Jay Cannibalriot

We're in the same canoe as you but have a different paddle. What we've done is scale back everything to where we consume our own produce, eggs, and meat. Next we went and talked to the successful farmers around our neck of the woods for advice. They were really helpful. We were told what we could grow that would sell in our market and what  we could do to make our soil more productive without investing a lot in fertilizer or tillage machines. Best of all we were educated in how to formulate a five year development plan. Now we have a ready market if we grow what they suggest - and we will come spring. Funny coincidence, lately there has been an interest in our original produce and small animal husbandry surplus. Go figure. I guess no man is an island, after all when you think about the only thing we really have is each others good will.

I wish we had food stamps in my country. It's wonderful to see such successful socialist programs working in conjunction with capitalist enterprises. Win - win all the way, the farmer gets some money and children get to eat!

Well it's finally happened. The Dutch are looking to milk rabbits.

    Now if you’re wondering if you are going to see gourmet bunny cheese showing up on your grocery store shelves soon, the answer is “no.” The milk is actually being gathered for a different purpose. The biotech industry is using the rabbits to produce a certain human protein that is then used to produce a—yes, you guessed it—drug.

    Pharming, a biotech firm located in the Netherlands, has produced a warren of genetically engineered bunny rabbits that can produce up to 12 grams of a human protein called C1 inhibitor. The protein is then used to make an experimental drug that treats hereditary angioedema. People with this condition don’t produce enough C1 inhibitor, which can lead to painful swelling, cramps, and even possible death through suffocation

How about that for all us bunny wranglers!

We collect the blueberries with a rake, specifically designed for blueberries. I have a hand held one now and we would get the push version once the plants are established. Thank you for your suggestion.

I haven't done it but it makes sense as birch bark is well proven to hold water. Pine tar to seal the laps and ....Bob's your uncle!

Fill the bottom of the dried out pond with leaves. They form into a lamentation then break down into a sludgy humus, for lack of a better description. Cheap, easy.

We have acquired a forty acre parcel of de-forested land. The big trees were taken off five to seven years ago, according to local knowledge. First generation forest has taken root; trees such as hawthorn, scrub maple, sumach, spruce, etc. Nothing insurmountable.

We would like to begin growing blueberries, Marcel Foch grape canes, and establish a hop yard - and with time expand the area so we may grow six row and two row barley and a bit of winter wheat.

The common way of dealing with land conversation around these parts is to bring in an excavator with an attached mulcher implement. That's at a thousand dollars an acre razed to five inches below surface. A more economical method is to use a root puller fork on the front of a tractor and let the upturned stumps weather a year in winnow rows. This allows rain to wash off the soil before burning the exposed wood. The charcoal would then be turned back into the soil. Both options are expensive and intense.

I'm in need of suggestions for low impact land clearing. It's of no matter how zany main stream society may think it is. I'm open to anything you've got. Often I've found that what sounds crazy in conversation works a treat in practice, so please good people, throw me a rope here if you can! Thanks a bunch.

Irene Kightley wrote:
We're a bit like that too Jay, we don't buy much.

Solar panels and wind power for  two computers and internet, loads of lights and power in the summer for doing almost anything we want. When it all wears out and we can't buy others, well we'll just talk more by the fire, make more music and sometimes just go to bed early.  

We've loads of jars of sterilised food and salted meat plus chickens, pig, sheep goats and a lot of game. Tons of veg. In the winter we keep food outside or in an uninsulated cupboard on a north wall. We've stores of food for the animals which we grow and gather with neighbours. Almost all our food is from our farm and a lot of our clothing and furnishings from our own wool. The  materials for all our animal shelters and a lot of our house were found on site.

Fortunately, we have our own wood and use it to heat water, cook and heat the house and we'll solar water heating for the summer and a pocket rocket for cooking plus a couple of bottles of gas. When we can't get that we'll use wood and we can have longer tea breaks. 

Our neighbours are great and we work together to get things for each other that we need - that really is a blessing for survival and it's something a lot of people forget when they think about planning their independence.

Truly community is the greatest asset anyone can have whether they live an urban lifestyle or are more rustically inclined. That is a major thing I don't understand about when I watch certain "prepper" & "survivalist"videos. This concept of being able to outlive calamity by engaging in brute force or superior fire power, it's ridiculous to my way of thinking. Why in the name of the Gods would anyone want to fantasize about such crazy premises. I've read about this distopian existence in fiction and I think it reflects the attitude. Perhaps if they made children study peace instead of war when they review history then the collective society would produce more individuals inclined to work in cooperation instead of competition. My hope is the advent of these web based social mediums will encourage that sort of thinking. Hope for the future!

Before I wised up and moved to the solitude of the East coast I used to live in the middle of a vast megalopolis. I outfitted that home with CF bulbs, replacing each and every regular bulb inside and outside the house. I paid top dollar for them but the savings were recouped in a matter of months, it was impressive. My issue with them was the rate of failure. They were guaranteed by Home Depot and the manufacturer for five years so as soon as a dozen or so would fail I'd return them and get replacements. I don't believe I had a single bulb that lasted more than six months with exception to the three bulbs that I used outside. They were still working when I sold the home, nearly five years after the original CF bulb purchase. Interesting; the manufacturer cautioned that they were to be used inside only. So, my finding was they were excellent for saving money (nearly $13.00 dollars a month averaged) but didn't last as long as they were guaranteed for unless they were out of doors. Disposal was never an issue as every one that burnt out was returned for a replacement.

We have a blue tick beagle. She's loud and postures aggressively. Reasonably smart for training them up right and close enough to twenty pounds.
Only draw back I can think of is they like to follow their noses so allow them to free range can mean not seeing them around for a few days.