BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
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How are you self reliant?
- Thread starter BarredBuff
- Start date
FarmerChick
Super Self-Sufficient
- Joined
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I own a working farm so I do all the can goods from produce and have alot of livestock which I eat, sell and get income at the markets.
we have apple and peach and berry orchards
we make our own hay
We hunt
we fish
we can easily survive without electricity for a while etc etc
I can boil water etc etc
so I can survive for a while even if my comforts are gone
my best is my friends they are all smart live off the land farmer types who have common sense and the will to survive and we share among ourselves we all have skills that mean all of us can make it for whatever comes our way
having a network of smart hands in the dirt and know how to fix just about anything friends is the best lol
we have apple and peach and berry orchards
we make our own hay
We hunt
we fish
we can easily survive without electricity for a while etc etc
I can boil water etc etc
so I can survive for a while even if my comforts are gone
my best is my friends they are all smart live off the land farmer types who have common sense and the will to survive and we share among ourselves we all have skills that mean all of us can make it for whatever comes our way
having a network of smart hands in the dirt and know how to fix just about anything friends is the best lol
The_Realistic_Optimist
Power Conserver
Here are some of the ways we are self-sufficient:
My husband does all home and auto repairs (including plumbing and electrical work), except those repairs requiring special equipment that he doesn't have (this is rare since he has ever tool you can name).
I bake my own bread, make all of our food from scratch (no store bought mixes or convenience foods), freeze leftovers and create our own quick heat & eat meals for when we are in a hurry.
We have four blueberry bushes on our property that produce blueberries during the month of June. This year, I used them all in cobblers, muffins, pancakes, etc. and didn't freeze or preserve any. We also shared some with friends, who, in turn shared their homegrown tomatoes.
I have begun growing my own fresh herbs in pots on my porch, and I have planted my first ever vegetable garden that is growing turnip greens, lettuces, swiss chard and beets. If I can manage that, I will likely try growing more veggies as the various seasons come along.
We do not yet have a well, but are planning one. We have a generator, but it requires gasoline, so we are still energy dependent. My primary form of transportation is my bicycle.
I have also used the abundance of pine straw in my yard to weave baskets. I'm not very good at it yet, so it takes a long time to do a small basket, but I am getting better with practice. Eventually, I'd like to sell them at craft fairs, as well as using them for storage.
I do all of my own repairs to our clothing, and have made household items (cushions, window treatments), but haven't done any serious sewing. I have a sewing machine and basic skills, just haven't had the inclination yet. I have knitted and crocheted some items, but I used store-bought yarn. I'd like to learn to spin & dye my own.
My husband does all home and auto repairs (including plumbing and electrical work), except those repairs requiring special equipment that he doesn't have (this is rare since he has ever tool you can name).
I bake my own bread, make all of our food from scratch (no store bought mixes or convenience foods), freeze leftovers and create our own quick heat & eat meals for when we are in a hurry.
We have four blueberry bushes on our property that produce blueberries during the month of June. This year, I used them all in cobblers, muffins, pancakes, etc. and didn't freeze or preserve any. We also shared some with friends, who, in turn shared their homegrown tomatoes.
I have begun growing my own fresh herbs in pots on my porch, and I have planted my first ever vegetable garden that is growing turnip greens, lettuces, swiss chard and beets. If I can manage that, I will likely try growing more veggies as the various seasons come along.
We do not yet have a well, but are planning one. We have a generator, but it requires gasoline, so we are still energy dependent. My primary form of transportation is my bicycle.
I have also used the abundance of pine straw in my yard to weave baskets. I'm not very good at it yet, so it takes a long time to do a small basket, but I am getting better with practice. Eventually, I'd like to sell them at craft fairs, as well as using them for storage.
I do all of my own repairs to our clothing, and have made household items (cushions, window treatments), but haven't done any serious sewing. I have a sewing machine and basic skills, just haven't had the inclination yet. I have knitted and crocheted some items, but I used store-bought yarn. I'd like to learn to spin & dye my own.
freemotion
Food Guru
TRO, welcome! Is that you doggie? CUTE!
You all know what I do, I write up every detail!!!
You all know what I do, I write up every detail!!!
The_Realistic_Optimist
Power Conserver
Yep, that's Gus, my five year old "miniature" schnauzer (he's over 22 pounds, not so miniature) and he is the smiliest dog you ever saw.
freemotion said:TRO, welcome! Is that you doggie? CUTE!
You all know what I do, I write up every detail!!!
rhoda_bruce
Almost Self-Reliant
Chickens for eggs, meat and selling of chicks
Goat, which was intended for milk and needs to be breed
Moderate sized garden, which needs to be either better tended or enlarged
Bees...up to 5 colonies now. I get paid to extract from walls too now and I sell honey when I am up to date.
Guineas for pest control and meat
Geese for sale of goslings or meat birds
Wild game
Wine making from whatever kinds of fruit is available; mainly wild
Orange orchard; but that is really for my father. We just help and use it for the bees.
Use of forested land for hunting, collecting medicinal herbs, mushrooms, firewood and raking up leaves.
Goat, which was intended for milk and needs to be breed
Moderate sized garden, which needs to be either better tended or enlarged
Bees...up to 5 colonies now. I get paid to extract from walls too now and I sell honey when I am up to date.
Guineas for pest control and meat
Geese for sale of goslings or meat birds
Wild game
Wine making from whatever kinds of fruit is available; mainly wild
Orange orchard; but that is really for my father. We just help and use it for the bees.
Use of forested land for hunting, collecting medicinal herbs, mushrooms, firewood and raking up leaves.
savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2009
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We heat our house with wood from our land mainly. We make our own soap, laundry soap and dishwasher detergent. We have chickens and ducks we raise for meat and eggs and we sell excess eggs to help support them all. We have dairy goats we are raising because we want to get into milking them (so far they are adolescents) and we are having goat kids in the spring.
We grow some veggies and berries. We were growing an orchard but the darn goats escaped from their pen and ate the baby trees, darn them.
I was thinking of adding meat rabbits and honeybees but so far those ideas are just being kicked around. And at some point planting another orchard.
We grow some veggies and berries. We were growing an orchard but the darn goats escaped from their pen and ate the baby trees, darn them.
I was thinking of adding meat rabbits and honeybees but so far those ideas are just being kicked around. And at some point planting another orchard.
Javamama
Almost Self-Reliant
I've got mad skilz in the kitchen (for some reason I felt the need to use pre-teen lingo 
)
The chickens - I can raise 'em for eggs AND butcher 'em for food
The ducks
Soon to be...the goats
My garden sucked this year, but so did most everyone's around here.
I have basic understanding of herbals and first aid which I can apply to humans and animals
I have a few close connections to extremely self reliant, bartering geniuses
That's all I can think if right now.
)The chickens - I can raise 'em for eggs AND butcher 'em for food
The ducks
Soon to be...the goats
My garden sucked this year, but so did most everyone's around here.
I have basic understanding of herbals and first aid which I can apply to humans and animals
I have a few close connections to extremely self reliant, bartering geniuses
That's all I can think if right now.
i_am2bz
Lovin' The Homestead
OK, you picqued my curiosity - how do you weave pine straw? Do you have a link/website to share? That would be an interesting skill to have...The_Realistic_Optimist said:
The_Realistic_Optimist
Power Conserver
Here you go, bz. http://www.nwbasketweavers.org/pnbaskets/index.html
I didn't use raffia, since it wasn't readily available at a cheap price. I used hemp thread instead, since I had it on hand from some long ago project. Really, I think you could use any sturdy string/thread to do this. My baskets are not as fancy as what is shown on this site, but they turned out pretty well. I'm pretty sure you can also use this same method to make placemats, or coasters, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm gathering fresh pine straw as it falls and saving it for an indoor evening project for after daylight savings time ends and it gets dark so early.
Since I'm at the very east edge of the central time zone, it is full dark by 5 or sometimes earlier in last December and January. With luck, by the end of the winter, I will have some nice projects completed that cost virtually nothing and can maybe sell them at the spring art fair.
I didn't use raffia, since it wasn't readily available at a cheap price. I used hemp thread instead, since I had it on hand from some long ago project. Really, I think you could use any sturdy string/thread to do this. My baskets are not as fancy as what is shown on this site, but they turned out pretty well. I'm pretty sure you can also use this same method to make placemats, or coasters, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm gathering fresh pine straw as it falls and saving it for an indoor evening project for after daylight savings time ends and it gets dark so early.
Since I'm at the very east edge of the central time zone, it is full dark by 5 or sometimes earlier in last December and January. With luck, by the end of the winter, I will have some nice projects completed that cost virtually nothing and can maybe sell them at the spring art fair.
i_am2bz said:
