Maybe some of you can help me here. I’m heading off to Jenna Woginrich’s Cold Antler Farm on Saturday for a shared presentation with James Howard Kunstler. He’s doing the why’s of preaparedness and I’m doing the how’s. It’s always a challenge to figure out just what folks will find helpful. I don’t these people. I can assume that if they’re Cold Antler fans that they already have some leanings toward a small farm life. Maybe they’re already raising a few chickens and have a yard devoted to food growing. If not, you can be sure they’re farm dreaming.
The problem I have is figuring out what’s tiny farm talk and what’s preparedness talk. I know I used to talk more about disaster prepping. As the ecologlical news, the financial news and the political news has beocome more worrisom by the day, my personal prepping is much less about protecting my family during a power outage and much more about figuring out how we’re going to stay warm and fed during what I thing are very stormy seas ahead. The pigs are going to be eating some of the canned food I bought six years ago when I stil thought I could store my way to food security. Ah well. Live and learn.
I would love to hear from you on this. Especially the lurkers here. What’s going on with your preps? Are you here for the garden talk or for the prepping tips? Are you worried about the long-term furture or are you concerned about another Irene hitting this summer?
Here’s where I am. Yesterday, I began to get the main garden in. I planted as I usually do but I made sure to isolate some plants and seeds that are my favorit heirloom varieties. We are setting aside special beds for plants that I can save seed from. It isn’t that much work to add a marker with variety name. The change was made so that I can easily save my seed and ensure a garden in the absense of purchased and packaged seeds. I’ll still plant the occasional purchased plants but I’m keeping some of the heirlooms isolated.
So let me know what’s up. I want this to be a great workshop and your input will help a lot.
May 14, 2012 at 7:33 am
As someone who reads your blog as well as Jenna’s, I would say that you should talk about how to do small farming in a world where the feed store is empty and you’re on your own. As you said, proactive seed-saving would be one part of it. But also, how do you get chickens, rabbits and other livestock through a long Northeastern winter without supplemental feed that comes in 50-pound bags? How do you plan ahead for veterinary needs that you may have to handle yourself? How do you hedge against the types of agricultural losses so many people suffered last fall with all the flooding? Do you make different choices regarding farm tools–scythe instead of gas-powered lawn mower, etc? Do you choose different livestock?
I wish I were going to attend this workshop.
May 14, 2012 at 8:00 am
Good luck with you class next week, you will do great!! I prepare for all of the above you listed as well as job loss and better food. Just starting out we used lots from the grocery store using sales and coupons, once we were a little less close to the edge we began our garden and expand it a little more each year. Canning and preserving was much the same a little more each year as we learn the do’s and don’ts. We will never live on a farm but we do have an acre lot so we cram what we can where we can. I think showing folks they are able to produce much more food for themselves in an economical way is a great starting point. Slow and sure seems to work best for us, otherwise I would have become overwhelmed!!
May 14, 2012 at 8:40 am
Just do your angle of preparedness, it is why I follow your blog
So start with, say: “this is not doomer preparedness. This is common sense.” So they won’t hear about military rifle specs, mountain cabin fortification, LOL. Besides you look terrible in fatigues!
I would have two focuses
1. what would you do if the weather knocked out electricity for a week.
2. how do you continue to improve your own self-sustainability.
Point 1 is all about water, cooking, medicines, gas in the tank, bug-out bag etc. And allows a family to cope with power outages or any need to evacuate due to natural or man-made disaster.
Point 2 allow people to start prepping for the effects of Peak Oil and reduced government entitlements. Your examples: energy effeciency, home-grown and local organic veg/meats. Building community, skillsets (sewing, canning,etc.). Again it is not doomer because it is common sense – everyone one a fixed income (read retirees) need to reduce expenses and DYI is a start.
Kunstler will take care of scaring the heck out of them. You put the ‘things to do’, ‘ we can do this’, into them.
May 14, 2012 at 8:47 am
I’m here for the long view. We’d be fine in a short term event. We already have some skills; we raise bees, make soap, can can but don’t can a ton, know how to ferment, bake bread, and maybe a few other things. But, our time is stretched, as is our budget and so we don’t always put it all together well or gracefully. For example, I keep hoping we’ll get more of a garden in. Right now it’s some chard that overwintered really well and some tomatoes every year, plus some fruit and berry plantings. I keep coming back to blogs like yours and Sharon Astyk’s to help keep me headed in the direction I want to go. They give me reminders that even if we’re not there yet or don’t have everything in place yet, we’re working toward it. You’re practical and frugal, too. It’s not free, but it is possible. So, part reminder, part inspiration, part encouragement.
May 14, 2012 at 9:06 am
Hi Kathy,
I think I count as a lurker, though I’ve occasionally commented here (mostly to ask questions!). We are not as far along the path to preparedness, self-sufficiency, and reslience as you and many of your readers, but we are moving in that direction. My husband, three children, and I moved to New Hampshire 14 months ago and have been trying to do the “homestead thing,” at least on a small scale, since then. We’ve put in fruit trees and berries, raised beds and a tilled garden, and a chicken coop with chickens. This year we’re expanding on most of that. My husband just got bees. I’ve joined a permaculture group and am trying to apply some of those techniques. Through that group I’ve attended a few events which have given me a chance to reflect on what I find helpful in presentations.
I visit your website mostly to try to absorb the pace of living life differently from the life I’ve known for 45 years. A life more like the one our grandparents and great-grandparents lived. A life where seasons dictate the foods we eat and the chores we accomplish more than the types of entertainment we engage in. I love your preparedness tips, but it’s really the rhythm of life that I’m trying to learn from you.
Jim Kunstler is the one who first convinced me I needed to pay attention to resource constraints. Seven years ago I read The Long Emergency and was stunned. I still read Jim weekly, but I go to him to wallow in despair, with a dark twist of humor. I go to you and Sharon Astyk and others so I can have role models for what my husband and I are trying to accomplish.
As for your presentation….If you have time, and if the number of people involved allows, you might shoot out an email to participants asking them for the one or two things they’d most like to get out of your presentation, and take their replies as your guide. If you can’t do that, here’s what I would most be looking for, were I to attend. I was a participant in Sharon’s first ever online food preservation class, about 4 years ago now, I think. At that time we were renting a house we knew we would leave within a year. At some point during the class, I realized, and shared with the group, that the biggest change I could make in my family was changing the way I cooked. The whole idea of “eat what you store and store what you eat.” Even people who can’t do some of the other things (i.e., move, garden, insulate the house…) can work on this. But here’s what I’ve learned over the past 4 years – it’s hard! I’m trying to overcome a lifetime of habits here. It requires time, and planning, and cooperation from others in the household. It’s easy for me to go to the grocery store and buy broccoli, potatoes, and pork chops in February and throw together a quick meal. It’s much harder to develop, and implement, the plan that has us eating primarily from the foods I can access locally and store at home. Again, we’re improving here, but it takes time. I know Sharon right now is putting up some info about what her family eats in a week. I’d find a similar list from you helpful as well.
Beyond that, if possible, you might break the group into smaller groups of individuals who have similar goals for the weekend. Here’s an example of the idea. I recently attended a workshop called something like “garden planning for canning.” Last year I put up somewhere between 80 and 100 cans (everything from half pints to quarts) of food from our garden and local farmers. But I allowed the produce and time available to dictate how much I canned, not our needs (consequently, I have too much apple curry chutney and not enough apple sauce!). The woman who ran this workshop is a terrific go-to source in central New Hampshire, and I have attended other events she has put on that were fantastic. This one, however, I’d say was only so-so. Too many people, too many questions, and a presentation too basic for the crowd. We didn’t need to be told how to can, or even canning safety info – we were all beyond that. What would have been terrific was a hands on guide to planning – “you have five in your family and, and your seven-year-old eats a quart of dill pickles a week singlehandedly, you need X number of cucumber plants.” My guess, as you alluded to in your post, is that this is not a beginner group you are addressing. If the events I attend are anything to go by, it will be “intermediates,” like me, with quite a few people thrown in who are experts in at least a few areas (e.g., the guy who knows everything about mushrooms, the bee keeper, etc.).
So. This is a very long comment. I hope it’s at least a bit helpful. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve taught me the past few years.
-Alison
May 14, 2012 at 9:16 am
I agree with all the comments so far- and I think Robg nailed it. I hope you follow after Kunstler so people can harness their worries, instead of panicking. I love your book and blog because you remind me that I may not be able to do EVERYTHING, and there will be hard times ahead- in one form AND another AND another; but every step I take makes me, my family, and my community that much more secure.You also help me remember that life is good; not because of oil, but because of family and community
I watched Dirt the movie on Netflix; Wangari Maathai stated “I will be a hummingbird” Here’s a link to the clip:
http://www.dirtthemovie.org/
I look to your blog and a few others to help me decide which drop of water to carry next. Thank you for all you do.
May 14, 2012 at 9:58 am
I think Alison says a lot of what I would say too. I found your blog after reading “Just In Case”, and you led me to Sharon’s blog and books and Sharon led me to Crunchy Chicken’s blog… What I’ve found I take from all your blogs is that “prepping” or whatever it’s called is simple common sense: realizing the inherent vulnerabilities of our just-in-time delivery system, industrially-grown food, public utilities, etc. and that relying on those systems as our sole way of keeping our families safe, warm and fed is akin to going without any sort of insurance – you’ll be okay for a while, and you may be lucky, but at some point you’re going to not be happy with the result.
What I have gained from all this is a sense of control, of not having to worry incessantly about the future. I picked up your book after a 7.0 earthquake that terrified me, and I was scrambling to find some modicum of control over the uncontrollable. In between we’ve twice been without power (and since we’re on a well, also running water) for several days at a time, and unable to access the roads due to snow a couple times beyond that. So after a couple years of all this reading and mulling, here’s what it means for me:
- I’m growing a garden from seed this year, solely as an experiment to learn how to grow food in my climate. I’ve committed to doing this each year at least as a knowledge-builder; and the food’s an excellent bonus.
- I’ve begun the process of reevaluating my home’s systems for their use in all sorts of situations – from the woodstove that keeps us warm and fed during the blizzard and subsequent week without power, to the french press coffeepot which means I can have coffee even when the power’s out. =) (and yes, in the Pacific Northwest, that’s a survival necessity.)
- I know where I can find my camping gear, my tools, and other necessities in case I have to repair something in or about my house, or in case I temporarily need to shelter my family outside the house (the potential for a large earthquake is always present out here, so the idea of having or wanting to spend a couple nights in the tent while we’re waiting for aftershocks to dissipate or for time to inspect the house thoroughly is one I take seriously).
- I have a fairly well-stocked pantry, I can make a bunch of meals my family will eat and enjoy from food I have in the house, and I’m learning to preserve foods in ways that don’t require refrigeration.
This is just a bit of it. I know i’m off your original question, but if I were writing your presentation, I’d have to slip in a line about whatever you’re preparing for, be it economic collapse, the Big One, or zombies, you might just find your preparations get you through next January’s snowstorm a bit more comfortably – and that in itself is worth it.
May 14, 2012 at 11:06 am
Kathy: How many acres do you have? Also, I would like to comment but first hear from Rob G as to why he singled out “retirees” to reduce expenses. Marion
May 14, 2012 at 11:07 am
I read both your blogs and I’ve read World Made by Hand (but I try not to marinate daily in such a negative worldview, so I don’t read JHK’s blog– a choice I had to make for my own health and well being), from front range Colorado, and wish I could attend as well.
Many excellent suggestions already above — I think some background on how you started, what you learned, what you now consider mistakes, is always invaluable.
I have always appreciated your emphasis on building community and your compassion — that really helps make a scary subject seem easier to contemplate and take action on. For empathetic people, this is a really hard difficult topic to explore; depending on how you read your audience (survivalists versus worried householders), I would be liberal with my comments about how living more self-sufficiently can bring great personal satisfaction and build amazing inter-personal connections, creating a stronger, deeper, more creative community experience.
Good luck!
Sue
May 14, 2012 at 11:18 am
I second many of the comments above but would add ‘connections’. I’m having a very difficult time finding people who feel as I do and will share/ answer questions. I’m the one in our family of four who can do and will do the work and I’m overwhelmed. So I would think a printout of groups, blogs, etc. that would be helpful to people trying to find answers would be a place to start. For instance, yes I need to know how many cucumbers to plant, but that is probably very different in the Northeast from here in Alabama. At the moment, I have 60 tomato plants in the ground or in pots and tomatoes on most of them, but how do I sustain them so that I have enough to can 50 quarts of tomatoes and sauce?
Also, inspiration. I so look forward to your blog (and some others) to remind me that other people are doing it and they’re not perfect either.
And last I would say handouts. I believe you have had some posts on how to determine what to have on hand for emergencies and longer term. One can be the most interesting speaker around with tons of information but if I don’t have something to take home with me to remind of that I need x number of gallons of water per person per day, then I’m unlikely to remember when bad storms are on the way and I need to check my water supply.
Hope this is helpful.
Deb in Alabama
May 14, 2012 at 11:35 am
We have a bit less than three acres and about half that is in pasture. On that we have a nice orchard with 5 fruit varieties. We also have maybe 12 varieties of berries and bush fruit as well as a great herb garden. We have been actively working on naturalizing native food plants. I do have an extra 4 acre wood lot. Not to be discounted is that the back pasture connects to two other pieces where we do a lot of communal activities. We have two huge commercial size greenhouses and two small greenhouses, the summer kitchen, a pig pen, chicken runs and a couple of bee yards. No way could we do this without our neighbors.
May 14, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I read these blogs for that “aha” moment. The idea I hadn’t thought of or that fact I wasn’t aware of. You have to slog through a lot of personal opinions and fantasy ideas to get that occasional great idea. Look for some great ideas to share.
I have two suggestions:
1. Any LED yard/garden light can be a battery charger for low cost. Some have an on/off switch that makes this easier. Simply open up the light so you can replace the fairly cheap AA rechargeable with a decent AA rechargable battery(s). Then place the light in a sunny area. It will take about three days for a typical low cost garden light to charge up a decent AA rechargeable battery. I can use a fully charged battery in my camer for a few weeks to months. In my LED flashlight for a few months. In my battery controlled garden sprinkler for about two months. I need about 12 good rechargeable AA batteries to keep my battery powered devices working. Two garden lights will cut your charge time in half. These cost me $5 at Walmart.
2. At thanksgiving and Christmas I can buy a turkey for about $0.19/lb if I buy at least $50 worth of groceries. So I buy 3-4 turkeys and pay about $4 for a 20 lb turkey. I take it home and cook it (from frozen takes about 10-12 hours). When done I put it in the fridge and the next day I cut all the meat off and put the carcass in a large pot with about 12 quarts of water and simmer that for 3-6 hours. When everything is ready I can 8-12 quarts of turkey meat in a rich thick broth with 3-7 quarts of plain broth from each turkey. I can about 60-70 quarts a year of turkey and another 30 or so quarts of broth for under $0.20 a quart. Each quart makes about three meals for thew two of us. That turkey tastes soooo good and the broth is rich and can be thinned with an equal amount of water to make awesome turkey gravy or soup. $0.20 a quart (or less) and it is better then anything I can buy in the store including fresh, canned or freeze dried. If I served up an open faced turkey sandwich with a hot turkey gravy on it you would rave over it for weeks it is so good. And $0.20 cents a quart!!!
May 14, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Hi Kathy,
Today’s blog has generated some very good comments. I follow your blogs faithfully and you have your own folder on my computer for reference. I comment occasionally but mainly just read. I live in AL and my concerns are different from yours. What will grow here won’t grow there; You worry about blizzards and I worry about hurricaines.
The mantra in our home when growing up was “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”. I feel that I learned at an early age what planning ahead actually meant. My mother and grandmother’s all sewed, gardened, canned, dried, were into crafting, making do with what we had etc. Looking back we actually had very little money but never went without and had more than many. Our little dresses were made from feed sack material and we often went to the feed store with our Gramps to pick out the “new” material. In the summers we were barefoot and had 2 pairs of shoes; one for school and one for Church. Hand me downs and hand me ups were expected and appreciated. Things that couldn’t be worn were taken apart and made into quilts or other items. I didn’t know it at the time but that lifestyle was/is one that has helped me throughout my life. I learned to sew and can and get food into the freezer. I learned how to prepare meals in advance so when an emergency arose you could still eat. Pies, cakes, casseroles etc were always in the freezer to carry to a sick neighbor or someone needing help. I have always, throughout my life even when it wasn’t necessary canned and put aside. It was just part of my life. Those things I am prepared for.
On the other hand I feel that the economy is going to get much worse before it gets better and people in general are in for very rough times. We plant a garden and it grows a bit each year. We eat in season foods. We have pear, apple and fig trees. Wild berries are on the farm. After hurricaine Katrina we began in earnest to be better prepared. We have a large generator that will run the entire house BUT it runs on gasoline and that will only last so long especially if there is still a fuel shortage or outrageous prices. I have the Excalibur dehydrator and when food is available to dehydrate it is always on.
I do a lot of canning and putting back. I make mozzarella cheese. We have been gathering medical supplies including suturing kits (purchased from vet supply) and I know how to suture. (Retired nurse) We could survive for some time with what we have. Still I feel it isn’t enough. My questions are what else should we be doing? What areas are we lacking in? Where do we go from here?
I have taken a lot of your advice and purchased quite a lot of Tattler lids and rings and replacements. I greatly appreciate it when you mention a source and how to get to the site. You will do a great presentation. No doubt about that. One question that I do have is how you manage to fit so much into your days?
Hope this helps some.
Patti in AL.
May 14, 2012 at 1:07 pm
I come here and to other similar blogs because you tell us about what we CAN do to make a difference in our own individual lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s gardens, preparedness or cooking. There are limits to what you can prepare for in life but these blogs tell us all how to “insure” ourselves against many disasters.
Alison put it the best, for me anyway.
When I read your blog and the comments of others here I am amazed that so many people live on a piece of land and have their own gardens and livestock. My father was raised on a farm in the 1920s and 30s in the western US and he and his siblings were not encouraged by his parents to farm at all.
I certainly don’t have all the answers for my situation but I’ve got a lot more than I had 4-5 years ago.
peace, Shamba
May 14, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I think preparedness goes hand in hand with a small farm life. As a newbie prepper, it’s overwhelming to look at all the things that need to be done and decide which to do first. I love that your posts outline what you’re currently working on as well as your future planning. I really appreciate that you focus on what we can do in the face of grim worldwide news. It helps me keep some perspective. So many of my thoughts echo what previous commenters have shared. Particularly, finding like-minded people to work with. Though I haven’t seen any mention personal finance. For us, the first preparedness step we ever took on was to get rid of any debt. We’re able to do so much more without student loans, car loans, etc hanging over us.
May 14, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I think encouraging people to take whatever steps are possible right now is important. I look at what you have accomplished and wonder how long have you been at this and what you did first. We have some chickens and rabbits, a compost pile, and a haphazard garden that never gets the same results twice. I always have to remind myself that these are all viable and valid steps, that being 10% prepared is exponentially better than 0%, because when I look too long at the final goals, I become very discouraged.
May 14, 2012 at 2:58 pm
For me it’s just finding like-minded people. I love the gardening and food. I can’t can yet in my kitchen, but maybe soon. Dehydrating, solar ovens probably sooner. I’m in the suburbs where people turn their noses at many things so I have to be careful what I do and how it looks and would affect property values, but no HOA thankfully, but I do what I can. But originally from small town and my grandparents all did this. I just wasn’t old enough to learn – but I am now, unfortunately on my own. You are great encouragement and hold many of my future dreams. Ideas on books to read and other sites are also helpful. The more I read the more I’m likely to try. Thank you!
May 14, 2012 at 3:38 pm
@Sue Sullivan
re:retirees.
I was just thinking of the audience. Some in the audience would think, ‘this is too much work to garden’, or ‘my job is secure’, or ‘Social Security will be there when I retire’.
The presentation may take advantage of this fact. If they are on a fixed income and food and energy are continued to be hit by inflation, what will they do? Have they thought about it?
So gardening provides nutritious tasty organic food. Their health will be better with this outdoor activity. It cuts down the food budget. Kathy can add as many bullet items to that Powerpoint slide as will fit!
Home improvements now help later with energy prices. Owning a home in a walkable community may eliminate the need for a car (gas, insurance, upkeep).
Anyway, I like to illustrate it as, whenever I tell my wife we are doing xyz, it is because it cuts down on our expenses and gets us ready for retirement. You then look ‘practical’ versus looking like a ‘doomer’.
May 14, 2012 at 4:03 pm
So reading through today’s comments, I see a common theme: the feeling of being overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I prioritize? I often feel paralyzed in the face of what seems an endless list of skills to learn and things to accomplish. Perhaps there’s a theme for your presentation there….
May 14, 2012 at 4:51 pm
I am here for both the gardening and the prepping tips. I do not think we should panic, but reading about peak oil, climate change, and just with the economy, people should be concerned. Sudden doom is unlikely but a long, slow, “things are getting tougher” seems quite likely. Things could get interesting or they could just grind on. Nat Geo would not consider me a prepper, but I do have a veg garden, I plant fruit and other trees every year, keep bees and chickens. We have a family get together in October where we press apples for cider. More people should consider what if the power is out or the stores are closed for a week, month or longer? You, with family, friends, and neighbors should be able to cope without waiting for outside help. I feed the chickens and the goat with locally grown corn and hay direct from a nearby farmer. It is easier and cheaper than the feed store and I support local agriculture. We live on 9 acres in NE Pa that is mostly open fields, we need a wood lot. My DW rolls her eyes and changes the subject when ever I have tried to bring up that maybe we should be have some food stored. Change is constant, just because you have a job and security today does not mean you will always have it. I like Sharon Astyk’s essay from a while ago on doing these things because they are worthwhile in themselves. Gardening is a healthy hobby, having bees is interesting; chickens are easy and fun to watch. Planting trees isn’t hard and with luck they will be around for a while. I hope someday my grandchildren will eat apples, cherries, pears and peaches from the orchard I planted. I read Jim Kunstler, Rawles, Gene Logsdon, Sharon Astyk, The Oil Drum and The Energy Bulletin. Enjoy the spring and summer, November is coming!
May 14, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Everyones life is always changing. When we moved here over 25 years ago my parents lived with us and our son was in first grade. He is now 35 years old and lives clear accross the nation from us. And so do my parents. Within 5 years of moving here we had dh’s elderly mom move here in a mobile home on our land. By then my parents had moved to town. The point I am trying to make is all of these things made different changes in how we lived. But some things we have kept the same. We have always had a garden. We used to have milk goats, ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys and rabbits. We now have ducks, chickens, rabbits and turkeys.
We are on our own. Dh’s mom passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 93. And there were times when we took care of her that we couldn’t do as much garden wise. But we had backup to help us from the year befores garden.
We are now about to retire. We do not have much money. But our place is paid for. We have skills on taking care of each other.
We have started doing raised beds for part of the garden now in the backyard. Much easier to take care of. But we also still have our big garden. We have fruit trees, our peach tree is blooming today. You may all laugh but I live in MT by the Canadian border so it is a huge thing. We have berry bushes. We have just gotten more grape vines.
I think one of the things to remind people is to learn how to make more plants from what either you have or a neighbor has. AND DO NOT PANIC.
May 15, 2012 at 12:00 am
I would suggest giving a quick overview of what motivated you to choose your way of life. I liked how you gave your personal progression. “I know I used to talk more about disaster prepping. As the ecologlical news, the financial news and the political news has beocome more worrisom by the day, my personal prepping is much less about protecting my family during a power outage and much more about figuring out how we’re going to stay warm and fed during what I thing are very stormy seas ahead.”
You could then ask them what is motivating them. They will then guide you into the direction you need to go.
Just suggestions! You have experience to lean on.
May 15, 2012 at 11:23 am
Rob – Thank you for your input. Kathy – Great suggestions by the commentors. Yes – you are preaching to the choir. The problem I see is how do people like yourself get the message to the people who have become devoid of self responsibility due to the overabundance of and reliance on government programs. My husband and I have tried to lead by example only to hear one excuse after another. I don’t have time, I don’t have money, it’s too much work, it’s cheaper to buy, nothing is going to happen, the Government will take care of it. I’ve even heard “God” will take care of me. Some Government programs are good but the problem is those same people who administer them have made them too easy to access, prolonged the length of eligibility and keep creating more of them. You hear it’s the Governments “moral” responsibility to take care of the needy but IMHO it only provides a big Ego trip, enhances their power and provides financial gain to those who have been placed in office. Those same people have forgotten it’s not Government money but money gained from taxes on “We The People”. I believe the biggest threat we are facing is first Economical , followed by social unrest , then by war and then possibly ecological threats. I would also add from personal experience I know people who do have the time and means to prepare but are full of excuses. One friend has told me numerous times that if I’m right that she and family (father in law, husband & two adult children) will just come to my house to eat. I finally got up my nerve and told her they will be on the outside looking in. My family comes first. That’s enough for now. Good luck in your presentation. Looking forward to reading the outcome of the presentations at Cold Antler. Marion
May 15, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Kathy – do you have any feel for how many newbies will be in your audience? I think one of the best messages to send is that this can be done by anyone simply by starting where you are at. If you have no garden, learn to cook from scratch and preserve food that you find on sale. If you have a garden, learn to grow different things, rotate crops, and compost. If you have room for trees and berry bushes, do that. So on and so on. If there’s no room for chickens (or there are HOA rules), how about meat rabbits instead?
I think many people get overwhelmed by their current situation that it doesn’t occur to them there’s much they can do right where they are at that would still improve their homesteading skills and provide for an uncertain future.
Nancy
May 15, 2012 at 7:19 pm
I think “tiny farm talk” and “prepping talk” can be one in the same. I suppose it’s all about the particular crowd you are addressing next weekend.
Myself, I am familiar with the farming, especially when it comes to produce. I’m a little less familiar with animals (unless it’s a hen), but I am alright with that since we eat a mainly veggie diet. I read your blog because I enjoy the gardening & food preservation dialougue, though I already feel familiar with these.
It’s prepping for the other things that has me unsettled. I don’t plan for a doomsday scenario; I just want peace of mind no matter what; to know that I can adequately look after me and mine. Water supplies, clothing, DIY home repairs/maintenance, growing adequate food for small livestock (chickens) without store-bought inputs.
I don’t really consider myself a “prepper,” I just try to be self-sustaining.
April 3, 2013 at 12:39 am
I tend not to drop many responses, but i did some searching and wound up here Planning for a presentation | The Just In Case Book Blog.
And I actually do have a couple of questions for you if
And, if you are writing on additional places, I would like to keep up with everything new you have to post. Could you make a list of all of your public pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
it’s allright. Is it just me or does it look as if like some of the comments look like they are left by brain dead individuals?
April 3, 2013 at 10:02 am
Have you checked out all of her archived blogs. Worlds of info. Patti Bell
April 28, 2013 at 9:21 pm
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