Official Poll : What project are you planning to start this 2016?

[frustratedearthmother]

Them little buggers do grow, don't they!?!

We put the ribs on the pit and slow smoked - didn't take long because they were pretty small. (We were eating pygmy, lol.) We didn't really do chops - just pulled off the tenderloin and grilled it too.

I do love the goat meat - just don't like killing my goats. I don't mind butchering, just don't like killing.

Around my house DH does the shooting and I do the butchering.

Couple years ago we had a sheep that got attacked by a dog and had to be dispatched on Superbowl Sunday. I had that sucker skinned and cut up and resting in an ice chest in an HOUR! Didn't want to miss kickoff...

 

[baymule]

This week we bought more fruit trees. We got 2 almonds, 3 apples, 1 fig, and 2 cherry trees. Now I need to plant them.......

 

[CJ1]

I can't really answer the poll as it only lets me choose one option.

I've already started both fruit and vegetable gardens. I've got a couple goats and will eventually try my own hogs.

Eventually I'd like to get to the point we all want to be where I'm doing nothing but living off of it.

If things continue to progress as they are I'm planning on planting three acres of black walnut. And as I'm able to take fewer hours at work and more time in the garden I'll make them progressively bigger until I can sell most of what I grow. Yeah I know. Wishful thinking. But with any luck within the next five years I'll be able to quit working and just do my thing there.

But I may need to hold off on some of these plans. Yesterday we all met up for mothers day dinner and my grandmother said she was toying with the idea of passing off her grandfather's 80 acre homestead to me to manage. It's not too far away. But will certainly provide a challenge what with work and my own place. Either way it will be interesting. Its one of the few centenial farms still in just one family.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - having 80 acres to manage opens lots of doors! Hope that works out well for you! How is the acreage utilized now? will you be making big changes? Good luck!

 

[CJ1]

I'm on 23 acres now. Its mostly timber and none of it is tillable. But yes. Big changes. On break now so can't write out everything.

 

[MoonShadows]

80 + 23. That's a lot of land to manage, but imagine the possibilities!

 

[CJ1]

It was originally 160 acres. But my great grandmother periodically sold pieces of it off after my great grandfather passed away. By the time my grandmother inherited or, half had been sold.

The tillable acres are under lease for five more years. It has 8 acres of timber that are under hunting lease for two more years. And if I take over I'll likely have them renue the leases. So all of be managing is the piece the farm house sits on and possibly the orchard. But it hasn't been cared for since before I was born. I'm not sure how many acres the orchard is. Last time I was out there those trees weren't producing at all.so they may be a lost cause.

But you're right. It would be a lot of work. And with my job I'm not sure exactly how much time I'd be able to devote to it. Well it until I'm able to finally quit working where I am.

But my boyfriend proposed the other weekend. So once we are married it will be a lot easier to quit this job because of his insurance.

I still have a lot of things to work through. I don't want to just jump in and set myself up for failure. But just imagine. The land out there has been in my family for five generations. My great grandfather plowed that land by hand clear into the 1950s. His father cleared it by hand in the 1870s. There's a lot of history there.

 

[Denim Deb]

I would love to have that kind of history on a piece of ground.

 

[baymule]

@CJ1 that sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime! Suscribe to this magazine, I have learned so much from it! Plus they have tons of books you can order!

http://www.acresusa.com/

 

[CJ1]

I will definitely check that out. Thank you.

I still have a ton to learn, especially about gardening and animal husbandry. My grandmother was the only sister that didn't marry another farmer. But still maintained a large garden. When I was little little we spent a lot of time at her place. But later on dad joined the military so we were away for a while. Since we moved so much we never really started a garden or anything. Just little ones periodically.

Mom's side of the family were all city folk with small yards. Career oriented types. So they never got into this type of thing. But I think that type of diversity helped me.

But anyway. I'd love to eventually get into bee keeping too. But have an aweful lot on my plate right now what with my boy being out of state 9 months out of the year.