Getting Off The Grid - Last Week Of January

I can`t say that I will miss January, for some people January means a fresh and new start, to me it just means unpredictable weather and Winter. A month that either you start seed inside or have nothing to do, after all it does not take a month to plan the Spring/ Summer garden.

The most depressing event I encountered in the past few days was the opening of the monthly power bill. It is extremely expensive! With the weather being so cold the heat was on a lot. After all 9° is not normal for central Alabama, especially not a couple weeks. 

So ...... The discussion for my homestead is now going to " how to better heat this home." I will do the power bill winter pile up and see how much power we use and go from there, see if propane would be cheaper or should I just began to chop wood all Summer. I would love to do the wood but I am not so sure Tony can handle that with his bad lungs. What I do need is a very nice solar system.

On The Homestead :

There is not much going at the moment here but I have been bring on some help. 

Tree limbs down by my uncle tractor.

Help from downed trees that is, a form of heat if need be. A couple months ago it got bad here and we had no power for days, that meant no heat.

More About no heat click here : Off The Grid Two Days

I have not cut any trees on the homestead just yet because I have several downed on other property that had to be cut and removed.

Big logs left behind

Yesterday we worked on those, well one, and I have two more to cut and remove.

I am bringing the wood home and stacking it for future use. It was cut in small lengths so that it fits in the fireplace, and they are small so I do not think this one will need chopping. No sense in letting it just go to waste.

For The Garden :

Bell pepper to the left and tomato to the right

I managed to get another good planting day, according to the moon phases, to re-pot the rest of the tomatoes. I have nine tomato plants and six sweet green bell pepper plants.

Since it takes a very long time to place seed in the ground and for fruits to come on eggplants,  I sowed seed for eggplants " Black beauty" are my favorite. If its Gods will, I will have many plants and not get stuck paying $3.50 per plant.

I also sowed seed for Cabbage. If its gods will once again, I will have my own cabbage plants to set out before the Spring tender plants go in. Cabbage can take the cooler weather.

new seed .25 per pack!

I also picked up more seed while at another dollar tree. 

Stockpile :

Nothing this week at all. Just enjoying the fruits of my labor of the past year.

Learning : 

Since the rainy season is here I have began to see more and more mushrooms.

If I have my camera with me I do snap photos so that I can identify them when I get home or near the computer.

While at work Yesterday I see these growing on a rotten stump. I am not sure but they do look like oyster mushrooms. I will not harvest any till I am sure.

February is near and so is Spring :)

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry

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Getting Off The Grid - Is It Depressing?

Watching out the window as the snow falls, looks like tiny snowballs and not big fluffy flakes. Accumulation was only an inch but that inch stopped all activity outside, after all this is Alabama, central Alabama! Not three hours north on the Tennessee line where some of the mountains do get snow, No I am way on down, a couple hours from the coast. Snow comes around every few years, or five. Not twice in one winter.

snowfall in the shadows

Do you think the snow fall is depressing since you can`t go anywhere or do anything? I am going with no, not around here. Yes it snowed but this did melt off quickly but the temps did not rebound as fast and yes its rare to get a 0° at night in these parts of the country. Snow on Tuesday and 60° on Saturday seems to be how we roll this year.

On The Homestead :

The greenhouse. I did get the greenhouse up last fall and I did have a few plants inside, they did die because I got sick. So the greenhouses location, where it is now, was not a good idea, I did not make that choice and I am so glad its portable and I can move it. In my opinion it needs to be closer to the house so I can get to it better and so the bright southern sun hits it even more, I think my opinion has been proven, I cannot talk care of plants way down in the field all winter. I am glad that it held up to the winds we have been having. With that being said I am still sowing seed in the house, and they live by the southern windows. I only have tomatoes, sweet bell pepper and basil right now.

For The Garden :

 Notice that right now its not "what is from the garden" but what is for the garden? Yes there are some pitiful greens left and I am not picking those, so its all about what I intend plant this coming spring.

Planning. Starting some seed inside to get strong healthy plants ready.

When I ran into the dollar tree for can foods for my uncle I seen seed for .25 each packet! I grabbed up four packs. One tomato, one cucumber and two herbs, oregano and parsley. 

I add those to the seed I caught on sale at the co-op last week, cabbage, eggplant and okra and what seeds I have harvested from the year passed.

Stockpiling :

This is the first year that I am depending more on the stockpile than the grocery store and it feels so freeing! I feel empowered, that I can provide for myself without money or shopping. That if the SHTF (shit hits the fan) and things go bad, I can survive and teach others how to also.

With only around a month into winter I have used around  four cases of food from the home canned stock. I do notice that I use many tomatoes or tomato based foods.

I did not keep a count of the frozen stuff from the garden, that I have used this far. 

I still use the old stand by tin canned foods that is store bought that I have stockpiled, but that is okay, some foods like beets and sweet peas, I did not have in my garden and home canned, yet.

Learning :

Last week I do not think I did any learning as far as my homestead. Although I wish to, NO, I will be off the grid I do not see a complete escape from working, or making money, because of the property taxes and business license have to be paid.

While some have said that I should teach, I am reluctant because what if someone cans food wrong and dies? I would feel like I did not teach them enough. But I am still thinking about all the nature talents that live in the this house that can make money, from fishing lures to soaps.

I have to say that everyday on the homestead is a learning experience. You can read books, you can watch video but every homestead is different. From walking the woods looking for edible mushrooms to picking winter greens, no year is the same. Some years its all about tomatoes, some years about squash, the garden is never predictable. 

Its always changing and that is the thrill of making a homestead and getting it to work. Achievement and failure.

Not much going on, depressing? Nope because I am looking to the future days of the hot sun on my back while harvesting fruits and vegetables.

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry

Getting Off The Grid - Be A Dreamer

I think dreams are born within us so that they can and will come full circle. I also believe that by speaking that dream over your life out loud that it will come true.

While most of the people around me know that I have always been the one to create my own work, businesses, I am often told I should go into this or that type of work, or open a new business, the problem with all those suggestions I do all th work.

Getting of the grid is about me lessening my work load out in the world, not having to make more and more money to have electricity, water and food, the things everyone needs to live, not creating a new way to make money that pulls my time away from my homestead.

Instead I want to make the homestead my full time job. Use the skills I have already and make money with those skills right here at home. 

As I was driving back home on the interstate chatting with my riding companion I mentioned that I wanted to work from home. He asked  " doing what?" I  replied, " I home can jams and jellies, I am  about to get into soap making, I am learning to tap trees for syrup and I had talked to a man at the Co-op about honey bees for honey, I also want to start back quilting and sell those as well, I can set up a small building to sell all these products." Those were just a few things off the top of my head I can do to make money. 

He agreed I could make some money from those services but maybe not enough to make a living like I have to now on the grid. I reminded him, spend less need less money.

While I buy a business license yearly already, I would also have to invite the health department into my home for a inspection and I am fine by that. Or I can set up the jelly making inside the small building and that would be inspected.

Am I a dreamer or what?

Progress Around The Homestead :

We are having crazy weird weather this year where the temperatures are all over the place, one week in the upper 60`s and 70° to day time highs not even making it to 32° and night time lows in the teens. Rain and then dry and next snow and gusting winds.

With that being said, dreaming and planning is all I can do.

Reading. I read and do my research on things I want to try to see if its feasible in my area.

From the garden :

I have nothing growing outside at all but I am still growing inside, well I still have to cold bitten collars and kale, it is possible for them to bounce back, it has happened before.

I sowed seed for tomato plants and bell pepper, they are growing nicely and it was time for them to get a pot each, so I took a couple hours and I did just that. Although I did not finish all of them, I did get the largest a big pot alone. I also transplanted small basil plants.

The Stockpile :

I have not added anything to the stockpile in several weeks. I am using the stockpile of coarse but I am not low on anything, nor do I feel the need to shop the farmers market or the grocery for cheap produce or meats to home can.                                                          

Learning : 

As I stated above I am just reading and using the internet to do research. About what I already have here on the property and what I might like to add to the property. Some plants and trees do better in different zones than in mine, I am zone 8, so I seek plants and trees that thrive here. I also need to know what types of soil each requires, Some like dry and some like soppy wet.

I know each season has its purpose and I am sure that the Winter is for me to rest my body and let my mind run wild with the possibilities of the coming growing season and what I can do on my homestead.

How are things on your homestead?

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

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Getting Off The Grid - January On The Homestead

Getting off the grid is about my journey. The idea and then the struggle to make it happen, mostly without the money needed to "just do it now." Learning to grow food. Learning to home can food. Learning everything as I go. No guidance except for books and what I watch on t.v. Come join me in my life of discovering, how to get off the grid.

January is a hard month on the homestead, there is not much I can do outside because of the crazy weather pattern, cold one day and hot the next. Snow one weekend and sunny with a heat wave the next. Its just the ninth and here in central Alabama the ground has been frozen solid with night time temps of 9 degrees to today at 50 something degrees and its rainy. 

I have been checking out the new seeds, I reckon I need to go ahead and order what I want so they will be on their way, some to start inside, some that goes straight into the dirt. That is about all we can do right now, plan for the Spring vegetable garden.

From The Garden: 

There are some greens still making it, kale and collards, mustard greens too, but they were "touched" by all the cold. Not dead but what is called burnt, they will revive with the warmth.

I had planned to share and home can kale all winter but this year I got sick with the new flu stuff going around and I just felt to weak to stay bent over picking, to weak to stand and wash them up and to weak to cook and pack them into jars. With that being said, if its Gods will, I will have greens all the way into summer and I will be able to home can them for the next year or two. Plus share! I have to share the greens, its just something I do.

This week I will transplant the tomatoes and bell pepper plants to bigger pots, I am hoping to have nice red tomatoes and sweet bell peppers before the Spring planting season comes, not any to home can but enough to eat. 

Progress Around The Homestead :

About the only thing I have accomplished is the backyard, the electric fence is up and had already taught the dogs they cannot escape their area. 

While some people thinks this is not a big deal, it is. 

Why? 

I have dogs that love to hunt and kill small game so if they are running loose I cannot have wild rabbits, to hunt and eat if need be, and I cannot have chickens. Although chickens would be in a pen if the dogs thought they could just climb over and into the pen to eat the chickens they would. But being broke by the electric fence they are less likely to try get passed a fence, heading out to roam or into another animals pen when they see those wires. 

Stockpile :

I have been enjoying the stockpile! Instant meals when I am tired. Nothing like opening a jar of homemade vegetable soup when you are sick and it taste fresh as the day you made it. Or chili on a cold day to warm you up. All those wonderful strawberries made into jam on a slice of hot toast in the morning! Home canning food taste so much better than store bought.

I have not home canning anything in a short while. I just don`t like the thought of having to buy food to home can, unless its something I don`t grow.

However, I did buy up eight cases of pint canning jars. They were on sale and I also had coupons to make them as cheap as $5.00 per case, the plus is they have lids with rings too.

The only other thing is deer. I did receive a little deer meat and I will be home canning that soon. Its in the freezer at the moment because it was late when it was dropped off. 

I always give thanks to God for providing animals for food, they give their life for others to have life.

Learning : 

So far this month I have not read anything new to learn for the homestead. 

But......

 I seen a sale ad that has solar panels on sale and I have saved enough over the year to make this purchase. I am sure this week I will make that purchase, its time for me to spread my wings and fly, not far but a start.

How are things on your homestead?

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

 

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Getting Off The Grid - 2018 Plans For The Homestead

2017 was an up and down year for me on the homestead, my first year doing most of everything alone. The lack of equipment and the trial and error of many different things.

I also had my first weekend off grid in this house, no power. A learned lesson that was for sure. So I have intentions of loading up on fire wood this year. I have a couple small trees down in my old home place and one at a rental house that will be a start.

For More click Here : Off Grid For 2 Days 

I can say that 2017 was a learning year in more than one way. I bought many different books to learn how to live just in case that "what if" days comes.

The books : From treating diabetes to a tummy ache. Learning to identify trees to mushrooms. Learning how to tap trees for making my own syrups. Foraging for free foods, we call weeds to Buying an acid meter to make homemade soap. I also invested in tomato cages. The old way of tying them was out of the question to do alone, the cages will last me for so many years to come.

For More click here : Cooking dandelion greens 

I really think I hit bottom when all the mowers broke down and I had to push mow the fields and the rain did not let up till almost winter. I finally gave up and just let it go. I mowed around the house and in the rows of the garden, I did not have a good garden this year because of the warm winter past and the rain, the garden bugs and mosquitoes took over.

For more click here : When the rain stopped

I finally got the green house that I have wanted for years but it was put up just before the first freeze and I put some of the houseplants and a few vegetable plants inside. I began the daily venting to allow steam to leave and I used solar heat, the water filled drums, and all was doing great. Then the worst happened! We got sick. The flu got us this year and no one was able to work the greenhouse. Everything died except the small tangerine tree and it was brought to the house and put inside. I do not think anyone can prepare for when sickness its and I was not able to get out of bed for several days. Another trial and error. I intend to try and do better this year with the green house. 

For more about the greenhouse click here : One Crazy Week

January 2018 

I have several tomato plants growing and a few green bell pepper plants, inside the house by the window sill facing South.

I will be ordering new vegetable seed soon. I would like to try a new vegetable but I have no chosen which one to try and grow. I will start seeds now all the way up till April / May when its time to plant. 

From The Garden :

Right now I am still getting kale, curly mustard and collards. There is supposed to be beets around somewhere, and there are still purple top turnips.

The Plans :

I need a root cellar so I may look into getting one put in this year, as well as solar and well water. If its God will, I will get all three this year.

I do plan to take at least one vacation this year so if I add chickens it`ll be afterwards so I can tend to them.

Do you have big plans for your homestead?

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”