What did you do to be/become more self-reliant today?

[baymule]

Good for you Sumi! I wish I could send you some of my dead trees!

I have mounded up a pile of tree trunks and branches 30' long, 4' tall and 10' wide. Going to cover it with dirt, top with horse manure and more dirt, for a hugelculture bed. Got the idea from WWW.permies.com

The idea is that the dead wood holds moisture, and as the wood decays, it adds nutrients to the soil. I can identify with your hard work of gathering your wood pile!

Your view sounds like what dreams are made of. Sounds gorgeous. You will enjoy looking out as you snug up to your cozy fire!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Bay - please let us know how that works!

 

[tortoise]

We canned 16 quarts of tomato sauce and working on 24 pints of applesauce. I made tomato, apple, squash and carrot baby food. DH dug potatoes. I plan to make mashed potatoes with my food mill and freeze it. DH is gearing up for deer hunting season!

 

[sumi]

@sumi that's country life!

It's the best life

 

[sumi]

@Mini Horses I raised and butchered more pigs than I want to think about, back in South Africa. I sold all the meat we didn't eat, so we butchered regularly. It was well worth it and don't worry, the "cute" wears off pretty quickly! Home grown pork is absolutely wonderful and the pigs are perfect waste food disposal units, so it's a win-win. They really will eat just about anything.

I am actually considering getting one again, just for us for some meat. I just need to look into butchering and processing regulations here first. We're not in "everything goes" Africa anymore lol

 

[Mini Horses]

I could see where the wood & earth pile would produce good soil, that's what happens in the forest. That's a big pile!

You guys canning...wish I were but, that's a next year start up again thing for me. I never got a garden in this year -- too much rain, then none, add work days, mom to nursing home days, those 6 plants died! -- I'm gonna do better this Spring. Instead of a Fall garden, I am putting up raised beds which will be where I dump my barn clean out this next 30 days.

Pigs -- not into a big time thing, just a few for self and sell others. If they don't pan out with this year butcher, I will sell and switch gears real fast! Hope they work as I can move them to areas that need some light tillage where there is growing stuff to feed them and I'd like killed out for new seed.
Some sections I'm converting to what you would call "feed lots" for deer (if a hunter). Most of those seeds do really well where I live and the goats & pigs love the results.

When it wasn't popular, 40-50 years ago, I subscribed to Mother Earth News. Still get it. And using animals to help do the work, utilize trash & what's available has always been their theme. Mine too. With world changes, it's more important.

Sumi -- South Africa?? where are you now? Many countries do not have any regulations. A market in Italy a guy had a table of pretty white bunnies, lady lifted one and felt it, said a few words and guy took rabbit, went to other side of truck and brought back a fully butchered, cleaned rabbit in plastic bag. She pd and left. Now, in most of USA, we can't even sell raw milk! Some good and bad in both. Some countries love rice harvest because of the rats they catch & cook. OK........I will stay with my pigs, goats, chickens & garden.

 

[sumi]

@Mini Horses They are darn cute! But don't worry, they'll grow out of it soon! I forgot to mention, since you talked about gardening, pig manure is solid gold in the garden, BUT you need it age it for at least a year first, or it will fry your plants!! Put it somewhere out of sight and smell and leave it to sit there for a few months, then add it to the compost pile. If the pile is still too acidic when time comes to use it, mix in wood fire ash to neutralise it.

I pig or two on the homestead is worth it's weight in gold. We raised up to 6-10 at a time, because we sold meat and it was a nice little side earner at the time, along with eggs from our hens. But the way you're doing it, you can use them to clear land, make compost gold and when they're done with, you fill the freezer. Next year you do it again.

I emigrated to Ireland a few months ago. If you're interested you can read my pre-move journal etc here:

http://www.sufficientself.com/threads/dreaming.14053/

Ireland is VERY regulated. You need this and that and everything on top to do simple things farming-wise. It's good as much as it's annoying lol

 

[sumi]

My SS tasks for the day was stocking up on coffee and hot chocolate And sawing logs. The weather is lovely today, so it would've been a good day to collect more wood, but I had to run a few errants this morning and junior has football practice after school, which makes the timing too tight today.

 

[Britesea]

I got 11 quarts of chicken canned (one didn't seal so we're having that for dinner with the one marinara that didn't seal--Cacciatore!) and 6 half pints of grape jelly and 5 half pints of watermelon jelly done over the last couple of days. I have a batch of watermelon pickles ready to go in the cooler, and I finished dehydrating 20 lbs of frozen mixed veggies.

 

[baymule]

@frustratedearthmother I will let you know how it goes. Will start a thread and post pics. I am getting internet tomorrow, after 7 months of using this stupid phone. I'm so excited I could pee my pants! Getting internet might not make me more self sufficient, but it is beyond fantastic to talk to my friends on SS, BYH &TEG!