An interesting puzzle!
Most people eat fruit, vegetables,
dairy, meat, sweets, and grain. If you are to be almost self sufficient then you need to look at each of these.
Sweets. Well,
bees are a real possibility but I cannot advise you because you are zone 1 and I am zone 4. I have heard that some people in zone 1 kill their
bees in the fall because it is cheaper than wintering them over, but that does not sound like
permaculture to me! At any rate, you will need to find local bee keepers to learn what works for your area. I can tell you that bees prefer a windbreak during the winter, so perhaps hives could be set in the protection of the trees? Or behind a building? I lose an occasional hive during the winter but when I do there is often signs of illness. Illness happens to all living things, even with
permaculture.
Grain. You have that open area that could perhaps be used, unless you want it for
hay for livestock??? Or grazing? Some people are talking about raising grain in a
permaculture manner but I have not tried that, yet.
Do people by you ever
sell their timber? Because it would be very helpfull if you could have a timber company come in and clear at least another acre of land for you!
Meat. Nobody near me hunts, and if I WANTED to hunt I believe I would do well on
rabbits and such. *IF* you like to hunt you might consider it. Personally I buy my meat.
Dairy. Dairy animals eat a LOT, and you say you have brambles. A dairy goat might help you clear those brambles, and with a little grain she should give you
milk as well. And, because your goats cannot range far and wide during the winter, you will need hay!Goats are herd animals: you might consider getting at leat 2!
Fruit. Well, fruit trees need good drainage and you might keep that in mind when you plant them. I personally like apples stored away in the Fall, dried apricots, and canned peaches and canned cherries: what you raise might need to be what you like to eat! My home-preserved fruit does not taste exactly like the bought ones, but the flavors are close and I often like mine better!
Vegetables: again what do you like? My harvesting year starts out with greens for salads, then brocolli and turnips, then peas, then bush beans and tomatos, and so forth. I expect that you will want to decide what you can store during the winter. Some people have good
root cellars but I do not, and so I can only keep potatos and squash for a couple of months. You can also dry and store beans if you like them: we did one year. As for a PERMACULTURE garden, I have not done well with that but others here have! So I will not give advice on the garden.
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