Hugh Holland

NICE!!!

Rachel,

On a side note, the Old Order Mennonite community here also has a feed store where they make the feed themselves and also sell brand items.  The prices are amazing and you can purchase organic/non-gmo feed too.  I purchase non-gmo feed (50 pound bags) for less than half what the local co-op and big box stores sells gmo feed for.  If you purchase in bulk, it's worth the drive if you're not local or check with your local community and see if they carry/sell it.

Blessings...Hugh

Greetings Rachel,

If you live in the area, just south of you (Van Buren County) is an Old Order Mennonite Community.  It is between Spencer and the town of Dunlap.  One Mennonite has a buying club for grass-fed all natural meats and does most of the butchering himself.  Another gentleman sells just about any organic grain/legume in bulk 40/50 pound bags depending on the item.  He'll even order a specific grain if he doesn't carry it.  The community has a nursery, gardening tools and horse drawn farm equipment too.  The prices are really good and they are a friendly bunch of people.  If in the area you should visit and spend a day at Fall Creek Falls State Park the largest state park in Tennessee.  The Upper Cumberlands are an amazing place to visit and live!

Blessings...Hugh

Greetings Paul, it is definitely not easy to get and hear those words.  I applaud you for speaking out in such a vulnerable moment.  As a word of encouragement my brother-in-law went through this with his mother.  The docs gave her six months to live (very large tumor in her abdomen) and she beat it with a plant based diet.  She ate tons and tons of greens, no chemo either through diet alone and she's still with us over twenty years later.  Will be praying for ya, keep up the fight!

Blessings...Hugh

My wife and I are in the process of building our home on twelve acres in Tennessee.  We are located on the Cumberland Plateau and our area is noted for its bad water.  We have drilled a well (246 feet deep, with the water coming to within 18 feet of the surface) and we get approximately eleven and a half gallons per minute.  The well driller couldn't believe it (most average three gallons per minute) and I've spoken with my surrounding neighbors who average between one and a half, up to three gallons.  Some wells have gone dry, so I am super thankful for the flow that we get.  

Our problem is IRON and it's really bad!  As of now we have a Bison hand pump on the well, but would like to run it into the house too.  We do have city water at the road and the tap installed (we could connect), only wondering what other folks have done in a similar situation?  We've spoken with some water treatment/conditioner companies and they are not cheap.  We eventually want to go off-grid and wanted an affordable and reasonable system to administer.  Any suggestions?  Blessings...Hugh

A couple of books that come to mind are "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year Of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver and "How To Opt-Out Of The Technocratic State" by Derrick Broze.  I Highly recommend both and they're intertwined with Permaculture thoughts and principles.

It definitely is and Gilchrist County is known for its many springs and canoeing.  The Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers are amazing and check out Ginnie Springs!  They're many springs along both rivers, some only known by locals and Ginnie is perhaps most known by folks outside of Florida.  Small homes and lots can easily be found around here, even in this market.  It is a bit rural, but worth taking a look at.

Can't go wrong with Bell, Florida in Gilchrist County.  Close to Gainesville with its farmers' markets and the natural beauty of the rivers and springs are hard to beat.  There are a lot of CSAs, small eco-farms, and amazing people around.  Give it a look!

I had a Tropic Sweet Apple Tree that produced abundant apples year after year in North Florida.  It is a variety by the University Of Florida and was simply amazing!  Take into account your micro-climates and plant them in the colder zones of your property.  I highly recommend this cultivar and good luck!

I would try http://www.sonoranpermaculture.org and https://www.nativeseeds.org.  Native Seeds Search is a nonprofit and they may be able help in that direction.  https://www.beantreefarm.com is a remarkable site with many dryland plants and species.  They offer many classes throughout the year and I imagine that they would have ideas for plants, trees and shrubs that they would like to see available in a nursery.  Any visit to the above should be made in advance.  Good luck!

Blessings...Hugh