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["roxann" <roxann AT ancientearthwisdom.com>]

i think one person providing for themselves would spend a lot less energy 
than trying to grow enough food for a family, if that one person is willing 
to alter their diet to a reduced variety. right now, even in the off growing 
season, there are hickory nuts if all else fails. there is some winter cress 
scattered throughout the hills, and i've heard putty root bakes up pretty 
good. they're only chestnut sized, so for one person, a meal could be had 
with a handful. and the stand of cattails by the water's edge is always 
providing food for the taking. this is not necessarily 'thriving', but it 
would do for surviving, unless you enjoy that sort of life. you could enjoy 
the rest of the year if you didn't feel like putting up a little food during 
the growing season, and just suffer during winter.

the old man down my road, who i look to for inspiration for my own future, 
has a medium size garden but he does literally no other farm work other than 
getting his firewood gathered during the year. he doesn't wait until it is 
cold to do this, he gathers a little all year long. his garden is established 
so all he has to do is tend it. he doesn't till or haul bags of fertilizer. 
no heavy work, and if he has something he needs like a fence installed, he 
calls my son to come do it. he can't hunt a deer any longer, but we trade 
mustard greens and sweet potatoes and give him deer meat. he has no 
livestock, just a dog for companionship. he's 96 and still going strong. has 
had a hip replacement about 10 years ago. no family to care for him, either. 
he stayed in the hospital and home nurses came out to check on him daily 
until he was good to go on his own again. he doesn't have a lawn and the old 
house is crumbling apart at about the same rate he is, so it'll probably hold 
out long enough to house him until he dies.

so i don't think you have to have a whole farm in operation in order to 
survive, if you're on your own or with a partner of like mind. my family 
would never live meager enough to do it that way, though. but if i'm on my 
own when i'm older, i can live like that. 

Roxann