I'm learning how to knit I made one scarf thus far...in one stitch that I don't know the name of....and can't seem to grasp any new stitches very well...I t doesn't look like the YouTube videos I watched!!! LOL

hello! I own a fish farm with my partner. We have dairy goats, chickens, ducks, pigs, and are boarding 2 alpacas (I get some of the wool). We have a few gardens and fruit trees/plants. We also grow a variety of medicinal herbs.

My partner is working on building things for the home. She was a chef, but now is doing carpentry work and does most of the farm animal care taking. I was a professional baker -- now just baking for us and our 5 children. We cook everything from scratch. Next year we want to grown some of our own grains. We can/dehydrate/freeze all that we can. I can't wait until we are completely off the system.

I am in the midst of learning to spin wool, which is quite fun. I have also been reviving my knitting and sewing skills. I did make cheese in the past and will be trying it again after the goats kid in the spring.

About 5 years ago I was a traditional suburban mom. This has been a process/evolution of learning and trying things.

The next thing to learn is soap making! I can't wait. I am a bit nervous, thus it has taken me a while to start the process of learning. I have everything here -- looking at me -- waiting for me to start. Sigh.

We heat solely with wood.

It's cool to see this group!

Oh my goodness Emme727! That all sounds amazing!! I hope someday I can get even half that far into being self sufficient! I love your pic btw, Chicken tennis or rooster protection? lol!!

I met a women who had dairy goats and made her own cheese and soap, amazing products, and so much better than store bought. I believe she also had lambs for wool. I envy that much drive, you gal's must be very hard workers, but I know its worth every minute. I'm stuck on the small scale at the moment but maybe one day I can expand the process.

Its funny to think how much our lives can change in just 5 years right? 5 years ago I lived in the suburbs too, with my perfect house, perfect child, husband, 2 dogs, was able to wear high heels every day and never went with out my mani/pedis.... now i'm happy w/ my perfect daughter, 1 dog, country house, and my rubber boots. LOL
Serious downsizing, I like to think I lost 180 pounds in a flash now I'm happy to sit in my little house, where I currently have a temp brooder on my coffee table full of chicks instead of expensive vases full of flowers.

welcome to the group!!

Thanks for the welcome!
My 7 year old was playing tennis with apples for the chickens to chase. It was actually interesting... he would hit an apple and the chickens would have to go check it out. It was cheap entertainment all around.

I think that it is important is to like what you do and really desire to learn/live a certain way and take the baby steps until you are doing what you want. For me, the first step was learning to can. Then I learned to grow plants from seed. Then male mozzarella cheese.... I love knowing that I can make what I want with my own hands. What we can't make, we reexamine to see if we truly need. I do not miss my old life. LOL.

I'm jealous of your chicken brooder! What types are your raising?

I have been looking all over for a group like this! You guys are exactly what I have been looking for! My name is Christy and I am 24 years old. I have a beautiful two year old son and while I love him a completely unsupportive husband. He wants to go to walmart and thinks everything I do is a waste of time. I'm hoping eventually he will come around but in the case he doesn't - I've decided to stop waiting on him and go it alone.

I am a crafter by nature and Love home made things. I am learning to crochet and made a scarf and little purse for my baby cousin. I have done a great deal of family history and I am completely blown away at how much simpler life was back then. People took a pride in their work, and I want to do the same.

I have spent most of my life trying to keep up with a world I didn't like in the first place. I was never a partier and I got more enjoyment of laying on the large rock behind our barn and watching the horses run then going to any concert. I don't know why I spent all thoes years trying to be something I wasnt.

I was raised with a deep respect for nature and I want my son to feel the same.

I no longer buy meat in the stores - I hunt deer the meat is leaner and much healthier - no growth hormones uck.

I am prepareing to set up my first decent sized garden and am looking for all the suggestions I can get.I hope to can what is left over.

I am also in the process of putting a coop in my wooded area for a few chickens, I'm thinking Rode Island Reds, but I might go with white leghorns. I'm only looking for hens right now because my neighbors are also unsuportive and I doubt a rooster will help lol

I really hope you are an active group because this looks like the support I've been looking for!

Here is my blog where I have recently started puting some crafts up
http://craftychristyblog.blogspot.com/
Such as hollow books
wreaths
crocheting
etc

It's wonderful to meet you! Sounds like you've come a long way from LA - And what a great journey it must have been! I wish I had to land to keep hooved animals...and the nieghbours not so lcose. I've thought about moving but I know my husband wouldn't support the move - let alone the reasons for it. I am trying to convenice my father to let me put some alpaca or sheep at his place where my horses used to be. It's wonderful that you make soap and lotions, thats actually something I've thought about doing.

As per the goat milk does it not need to be pasturized, or is it a personal choice?

I hope we can all help each other in our choice to become more healthy as well as the lifestyles we are trying to carve out for each other.

Thanks I hope so!

I'm thinking of bringing in some goats or sheep to my fathers house since he is completely against alpaca :-( , My issue is I'm a horse person, I've had chickens and ducks and equines all my life - but goats, sheep, etc...are all new - suggestions?

Pasteurization is a matter of choice. I don't pasteurize milk for personal use but I have a couple of ladies who purchase milk from me and they choose to pasteurize.

Thanks I hope so!

I'm thinking of bringing in some goats or sheep to my fathers house since he is completely against alpaca :-( , My issue is I'm a horse person, I've had chickens and ducks and equines all my life - but goats, sheep, etc...are all new - suggestions?

As for suggestions I would just say that I have both sheep and goats. I enjoy the sheep but I love the goats. It all depends on what you want. A bottle fed doe who provides milk for your family becomes part of the family. She thinks of you as mom and enjoys every minute you spend with her regardless of weather you bring food with your or not. Sheep are really just there. They like for you to come outside but they don't love you unless you have a feed bucket. The exception to that rule are the Shetland sheep. Now my Shetland ewe thinks she is king of the pen and she enjoys every minute we spend with her. Sheep are not as easy to get attached to so they are great meat animals. I always seem to get attached to the goats and hate to see them go anyplace except a friendly home. If it is wool you are looking for then Shetlands have wonderful primative wool that is easy to work with. Alpaca is best of course. Alpaca are pretty easy to take care of and as far as animals go they are not hard on fences or the land. They actually poop in one spot so you can pick it up and use it in your garden very easy. I actually pick it up and sell it by the bucket to people who ask.

I hope my info helped a little.

Hi guys I'm Sarah, I live in Yorkshire, in the UK.

I've been growing my own food for nearly 6 years now, and learning all the old ways of preservation. Canning isn't a big thing here, so I had to import a canner from the US to be able to that, and I just love it! There's nothing like having your pantry and freezer filled with the fruits of your labour :happy:

Anyway, I broke my ankle really badly a couple of years ago, and had to have 3 lots of surgery to fix it, meaning nearly 12 months of gardening from a chair. After that my thyroid went a bit wrong, and so I have a lot of extra weight to get rid of... Thankfully, gardening burns a lot of cals., so hopefully I'll be back in shape soon.

We don't have any livestock - our patch of land is rented from our district council who don't allow any livestock :grumble: but I dream of chickens and a couple of sheep. Maybe a cow. And a wind turbine. And some solar panels...

PS. John Seymour is my role model - anyone else love his books?

Nice to meet you all

Hey to all!
I've got my little piece of land where I garden, and keep looking for heritage breeds to raise. Dexter cattle already fill the freezer, trying to get my hands on some Chantecler chickens (Canadian breed devloped about 100 years ago that is cold hardy and supposed to keep laying... we'll see... my Rhode Islands did a fine job laying through the winter for my own uses).
Raspberries should be producing this year, blueberries could be another 3-4 years for real output, Rhubarb is well established, strawberries only time will tell if the weird winter we had let them over-winter or if I have to start fresh.
I've got to rework some of the out-buildings and in doing so will be giving them a "roof" make-over for rain-water catchment, there's enough roof to at least supplement the garden items that need the moisture.

Having raised pigs I'm holding off this year on them while I figure out a better system to water them, pig nipples feature heavily in what I see... pans of water they just over-turned in the mud making the yard mucky ALL the time... But they will be back, I like using them to expand the garden.. just fence off the area that I plan to expand to, let the pigs in and root around.... putting the fence up was less work than turning the earth myself

Definitely adding vermi-composting to the plans, and interested in fish-farming, that may go in as part of an aqua-ponics system, I sure don't like paying the retail prices for the fish they sell.

That's it for now, looking forward to learning from all

Well well, thank you very much! That will indeed be the solution, especially if I can fiddle with a filling system, so many projects.... thank you much for the info!

Depending on your area... livestock may be out (goats, cattle etc... perhaps chickens..i) could you squeeze in rabbits... what about fish farming? can do that in 50 gallon barrels to have a few fish on hand... pair it with aqua-ponics and you've got a nice little watering system with the fish waste feeding the plants and the plants providing for the fish...

rain-water harvesting can go a LONG way to helping your raised bed garden depending on rain-fall patterns in your area, i tend to get rain, sometimes a lot at once and then not much for a stretch so anything I can capture is that much less I have to be hauling for the garden... again it depends on your area... some areas catching the rain may not be above-board for some reason.

Other projects sound great, especially the brewing... you beer or wine? I've got everything I need for wine gear wise but need the materials to be brewed.. might be good use of berry season this year instead of quite as much jam as I made last year.

Hi, I'm Monika 36 year old SAHM of 3 awesome kids. We have 11 acres on a river in which we are having a great time. I'm a beekeeper, aspiring yurt dweller (it's almost finished) chicken lady and hopeful sheep owner. I'm finishing up my homeschooling years this spring and I'm nervous and excited about what the fall will hold with two kids in public school (their choice). I can't grow a garden to save my life, but I can spin yarn, knit, make soap, and wildcraft all kinds of herbal goodness.

I just wanted to say hello!

Yeah people can have strange disconnects with things... like ' oh I hate monsanto'... but the first thing they reach for at the sight of a bug / unwanted plant ? Round-up.....

Or just last weekend while planting the garden getting the straw off the strawberries... "the neighbour was in and picked up his hives... good riddance"... um... no we WANT the bees around if we want to get our best yield from the garden... I had to laugh when the hives were returned (could have been different ones) before the day was out, so I know my garden is covered by their bees once again.

Chickens were a pleasure they don't make a lot of noise, unless you've got a rooster around then you might have some noise... but that's to be expected.. .neighbour lost their chickens for "noise" yet someone the next block over still has their dog that barks at anything that moves.... ugh

Hello everyone, I'm Trula. I live in Ohio with my husband and kids. I love gardening and I sew lots of my own clothes. i also like canning and dehydrating food. In the future my husband and I plan to build a straw bale house.