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I love the whole Cornwall area (historically Devon was part of the Duchy of Cornwall) as it, more than any where else in the UK, has retained traditional food practices plus it is part of England but so different from the rest of England. It's the center of English wine production, the area is still mostly rural so the streams are filled with salmon, the coast has tons of oysters and scallops which you can find for sale in every town's public market, they have great unique cheeses made there like Cornish yarg wrapped in wild garlic leaves or nettles, and the climate is mild enough that olives are grown and even tropical fruit like bananas can be grown out doors at Land's End. Last time I was there was back in 2003 and we had a wonderful light lunch at a winery in the Carmel Valley with local sparkling wine, a cheese plate of all local farmhouse cheese, figs, olives, cured ham, fresh baked bread, and amazing local scallops & oysters served on the half shell. Even the salad was locally grown and the dressing was just locally produced olive oil and red wine vinegar with a bit of crumbly sheep's milk cheese on top.
It's a very good quality of life though land can be very hard to come by as they're all family estates which families have owned for sometimes hundreds of years plus even if you can find it the land costs are huge even by my California standards. If you're looking for a similar climate (though without the neat local castles and historic towns) then try New Zealand.
Last edited by Think4Yourself; 08-13-2012 at 03:02 PM..
I've always liked the idea of edible forests though the time between when you plant them and when you start getting full yield out of them can be 20-30 years. That's a lot of time where someone essentially isn't getting much economic value out of the land though over the long term it can be a great move if someone is far sighted enough and thinking about handing the farm over to their kids or grandkids. I think the guy is also correct that gardeners can get much higher yields per acre simply because gardens give a huge amount of attention to a relatively small area (and thus can really maximize output) where as farmers normally have to deal with hundreds of acres and the manpower needs to put the same level of work per meter just wouldn't be possible. That said, we're obviously still going to need the big farms especially for grains and meats but if more people did more intensive gardening I wouldn't be surprised to see 25% or even a 50% increase in total fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown.
That's not an insignificant boost to total output.
I think that the idea of increasing biodiversity and promoting intensively managed "gardens" rather than extensively worked "farms" is the best advice for most small-holders here on the SS&P forum.
The first 20 minutes of this film explain the oil problem from the standpoint of food production, arguably it's a "green"topic; but to be as truly self-sufficient as possible you must be able to grow and raise your own food without relying heavily on outside inputs (fuel, machinery, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides & herbicides). The ideas and solutions discussed in the last half of the film are worth investigating if you're looking to become more self-sufficient and sustainable (sustainability is the foundation of long-term self-sufficiency).
If you're lucky enough to have undeveloped land, or land that's been uncultivated for awhile, you have a wonderful opportunity to observe what species grow well and grow together in your area... and then you can begin managing your land so that it produces ample edibles and fuel (firewood, bio-fuels, etc) by mimicing what nature is already doing successfully on the land. You won't have to slave for hours and hours doing back-breaking physical labor, but you will have to invest significant brain power. Which is, after all, the very thing that humans are designed for,our true niche in the production cycle, the only one that we're really superior at -- planning, management, and problem-solving.
Pastures with several diverse plants (including "weeds"), several different kinds of animals eating their natural diets ("mowing", "weeding", controling pests, and providing fertilizer), all sorts of food plants small and large interplanted with ornamentals and other beneficials. Edible/productive hedges to corral your critters instead of acres of fences, small portable solar/battery electric fencing for temporary extra protection. A bit of observation, a little research, and some experimentation... what have you got to lose?
You may still have need or desire for some small-scale machines, but these wouldn't be huge or extensive and could probably be powered by renewable energy produced on site. If you didn't want to go "tech-free" entirely, you could always incorporate a small solar tractor, a rechargable cordless arborist saw for coppicing or a corded electric chainsaw for firewood. Really, the renewables "problem" isn't that much of a problem for a small-holding considering most gardening and landscape maintenance is done spring through fall when solar and wind are usually available.
Last edited by MissingAll4Seasons; 08-14-2012 at 12:16 AM..
This is essentially true.
For example, we have a pasture that was severely overgrazed, then left fallow. What has grown up here would not support normal sized cattle with normal appetites. Yet even during the drought, our small animals are notably far more healthy than our neighbors' large cattle... to the point where the person who bartered two years of hay for our two cattle has decided to keep them and propagate them rather than selling them as he initially intended.
Our pasture needs to be reseeded this fall. In intensive discussions with the local seeding company, we immediately eliminated the offer of sowing alfalfa. Alfalfa is a high-energy grass prized by many for its ability to grow here, as well as its touted ability for putting rapid weight on cattle. Alfalfa hay commands a much higher price for its documented nutritional value. However - our cattle and horse will not eat it. A breed known for eating practically anything will not touch alfalfa, and yet fattens faster and better than the large cattle around them?
Well, we are instead going to re-seed with the natural indigenous grasses that grow here that our cattle will eat - grasses that will reseed themselves without intervention or replanting. The local seed company has developed a seed blend of indigenous grasses that is suitable for our area... that very few ranchers utilize, because of the documented benefits of alfalfa to not only their cattle but their pockets in the form of hay. However, alfalfa requires massive amounts of water, particularly in our area, and the recent drought has caused many alfalfa pastures to be expensive to maintain as well as to be 'short-cut' to get the most nutrients.
Indigenous grasses are what our cattle eat - and fatten on. Indigenous grasses are tougher and withstand the weather extremes that we get here. Indigenous grasses require no maintenance nor extensive watering practices. So, before the snow flies, we will be reseeding our pasture with indigenous grasses, that contribute to the ecosphere and do the job that is required of them. Because alfalfa is the grass that larger cattle require, and that most ranchers seed for profit, if there is a SHTF scenario that limits water production and hay harvesting - or even if there isn't - there will still be happy cows and good grasses in our pasture, that don't need fuel to harvest or maintain.
One nice thing about grasses is that you don't have to get the perfect pasture mix right off the mark. It actually helps to experiment because even a less than spectacular variety adds another species into the pasture. You can start by broadcast seeding one pasture or paddock with a mix of a few locally adapted varieties, and then add another couple species and/or another pasture the next year, and so on... which is way more affordable than trying to seed all your acreage with 20 different varieties all at once, and gives you time to observe how they perform and whether your critters like it. Since many native grasses & legumes have limited seed availablity compared to commercial hay/pasture grasses & legumes, and can sometimes be hard to establish, adding them as a smaller percentage of a mix or thinly broadcasting them a little each year works well. A pasture with a variety of several different species and a decent mix of grasses, legumes and forbes (esp. if you have sheep) will nearly always have the right nutritional balance so you don't have to break your brain trying to figure out and maximize all the feed values.
This is essentially true.
For example, we have a pasture that was severely overgrazed, then left fallow. What has grown up here would not support normal sized cattle with normal appetites. Yet even during the drought, our small animals are notably far more healthy than our neighbors' large cattle... to the point where the person who bartered two years of hay for our two cattle has decided to keep them and propagate them rather than selling them as he initially intended.
Our pasture needs to be reseeded this fall. In intensive discussions with the local seeding company, we immediately eliminated the offer of sowing alfalfa. Alfalfa is a high-energy grass prized by many for its ability to grow here, as well as its touted ability for putting rapid weight on cattle. Alfalfa hay commands a much higher price for its documented nutritional value. However - our cattle and horse will not eat it. A breed known for eating practically anything will not touch alfalfa, and yet fattens faster and better than the large cattle around them?
Well, we are instead going to re-seed with the natural indigenous grasses that grow here that our cattle will eat - grasses that will reseed themselves without intervention or replanting. The local seed company has developed a seed blend of indigenous grasses that is suitable for our area... that very few ranchers utilize, because of the documented benefits of alfalfa to not only their cattle but their pockets in the form of hay. However, alfalfa requires massive amounts of water, particularly in our area, and the recent drought has caused many alfalfa pastures to be expensive to maintain as well as to be 'short-cut' to get the most nutrients.
Indigenous grasses are what our cattle eat - and fatten on. Indigenous grasses are tougher and withstand the weather extremes that we get here. Indigenous grasses require no maintenance nor extensive watering practices. So, before the snow flies, we will be reseeding our pasture with indigenous grasses, that contribute to the ecosphere and do the job that is required of them. Because alfalfa is the grass that larger cattle require, and that most ranchers seed for profit, if there is a SHTF scenario that limits water production and hay harvesting - or even if there isn't - there will still be happy cows and good grasses in our pasture, that don't need fuel to harvest or maintain.
Same here with our small property. Some idiot kept 6 horses on five acres. When we bought it, it was covered in a weed that is toxic to horses (combination of overgrazing and sever drought). People sow coastal here or tifton 85. We plan on sowing native grasses to Central Texas because we are, well, in Central Texas
I will not feed alfa-alfa to my horse anyways. People will usually feed alfa-alfa and keep a horse in a small corral (or let the horse gorge on in the field) and then wonder why the horse has so much pent up energy and misbehaves.
OD
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