Eating locally and/or home grown/produced only?

[Mini Horses]

So, if talking about NEEDING to fully support yourself or farm due to personal issues -- financial, short term storm issues, etc -- I feel most of us could manage in the short term. When you have a garden and some farm animals you normally preserve (in some manner) or have constant availability to food. Maybe not what you want but, sustainable. Depending on time of year you may have more issues with feeding the animals. Again, individually the numbers and access to grains/forage, etc.

The animals would be a great concern for me if it was winter as there is no pasture and hay/feed is expensive. I'm talking about several weeks, not days. (Since I personally have some who are retired and just live to be fed -- my mini horses )

One consideration is what we can/would do without. That is true for financial loss and also if we just WANT to see what conditions would be if we made ourselves go without purchasing from stores. Most of us are spoiled.

Big difference between what you want to TRY to do and what you MUST do if you have any personal/local issues to face. I have only me to feed (so far as humans) so a few good plants in the garden, eggs/meat from way too many chickens, milk, cheese, butter from goats (meat from kids) and pigs for pork.
I could do ok -- I'm pretty stocked up on coffee, use little sugar & flour, etc. Canning would require some salts, vinegar, etc. I make (& have a lot in stock) soap & can easily make a laundry type.

I've seen a few articles in various "farm type--SS type" magazines where couples/families have challenged themselves to "live local" and document their own raising, local purchase or barter for food -- all types -- and the results. They document the costs, efforts, good/bad of gardens, etc. It was all self imposed. They did ok but, had $$ to buy.

My efforts, this season, are geared toward supporting animals for any extended period for less out of pocket... how/what/effort required/ease of growth & harvest/storing, etc. For me, it is feeding beyond pasture that is available & I am looking at year round. Summer challenge is to work enough for winter. Reducing out of pocket is goal.

 

[MoonShadows]

Like some have written, we do what we can. There are two of us. My other half still works in the South Bronx, as a teacher, which is a 200 mile round trip and requires almost 13 hours a day out of the house. I run our home business which can require anywhere from a few hours a day to all day depending on the time of the year. Unfortunately, the busiest times coincide with the rise and fall of the prime self-sustaining seasons....the beginning of Spring, through the Summer and finally slowing down in the late Fall. Our slowest season is the Winter, so the most time I have is when I can do the least outside.

We have chickens, but that is the only livestock. I would love to get some pigs and goats, but I think that will still have to wait a couple of more years. Our garden expands every year, but it is still not enough to sustain us with fruit and veggies through the non-growing months. We make our owns dish and laundry soaps, cleaning products etc, and we are very frugal at the grocery stores, stocking up when there are sales. We do buy local meats and veggies from farmers in the area and go to the county farmer's market.

We still have quite a ways to go.

 

[sumi]

@Britesea, you got it there, with trading. I got what you want, you got what I want. Bartering, trading. Wonderful stuff

@MoonShadows pigs take VERY little time and effort. I know I suggest them often to members as a livestock option, because they are so easy to keep. I raised too many to remember now… Build a good size pen that they can't jump out of. Most won't, but there are always that one Provide shade and shelter from the weather. Make sure they get water at least twice a day and food, twice a day. Left-overs, garden rejects, they'll eat just about anything. They pick a corner or side of the pen as toilet and that makes cleaning after them easy and the manure is garden gold. Just make sure you age it for at least a year first, as it will fry your plants otherwise. 6 Months and you got a good-size pig for butchering.

Being independent from the grocery stores for fruit and seasonal vegetables is one of my goals. I found two suppliers of a massive range of fruit trees and vegetable seeds here that I've earmarked for when I'm on my own property.

 

[sumi]

You've done a lot since you moved to the new place, @baymule It feels like just the other day when I was reading about your property buying and moving adventures.