loose grid power.

During the Y-2K period online availability of these products was still in its infancy.  Resources like Cottage Craft Works was still pretty much all mail order with very limited selections.  Today shoppers don’t have to travel to an Amish community or wait for a catalog to have all these old time products available at their finger tips.

The founders at Cottage Craft Works have spent over 30 years combing the back roads of the Amish communities finding these of fashioned products and bringing them to the general market place.

Simply making a weekend visit to an Amish community store will likely never net the products that are listed online at Cottage Craft Works since they work with over 100 Amish cottage based shops all across the country. 

Off Grid Survival; a common sense approach

Off grid survival is still very much a concern today with the grid being so dependent on computers. This leaves us all very vulnerable to a simple computer glitch or leaving us wide open for intentional attacks by terrorist or hackers.  The potential for wide spread power outages for weeks and months due to unpredictable devastating storms or solar flare-ups is also fueling this concern.

There’s a smarter approach to prepare for off grid emergencies.  A lot of people let fear overrun common sense during the Y-2K scare purchasing so many items with a shelf life then later ending up throwing most it out over the years following Y-2K.

Many people are finding these old style products and gadgets much simpler and more dependable than the modern day electrical counterparts.  Instead of making an expensive purchase to just sit on a shelf, they are actually using these products day in and day out.   

The Amish also make things the old fashion way meaning they are made more durable and easier to use than the more modern day imported copies.

Yes, Amish products do tend to be much more expensive than the imported copies, but with good reason, they are also double and triple the quality.  Not having plastic parts and electric motors the Amish products will likely last a lifetime and well into the next generations.

Living more healthy, becoming more self-sufficient, and less dependent

Living a self-sustainable life style like the Amish means dependency at another level; having the quality tools and products to adequately produce, preserve and provide for a family.

With the ongoing concern of the safety of the food chain and GMO ingredients people are also going back to making and preserving food from scratch. Something the Amish practice daily in their self sustaining lifestyles using the same old time products used for generations.

People are turning back yard spaces and roof tops into vegetable gardens to avoid the toxins and GMO practices that have infiltrated the food chain.

Back yard chicken coops are also regaining the popularity once common during the turn of the century.  

Like most imported copies of old time products garden tools and livestock products have also been cheapened down.  A good garden tool keeps a sharp edge decreasing fatigue.  A heavy duty rollaway chicken nest box saves eggs from being stepped on or pecked and destroyed.

Cottage Craft Works also has the old fashioned farm and garden products to make living more self-sufficient much easier and more enjoyable.

Off Grid Survival | Living Off Grid

Finding old fashioned products for self-sufficient off grid survival is easier than many may think.  You can find all kinds of vintage old fashioned products all online at the www.cottagecraftworks.com self-sufficient lifestyle general store.

Cottage Craft Works specializes in finding USA old fashioned non-electric products still being manufactured and used with the Amish self sustaining communities. 

The Amish still use the same simple human powered gadgets and appliances that were being used at the turn of the century before electricity was commonly available. 

The Amish build things to last for a lifetime and many are finding that the Amish products are actually easier to use and maintain than the newer complex electric appliances.

This is an important factor when considering the investment into something that might sit on the shelf for years just in case there’s a major grid outage.

The hand crank Little Dutch Maid mixer is a good example. Considering the initial investment for something to have as a backup is a bit hard to comprehend. Compared to the equivalent electric mixer many have found that the Little Dutch Maid Mixer is actually more user friendly and end up using it daily in place of their cumbersome electric mixer.

Life expectancy also needs to be considered.  Let’s face it an electric mixer these days comes with planned obsolesces built in. With motor brushes, plastic housings, and manufactures making it more difficult to find replacement parts down the road a person might be looking at needing to replace it within 8- 10 years depending on usage.

The Little Dutch Maid mixer base uses no plastic parts and is built like a tank for heavy long term use.  It was designed by an Amish gentleman for large batch cooking and cranking out bread dough on a daily basis.

Many non-Amish ladies are rediscovering the old fashioned treadle sewing machine.  Yes Janome makes the 712-T treadle brand new for the Amish communities.  Many non-Amish claim they find it easier to control than their electric sewing machines.

Many other Amish products are less expensive like the Country Egg Beater.  It’s a reproduction of the popular egg beaters once used in every kitchen before the larger mixers were invented.  It is still triple the price of a cheap imported copy but a side by side comparison will soon reveal why.  The Country Egg Beater cranks smoothly while the imported model is hard to turn.

This brings up another important consideration.  There’s a huge quality time gap from what was once made compared to the cheap imported copies of those products of today.  

As products have been copied over the years the quality just hasn’t been maintained the same. Imported copies use cheaper metals that just will not hold a cutting edge. Even though the product may look the same as the one that granddad used, people using a cheaply made import copies quickly become fatigued and just give up.

In contrast the Amish products are made to be used by the people who still depend on them to grow food and process it for the family table.

So if you’re looking for basic durable products for the potential need to live or survive off grid consider these old time favorites shipped directly from the Amish featured at www.cottagecraftworks.com

Old Fashioned Quality Built Ice Cream Freezers | USA Immergood

Homemade ice cream lovers have been frustrated with the lack of a quality built ice cream freezer like they remember growing up with. 

Ice Cream Freezers are a prime example of the discount store squeeze to produce competitive products at rock bottom prices  and still make a handsome profit for share holders.

For those who grew up in the 1950s and even up into the 1970s making ice cream in a hand crank freezer was the highlight of many summer Sunday afternoons.

As people now try to find the type of quality freezers to make a new family tradition they are finding a very much water down version made of thin materials and plastic parts. 

Manufactures have also reduced the capacity because the cheaply made gear frames just will not handle large batches of ice cream.

Immergood introduced their original 6 qt freezer and it became almost an overnight sensation for those who have been craving this level of quality being reproduced much like ice cream freezers manufactured at the turn of the century.

Immergood just recently introduced an 8 qt model to fill a huge void since White Mountain stopped making an 8 qt option years ago.

Why is Immergood bucking the trend?  Well Immergood is an Amish company that started up from the same frustrations of finding a long lasting quality ice cream freezer.

Immergood is not new to the Ice Cream Freezer business and is well positioned to take the company well into the future.  The parent company has been dealing in ice cream freezers and parts for a number of decades replacing the imported gears with USA made gears for the Amish communities.

The Amish view products as functional long lasting products they use day in and day out to support their conservative back to basic lifestyle.

Before electrification of the rural areas most everyone had hand crank off grid products that were readily available. Products were just made to last longer during this time as well.

When the Amish are unable to no longer find those quality products they tend to begin making it for the large Amish communities across the country.

Immergood double wall insulated leak proof tubs, an all stainless steel positive tub latch system and then topped with a heavy duty gear frame places Immergood Ice Cream Freezers well ahead of the pack.

Immergood freezers will hold ice cream for several hours depending on the outside temperatures.

An optional tub cover is also available for the 6 qt and will soon be available for the 8 qt freezer.

Order Immergood Ice Cream Freezers from Cottagecraftworks.com

Sliding Barn Door Hardware | USA Amish Made

Sliding doors equipped with sliding barn door hardware is the hottest craze in home improvement and DYI television shows. 

The versatility of these functional doors is endless and one of main the reasons of their surging popularity.

Doors equipped with sliding door hardware don’t have to look like a barn door especially with the many different styles and finishes available.

Sliding barn door hardware is the most ideal installation for wide heavy doors. It’s virtually impossible to hang an extra wide door on hinges without the door eventually sagging.  Trolley mounted hangers distribute the door weight evenly.

Doors can be as elegant or rustic as the surrounding decor.  Select the horse shoe style for a rustic ranch home or cabin or the industrial strap look for a more modern style with much other retro hardware available.

Reclaimed antique doors are very popular for use with the barn door hardware since the size is not as critical as if they were to be hinged into a door frame.  The track can be hung higher than the opening to accommodate tall doors and the doors can be much wider than the door opening.

Doors should have at least and 1” preferably 2” overlap on each side to cover any side views into private areas.

Barn door hardware can also be ordered to accommodate different thickness of doors from 1-/3” up to 2-1/4”.  The massive hardware will handle heavy doors as well.

The term barn door hardware has just stuck since they were mainly used on large doors on each end of a barn to allow easy opening access for large machinery and equipment.

The fact is sliding doors hung on a rail using trolley hangers have been used in many other industrial and warehouse operations.

The sliding door is not new to the residential setting either.  The concept has mostly been hidden in walls using sliding pocket doors and closet doors dating as far back as the 1800s. 

Adding a sliding pocket door to an existing retrofit is very difficult and costly as the wall has to be opened up to install the hardware.  This often necessitates removing wall studs and the relocation of electrical light switches located next to doorways.

Sliding closet doors are easier to install but with the smaller rollers they tend to jump off the track frequently and the opening is limited to just one door side at a time.

Equipping a door to roll using an overhead wall mounted rail allows the door or double doors to slide wide open for full entry.

The hardware and different door styles add a nice appealing attraction to any room.

The sliding door concept also saves space in that there’s no door to swing into the room as a traditional hinged door.  This makes them ideal for smaller rooms and smaller homes.  It does require the wall space on the side(s) of the door to be open enough for the door(s) to clear.

The higher initial cost of the barn door hardware should be considered against the labor of installing other sliding or hinged door applications.  Barn door hardware is a very easy and quick install.

Sliding doors can also be used outside to protect and provide privacy to outdoor spaces. 

Sliding barn doors can also be used for security and hurricane shutters for vacation cottages and businesses.

Other are using shorter sliding doors in conference rooms to cover dry erase boards and projector screens as well as home entertainment centers.

Just about any space that you want to have opened up or closed off will benefit with a set of sliding barn doors.  Smaller efficiency apartments can be easily sectioned off to open up a sleeping area at night and then closed off quickly to entertain guest.

You will find various suppliers handling barn door hardware. Like any other product the type of material used and where it is manufactured will be the ultimate outcome of the finished installation.

Cottage Craft Works is one unique shop that is carrying a selection of barn door hardware in four different trolley styles.  Since they specialize in old fashion reproduction products made by the Amish their barn door hardware is all USA Amish hand forged. 

The Amish don’t believe in making products to fail so that the consumer has to purchase new. You will find the barn door hardware at Cottage Craft Works to be as unique and high quality as the vintage products that were made in the  1800s early 1900s.

Unique Christmas Gifts 2014

Unique Christmas Gifts  2014

Santa is Shopping, How about you? Christmas Gifts 2014

Santa is Shopping, How about you? Christmas Gifts 2014
http://www.cottagecraftworks.com

Ice cream freezer replacement tubs | Replace wooden tub with fiberglass

Insulating fiberglass 6 quart tubs from Immergood are better than the OEM tubs used on White Mountain and Country Freezers.

This insulating tub is leak proof and holds ice cream much longer.  Optional matching fiberglass insulating lid  even allows you to make ice cream and then hold for outdoor events hours later.

Newer fiberglass blends make these tubs even more durable than the fiberglass used on earlier freezer tubs.

Replace an old wooden White Mountain or Country Freezer tub with a new Amish made heavy duty insulating fiberglass tub.

Replacement Immergood tub includes new heavy duty positive locking stainless tub ear and latch.

Developed and manufactured by an innovative Amish company, the new Immergood fiberglass tubs are the refined next generation of old fashion style ice cream maker.

While Immergood is sold in the local Amish community stores, to find one online you will need to go to Cottage Craft Works .com   They are currently only available in the 6 quart model.

http://www.cottagecraftworks.com has unique relations with the Amish communities providing them a market place for their durable products.  While most think of the Amish making quilts and great homemade cooking, you might be surprised at just how many functional old time products  that are available at the touch of a key board for the home, farm, ranch, and garden.