I have always had the dream of self-sustainability. Hubby and I live on a 1-acre lot in a rural community. And though my father owns the surrounding 200 acres of farmland, it's not land that I can count on to use (since one day it may be dotted with an urban development). So if I want to create a self-sustaining household, then I need to do it on just one single acre.
According to the book The Backyard Homestead: Produce All The Food You Need on Just A Quarter Acre, it is possible for me to at least fill my family's tummies with food produced on my own land. And that's one of the reasons I wanted chickens for my birthday. Sure, the benefit of fresh eggs is nice. But mostly I wanted to get one step closer to self-sustainability. My four chickens are probably going to average about 9 eggs a week. This wouldn't even feed my kids, much less me and Hubby. But I'll be learning a bit about how to care for a chicken and how to tend to animals, which is a valuable lesson.
I have also planted a very small vegetable garden. It's my first real foray into gardening. Again, I kind of look at it as a learning experience. Hopefully I'll grow a couple of tomatoes to add to a salad, but mostly I just wanted the hands-on experience of growing my own food. In addition, Hubby is planting me a few raspberry bushes, apple trees and pear trees. They won't produce for at least a few years, but they're a step in the right direction.
The other day, out of the blue, Hubby said to me: "I'd love to be a farmer, and just go out and tend to my animals and crops every day, instead of dealing with people." (Hubby works in the medical field.) Now, I'm a farmer's daughter, and I have an inkling how hard farm work actually is. But I was thrilled to hear him express this sentiment. At least some part of him might be willing to help me work toward my own dream of self-sustainability.
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I love your post! We're just starting our journey towards self-sufficiency -- or at least increased independence. We're in the process of purchasing a 1.1 acre lot in a small town and plan to move in June. We won't be doing much this year other than moving and getting settled (and having a baby), so major projects will have to wait until next year.
But come 2012? Gardening and chickens are definitely on the to-do list.
Remember, it sometimes looks like an incredibly long road you want to be done with already, but each little step you take brings you closer and closer.
Keep us posted!
Emma
City Roots, Country Life
I was talking about adding the apple trees to our yard this year and suddenly for my husband it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.
"You want to be a farmer."
Duh.
I love eggs too. Ever since you posted that you eat 3 dozen a week I've been curious how you eat them, likr fried every morning + you bake a lot, or? I love having eggs every morning for breakfast with some toast, personally.
Yeah, the other day a friend called me a "farmer." It felt weird, but right. Although, at this point I qualify as "Worst Farmer Ever."
I tend to eat an egg or two every day for breakfast. I make quiche or an egg casserole for dinner on occasion (the casserole takes a dozen eggs!). And I snack on hardboiled egg whites all the time. In those cases, I throw away the yolk a lot, which I know is a waste. But sometimes Hubby eats the yolk for me.
You're the opposite of me :) I like the yolks and can easily throw out the whites. I'm worried about cholesterol though so limit my intake, though I've read in a couple places that eggs don't really affect that. I don't know.
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