We're Thinking of Living Off the Land

by Angel

Hi, Love your site. I am thinking of living off the land. We have 300 acres, 30 acres of pasture, and a large 4-stall barn. We could have cattle, sheep, chickens, etc. We have large vegetable and flower and herb gardens.

We live by the lake. We have cook wood stoves. We have a lot more and could easily live off the land. The only problem is, I need help as I haven't done it before.

I'm hoping your web site will help. Do you have readers that write that we can share with? Can't wait to hear from you.

Comments for We're Thinking of Living Off the Land

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Mar 03, 2010
 U can do it !
by: Anonymous

Oh my!!!! I think I have figured it out, there is no easy way to get started except jump in and see if you sink or swim. I have often thought on the many lonely evenings when it's dark at 4 p.m. I should write a manual to help my fellow beginners. Am I in over my head. I guess I will soon find out. This morning over fresh farm eggs for breakfast I am thinking of adding goats.
Good luck and I hope you sway over to our side. Let me know if I can ever offer words of encouragement or may be even words of help.
Ric
Feb 22, 2010
 Read & don't be afraid to try!
by: Cassie

Read as many sources as possible to learn how to do the things you want to or need to. Countryside Magazine is awesome! Go to the library & get homesteading, small acre farming, gardening books and more. Then, just give it a try. Things won't always work the first or second time you try, but you learn something each time. Most of all, enjoy the journey!
Feb 22, 2010
 Start Simply
by: Sue

Hi Angel,

It sounds like you're off to a great start: plenty of room and three gardens. Wow! If you are a good gardener and can raise a lot of vegetables, you might want to consider investing in a root cellar on your property. It would help you store fresh vegetables for far longer (months actually). Also, consider investing in a pressure cooker and can your vegetables and fruits. You can also dry your foods using a food dehydrator. This will enable you to have food throughout the year.

If you've never kept livestock before, I would recommend chickens. They are some of the easiest critters to keep.

As for living off your land, there are all kinds of things you can do. I have one acquaintance who offers a weekend retreat with homesteading training courses. I also know several beekeepers who earn extra income selling honey. For that matter, you could have a home business that isn't even related to homesteading, such as a website. That's how I earn my income. ;-)

As with any business, you aren't likely to be able to live off your land right away. Instead, you will need to spend time honing your skills and gradually building your business, but yes, it can be done. The secret is to learn to live on less by living simply and growing a lot of your own food. Getting off the nine-to-five treadmill means giving up the slavery of materialism. The less stuff you "need" the less income you will need to support that stuff.

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