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  • From: "roxann" <roxann AT ancientearthwisdom.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Go ld -- feel free to ignore
  • Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:50:04 +0000

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




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