I would be very interested to see any examples of this as well; as this is exactly what I am about to begin designing in a
Sepp Holzer based
permaculture design. I have recently purchased a 20 acre property composed of roughly 4-7 acres of cleared floodplain/alder the rest being mixed redwood forest with a seasonal creek (actually just run off from the surrounding properties but it all flows on to and through my property and there is a lot of potential here for water retention basins and potentially a year round creek in time.)
The following are the things I am currently looking at:
1. Berries in general; Wild blackberries - looks like about 1/2 acre of mature berry bushes - berries generally
sell but if necessary can be processed into jams etc. Other berries are being considered for family use and as a short term sales item before fruit trees become more established.
2. Trees - fruits, nuts,
wood. Trees take awhile to get going so the sooner the better. Multiple income sources here as well as further reducing food expenditures.
3. Mushrooms - I have a lot of alder that can be brought down to better use some of this land so getting mushrooms inoculated works with my interests and available resources. Fresh mushrooms sales in potentially 6-12 months. Mushrooms can always be dried if not sold and then used/sold as whole or powdered or used in teas etc.
4.
Chickens - Bug control, land clearing and eggs and meat to
boot for the family. Extras can be sold or processed into other food items for sale.
5. Ducks - Being near the coast I can have 60 -80 inches of rain a year, the climate is just better situated to ducks with the moisture levels. I admit a love to help rare breeds as well and so will stretch the possibilities to make sure they pay for themselves. Also part of my design will be to include deeper areas in the flood zones to create a system of ponds in the wet season for the ducks. This should help slow flood waters but also collect runoff nutrients for use growing crops in the drier part of the year. Eggs, meat, chicks and breeders.
6. Pigs - I will be new to pigs so am starting out small, but do intend to follow through with them so will spend the effort to get a good set of breeder genetics (possibly rare breed again) to work up to full scale production including potentially breeders, feeders and market pigs. Starting small we will use them mostly to learn and help clear and work our land. Eventually harvesting excess for our own use and moving further in the direction that appears to be marketable.
7. Herbs and grains - Intend to grow most of our own herbs in large
enough quantities to have extras to sell potted,fresh, dried or by further processing to make essential oils or extractions. Also interested in home brewing so will be experimenting with hops and grain production. With success could be producing excess for sales.
8. Plant and tree nursery - at first for our own use on the land but done to excess with a plan for eventual sales.
9. Goats - Need helpers on the land as much of the forest is too steep or not situated well for machinery use. A good breeding pair for selling breeders and extras for meat.
10. Rice - Ducks, floodplains, ponds etc. - being in California it seems like I should at least give wild rice a shot as feed for the ducks; excess or success could be sold in local markets.
11. Cows - this is much farther in the future but a cow calf pair for
milk part of the year is certainly a possibility with the option to expand just a bit bigger eventually.
There are a lot of other possibilities of course but right now these all fall in my interest level as well as what look like potential sales in my area.
Longer term I see adding
rabbits as a specialty meat for higher end markets. As well as developing markets for processed items from the above categories. We also have some other craft/art ideas but these would be more hobbies that might one day produce some extra income instead of actual living wage jobs.
Jeff
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