Homesteading, growing food, getting off the hamster wheel

10-02-2022, 10:03 AM

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#1

Johnez
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Homesteading, growing food, getting off the hamster wheel

You guys interested in any of that? I figured I'd share an overview on this guy as I know quite a few are wanting out of the rat race.

I've been doing some heavy research on homesteading, raising food, and generally cleaving my family's dependence on the industrial society. This guy has inspired and taught quite a few other big homesteader channels (Justin Rhodes, Living Traditions, etc). Other good channels are Becky's Homestead, and Homesteady. Various styles and starting points.

10-02-2022, 10:17 AM

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#2

DolphinPilot

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Yeah I don't really have the means to do a serious amount of gardening, canning, etc. But I'm always wanting to reduce my dependence on the consumerist market and be more self-sustainable.

looks good will check out op thanks

10-02-2022, 10:17 AM

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#3

GodlessWonder
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Great video. Dude has so much enthusiasm and knowledge.

10-02-2022, 10:18 AM

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#4

PinochetFan
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The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in "advanced" countries, but they have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering (in the Third World to physical suffering as well) and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation. It will certainly subject human beings to greater indignities and inflict greater damage on the natural world, it will probably lead to greater social disruption and psychological suffering, and it may lead to increased physical suffering even in "advanced" countries

10-02-2022, 10:23 AM

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#5

HateLiberals
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Might become a bug farmer, more profitable soon

10-02-2022, 10:32 AM

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#6

Kev1972
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Sounds tedious and quite annoying.

10-02-2022, 11:02 AM

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#7

Johnez
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Originally Posted By Kev1972⏩

Sounds tedious and quite annoying.

It's not for everyone.

I admire Salatin, he has a large scale operation, employees and a deep vast knowledge of animals and environment, but he does seem overly optimistic on the ease of getting the system to run on a smaller scale. A lot of homesteaders have taken his examples and adapted for their situations tho. The idea of adapting your life to the land and living *with* the land instead of brute force raping it to get what you want seems to be healthier overall for everyone and everything involved-mental health, environment, physical health, and even animal health.

The idea that a society that has to raise sickly animals so we can eat sickly animals and expect a healthy human population is ridiculous. It's not even just the fact that the animals are unhealthy making us unhealthy, I think it's more that we *have* to do it this way to survive that's the problem. Chitty example but it's like the alcoholic that *has* to have his morning drink to be able to go to work. Being in the position where you have to do something detrimental to your health to actually survive is a crappy situation to be in, and I think that's where we're at today.

10-02-2022, 11:04 AM

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#8

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I catch/kill about 80% of my meat.

10-02-2022, 11:08 AM

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#9

iLLVibeBuzz
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they still pay property tax and stuff.... lol at thinking they are free.

there is that show on discovery about homesteading and its like cool they do what they want seemingly. bout you realize the dad actaully is a hardcore workaholic and has to keep working to make money to pay for this way of life. no different then any other person really.

10-02-2022, 11:13 AM

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#10

TheAdlerian
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It seems like a massive amount of money would be needed to get enough land and animals to actually do it.

Also, at least in the US, you need a job so that you can pay taxes on your land and house.

I have never liked plants but have had friends who do. Every time you turn around mold is growing on them, bugs are eating them, or animals if the plants are outside. I assume animals are going to need medical treatment.

It seems like, again, you would need a lot of money to be able to produce your own food and keep it going without getting wiped out.

10-02-2022, 11:15 AM

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#11

Johnez
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Originally Posted By iLLVibeBuzz⏩

they still pay property tax and stuff.... lol at thinking they are free.

there is that show on discovery about homesteading and its like cool they do what they want seemingly. bout you realize the dad actaully is a hardcore workaholic and has to keep working to make money to pay for this way of life. no different then any other person really.

Find one example of it being done wrong...."Nah I'll stay in my basement and criticize from my keyboard lol."

10-02-2022, 11:23 AM

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#12

Johnez
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Originally Posted By TheAdlerian⏩

It seems like a massive amount of money would be needed to get enough land and animals to actually do it.

Also, at least in the US, you need a job so that you can pay taxes on your land and house.

I have never liked plants but have had friends who do. Every time you turn around mold is growing on them, bugs are eating them, or animals if the plants are outside. I assume animals are going to need medical treatment.

It seems like, again, you would need a lot of money to be able to produce your own food and keep it going without getting wiped out.

This is true. If there's one criticism I have of YouTube homesteaders is that they of course frame the life as rosy as possible. A lot of them try to inform people of the requirements, but sometimes they come off as an afterthought. Nobody wants to see the grimy dirty details, or the fact that this ideal is simply out of reach for 90% of Americans. I'm under no illusions tho. If I go this route I'm starting off with 1-3 acres and will probably pick a business completely unrelated to plant/animal selling to make my money. I've got a few interests and skills I can put to use in a homestead setting.

10-02-2022, 11:23 AM

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#13

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Originally Posted By iLLVibeBuzz⏩

they still pay property tax and stuff.... lol at thinking they are free.

there is that show on discovery about homesteading and its like cool they do what they want seemingly. bout you realize the dad actaully is a hardcore workaholic and has to keep working to make money to pay for this way of life. no different then any other person really.

Obviously you trading one type of labor for another. However there is a big difference in working for yourself on your land. And going clock in and have a boss and working for someone else.

Property tax in rural locations is typically pretty cheap. My grandma has 3 acres and pays something like $100 an acre per year for property tax. So she only needs to put aside $25 per month for her property taxes. Her monthly expenses (Food, utilities, insurance & gas for her car, etc.) is something like $600-700 per month. I'm not sure what her retirement income is but she could live pretty well on as little as 10k-12K per year.

It actually blows my mind how 'well' you can live in your old age on how little if you live in a country house that's paid for. Plus in her 80s she's still running around on 3 acres with 0 health issues and is still strong/active.

10-02-2022, 11:46 AM

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#14

TheAdlerian
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Originally Posted By Johnez⏩

This is true. If there's one criticism I have of YouTube homesteaders is that they of course frame the life as rosy as possible. A lot of them try to inform people of the requirements, but sometimes they come off as an afterthought. Nobody wants to see the grimy dirty details, or the fact that this ideal is simply out of reach for 90% of Americans. I'm under no illusions tho. If I go this route I'm starting off with 1-3 acres and will probably pick a business completely unrelated to plant/animal selling to make my money. I've got a few interests and skills I can put to use in a homestead setting.

I think it would be great to live in some way that could get me away from constantly having to deal with relying on others. However, the risk factor is amazing and you would have to be ready to literally suffer a lot or die.

People on these shows seem okay with not eating and whatnot but you are literally digesting your own body after awhile. So, if all your animals die or plants fail then what do you do, sign up for food stamps and so on?

It doesn't seem doable or productive but as you've said, some people actually do a version of it, so good luck!

10-02-2022, 04:33 PM

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#15

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Originally Posted By PinochetFan⏩

The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in "advanced" countries, but they have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering (in the Third World to physical suffering as well) and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world.

Mostly yes. -Ish.

Originally Posted By PinochetFan⏩

The continued development of technology will worsen the situation. It will certainly subject human beings to greater indignities and inflict greater damage on the natural world, it will probably lead to greater social disruption and psychological suffering, and it may lead to increased physical suffering even in "advanced" countries

No, not necessarily. Technology isn't innately a bad thing.

A lot of the things that have been damaging so far haven't been directly because of technology, but because of how society used technology, short term thinking, and how more advanced countries have treated the less advanced countries.

Originally Posted By Kev1972⏩

Sounds tedious and quite annoying.

Yes. Definitely a big learning curve, a lot of work, and even then chance [weather, bugs] can screw you.

Originally Posted By Johnez⏩

This is true. If there's one criticism I have of YouTube homesteaders is that they of course frame the life as rosy as possible. A lot of them try to inform people of the requirements, but sometimes they come off as an afterthought. Nobody wants to see the grimy dirty details, or the fact that this ideal is simply out of reach for 90% of Americans. I'm under no illusions tho.If I go this route I'm starting off with 1-3 acres and will probably pick a business completely unrelated to plant/animal selling to make my money. I've got a few interests and skills I can put to use in a homestead setting.

Good plan. I suspect what works best is finding the stuff you are good at and using those strengths for work and trade.

This little farm is in Japan and he does neat stuff with crop rotation and "green manure"/cover crops:

This fellow is in Florida and his garden looks completely different. Seems like he just throws everything in there and sees what happens:

I'm truly not that into doom. The world has just been very doomy lately.

10-02-2022, 04:46 PM

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#16

defiantstone
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I have dreamed of doing this for 5-10 years. Probably longer. My favorite books as a kid were hatchet and my side of the mountain and things like that. But the problem is making money. And then the main problem is finding a woman willing to live like that. I am sure you can find some women that think the idea sounds fun but then when they experience the reality of it things change. It is not a comfortable way to live. I really would not care if I lived in the middle of a forest in a shed and poo in a hole in the ground and eat potatoes and carrots every day but no woman is gonna live like that.

10-02-2022, 07:03 PM

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#17

Johnez
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Originally Posted By defiantstone⏩

I have dreamed of doing this for 5-10 years. Probably longer. My favorite books as a kid were hatchet and my side of the mountain and things like that. But the problem is making money. And then the main problem is finding a woman willing to live like that. I am sure you can find some women that think the idea sounds fun but then when they experience the reality of it things change. It is not a comfortable way to live. I really would not care if I lived in the middle of a forest in a shed and poo in a hole in the ground and eat potatoes and carrots every day but no woman is gonna live like that.

I wish I had the money but I def have the woman. Mine is going full bore, already has a small library on animal husbandry and gardening, even has the temerity to chit on some of the towns I'm interested in because they're too urbanized and are simply mini modern cities full of chains and corporate crap.

Also, homesteading in this day can be done very comfortably with the right knowledge (internet FTW!) and starting capital. There's a lot of tools these days that simplify some of the drudgery and injury causing activities. YouTube and plans everywhere for how to house, feed and care for chickens, exactly what you need to know. What about processing chickens to slaughter? Imagine plucking all those feathers by hand lol. Fook that, they got machine that will pluck 3 at a time and it costs only $700. YouTube for exactly how to dispatch, process, and butcher. Equipment is comparatively cheap in this modern day, and there is stuff out there easy to find for smaller operations.

There are ways to do it. I think the only thing stopping me this instant is lack of capital. From the beginning homesteads should be seen as a business and all business requires enough starting capital to weather the hard times and learning period. Even if not the primary source of income, the thing is an investment of time and money and needs to be treated as if return is vital or it'll be a money pit. Of course a lot of the days difficulty can be eased by having a community to fill in the gaps. You raise the hogs, your neighbor butchers them, and then you trade eggs for some hay etc...

10-03-2022, 08:59 AM

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#18

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Bumping this. People need to learn to grow their own food for the possible hard times that are coming up. I'm not in a position to do this myself yet, but I'm definitely working toward it

10-03-2022, 09:32 AM

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#19

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Here's what you will discover, OP. Why our ancestors spent their goddamn entire lives frantically working to get civilized. If I could live in a penthouse in New York I'd never leave. ded fukkin srs.
$700 repair bills every time the tractor takes a chit.
3/4 of the day doing TEDIOUS yard work - waste of life, time can't be recovered.
miserably long commutes and gas bills so high you wouldn't believe.
Save yourself the horror.

10-03-2022, 09:34 AM

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#20

MegaSloot

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Originally Posted By Omnivium⏩

Bumping this. People need to learn to grow their own food for the possible hard times that are coming up. I'm not in a position to do this myself yet, but I'm definitely working toward it

THis has got to be some kind of joke. Your little ass can't compete with american agri business. no way, no how. Compare a can of beans from your garden to a can of beans off the shelf at the grocery. Your beans will be chitter, costlier and far, far more time consuming. hobby farming is the biggest waste of time.

10-03-2022, 09:39 AM

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#21

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Cool video! I do a little gardening. I'm trying to learn how to hunt now. Homesteading is something I want to do in the near future.

10-03-2022, 09:41 AM

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#22

katya422

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Originally Posted By MegaSloot⏩

THis has got to be some kind of joke.Your little ass can't compete with american agri business. no way, no how.Compare a can of beans from your garden to a can of beans off the shelf at the grocery. Your beans will be chitter, costlier and far, far more time consuming. hobby farming is the biggest waste of time.

Yes, but what if American agri-business goes tits up?

Agree that growing your own is a lot of work. Preserving it too. Lot of variation on cost depending on what you invest in it.

Quality? Home grown has the potential to be much better quality if you have good growing conditions and the know how due to the ability to control the amount of chemicals sprayed on the food and the option to grow the varieties that taste the best vs. the varieties that are the best for shipping/holding.

ETA: If you want to give it a try do be smart about it. For many years vegetable transplants would come in little packs of 4 plants or 6 plants for a buck or two. You might pay .79 cent or a dollar for a 4" pepper or tomato.

Now the prices for vegetable transplants are stupid. Single transplants for around $4. In this video the guy says he paid $6 for a 6 pack of cabbage transplants.

At some point it is straight stupidity- you can buy a grown ready to eat head of cabbage for around $1 still which you don't have to invest your time and money into [water, weeding, fertilizer, pest control, harvest].

So now it seems you should really start most things from seed if you possibly can though it is a PITA and requires more planning and more steps.

If you do want transplants I've still been able to find single 4" transplants for $2 or $3 at dedicated nurseries [not big box stores] and some hardware stores or feed supply stores. The small cell multi-packs are quite rare now for any plants at all and I've only found them for bedding plants every now and then at Home Depot.

10-03-2022, 01:43 PM

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#23

Johnez
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Originally Posted By MegaSloot⏩

THis has got to be some kind of joke. Your little ass can't compete with american agri business. no way, no how. Compare a can of beans from your garden to a can of beans off the shelf at the grocery. Your beans will be chitter, costlier and far, far more time consuming. hobby farming is the biggest waste of time.

Imagine not being a pure consoomer for once. Just try. There's a lot to be said in accomplishment and self sufficiency.

10-03-2022, 01:45 PM

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#24

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net negative in kcals unless you plant potatoes

fkn LOL @ "i'm sick of having to do all this work so i'm gonna become a subsistence farmer instead"

LMAO

10-03-2022, 01:48 PM

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#25

Retoaded
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I can work 40 hours a week in the air conditioning to be able to afford anything I want, or I can work 80 hours a week plowing fields in the heat just hoping a storm doesn't come and wash away my crop and I starve to death.

Well I know which one I am doing.

10-03-2022, 02:01 PM

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#26

Johnez
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Originally Posted By katya422⏩

Yes, but what if American agri-business goes tits up?

Agree that growing your own is a lot of work. Preserving it too. Lot of variation on cost depending on what you invest in it.

Quality? Home grown has the potential to be much better quality if you have good growing conditions and the know how due to the ability to control the amount of chemicals sprayed on the food and the option to grow the varieties that taste the best vs. the varieties that are the best for shipping/holding.

ETA: If you want to give it a try do be smart about it. For many years vegetable transplants would come in little packs of 4 plants or 6 plants for a buck or two. You might pay .79 cent or a dollar for a 4" pepper or tomato.

Now the prices for vegetable transplants are stupid. Single transplants for around $4. In this video the guy says he paid $6 for a 6 pack of cabbage transplants.

At some point it is straight stupidity- you can buy a grown ready to eat head of cabbage for around $1 still which you don't have to invest your time and money into [water, weeding, fertilizer, pest control, harvest].

So now it seems you should really start most things from seed if you possibly can though it is a PITA and requires more planning and more steps.

If you do want transplants I've still been able to find single 4" transplants for $2 or $3 at dedicated nurseries [not big box stores] and some hardware stores or feed supply stores. The small cell multi-packs are quite rare now for any plants at all and I've only found them for bedding plants every now and then at Home Depot.

I've started tomato and pepper seedlings indoors with trays, its not super hard. If you're in cold states, you can do it with a coldframe and be fine.

I think what megasloot misses is that homesteading isn't all about being cheaper than agribiz. It's about quality and having control of your food. I mean, if she's totally ok with the chit meat that's being produced at these factories-thats totally fine and homesteading *is* a giant waste of time, just don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya on the way out lol. I'm not going onto some gamers thread and telling them they should read a book or get some sunshine.

Anyway, homesteading *can* be feasible with a breeding program and seed saving every year. Keeping the natural cycle of your land and working with what you have instead wasting time, energy, and money trying to force crops and animals to thrive is the ticket. If you're in AZ, might not be a yak farmer and if you're in North Dakota ya might not be growing any oranges lol. These are obvious examples, but there are ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste to the point where costs are comparable, but quality is off the charts better. You think a pig on a feedlot is going to be as healthy as a pig who's been allowed to root around for acorns and greens on his own? Come on now...

10-03-2022, 02:03 PM

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#27

Johnez
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Originally Posted By Retoaded⏩

I can work 40 hours a week in the air conditioning to be able to afford anything I want, or I can work 80 hours a week plowing fields in the heat just hoping a storm doesn't come and wash away my crop and I starve to death.

Well I know which one I am doing.

Weather can be a bitch. Just watched a video of a homesteader's lettuce crop get jacked up from hail. They ended up feeding it to their family instead of selling tho, since nutrition value is still there, just not as presentable.

But yes, heat, winter, storms, drought....all things to contend with.

10-03-2022, 05:38 PM

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#28

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Originally Posted By sword_⏩

Cool video! I do a little gardening. I'm trying to learn how to hunt now. Homesteading is something I want to do in the near future.

I want to learn to hunt bad.

10-03-2022, 05:48 PM

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#29

isingmodel
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Originally Posted By Kev1972⏩

Sounds tedious and quite annoying.

This. I'm all for finding alternatives to the wage cucking status quo but nothing about this really seems like it would make life less stressful and more enjoyable. Unless you were already super into farming or some ****.