Elizabeth Horst is a traveling writer and editor who enjoys simple countryside living rooted in the simple joys of rural life 

Embracing the Off-the-Grid Homestead Life with an outdoor Boiler for Your Home and Farm This Winter

It is 6 AM and the first rays of sunlight are just beginning to appear above the horizon. The muffled clucks of awakening chickens come from a nearby coop while the squeal of a hungry piglet echoes from a hut across a misty field.

As the sun rises in its full glory and melts the fog that lingers between the rows of lettuce and snap peas, a brother and sister emerge from a house hidden behind tall oak trees and make their way to the nearby animal shed. It’s just a typical morning on a modern-day off-the-grid homestead!

In today’s world of modern conveniences and advanced technology, many people wonder why some choose an off-the-grid lifestyle. It requires a great amount of hard work and dedication, in addition to presenting many challenges and frustrations. In return, however, the benefits are rewarding, from learning how to work hard to providing for oneself and one’s family even in the case of technological failure.

This last element is particularly helpful to consider. With the increase of technology comes a greater risk when such features fail. It’s great to have electricity, running water, grocery stores, and other modern conveniences, but if they ever become unavailable, you need to know how to take care of yourself and your loved ones!

Let’s take a look at two areas where you can avoid dependency on the grid and live off the land. When you learn how to work the land, grow a garden, raise animals, and process the fruits of your labor, you will not only be happy, healthy, and satisfied, but you are at a great advantage over those who are unfamiliar with a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Raising Animals

First, let’s talk about four animals that are a perfect choice when deciding to grow your skills in self-sufficiency. Each of them will require some kind of shelter, an area to roam, the right feed, and plenty of fresh water. Since all of these animals are on the smaller side, you can be economical by using huts, sheds, and coops with attached fencing rather than constructing an entire barn.

In terms of the feed, there are many commercial options. Since we are in a self-sufficient frame of mind, however, consider researching the specific nutrients that your breed of animal needs and how you can grow the appropriate grains to sustain them.

Chickens

These birds are easy to raise, helpful in controlling bugs around your yard, and provide a great supply of eggs and meat. Depending on your needs, choose a breed that fits your lifestyle. For example, a flock of Rhode Island Red hens will put you in the egg business while raising Cornish Cross will provide you with fast-growing, stocky birds that are perfect for meat.

Rabbits

While not often thought of as a homesteader’s animal, the rabbit is a great choice if you are looking for a quiet, low-maintenance animal as a source of meat and fur or wool. Beyond the pet and show breeds, many kinds of rabbits are an economic choice for farm-to-table. Rabbit meat is healthier and easier to digest than chicken, and when the hides are carefully tanned, the furs are soft and warm. Alternately, look into getting an Angora rabbit, which provides wool that can be spun into yarn.

Pigs

Bring on the bacon! Besides being yet another source of meat, the pig is an alert, intelligent, and resourceful animal that is a perfect guard for your empty plots of earth in between each growing season. Since pigs use their snouts as a shovel, they are also happy to dig up a bare plot of ground and deposit their manure there for you

Goats

Sometimes thought of as the poor man’s cow, the goat is a great option if you are looking for a source of delicious milk. Their meat can also be eaten if you have the right palate for it, but the goat’s true value beyond providing milk is in clearing brushy areas and providing compost for your garden. Since they are stubborn and agile animals, goats will certainly test your patience and help your continued growth in self-sufficiency! Now, with your little farmyard complete, let’s turn to the ground and think about the best things to grow as food for you and your family.

Growing Garden

If you ever thought about growing a garden, you already know that the options are truly unlimited! Start with learning about your growing zone and soil type, since that will determine the types of plants that will do best in your area. From there, with timely planting and the right care, you can harvest for many months, from lettuces in the early spring to pumpkins and potatoes in the fall. Better yet, when your harvest comes in, canning and freezing will prepare you to continue eating the bounty all year round!

Every step in the gardening process has plenty of excitement associated with it. Even though you may be entirely new to this type of self-sufficient living, think about gardening as a great adventure where you discover the amazing power of plants and how you can participate in the natural process by weeding and watering, trimming and tasting. Another wonderful thing is that you can use seeds from this year’s crops to prepare for the next growing season! Best of all, you can be assured that you are providing yourself and your family with healthy and nutritious meals every time you prepare foods right from your ground. Self-sufficiency at its finest!

Now, let’s take a look at several groups of plants that every new gardener should consider.

Springtime Greens

This includes lettuce, chard, kale, and spinach. For the ambitious gardener, there are other cold-loving plants like peas, carrots, beets, and radishes to plant as well. Besides being tender and tasty, early-season lettuces can be planted in rotation throughout the season for a continuous harvest. Then there is the hardy kale that lasts well beyond frost!

Hardy Nightshades

These are your tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes, perfect for preserving. Within each group, there are many other options depending on your specific needs. For instance, if you are growing peppers and you like spicy foods, go with jalapeños and serranos instead of only bell peppers.

Savory Herbs

From “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” to basil, chives, oregano, and tarragon, you cannot go wrong by planting a variety of herbs! Not only do they add fresh flavor to your meals, but they can be dried for the winter and have many different medicinal purposes. For additional flavor and health, plant garlic in the fall before the winter and onions in the early spring for a late summer harvest.

Fruit Platter

For faster results, plant melon, strawberries, and raspberries. Or, if you have plenty of patience along with the right ground and sunlight patterns, consider blueberry bushes and apple, peach, pear, and plum trees.

If you are completely new to the self-sufficient lifestyle that includes raising animals and gardening, you are sure to have questions! Let’s give you a head start below as you begin researching details to match your exact situation.

How can a Portage & Main Boiler help 

Integrating an outdoor boiler into your homestead can address several pain points to many of the challenges faced in an off-the-grid lifestyle. For instance, maintaining a consistent and eco-friendly heat source during colder months is crucial for both the comfort of the homestead’s inhabitants and the well-being of the animals. Similarly, hot water is a necessity for various processes in gardening and animal care, from cleaning equipment to preparing feeds. This integration underscores the holistic approach to self-sufficiency, where every element of the homestead works in synergy, contributing to a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle.

Legend

1st : First pass
2nd : Second pass
3rd : Third pass
4th : Fourth pass
A. Refractory brick lining & dry base design
B. Air from above & below
C. Full length quad-pass heat exchanger and upper baffle
D. Water – cooled rear baffle
E. Sectional, easy to repair design

A. Refractory Brick Lining

The Portage & Main Ultimizer is a refractory lined, dry base boiler. In the industry it has become known as an “updraft gasifier” because of its efficient burn. The Ultimizer is simple to use, easy to maintain and not fussy about the fuel it burns. It is very important to understand the “fire triangle” in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the Ultimizer design, and how it will save you fuel, money and time. To achieve a clean, efficient burn with complete combustion, an optimal balance of OXYGEN, HEAT & FUEL is required. The Portage & Main Ultimizer has been specifically designed to achieve this optimal balance.

Dry base design, zero ash line corrosion & no bridging 
The heat stored in the refractory lining helps ensure that a more complete combustion process occurs. I.e. fuel is reduced to charcoal in a 3-stage process.

STAGE 1: The fuel is heated to evaporate and drive out moisture. This starts at 212 degrees F

STAGE 2: It starts to break down on a chemical level at 500 degrees F. Volatile matter is vaporized. These vapors contain 50% to 60% of the heat value of the fuel, making it imperative for them to be burnt properly at a temperature in the range 1100 degrees F for maximum combustion efficiency. When all the volatile gases have been released, the remaining material is charcoal

STAGE 3: Charcoal burns at temperatures in excess of 1100 degrees F. Latent heat also helps in the re-ignition of the fire at the start of the next burn cycle. It also helps to dissipate moisture that is a result of the combustion process. The dry base boiler design gives a very hot burn. The water jacket sits above the brick line so it isn’t up against the fire, taking away the heat prematurely. This eliminates ash line corrosion and the fuel is completely burnt, resulting in considerably less ash.

B. Air from above & below

Exhaust gases make their 1st and 2nd pass at the top of the firebox where they move under and around a water-cooled baffle and into the heat exchanger. Gases then travel to the front of the boiler in a 3rd pass, make a 180 degree turn and move in a 4th pass to the back of the heat exchanger. In this way, all available heat is taken from exhaust gases before they exit the chimney. It gives up to 50% more heat transfer compared to other non water-cooled, non brick lined designs.

C. Full length quad-pass heat exchanger and upper baffle

The Ultimizer heat exchanger runs the full length of the boiler. It is completely surrounded by water which gives maximum heat transfer

D. Water-cooled rear baffle

The water-cooled baffle at the rear of the Ultimizer fire pot absorbs heat and traps combustion vapors. Turbulence is created when air is introduced from below and above the fire. This turbulence provides an optimal burning environment for the vapors, leading to a hotter and more efficient burn. Also, by trapping the vapors, they are thoroughly burnt before entering the high efficiency heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is totally surrounded by water for maximum heat transfer.

E. Sectional, easy to repair design

Not a throwaway design like other brands are. The Ultimizer weighs substantially more than other brand boilers. That’s due to the heavy weight, long lasting, quality materials that go into our design. It provides a long-term, sustainable solution to your heating needs. At the end of its long life, the water jacket can be replaced. Just remove the top half of the boiler and bolt on a new top section, no welding required and your trusty boiler is good to go again. This means a very sustainable warranty, resulting in savings for the customer of several thousand dollars by rebuilding rather than replacing the entire boiler.