I got it when I was 17 … never ever achieved it but still have the pipe dream enjoy young RU-vid’s vlogging about their homesteading effort’s vicariously. Now I don’t feel so weird for that dream which was not reflected in the society of my youth. Now it’s a definite available choice to many thanks to the internet in part 😊❤
Hey, I think any move in that direction is valuable! Do you keep an emergency kit? Do you stock up on toothpaste when it’s on sale? Then you are one step closer!
The same book has been with me for years, not as long as you but I think I was in my early twenties. I still have it. Me and my wife are also in our fifties but have just purchased a 5-acre field and I want to slowly get into growing more of our own food. The only thing that would make it better would be to have a house on the field but that is unlikely with the planning laws here. I hope you have success with all your ventures and I am glad you got somewhere close to your dream eventually.
@@terriwilliams4938 For small spaces it is usually fine for annuals since it is possible to make enough compost (mine tends to made from grass clippings and leaves) to keep production high and the added material goes some way to reduce erosion. Most of my land is not flat and it is possible to use the less than ideal terrain for tree crops and it takes some time but the land doesn't need amendments afterwards and the trees tend to stop and prevent erosion. The fastest yeilders for us are berry bushes (a little invasive) and stone fruits trees. I've planted sweet chestnuts (great for winter starches), walnuts, hazels and pecan (valuable oils), apple, cherries, plums, honeylocust (very high sugar content of the paste inside the pods), berry bushes. In between rows of trees I have some annuals. To begin with the annuals provided the production but the tree crops have taken over bit by bit as the years progress and the rows have got smaller. The trees also add fertility to the ground with dropped leaves. Although my singular yields are not high compared to an orchard (my collective yields are high) I've no inputs and also don't need to take on debt so every year has been productive, some years more than others. Harvesting, pruning and processing wood is the dominant effort now. The wood can be used for fuel, for growing mushrooms and smoking meats. I still maintain some annual production.
Love this book, had it since the 70s and also his other books & still have them. We went to live on a 5 acre smallholding in the 80s, the children had a wonderful, free life with lovely fresh vegetables, milk and meat..
Christmas present 1976….. pipe dream but didn’t fancy sticking pigs ….ended up in a bank…45 years or so on, now own land but not a an animal in sight …save the rabbits and pheasants…
I bought another John Seymour book, The Fat of the Land. when I was about 14 and was totally hooked by it. I devoured it much the same as you and dreamt of a totally self sufficient life style. Later i got the book you speak of, but it was titled The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency. I never really achieved the desires that were aroused by those books, mainly i think from a lack of self confidence and the fear of not conforming, but I do think it was probable my true calling in life. A path not taken.
Sweet! I’ll have to try to track that one down! I’ve not achieved self-sufficiency by any means, but when the COVID lockdowns happened I had most everything we needed on hand. Except we had just run out of toilet paper, of course!
Hi... My classmate said i'm a smart student...from elementary to highschool. But after i graduated i realized how stupid i was. I just learnt all the theory but i don't know nothing about real life how to support myself with the knowledge i have learnt. I just realized curiculum in my country is sucks. Just theory. We don't even taught how to master basic skills. So i'm a reader... Just a week ago i found an online book seller sold a book by john seymour. The title really caught my attention. I really want to know how people In old days did household and traditional craft. And recently i found he have another book. Self sufficient. I'm unemployee for 7 years now. Strugglinh to afford my daily foods. I really want to buy those 2 books but inflation and taxes makes the price so expensive for me. I had to choose wether i should to sell 2 gr of my gold ring or not
I highly recommend the book by John Seymour called "Bring me my Bow". Ditto "The Fat of the Land". Excellent reads! A rare talk by this splendid man at Inaugural Meeting of the Academic Inn (1983). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vC_c87xJwvc.html
