Is Self Sufficiency Possible?

[@karinyafields9651]

Like Mark from Self Sufficient Me said, You don't have to be self sufficient in everything, just self sufficient in something. Thanks for the videos. Regards, Matthew

[@foggypatchfarm6048]

It's so goo that you mention micronutrients and health, and how many soils are deficient. In many cases compost isn't going to rebalance that soil on its own. Specific nutrients need to be brought in.

[@kobayashimanami]

The vegetables from your own home look delicious👍👍👍

[@crochetingaroundnewzealand]

My friend and her family eat only what they produce on their small section in town. It is possible. Geoff Lawton also in Australia has a video about letting grass go back to wildflowers etc and it's richer for your cows. They don't need big fields of grass to feed them. Very interesting

[@Raj-yy7xx]

Thanks for sharing Great videos! Have you looked into Permaculture for self sufficient and sustainable agriculture that significantly reduces external inputs? I'm attempting the same. Bill Mollison one of the fathers of permaculture was Tasmanian too.

[@Mantras-and-Mystics]

OMG! Your garden is so beautiful! Here's me with my little dirt patch in QLD that won't grow anything. 😩💦

[@ErgonBill]

There's something to be said about growing only what does well on your patch and aim for a surplus to trade with friends and family who are doing the same. Self sufficiency can become an insular way of life. We are social creatures and require human interaction to stay healthy and happy imo.

[@FM-qm5xs]

Nut butters added to dishes once you have a better crop might help rather than trying to extract oils. Also I grow alot of herbs to spice up meals. They can also look great in flower beds.

[@sweetdweams]

You have a beautiful Homestead. So true about self sufficiency, however your meals look delicious. Thank you for sharing.

[@homesteading]

Thank you.

[@Chris-by8eh]

but if you get 1/2 or even 2/3 from backyard that is great !!!!

[@FM-qm5xs]

I'd love to see more of these videos from different times of the year!

[@nigeljohnson8995]

Self Sufficiency means different things to different people and all are valid. For me, it would mean that I could get by for a period of time from what I have if there was a national shortage or became too expensive. The most important garden crop is potato, you can actualy live on them, so to be self sufficient in them is quite an achievement. Onions are the easiest crop to be self sufficient, and without them cooking would be pretty poor. In money terms, green beans are so rewarding, in the shops they are a shocking price, grown at home they are little effort, easy to store and give bumper crops. Sure that every gardener has his self sufficient ideals, but not possible to grow everything like coffee, pepper and spices, tea, mango etc, its enough to get some great produce at a good price from your garden.

[@rubygray7749]

I'm trying to eat my way out from under the spring egg glut. This morning's breakfast feast was an asparagus leek omelette with masses of chives and parsley, all straight from the garden. Not bad for the "hungry time" huh?

[@homesteading]

Sounds just great!

[@rubygray7749]

@@homesteading It's a great topic, self sufficiency. John Seymour has been a great influence on my life. But even he admitted that it is not possible for anyone to do everything themselves, and why should they? It is more enjoyable to share the load with others of similar mind, in a symbiotic society that produces most of what is needed locally. If we define what it is we wish to be self sufficient in, then I think we can succeed. e.g. "I would like to be self sufficient in potatoes" or, "I am self-sufficient in eggs and green vegies". Something like that is achievable, and very worthwhile. Anytime you can walk in from the garden with an armload of produce that will make your next scrumptious nutritious meal, is one less out of the 1,095 meals you will eat this year, that you have to drive to the stupidmarket to buy, and go to work to pay for. 3 backyard eggs a day, a herb garden and a few vegies, can provide one third of your food for the year! The easier bulk vegies - leeks, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, cabbage, silver beet, and a bumper crop of dried scarlet runner and broad beans, can make wonderful soups and casseroles for another meal a day. A few fruit trees and rows of berry bushes can provide abundant quantities of fresh and preserved vitamins for the entire year. "Growing your own food is like printing your own money!" And it tastes so good, too.

[@LoganberryForest]

We have a lot of veg now (not fruit though) because we have a big greenhouse. I think our climate might be a little colder here (near Ballarat but slightly colder) since we can’t grow tamerillos here. You also need to count chicken grain assuming you use it. So agree total sufficiency isn’t really possible - it would require far greater diversity of environments and resources than any one property when you count all the tools and things we use today beyond food.

[@homesteading]

Yes, you are correct, grain is part of what our poultry eat.

[@Dannafilms96]

I think self-sufficiency is more of a mindset than an actual realistic goal for absolutely everything! And I think taking iodine and supplements would be the way to go as the supermarket's produce is irradiated killing good bacteria and not grown with love or care for the consumer.

[@TorahInstitute]

(Lew White responding): You're the real think John! Phyllis and I have loved nurturing plants for over 45 years, and have learned how to eat much better in the last couple of years. Thanks for all the hard work and tutorials.

[@homesteading]

You're welcome Lew :-) Good to hear from you!

[@lucomannaro1]

So glad to hear you're vegetarian, and this is such an inspiring video for everyone who wants to start its own homestead!

[@judya.shroads8245]

You could can any meat so you have it when needed. Buy it off a good farmer or the store when it's on sale. It would round up the meals. Good video

[@homesteading]

Wouldn't buying it defeat the concept of self-reliance? As I said in the video, I am vegetarian, but that is a personal choice.

[@VeganChiefWarrior]

@@homesteading they say theres more cruelty in dairy than actual meat production, also full of natural hormones, puss and added antibiotics and such, but eggs not so much, its just stealing unfertilized period balls from broody hens and doing stank ass egg farts that wont even go away outside lol i choose vegan, i figure b12 is an issue regardless as 80 percent of indian vegetarians (especially the poorer areas) are suffering b12 deficiency, id like to escape that somehow, but in india the poor grow alot of food using cow manure and that doesnt work so im pretty confused about where to get b12 naturally, but yeah original commenter is right, doesnt seem like a temperate climate is very ideal to be a self sustained vegetarian, especially vegan, and especiallyspecially fruitarian, so ill probly have to move 1 day not sure

[@lukegorringe2715]

From one Tasweigian to another, love your content cobba! was just wondering to about salt? i mean i loooove spuds with salt on it (and everything else hahaha), but yeah, can you have your own lil mini salt mine to achieve this essential food additive? It's also great for curing meat too... keep up the great work!

[@homesteading]

Just need to take trip to the sea occasionally! Salt was probably one of the basic drivers of trading.

[@Berkeloid0]

I've watched quite a few self sufficiency videos but this is the first one I've seen that covers what you might be missing out on, which is perhaps the most important thing of all! I was surprised that there were no beans in your one-day test - are these too difficult to grow in Tassie?

[@homesteading]

No, not difficult to grow, I simply haven't got into the habit of growing them for drying purposes - but only eat them fresh. Obviously growing more beans for drying is something we need to do!

[@arthurplottier9783]

Interesting video. What about the dried beans and lentils? Nothing in the freezer? Dried fruit and vegetables? Swapping your excess for other food?

[@homesteading]

Storing dried legumes is certainly possible, not something we have done...but something we probably should do! Freezing large amounts is not possible as we are off grid with solar power - of course freezing is not a reliable storage method "on grid" either - too prone to failure! Drying food is much safer. There isn't much excess to swap locally during the "hungry gap."

[@arthurplottier9783]

@@homesteading Keeping beans, lentils and other suitable seeds were something that we used to do back in the late 1950's and 60's in Uruguay to have good food for winter. Vegetables like Kale, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin were a good addition to the legumes on those winter casseroles.

[@johnvelden7809]

If you produced more eggs you would not require the nuts or butter/oils at 11% fat and 13% protein all though you would almost certainly prefer them from a variety standpoint. I would look at Indian runner ducks, fairly prolific egg layers 200 average per year but larger eggs than average chicken with a higher fat content. You can mostly let them loose in the garden to eat slugs and snails without pecking and scratching the plants like chickens can do, a very short barrier is sufficient to keep them out of an area because they don' t jump or fly.

[@homesteading]

Yes, the ducks are a good idea...I just have to persuade my dog not to eat them! Seriously, what you say is a good idea and I wish I had planned to incorporate more poultry into my orchard/garden...the problem is that I didn't really design it, rather it just "happened!' I have some plans to try and 'retrofit' more poultry areas in - this requires serious fencing, not to keep them, but to keep the dog out...because he really would eat them!

[@VeganChiefWarrior]

in studies, vegetarians who ate lots of eggs were actually less healthy than meat eaters, eggs are cholesterol bombs! vegans were the healthiest

[@gardeningchris2901]

definately self reliant thanks for the video

[@brianrollins3245]

have you thought about growing with hydroponics, or growing microgreens and mushrooms?

[@Howlingdingobush]

Good video...If you add meats it would add to range.If there is not much food leaving out that food group is just making it harder.

[@homesteading]

I understand fully what you mean...however having been raised a vegetarian, meats are not a "food group" to me! Of course if one was looking starvation in the eye things might be different :-)! It's interesting how perceptions of what is food differ with cultural values...most Australians would not be keen on eating dog, but in other parts of the world people would eat them without a second thought. My father-in-law once was given a horse, but being Dutch he didn't think of it as something to ride, when a neighbor heard of it and came looking to possibly buy it he was horrified to find out it was in the freezer!

[@Howlingdingobush]

@@homesteading I eat a dog if I had too but roo would bit more likely. Having worked as a chef I have a hard skin to this subject and chook and rabbit would be on the menu.Good point on canning or bottling is a great skill to have.

[@Howlingdingobush]

@Martha Curtis Mankind has been eating meat as far back as you care to go. In fact it's part of evolutionary development

[@Howlingdingobush]

@Martha Curtis My argument is based on archaeology and science not mythology

[@FM-qm5xs]

@@Howlingdingobush Physiologically and based on our closest living relatives we are frugivores. Current research into health and meat consumption is showing how devastating meat is for our health. So yes meat may have helped early humans survive due to high calorie density but it is really not the best things for us and not needed now that we are the dominant species on the planet and have access to and knowledge of so many different plant foods. Excessive meat consumption is also utterly destroying our planet which may very well lead to the end of humanity. This is what science is telling us.

[@raydavies2545]

Very informative video that I found useful knowing from your experience the amount of food available this time of year. Preserving is a major point too. Would growing legumes or grains for flour be advisable so they can be dried and stored for future use? Thanks!

[@homesteading]

Dried legumes are probably achievable, but grains would require more space than we currently have available (cleared that is). Thanks for watching.

[@raydavies2545]

Homesteading DownUnder good point you make about area for grain growing. Thanks for the reply.

[@barbaramurphy5606]

High on the escarpment of north coast NSW, 3 months of frosts behind us & good rain this month. Beans are easy to grow in excess supply. My fav is Dragon Tongue (climber) which is fantastic fresh, cooks well and is excellent left to mature into dried beans for winter stews and casseroles. Also have an unidentified bush bean with small, almost round, deep red seeds which are great dried and used in my (now-perfect) red bean paste. Trying chickpeas this spring/summer, see how they are fresh and definitely dried and made into besan (flour) which makes good sourdough pancakes to spread with preserved apples, plums, peaches, lemon butter....all from the garden, of course. I wonder how much excess garden produce might be required for a porker? that's a traditional supply of fats and winter storage food for the paleos among us. The French use goose fat too.

[@karlfromtas]

I like your channel, Would you mind telling me Where in Tassie you are based? I am in Deloraine

[@homesteading]

Thanks. We are on the North West coast (central), but a few km's inland.

[@lukewarm2075]

Like and share great channel

[@youssefselkani]

You lost me at "vegetarian"

[@rhys5567]

Kill a cow?

[@rhys5567]

Oh. I listened to vegetarian. Milk, yes..