They are lying to you about self sufficiency - Powering our off-grid life with the Bluetti EP500pro

As we are still waiting for building materials to be delivered and the digger engine to be installed, we just get busy with some things on the land and in the kitchen and garden. After a succesful growing and preserving year I also felt called to share some more thoughts on self sufficiency.
Buy our olive oil here: www.hortavelha.com/
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Lea van der Eems
Apartado 001144
EC Zona Industrial Castelo Branco
6001 - 901 Castelo Branco
Portugal
Music: Epidemic Sound
New here? My name is Lea and I live with my partner Maarten, our daughter Puck and toddler Bo on our land in Central Portugal. We left the rat race in the Netherlands in 2018 and moved south in our old campervan. Two years ago we bought land in Portugal that had been abandoned for several decades. After lots of hard work we now live in a beautiful yurt and keep ourselves busy growing our own vegetables as well as producing olive oil, wine and honey on a small scale. This channel documents all the different jobs we have to do, and sometimes some nice footage of this beautiful country we now call home.
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Chapters:
0:00 Small steps
1:43 Feeding the chickens leftovers
3:43 Marmalade
4:46 Thoughts on self-sufficiency
7:32 Planting bushes and bulbs
12:05 Olive oil
13:16 Harvesting vegetables
16:31 Stuffed cabbage leaves
20:32 More eating olives
22:14 Firewood
24:13 Lentil stew
26:39 Making syrup
29:00 Bluetti EP500pro
35:08 Closing remarks

[@EsmagaSapos]

Living off agriculture is *a lot* of hard work, seriously. You live in Portugal, I was born in Portugal, fifty years ago, this country, in the area you're living, northern region, the people living there were all farmers, all of them. Now, the farmers are old, their knees don't work, they can't put their shoes on, their spine is jointed in many spots, they can't bend, their body is in constant pain, it's a very demanding job, that sadly, done with sustainability in mind, doesn't compensate monetarily. This kind of lifestyle, and self-sufficiency is romanticized everywhere on KZbin, and one can't be so gullible to believe they actually are totally self-sufficient, it's nearly impossible. To have all the variety, quantity and comfort, requires people and land. Requires experience and knowledge.

[@dozer1642]

I was born in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California over fifty years ago and my wife and I raised two amazing children, that are adults now, off grid in a yurt. We have an enormous garden and a freezer full of various types of meat. I would agree that this type of living can be hard on the body but I would ask is sitting on a couch and watching TV while eating store bought foods loaded with chemicals better for the body? Small scale Family farms are a community and I think they are making a comeback, at least in our area. It might be a lot of hard work but so is living to be a consumer. ✌️

[@sandgroper-ig9nk]

Well said. I wouldn't beat myself up about being self sufficient the people spruiking it rely on 20+ volunteers have a good supplementary income that isn't really mentioned. I reckon they are doing a good honest job and have a good micro outlook. Doing it tough I don't doubt it Cheers Lea and Maarten

[@funnyautomation763]

Beautiful discussion here. The trap imo is to believe full self sufficiency is feasible. You will always need money. But, I fully agree that exercising your body by pushing your self reliance is a much better option than being a zombie. I'm planning to get retire in costa rica, but I know I need money to be able to balance the efforts

[@antoniocarmelo4183]

Acho que não podemos comparar a vida no campo no tempo dos nossos avós com a de hoje. O nivel de conhecimento e instrução não é comparável. As comunicações estão a anos luz do que existia na altura. É possível que esta nova geração tenha muito mais sucesso. E a qualquer momento podem optar. Os nossos avós não tinham alternativa.

[@srantoniomatos]

Self suficience, as 100%, its impossible, and a denial of human as a social being. 50%...maybe, but is difficult. Maybe if you work a lot (and well), you are very proeficient diy, your land is good, etc. The problem with homesteading, even more if its "off grid", and permaculture, etc, is that you go into a mentality of "one man army". And most of us are not incredible at diy agriculture, landscaping, constrution, electricity, cooking, being a father/teacher, etc, everything at the same time. Specially comming from the city/intlelectual life most of us grown in. Low specialization means low prodution, low abundance, its anti trade, and so, its anti social. Many people end up being lonely, poor, tired and depressed. And give up and go back to city job life... In the old days was tuff too. People were poor, worked a lot. And even if they were born on the land and were usually harder people and had skills required to homestead, they prefered to go work at a factory, and send their kids to university and the city. Many emigrated. Why? Why are small farms ending by the thousands every year? why is permaculture not feeding not even 0,001% of the population? Most permaculture sites dont even feed the few ones envolded... Because its difficult to live of the land as a homesteader. Unless one goes on to youtube prodution, rural tourism, pdc s and spiritual worksops, etc. And... works a lot and well in that! But, if one is good enough, persists, find a balance situation, have luck, and really likes it, a permaculture homestead life can be just paradaise on earth. Just takes effort and time. And money. Im living the dream, like you. And its not easy. Sometimes its not a dream. Not like in the romantic movies (not like in youtube videos should i say?)... but i really like it, and feel blessed for every day i live it. Hope you enjoy too and tanks for the video.

[@scottstephens4587]

Good for you for speaking the truth. A village is needed for survival. Nothing to be ashamed of. Your contribution to the earth is far better than the trash generated by billions for eating at McDonald's.

[@notyouraveragegringos]

Love your message of encouragement to those working towards a sustainable lifestyle. It’s a good reminder not to be too hard on yourself. It takes a village. ❤

[@armandodesousa6375]

Raspberries , even in Castelo Branco in shade and lots of organic matter- leaves , compost, etc. I thank you, as a Portuguese native, and lover of this country, the presence of people that want to raise their children in a healthy natural/human environment. The problem is that the climate is super cranky and the soils are decimated-it is not easy! Children, if their parents are attentive, and have some financial resources to tide them over, can in the long run, acheive their success. Obrigado do Algarve. Feliz Natal e Prospero Ano Novo a Todos.

[@phoenixrises5169]

What a lovely message!

[@SiviVolk2]

No matter how self-sufficient you are, I think that if you can mostly "live of the land" as you do, is a huge win in itself. Most people don't have the courage to do it and you should be proud that you have achieved that :)

[@jaysummers9396]

I absolutely agree with you, "no man is an island" and absolute self sufficiency is a myth, whether we like it or not we're all born into entrenched social, political, psychological and economic constructs. The very best we can hope for is too live life in a hybrid way and utilise the benefits around us.

[@rcanter]

Hi, I loved your honest message about self suffiency. I hope those who live locally will enjoy your olive oil.

[@Linnet09]

You make some good points about the differences between the ways our ancestors lived and the way some people think they can live off the land today. I love history - including family history. Not only were there extended families involved, most families were larger too, with the children pitching in as soon as they were big enough, and continuing until they went out on their own - if they did; some unmarried adult children stayed working with the family. There were others who would work as hired hands or maids for very low pay plus room and board, making it financially feasible for even poorer families to hire them. And in the old oral tales about people who went out to start new places of their own (in my area at least), there rarely if ever was an individual involved. The common tales are of three brothers (and as one researcher told me, that often meant three cousins, or two cousins and a friend). Very soon, they'd go back to their old home area to find a wife, or maybe a sister (who might marry a local eventually) to help with the labour, and so the new settlement would begin.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thank you for sharing :)

[@anaeccles7951]

Plant them around the trees… lovely work

[@EllEss331]

Love your videos and this is no exception. You have a talent for presenting everything in an interesting and down to earth way, right down to the music you choose to accompany the story. I hope you realize what a phenomenal job you do! We're so lucky to experience a part of your journey! Thanks for taking us along!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks so much for your lovely comment :)

[@richfiryn]

Lea congrats on getting enough of your wonderful Olive Oil to be able to market and share it. We have greatly enjoys ours from you.

[@CindyVine]

I needed to hear this! Have been feeling guilty that I struggle to do 2 person jobs alone!

[@donnacosta5633]

And neither you nor your animals are living off the land, are you? You just live on the land, and buy animal feed that is produced with cereals coming from the other side of the world, while you've got enough land (laying iddle) to produce all the animal food you need. Part of the cereals in your animal feed sacks may be coming from the deforestation of the amazon forest and such... but who cares? Never our problem, let's keep pretending we are living sustainably.

[@joyguthrie964]

I am in awe of all you do! The narcissus will add such a note of beauty to your life. ❤

[@martinkavanagh196]

SUCH a good Mum .. And a good worker too. The old man must be very smug-happy about his chosing eh. - I'm going to make your lentil stew next. 😉😉

[@robynclarke5274]

Planting flowers are not only good for the soul but good for beneficial insects. If you want to try carrots again, they like a lighter soil. I grow them in raised beds adding some lighter (like coir or sand) material into the soil. You're doing a great job growing what you can in season so give yourself a pat on the back. Cabbage rolls are delicious, yours look good.

[@DomaineSauvage]

Lovely video! Doing everything is indeed not possible, thats what we notice too! We will start small with the vegetable garden next year and work from there as we are only in the beginning of our adventure.😀

[@JudySnyder-dv5ld]

I enjoy watching your cooking. Your chickens and garden look wonderful.

[@destino2portugal]

Bo is getting bigger! He will soon help ❤

[@faithrada]

Thank You for the simple and healthy garden recipies, and also for the VERY useful info on the safer Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. The solar technology has come such a long way and has given us such peace of mind. Your beautiful little family is such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your journey. 🙏

[@oekoleben]

Thanks, that's my experience too. I have an allotment with a hundred other allotments around it. It is only because everyone shares their specialty with others that we are 80% self-sufficient. It couldn't be done alone. Maybe you should look into soldier flies, worm bins or terra preta to build your soil? Thanks for your videos.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Combining efforts is the way to go :) Always working on building the soil, making bio char is on the never ending to do list...

[@vlma1984]

Thank you for sharing reality with us. I’m Portuguese living in NZ and returning home next year. I want to have my garden. Starting small and later expend. I bought 500ml container of olive oil for my parents. Next year I will get for me. Wish you guys an amazing Christmas and a happy new year 🎉

[@jonathanleonard1152]

In the self sufficient concept there would be people planting and others doing food prep, others for mechanical maintenance, others for landscaping and some to look after the children. You are doing all of it.

[@sandranatali1260]

The soil area in my garden was clay, so we rotated sand and saw dust in that area. Some time late, we added soil additives, giving us a fabulous growing place, with many years of growing space and years of experience. Learned to can and freeze items. I would make pies from fruit I grew, freezing them for when the company would stop by. We had orange, peach, and plum trees. Giving us delicious pies, fruit sauces, juice, and jams.

[@sandranatali1260]

CAbbage rolls are wonderful! I would make coleslaw, my family love it. I would also make meatball soup with loads of vegetables and cabbage. Adding cabbage added a fantastic flavor. Another way my family loved cabbage was when i would saute the cabbage in olive oil with onions and cilantro (DOnt over cook the cabbage)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I also love making coleslaw and a good vegetable soup :)

[@christinegrabau7981]

Even the Amish go to the supermarket. You can only do so much regardless of your support system. You make a good point that there are limits to what a person can do.

[@paesDalmeida]

the next time you make soup, also use the turnip leaves. It is very good. Try it.🙂

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I did add the leaves :)

[@LindaSchreiber]

So good seeing you all. And you are right. Self-sustainability for a nuclear family is not a real, attainable, sustainble thing. It never has been, backto before humans were humans. Any exceptions are situational, short-lived, and often end in disaster.

[@Mrs-Emcee]

It's okay to just do what you can. It's different for everyone, places where you live are different, Energy can differ, climate too, but some people seem to manage quite well, some less. But as long as you are satisfied with your efforts, that is all that counts.. Enjoy your kids while they are small, its only about 20 years that they are fully in your life. So... better be there while they are around! You are doing Great!

[@Bennie32831]

It takes a community true ✌️👏

[@rachelfrees1268]

Turnip chutney is good. Your stuffed cabbage rolls looked so tasty. The children are growing up and have such nice manners. ❤

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

They are so good! Need to make them again. Turnip chutney sounds interesting

[@SEANBANOG4]

The kids are thriving....great job

[@ramfrancisuk]

I have always found you to be very realistic about your homestead and being self sufficient. It would require a considerable effort, risk, other people round you and change to a very primitive lifestyle. Including the keeping of horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks goats etc.

[@celiapereira5223]

Well said Lea, without your community help it could be very hard to survive 🤗 and yes Portuguese soups are delicious all year round...what do you think about Portuguese bread?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Love all bread!

[@NextStopThailand]

You are theee only realistic insightful voice in this paradigmn!!! Super grateful for your honesty

[@beeheart6324]

I love your videos! Thanks for sharing all you do! ;-)

[@inekedusseljee3093]

Thank you for your honesty! ❤

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

As you said, 100% self sufficiency is impossible. Humans are a community species. The trouble we face today is the system that currently exists is fragile and too uniform to meet the needs of any one individual or family. Because of this, we try to be self sufficient in the things that matter the most. Where possible, many of us support local products and services as well. But totally dropping out of the behemoth capitalist system that currently is, is not an option.

[@lieuwina]

Lea that was a very good message and very truthful and encouragement to people who are working towards a sustainable life whether it be on a small holding/farm like yours or even people like me who try to do it in suburbia. So Sorry that your olive oil can not be shipped to the UK maybe one day. The postal costs are horrendous. Have a lovely day and this was a lovely video.

[@annmcnamara8]

Happy Christmas to you and family ❤

[@TheGoodlifeoffgrid]

Yes it’s long hours . Out before suns up and finish when sun goes down if you are lucky enough. People see this lifestyle as something completely different . It takes years to get everything established and years of marketing mistakes we learn everything everyday take care 😊

[@philipbutler6608]

One thing I learned when I moved to Texas is that a lot of things don’t grow heer or grow in different seasons. Like no point in Tulips because they are one and done daffodils grow here so do Bearded Iris. Tomatoes I plant a lot more earlier I get better luck as they won set fruit over 80F. Some years I get more and I can them. You have plenty of land to plan lots but I know when it gets hot here the weeds get their way. Raspberries need cooler climes I think. One year I had a good bush then it died. I grew up in Michigan Along the lake. We canned all the time but we bought most of the stuff or farmers would give it to us. Every year you will have success and failure. Eat the failure and can the success. Canned food can last two years so can it all and don’t worry about having too much. You can buy fruit in season cheap sometimes and canning is still cheaper than store bought out of season.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I agree! So much depends on your location as well. I'm definitely planting tomatoes earlier again next year, they just hate peak summer too much. I'd love to do more bulk buying and canning once we have a big pantry :)

[@nettp7773]

I agree with you about self sufficiency. Also your cat looks like ours.,,😅

[@rarendsen9688]

ziet er goed uit die gevude kool-bladeren, ga ik ook proberen! Bedankt!

[@Linda-qn4bm]

You should put vegetal paper to cover the pot of marmelade and let it be , old fashion way like my mother used to do as well as myself...works perfectly ...

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I discussed it with a Portuguese friend and she said this would be better because I didn't use as much sugar as in the old fashioned way.

[@johnsonr9]

Great advice. Can't focus on everything, always need to prioritize. Have been watching since you first moved on the property and what you have accomplished is amazing. What chicken predators are in your area? Good video and nice dog too!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! We have foxes, weasels and some bird of prey. Louis chases away the first two though and we only get mature chickens for now because of the birds of prey :)

[@philipbutler6608]

You know you can use your chickens to clean up and till your garden make a chicken tractor and get a portable solar electric fence. They will debug and weed garden plots and fertilizer as well.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

It's on the never ending to do list😩

[@marionsmith1464]

You are wise ❤

[@AbandonedHousePortugal-2023]

Well done, a lot of hard work...

[@edie_perty]

Yes, there is no such thing as self sufficiency... it became a buzz word in the 2 thousands. Its unachievable for a family... i changed my language to living as sustainably as i can... ❤

[@teedub1990]

I have always felt that carrots are just too much work for not much return for the at home gardener. They take forever to grow and just getting them germinated takes a lot of babysitting. Easier and way more affordable to just buy them from the experts. Tomatoes and strawberries on the other hand should absolutely be grown at home. It's a balance for sure. The small wheelbarrows are adorable.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I think I have to agree with you on the carrots, too much effort for the return

[@donnacosta5633]

True. My mother hated growing them because of the weeding but my father insisted... we never had enough to last all year. My mother bought them at the local market and pretended they were from our land... and my father would say how well the carrots had produced when he saw them on the plate. LOL

[@sandgroper-ig9nk]

Merry Christmas Lea Maarten and family. Thanks for the post from Portugal I hope it all comes together for you all in nice mellow day. All the best 🎄

[@Zarkovision]

I've ordered half a liter olive oil for me and half a liter as a gift. The last time your oil was very good:)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks, hope you like this years oil :)

[@oakolive]

AMEN! Our family farm had three generations working it 80 years ago, the amount of work was insane, even with machines. To think that one could do this alone is delusional… brb I need to look at canning jars and dream of being a WECK-fluencer

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Truly delulu! The jars are so nice! Very happy I decided to start building my stash😎

[@janew5351]

The quince puree looked delicious!

[@oliveoil4487]

Excellent video

[@01apples]

I love your preserving jars and lifting handle! Can you share where you managed to buy them? Thanks!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

The jars are from the brand weck, I got then from berlinpackaging.pt. The other thing I found in a china shop :)

[@denisekoger904]

really enjoyed watching, cabbage rolls looked delicious!

[@ramfrancisuk]

And considerable experience of what to do when

[@pauline-bc-com-missp]

Thanks!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thank you so much for your support Pauline ❤️

[@deborahbasel184]

Yes you are one person doing the work of ten.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Which is why I'm so tired 😅

[@rollandjoeseph]

I was thinking the same, have you thought of ways to incorporate cheap/free outside help once in awhile? Remember to put aside alone time for yourself 😉

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

@@rollandjoeseph Posting less here on KZbin has created more time for me :) The only "free" work I'd consider is a few community days with friends and family when we're building the house

[@ricardolandsman9465]

We call that dish "oue menses order die komberse" here where I live in Cape Town

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Which dish?

[@ricardolandsman9465]

@@ourportuguesehomestead the wrapped cabbage

[@helenvangeleuken6265]

It wil be very interesting to see how your cheong turned out. I'm wondering how it might go with yellow grapefruit. We have two trees that produce very well despite neglect and no-one likes the fruit.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Never hurts to try :)

[@sachatimmermans3649]

Voor het brandhout kan je bomen planten, die je als hakhoutstoven gebruikt. Zet bijvoorbeeld hazelaars, die je om de paar jaar net boven de grond afzaagt. De boom zal hevig terug opschieten op de plaats van het 'knotten'. En in het geval van de hazelaar kan je tegelijk ook tussentijds noten oogsten of het hout gebruiken voor allerlei vlechtwerk of in plaats van bamboe. Kortom, met wat denkwerk en weloverwogen keuzes kan je bovenop extra stookhout ook nevenproducten oogsten

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Hebben we uiteraard over nagedacht :) Hazelaar hebben we al meerdere keren geplant maar komt bij ons niet van de grond. Enige bomen die hiervoor zouden werken op ons land zijn eucalyptus en mimosa, beide planten we liever niet omdat ze brandgevaarlijk zijn en makkelijk de boel overnemen. Voor de toekomst breiden we misschien ons land uit met dennebos, maar niks mis met gewoon brandhout kopen, stuk minder werk

[@northerndreamcanada]

dat is 'Coppice' in het engels, toch?

[@sachatimmermans3649]

@@northerndreamcanada inderdaad.

[@sachatimmermans3649]

@@ourportuguesehomestead dennen groeien uiteraard snel, maar zijn dacht ik minder interessant naar verbrandingsrendement. De eigenschappen van de grond zullen inderdaad determineren welke houtsoorten wel of niet groeien bij jullie. Ik volg jullie mening over de mimosa... anders eens navragen in de wijde buurt hoe er traditioneel aan hakhoutbeheer werd gedaan. Tenzij je als antwoord mimosa krijgt, want dan zal brandhout kopen effectief de beste optie zijn :)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

De meeste mensen die zelf kappen doen een combinatie van den, mimosa en eucalyptus aanvult met olijftakken. Maar net wat er op de familiegrond staat. Om het allemaal zelf de groeien heb je meer grond nodig dan je denk, daar verkijken mensen zich snel op. Voorlopig kopen we gewoon en werken we in de toekomst aan een betere set-up@@sachatimmermans3649

[@antoniocarmelo4183]

Soup always... any time of the year. 😊

[@billiegutierrez2506]

I was looking for your website I can’t seem to find it your such a hard working woman tending to your family and your gardening. Keep the video’s coming.

[@billiegutierrez2506]

Those cabbage rolls look really good

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Our website is hortavelha.com

[@elainekaufman2264]

You are a wise woman. Don't kill yourself raising vegetables. Your job is to share in the privilege of raising of children

[@patriciathomas5123]

I do not can, and have never seen your glass tops. Very interesting. :-)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Weck is the main canning brand here in Europe :)

[@portugal1969]

Try brown gas, hho, as a heating source

[@srenloe43]

To beat clay soil and modify tilth, water retention and Ph you need to concentrate your beds as you do in the greenhouse with an adequate amount of water. Bigger gardens are not necessarily better.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I made the beds in the greenhouse this small so that I can use the frame for strings. To fit two rows of plants they’re too small, which is why the outside beds are a tad bigger

[@srenloe43]

@@ourportuguesehomestead The point was to work the growing bed as intensely as possible irrespective of size. Outside use your wood battens to define 3 to 4 foot wide by 6 to 8 feet long and work that area. It will enrich the soil and reduce weeds overtime with less water needed and better return on your hard work

[@adenvet2830]

Carrots really need soft soil but I'm guessing it's hard to keep your soil loose in the heat you get, maybe they might do better in a raised bed.winter carrots would be better with less harsh from the sun. Never give up as I know you won't.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I'm trying to grow carrots this winter, but they're not doing well so far. Maybe I just need to be more patient

[@adenvet2830]

@@ourportuguesehomestead are they a variety best suited for winter

[@joconnor3567]

My father solicited sand or sandy soil from every possible source available. He continually enhanced the soil in one area of his garden with the sand. To his credit and perseverance he soon(a few years) had beautiful carrots.

[@adenvet2830]

@@joconnor3567 nice one I take my hat off to your dad

[@aasphaltmueller5178]

Hi ! In Tunisia, they are using pressed olive waste - iI'm quite sure from oil production for fire wood replacement. Depending on what you do with it - I assume it is also good for compost - this might work to a degree for you. Or if there is waste from some local presses.

[@donnacosta5633]

In Portugal the most modern mills can do a second hot press after the first press and extract more oil from the spent olives but of lower quality. The remaining waste is very good for animal feed, specially pigs, but can also be mixed with cereals for cows, sheep and goats. Chickens too. In the old days when each farm had tons of the stuff they used to preserve it with salt, to use as animal feed over an extended period, because the animals could not eat it all before it spoiled. Nowadays most folks just leave it at the mill for them do sell on, as not everyone has animals, but whoever wants to take the waste home for themselves or neigbhours may do so.

[@rollandjoeseph]

Good job Leah, you're a strong resourceful women, mother and wife..Im sure figuring out how to make meals out of everything you grow didn't happen overnight, the stew looked great as well as pucks favorite dish . What do you use the syrup for btw? Also, do you go through alot of sugar with making jams with your berries and also brine for preserving ?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

The syrup is just to drink as a lemonade :) Have been using a lot of sugar these last few weeks, yes. But the eating is spread out over the year

[@amyjones2253]

What song were you playing while you cooked the cabbage? Love your videos! Thanks 😊

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks! This is the song: www.epidemicsound.com/track/M0IF5L2p5x/

The clayey soil has the potential to be excellent for root crops, it just needs more organic matter & varied particle sizes to let air & water penetrate. It could be a fun experiment to build above ground planters made from your clay turned into cob with straw. Way cheaper than buying those metal planters some people are using. Building with cob looks like even the kids could fling some cob balls. lol

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I seeded a veriety of carrot this year that I heard wouldn't mind the clay so much, but they're not thriving at the moment. I'll definitely try some other growing methods in the future :)

​@@ourportuguesehomesteadOh, and I love cabbage rolls! Lots of tomato sauce! 😁

[@donnacosta5633]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Carrots need to be sowed at the right time window. Try sowing in Autumn when soil is still warm for good germination and start weeding as soon as you can see what's a carrot and what's a weed. Never ending job all winter, but in spring they'll fatten up and grow very quickly. Most crops in Portugal need to be sowed in right window because the weather can go from extremes of hot & cold, dry & flooded, plus inadequate soils etc. I've seen foreign folks sowing peas and broadbens in October, but they won't get anything out of them because it's totally wrong time. Sowing them in January will produce an abundant crop, but short lived. Same for green beans, you can sow them from around March after frosts to mid August, but not worth outside this window, and even during this window they may struggle in certain conditions, depends on year. The weather in Portugal has changed a lot in my lifetime, summer top temperature used to go no higher than 35C max. and never lasted this hot for very long. Now we've been reaching 45C for longer periods. Plants and trees struggle, we've lots a lot of mature trees in our farm due to the heat. It'll get worse as the influence of the desert in North Africa is advancing towards Potugal and Spain. We learned this in school 50 years ago... and we never believed it would happen in our lifetime, and picking up speed.

[@Bennie32831]

💯👏✌️👍

[@allenwade6087]

The stuffed cabages really looked good, any plans for the kids in school? We did the home school for awhile but high school (secondary)?? Was too much.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Puck is already in school and Bo will start next year :) Homeschooling is not really our thing, and we have a great school in the village.

[@mnstmnst910]

Plant mimosas in the rockiest part of your land, they will provide you with firewood for the winter and will grow fast every year.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We don't want to plant invasive trees like that.

[@azterraviva6679]

Marmalade the peanut butter of the Portuguese😂😂😂

[@donnacosta5633]

True... and 'marmelada' was a luxury 100 years ago as sugar was not used every day because of price and rural folks could not afford it often. Making marmalde was an investment for the winter, for something nice to put on the bread of little ones. For something sweet, the adults often just ate a thick slice of corn bread, home grown and home baked (but milled at local mill) and to go with the bread they ate dried figs, and drunk coffee made with roasted barley and chicory but no sugar, dried figs have plenty of sweetness. Try it. On a special day out came the marmelade for all! What a feast! They'd be amazed how we live now...

[@paulkent5755]

thanks great video, how do you charge the batteries when the temp drops below freezing?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We don't have much frost here, only a few night per year.

[@paulkent5755]

Ok thanks

[@kmgameiro3036]

show the digger and the new house site

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We are waiting on building material and the engine to be done, everything here happens very slowly :)

[@donnacosta5633]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Have you got all the paperwork, approved planning, licence for construction, etc? How long did it take?

[@donnacosta5633]

I don't want to be self-suficient EVER, and I don't want to have to grow my own food out of necessity either, because... that was what my grandparents & parents did in central Portugal when I was a child and I know how hard it was. The only thing that would make me go back to work our land was if WW3 broke out and all food disapeared from the shops. Working only 3 or 4 hours a day in a paid job, indoors, all confy and warm, I can earn enough to feed myself, bills, holidays, plus all treats... I'm frugral, I don't need much. It's more than 15 years since I last bought any clothes. I tend to get a lot of cast-offs from family members, but I may soon need to buy some new socks because most have now been darned to death. My grandmothers knitted socks for the whole family from the wool of their sheep. 🐑🐑🐑Cool but... not for me.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I think lots of people of our generation are a few generations removed from the necessity you talk about, which means we've never seen how much work it really is! My grandmother talks about how I remind her of her mother... Sounds like you are doing well though :)

[@TheSkamada]

I don't know if in Portugal there is also a "religion" around turnips, "nabizas" and "grelos" (turnip leaves, nabizas at the beginning of winter, grelos much more appreciated around January) as there is in Galicia (and part of Asturias), but as green leafy vegetables they are delicious just blanching them (if it is to freeze and eat later) or cooking them lightly and then sautéing them with garlic and paprika :)::::.... I very much agree with the need to have a tribe, extended family or village, and although almost all of us grow certain things (like potatoes) there are those who specialise in their tipe of soil or passion in small things to exchange with their neighbours, it is impossible to do it alone, yes with friends!. Greetings from Asturias, after eating sautéed nabiza in the winter soup.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I love the greens with some oil, garlic, onion and bacon :). Don't know about the religion part, but they grow really well here and are popular

[@donnacosta5633]

Yes, winter greens and cabbages are a must from now till Easter. We also call them nabiças and grelos. In France and UK they don't have grelos, they only eat the turnip bulbs, but I often found fields of colza / rape (which is similar to nabos and grelos but thicker with stronger flavour) in Fance and UK when out walking and I picked some discretly, behind the high hedges and later had a feast for dinner. Portugal has a lot in common with Galicia, beside the vocabulary, did you know that the earliest known "portuguese" writers were Galician? And soon we'll have faster train service from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. Never been but it's on my bucket list.

[@victoriacelta]

I do agree with @Esmagasapos' comment BUT i must say that we are just starting new times to come back to our roots as human terrestrial specie. If we observe tribes on Nature, which are 100% self sufficient, we can observe that they are not agriculturing the whole day at all, but supporting their diets in what the Mother Nature has already grown around. Alive food is the best food ever for our bodies and nutritionally is what in moder society is called " super food". The key thing to acquire self sufficiency in a great level (i can't not say 100% as most of us will not probably survive like a tribal person who has grown in a tribe in Nature) is key to change the way we eat and observe food. If we try to maintain the same diet that a supermarket offer, which is: eat everything!!! just in exchange of x euros, we observe in the practice that the Nature does not work like this at all... so, the "comfort food's abundancy" that the supermarkets offer is the root of such a "lye". All species in Nature are 100% self sufficient. Observe them... they do not grow food at all. Like tribal people, they support their diet in what they find on Nature. The key thing is: EAT FEW but SUPER NUTRITIOUS. I am a very sportive, creative and intelectual person which means tons of energy per day. I found that eating raw in a great proportion gives me tons of energy in a way that cooked food doesn't at all. When i have a walking of 5-6 hours or a full day working on the Earth, my main meal is always a green smoothie combining wild plants and perhaps some self made bread with a raw sauce like tomato+ garlic+ kurkuma+ a bit of olive oil. I feel satisfied the whole day! much much better than a cooked steak or meat. When eating cooked several days going on my stomach and my body starts to resent, my humour is not so great, and my energy falls. Self sufficiency means changing diets radically, coming back to eat as the 99% of the species on Earth does. They eat fresh, they support their diets in what the Nature has to offer locally and they eat few and raw. I am not saying crashing all our bad supermarket diet's habits, but reduce them in a great proportion definitely helps tons in self sufficiency. The supermarket should be there as a complement. Regarding your way of doing things Laia, what i observe on you is the lack of that connection with diet's consciousness... for instance: instead of eating mermelade with sugar, a cheaper, healthier and more self sufficient way is just using apples rather than refinated white sugar. Just an example. Self sufficiency is difficult in our times, but a huge diet's quantic jump is needed in the direction the world is going at super fast speed. Wild plants are there everywhere, raw mode, and leaving unnecesary and unhealthy products like white refinated sugars, tons of meat, milky stuff, etc. I am faaaar to get self sufficiency but i have acquired the point that the forest sometimes provides me better... sometimes i go to the supermarket and any product, except fruit and vegetables, are valid for my diet standards now and a need to know properly about nutrition has been arose. I am not vegan neither fostering this unhealthy diet in my opinion, but we need to alkalinice our bodies at leats 70%.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, we do what works for us and you do what works for you :)

[@victoriacelta]

@@ourportuguesehomestead sure! :)

[@DonPedro4711]

Abother Bluetti commercial!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Yes

[@donnacosta5633]

... products coming all the way from China, or US??? Cabon footprint? And the bateries are produced with titanium mined by exploiting African folks. And the bateries have a limited life and cannot be recycled, and when dumped will contaminate the planet forever. While electricity from the grid in Portugal is 90% green and sustainable. No bateries needed. If you had your solar pannels connected to the portuguese grid, you'd always have power at all times and the surplus produced by your own panels would bring you electricity bill down to next to zero. Efficient and sustainable. No batteries needed.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

There is no titanium in this battery, also no nickel and cobalt( like the lithium batteries in your phone). Lithium iron phosphate batteries can and are being recycled at a growing efficiency. We ruled out selling back to the grid as it doesn’t bring down the bill significantly (avg price around €0.10 per kw against a €80-€100 monthly electricity bill + €1000s for extending power to our property.). In the past years we’ve heard of several power outages because of downed trees and lightning. I say heard because we never experienced any outages. Furthermore, the portuguese power grid is part of the iberian power exchange with spain. Therefore a large part of the electricity is nuclear in origin, which is less than ideal. Also, your 90% renewable claim is just plain wrong and hovers around 65% for 2023, still better than the Netherlands but definitely not 90% ;). I find it strange that you complain about the source of the batteries, but you don’t seem to have a problem with the source of the panels, turbines, concrete (for dams) that power the grid. I’ll just leave it there I think. Cheers, Maarten

[@01apples]

Bem-Haja!

[@metamud8686]

Jeetje wat kijk je streng op de 'thumbnail' ;-)

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Soms moet je even streng zijn ;)

[@metamud8686]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Haha! Ik heb trouwens 2 blikken van de olijfolie besteld! Schandalige prijs om het naar NL te verschepen natuurlijk, maar ik steun jullie graag! Ik hoop nog steeds op een vriendelijker reis naar Haarlem (misschien rijdt er wel eens iemand van jullie (familie) naar NL .. die aanpak schaalt niet naar het niveau van een bedrijf, maar is wel beter voor het milieu). Anyway .. ben benieuwd! Hopelijk volgend jaar nog meer olijven 🙂

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

@@metamud8686 Je was precies op tijd voor de eerste ronde naar het postkantoor :) Snap dat de verzendkosten hoog zijn, maar dat komt vooral door het gewicht. De enige die ieder jaar met de auto komen zijn de ouders van Maarten, maar die zitten op dit moment in een verhuizing. Misschien volgend jaar!

[@metamud8686]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Ha, wat leuk .. precies voor kerst! :-) Pakketje is vandaag in goede orde gekomen! Volgend jaar, nieuwe olijven .. nieuwe transportkansen! Dank voor het meedenken in elk geval :-) Fijne kersttijd en een voorspoedige oogst van vanalles volgend jaar alvast 🙂🍀🌻

[@kmgameiro3036]

portuguese make that sirup with carrots to treat saw throat

[@athena7042]

I agree with your points. Also everyone deserves a balanced life with work, play, rest, fun, joy, and help. Harsh unrealistic goals make that more difficult. British philosopher Isiah Berlin described Monism, which he defined as sacrificing a person to an ideal. Learning and adapting are important life skills that you have. Would trying soil amendments like compost/humus be worthwhile? Would having the soil type analysed help? Someone said it was clay soil.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Agreed! I always add compost when planting, just need to add more every year :)

[@faithrada]

Just having your chickens free ranging about the property does wonders for the soil. 🐔 🐥 🥚 😊

[@janslogic]

Becoming self sufficient is a lifelong process and it's about percentage. Getting closer and closer month after month and year after year. The process starts with buying a land and farming whether as a family or a group of families and it ends in a point where you're live like eskimos or masai or sámi or whichever native tribe. But of course being 50 % or more self-sufficient is impossible if you believe in global warming, if you believe your kids need to go to school, if you believe you need health insurance, if you believe you need laws, if you believe in vegan diet and don't want to eat raw meat and raw milk.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

You are right, we do not want to step away from modern society entirely. Is that a goal of yours?

[@punjabseth260]

👌👌👍

[@natvgerkin]

Hey Leah, hope that you and your family are well. Do you have plans to sell your cork? We have a couple of mature cork oaks and one time, before we moved out here full time, we arrived to find that someone had stripped the bark.😂

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We always forget to book the peelers, it needs to be done months in advance. You don't get that much money for a few trees anyway, so I'm not sure it's worth it for us

[@natvgerkin]

@@ourportuguesehomestead I understand, sorry, I thought that you had a lot of cork Oak. But maybe a little money is better than none, and apparently it's actually good for the trees. It would also make a very interesting video. Thanks for the reply, very kind of you.

[@donnacosta5633]

Just a wild guess but the culprit might have been the seller or their family. It happens a lot, people sell a property as it is but then think they may just get something more out of it. It even happens with houses, where the seller (or agent...) comes and takes the appliances away, even the lamp bulbs. The way to deal with it is: 1) Confronting the suspect 2) Filling a complaint with the GNR. There might be more victims if it's a local organized thing going on. They need to know. This year there has been olive thieves as well. 3) Visit the nearest cork buyer and ask who's been selling cork lately... If your cork is of good quality (old trees with thick cork) it is worh selling it, even small quantity. But it takes at least 9 years for the cork to grow back. If you have space, plant a few more as a legacy for the planet, cork trees are good for the soil. Same for chestnut trees and you can eat the chestnuts. December - January is the right time to plant trees.

[@natvgerkin]

@@donnacosta5633 Thank you Donna. We have lived here for five years without any more cork being stolen. Unfortunately the cork that was taken was very old and thick. We have caught a man from the village stealing other things however, which we were amazed by, as our experience of the Portuguese people overall is excellent, and we feel very safe and happy here. We reported the theft to the local mayor, just so that we had a record of it, as we did not want to involve the policia. Our few cork trees produce new ones from seed fall each year, and we encourage them to grow. Thank you for taking the time to help us, it is very much appreciated. Boas festas!

[@jayblack3926]

Do you ship olive oil to the US?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Sorry, too expensive

[@nicolebury2743]

This is so nice! Can we purchase from the US?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

No, shipping is extremely expensive and requires a lot of extra paperwork

[@donnacosta5633]

You'd need to pay expensive import tariffs, but you'll find very good olive oil in Italian shops in the US. And I believe they are starting to cultivate olive trees in California. You might have 'american olive oil' soon.

[@hemlock40]

There are good reasons that much of the world moved away from subsistence farming as soon as they could. Farming is very hard work even with industrial equipment, at the mercy of fertilizer and diesel costs, the weather...the use of the term self-sufficient is misused and overused. Perhaps a better one would be the phrase more self-reliant where humanly possible.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

You're right, that's the reason this region has depopulated so much. At the same time, many people could learn some more basic life skills :)

[@jonathanleonard1152]

When will you work with someone to put out your cookbook?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I'm not sure I'll have time for it very soon

[@jonathanleonard1152]

@@ourportuguesehomestead - Anytime is a good time. It might be a good project for your daughter to work on over time.

[@F-J.]

It looks like one of your white chickens has a walking problem and couldnt jump to the leaves.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Yes one of the gray ones has a bit of a limb, but I can't see anything on her foot as to why. She's healthy otherwise

[@anniemac3075]

First time I've ever seen bouncing chickens!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

It's a fun party trick 😂

[@anniemac3075]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Haha 😂

[@ram1brn]

the daffoills will multiply on their own

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I hope so!

[@donnacosta5633]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Yes, but only if you take them out of the soil after they dry up and keep them in a cool dry and dark place like potatoes, because the summer is so hot they'll be baked if you leave them in the soil.

[@kmgameiro3036]

try to eat marmelada with bananas and cheese has a deset

[@patriciathomas5123]

Black berries do not want, or will die, from acid. Pine has acid. I think this is right. My black berries take regular fertilizer, not acid fertilizer, like blue berries use.

[@coby6417]

🎅🏻🧑🏻‍🎄🌟👏👍🍀💐

[@alexanderkevenaar5500]

😅