Douglas Alpenstock

I have large volumes of small apples /crabapples on many trees, coming ripe all at once.

The "rough stuff" of drop apples is being chopped up and dried for training tools -- a good neighbour is training rescue horses for re-homing. This is actually an opportunity and motivation to tune-up various large kitchen blades that are sitting in the bin. Now there is a purpose!

I also have nicer crabby apples being sliced and dried for people food. This is a project in process -- I think they taste good, and my hounds agree.

I am concerned about the amount of high quality food that is wasted because people (mostly urban) cannot imagine such a simple system.

Maieshe Ljin wrote: If I focus on my own life then I can be happier being grateful for what is here and working towards a more resilient life. If there’s something important someone will tell me!

My contrarian view is that the most important thing is to be a magnificent resource for your neighbours, who do not yet understand what they will need.

Here's a different kind of "liquid fence." Lee Valley Tools has brought back the motion-activated sprinkler. Not for everyone, but might be useful to some.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/pest-control/mammals/74556-pest-deterring-jet-sprayer

Country Way wrote: Mostly livestock possibilities and irrigation.

How often will you be on site? Do you have grid electricity?

Do you have neighbours you could cultivate to keep an eye on things?

Update: 2 years later the glue on the hoe handle (plus bolt) is holding up just fine. Wrapped in good ol' Canadian hockey tape, which is also holding up just fine.

I have not tested the other handle. Looks good though.

Edit: to be clear, I did drill through and add a small bolt with washers to reinforce the handle at the greatest stress point. Sort of a belt-and-suspenders approach.

As I understand it, part of the permie thing is to set up food systems that are, by design, more resilient and don't need constant hand-holding.

Try these search terms for threads/posts that might be relevant to your situation:

guerilla
guerilla garden
food forest
absentee
zero maintenance

If I need to remove the stump, I try to leave the stump as tall as possible when cutting. That forms a lever for pushing/pulling with a tractor or come-along.

For smaller stumps that can stay in place, I will use a sawzall/recip saw to cut it flush with the ground. It's no longer in my way, and time will finish the job.

Ben Brownell wrote: For me, the pipeline is brush clearing / fuel reduction on a large neglected and overgrown property ...

That is my situation as well. I HAVE to deal with this material; it's not optional. So if I have to burn anyway, after dragging this stuff off steep slopes, the value-added step of making char makes this lousy grunt work a bit more meaningful, adding value on many levels (soil additive, carbon sequestration, bragging rights).

Most people live in suburbia / urban areas. Sure, it's possible to source materials, dry them, and char them without hopefully annoying neighbours and having Bylaw on your tail. And of course there has to be a use for the char that's created. All possible, as a passionate hobby; but I'm not sure it is driven by necessity.