| Author |
Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  things I learned on the farm  |
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 08 2013 : 02:47:09 AM
|
 As many of you know I went to a friends farm for the year & lived partly off grid......no tv, phone, computer...no water or toilet in the winter & so on...I found that there were some important things I learned the year there that might help.
Get your firewood early & make sure it is not wet as it will freeze up all winter & sometimes you can not build a fire. Thats very painful when its 38 degrees inside for over 8 days.
Have a lot of really good large metal pots to melt snow in if your water freezes up & mine did for 12 weeks.
Have lots of 5 gallon buckets with lids, soda bottles & other containers with lids to put the water in once its melted.
Dig just under the top layer of the snow to get to the cleaner snow you will be using to drink. I did thankfully bring a water purifier with me but had to clean it out less after i figured out not to collect the snow on top.
Bring biodegrateable bags with you & a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to use if your toilet turns into a ice cube. I had a seated potty chair in the small laundry room but no pot so glad I had brought these items with me.
In the Fall dig a deep hole near your place but not where you garden for your winter potty waste. I had a piece of plywood over it & then a tarp so I could see it even when it snowed so I could shovel the snow off of it so not to lose it.
Since water was tight I learned to wash my hair, then the dishes, then used that water to wash the counters then the floor so I got the most use from it...the rinse water was used to wash hand towels.water the aloe plants then put on the wood stove for moisture in the air & to wash my hands thur out the day....more like a rinse with no soap. then the next day that water was used to wash out the chicken feed & water containers.
Invest in a wooden or metal laundry hanger/dryer. I had to heat the water on the stove then take it to the bathtub to wash the clothes. I found if I put the laundry dryer in the tub as I rinsed the clothes I could just hang them up & not worry about if they were wrung out real well. All the water dripped out of the tub. Because it was so cold in the trailer it would take up to 8 days for the clothes to get to a damp stage & I would hang them on hangers & bring them into the livingroom near the woodstove to finish drying...sometimes I would find they had frozen but I could put a towel down under them in the living room. though most of the pipes had frozen I could still get the tub & sometimes the kitchen sink to drain if there was hot water in them. Other times I had to bale out the water & dump it outside. So I had an extra 5 gallon bucket just for that.
I learned also when you are cold for a long period of time you get dehydrated & don't realize it so make sure you are constantly drinking something, something warm is nice but even plan water will help you.
I also brought 2 55 gallon barrels with me & collected rain water off the roof of the trailer the whole time I was there & hand watered all my gardens with this. Very seldom did I ever have to use the out door spicket I put in. I also used this water to clean the chickens stuff thur out the spring,summer & fall.
I learned to cook inside my small woodstove by making a fence wire table that laided over the coals so I could put a small pan in there & make pancakes & baked potatoes. Once the fire died down I didn't have to battle a lot of smoke in the trailer to do this. I even made coffee this way with my old enamel pot...best coffee
I also learned that wood ash makes wonderful compost as it helps break down your compost faster specially since mine had tons of bedding hay & straw in it. I just made sure when I used it to add alot of old composted manure, hay & so on from the farm in it so it wouldn't be so high in acid for the gardens.
I also learned that the amount of clothes you take with you, you will never use...all winter I lived in the warmest & had up to 3 layers at a time so all the things I brought most never got used & just took up room.
Also have good heavy blankets, even if you don't think you will use them there will come a time you are glad you have them...same with good socks.
I also learned that when things are out of your control that you have to take a mental step back & look at all of it in a different light & think through what needs to be done. I can't tell you how many times I was in near tears since I was alone but by gathering my thoughts I could rethink the problems & solve all of them. Maybe not in the best of ways but in ways that helped me.
I am thankful I brought nearly 20 5 gallon buckets of raw oatmeal, stone cut oats, 7 grain mix & sugar. all of it got me & the kids (chickens) through the winter. they had their regular feed but it was nice to give them a hot meal each morning then I would get to enjoy a hot meal also. I would put the oats on the stove late at night & it would be ready for us each morning.
The main thing I think I learned was to have great patience when things were out of sorts. I knew I had to do all this on my own & I refused to let it get the best of me. I think by realizing I was responsible for things being done it helped me to see a stronger side of myself. I also learned to laugh at some of the really bad stuff like when my husband came to visit & not realizing the toilet was frozen, went in & ended up with the pee shooting back out at him.
It was a big learning experience since I have never been off grid in a cold place before. The 2 off grid experiences I had had were in West Africa & upper Oregon so I had lots of new things to learn.
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - batznthebelfry on Nov 08 2013 02:59:44 AM |
|
|
laurentany
True Blue Farmgirl
3259 Posts
Laurie
Patchogue
NY
USA
3259 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2013 : 5:14:08 PM
|
Michelle,
That was so informative and interesting to read! Thank you for sharing it with us. I do hope perhaps you entertain the idea of writing a book or journal of you year away. It would be a fascinating read to so many of us!
Hugs,
~Laurie
"Little Hen House on the Island"
Farmgirl Sister#1403
View my New Blog:
http://simplesuburbanpleasures.blogspot.com
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.
~Robert Louis Stevenson |
 |
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2013 : 06:38:28 AM
|
Thank you Laurie :) Yes I kept a journal....well actually it was 8 journals & 1600 pages by the time I left & will eventually write about it...for now I am writing some of it in my blog but hope to work on it after the winter is over. Right now dealing with some hurt feelings & don't want it to taint what I write....Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2013 : 08:46:40 AM
|
Wow. Thank you so much Michele! I was also thinking like Laurie with the idea of a book. So many people would have no idea how to be prepared and what you have shared is such a wealth of information. Thank you again :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2013 : 8:12:15 PM
|
I enjoyed your posting of things you learned. No doubt this time will be memorable. I am about to learn new things myself moving to the countryside from a structured retirement community in Henderson, NV to Northern Idaho. Yeah! My hubby and I had our first snow tonight living here. (We did just get dry firewood and store it in the shop building until we can restack nearer the door.) So glad you are able to post again!
Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
|
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 16 2013 : 02:27:51 AM
|
thank you hens for the wonderful words, you all kept me going while I was gone that's for sure.....how could I not succeed with all the love coming from you!
Congrats to you Annie for the move & new adventure, so glad you got dry firewood!! please keep us up to date on your new life......Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Cozynana
True Blue Farmgirl
1123 Posts
Kem
1123 Posts |
Posted - Nov 16 2013 : 03:52:04 AM
|
| Michelle, I am a true blue farm wife, but I forget all the modern conviences we have. We have a propane fed gas stove and high end wood burning stove to keep us warm and cook with when the electricity goes off. I cannot even imagine living through some of the times and trials you have been through. These trials would make a great book. Makes me appreciate all I have on our isolated rural KS farm. I know I am not cut out to live off the grid. Thanks for sharing. |
|
|
|
Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6513 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6513 Posts |
Posted - Nov 16 2013 : 06:00:29 AM
|
Michelle, what an incredible account of your time off the grid! You really got down to the basics of survival and came up with some amazing solutions. I admire you for your grit and fortitude attempting such an adventure in living. All while doing it alone with just chickens to keep you company! I am not sure I could have been so strong in the face of such harsh living conditions. It must seem so weird coming back to "regular" life after adjusting to such a demanding and different lifestyle. I imagine regular life now seems like a foreign country? Thank-you for sharing all that you learned!
Winnie #3109 |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2013 : 6:02:21 PM
|
I love hearing about your trial and adventures. Its like reading a wonderful homestead survival novel!!! I am really enjoying all your writings. I will be waiting for the next chapter. Thanks for sharing Michele your such a sweetie.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1501 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1501 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2013 : 11:36:43 AM
|
Thanks for your insight!!
Many Blessings- Alicia #5232
http://dandeelionrose.blogspot.com/
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." |
|
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2014 : 01:53:13 AM
|
Hello hens I am about to go off line (computer wise) again soon, so wanted to stop in & chat a bit...1st whats going on here...hubby finally found a job after 3 yrs but its low paying so will have enough for the house payment/insurance, car insurance & part of the electric each month...so the computer, landline & TV will go off soon...not that I mind since they are more for him than me...he has a pay as you go cell phone for the military reserves so we do not need the land line which I hate anyway...lol
Things are just as stressed as they were before I left so no change there, he made some bad choices while I was away money wise & they are biting back big time since I wasn't here to watch our $......at least the weather is finally warming so if the electric gets shut off, we (I) will be fine with that.....he may not like the idea of having to take bucket bathes but will have to deal with it :) I laid out more tarps when I got home on the ground so I can have lots more area for gardening this year & hope to can it late summer & fall if we have electricity or dry it all...I plan to build the solar dryer I never got to do while at the farm this summer so that should be a big blessing for me.
I wanted to speak more about the farm before I get shut off in April...right now bill paid til April 22nd so hope I can check in a bit before then.
anyway a few other things I wanted to say was I did a 'What should I take (to the farm)bit & got lots of great replies & wanted to share some of that with you all.
Someone knowing I am an artist recommended I take art supplies like colored pencils/paper & so on as well as crafting ideas. Well I did & had them in a small cabinet in the trailer.....did I ever really do any art work? did do one very small drawing of a Roo but ended up making things from junk I found on the farm...lol....now the needles & thread came very handle for that but I never really had the time to do detailed art work so I know now that maybe next time to take less & the same goes for all the fabric I took & never even looked at...I did want to sew on my antique sewing machine but with sick chickens in the trailer I refused to do anything they might get into...lol
I am glad I took too much food & actually came back home with some of the dried veggies & so on...but should have halved the amount of clothes..specially summer clothes & middle weight winter clothes I never worn but had to move & deal with.
I also took way too much bathroom stuff but not enough towels & wash clothes.....I did need the female stuff even going thur the change of life, but did I need a gallon bag of bar soap? nope! I wish I had brought more hair thingies like ties, bands for pony tails, barrettes & bobby pins since I tended to lose those a lot while outside. Oh & more bandanes (sp?) I loved the one sent by a hen & wore that nearly everyday all summer til it was threadbare. I have really long hair so needed to keep it braided or up while out mucking stalls, dealing with 5-6 foot high weeds & so on.
another thing I wished I had brought more of was fabric hankies since I was always in dusty, nasty areas & forever blowing my nose on top of allergies.
The one item I know I couldn't live without was my cast iron skillet...I grew to love that thing while I was there also with my old enamel coffee pot....the nice thing about the skillet is I could use it outside or inside & not damage it. An stainless steel pots got so blacked by the outside fires & became a pain in the butt to clean whereas the cast iron worked perfect for anything I cooked.
I took alot of my old white enamel pots with me because I knew they would see me thur lots of things whether is was heating water on the wood stove to wash dishes/small clothing items, melting snow for drinking water, holding veggies I got out of the garden, washing my hair, washing chicken towels/rags or holding scraps for the compost pile.....Seems they came in handy pretty much everyday for me.....plus if they were on an open fire & turned the outside black that wasn't too hard to wash off...though I have a few now that have black stains on them that won't come off but thats ok cause when I look at them I think of the farm.
one thing I didn't take with me but a sweet hen sent me were house shoes...never really wore them but I am telling you having a nice pair during the winter there saved my poor toes from frost bit :) cause I hate wearing shoes in the house no matter how cold it is & these were a big blessing.
I took a large plastic military trunk (Thomas brought back from Afghanistan) full of tools with me...including nails, screws, tacks, duct tape along with hammers, hand saw, tape measure,sandpaper, wood glue, crowbar & so on. I had no idea just what tools were on the farm & I am so glad I brought all of that with me, because the main house was way over on the other side of the road from the trailer I was in & they didn't have much of anything. So I could figure out what I was going to do that day & put the tools/ect I needed in a 5 gallon bucket to take with me to where I was working & not have to stop to go hunt something down....
I have always had tools since I left home after high school because I always knew they would be needed so I was glad I had the things I needed while I worked....they were the one of the most important things I needed while out there on my own.
Its funny but my chicken medical kit is better than my people kit...I brought a few extra band-aids for me but anything else I could find in the chicken kit....they have iodine, bandages, medical tape, antibiotic ointments, needles, scissors, nail chippers & gauze so I was set there for me & the animals including when I was taking care of the 2 sick calves. Who knew I would need all that plus the other things in there while I was there...just very happy I had it all.
Another hen recommended I take books/mags for entertainment & backup which was a great idea so I took my best Mother Earth News, Farmers Almanac & old time cook book plus a few reading books for once the day was done. I was lucky I got to go to the town library once a month when hubby came to see me, so able to get more books to read at night & that helped me relax after a busy day.
Another thing I took a lot of was tarps, which seemed to be used for everything....covering the walls of the chicken coop to prevent drafts & keep out the bitter cold winds during the winter, covered firewood, bales of hay I needed, used to cover the ground in the fall so I could have garden areas without weeds in the spring.....used as sun blocks tied to the fencing & posts for the calves to have a shady area during the summer & to be able to get out of the rain as well.
I also used them to cover bad walls inside the trailer so the cold air wouldn't get inside. So they were a very big help for me there.
I can tell you coming home I have been bored out of my mind, specially since I came back just before winter & have been stuck inside all this time. Yes I can go up & sew on a regular sewing machine which I've done a bit of.....I can turn on the stove to cook or microwave things but everything is too easy & my mind is going nuts waiting for the snow to melt so I can go out & start the gardens, build a outdoor coop so the hens can get out of the one built in the shop & just be active again.
Since I have been home I spent 4 days in the hosp with blood clots in my legs & lungs, now battling getting the blood thinned so that won't happen again, battling migraines because of the shots to prevent the clots....mainly cause I am not active like I was at the farm...even in the middle of winter there I had things to do, here its just all too easy & fast.
I miss the farm but will never be able to go back because my friend decided 3 weeks before I left she was not happy with anything I had done for the farm...even thought the neighbors loved that I had cleaned it up so they didn't have to drive by all the trash & junk. So I have not heard from her since November.....sad about it but glad I got to be out there for as long as I was.
All the journals are still packed in one of the trunks but hope to dig them out some time soon so I can read them & decide how I want to write my story.....any ideas from y'all on how I should tell the story??.....me, I am at a blank about how to go with it since it will be much different than writing a chicken raising book.....any ideas will help me.
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
NoraBatty
Farmgirl in Training
26 Posts
Jennifer
Philippi
WV
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2014 : 07:54:53 AM
|
| Michelle, thank you for sharing your experiences! Such great advice. I would love to read a book about your adventure. I think you are a brave strong soul and have a lot to teach us. I know what you mean about being stuck inside the house this winter. I have a 1 yr old and didn't want to take him out in frigid weather. We both love the outdoors so we both missed hanging out outside. Do you recommend cast iron cookware as the main cookware? I need new pots and pans and have been looking at cast iron but don't know much about it. |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2014 : 08:47:14 AM
|
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information and wisdom, Michelle! I am sorry to hear things aren't going as planned - I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I hope things will improve so we can "see" you again soon, but mostly so that you and your family will have all of the joy God intends for you! God bless you! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2014 : 2:01:46 PM
|
thank you hens for the encouraging words....Jennifer I love cast iron for frying & making corn bread but I am not so good at it that I can fry an egg in it without it sticking....lol....personally I think having at least one cast iron skillet would be wonderful for you....I have a old rusted dutch oven pot I need to get sanded once the weather is better & do a good curing of it before its useable but I hear you can't beat a beef stew in on of them....Maybe one of the other hens can help you with this better than me since though I have one I don't know all there is to know about them.....they do need a bit more care than typical stainless steel but its worth it if you learn to use it & use it often....here I fry very little since hubby is over weight but still love it for the cornbread alone or milk/meat gravies I sometimes make....but at the farm I only cooked for myself so I could use it often to fry up green tomato's, fried potatoes & ever so often meat/gravies/cornbread.....oh & its great for pancakes as well...ate alot of those while on the farm :)
Oh to have a 1 yr old again, mine is 35 so miss those days when he was young, we loved to be outside playing in the garden...well I played in the garden he played in the dirt...lol.....yea you have weather thats been really tough this year in WV, we are finally warming up, in the 50's today so more snow melting & a big rain is coming this sunday so that should get rid of a lot of the snow so I can see more of the ground. I am not a good hen to coop up for too long so looking forward to the earth warming a bit so I & my chickens can be outside more.
I am sure there are alot of hens like me who can't wait to shed the winter clothes & go barefooted in the grass...at least here I don't have to worry about stinging nettles like I did at the farm...only bad thing there cause I so hate wearing shoes while playing in the yard...
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13564 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13564 Posts |
|
|
Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2014 : 06:50:16 AM
|
michelle...don't forget that you can access MJF thru the computers at the public library! love hearing from you!
for your book...maybe sortof a diary format or "getting ready" "a typical day on the farm" "going home" "what I learned or would do differently"...."quiet times"....
no matter what format you use it will be awesome!!!!! just plug along!
hugs!!!
Farmgirl # 2139
proud member of the Farmgirls of the Southwest Henhouse
~*~ counting my pennies; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
|
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2014 : 07:23:33 AM
|
Good morning hens, love all the comments this has been getting & glad I have been able to write some of it down for you all........its been up & down here mentally & I am just really tired hens. Everyday seems to be a fight of one sort or another yet I am trapped at the moment so deal with it by sleeping alot. The weather has finally warmed so have been outside enjoying my hens & spoiling them all.
Had 2 crippled hens with sinus colds that I treated all last week & both seem much better now...one still has a mild runny nose but no longer the icky stuff that smelled so bad...ended up using human baby meds & chicken RX for her plus a tiny tiny amount of crushed antibiotics for her...that seemed to help the most & so glad she didn't die on me......can't deal with my crippled hens dying right now on top of everything else so happy she is back to normal.
Raining today so can't go play in the gardens but weeded a tiny bit yesterday in the herb garden that felt good to do..
Thank you Margo for the idea of a diary type book, I think you are right about that working the best way.....Many days were boring doing the same things but I can filter it so you know I had boring days but also had things that were fun or a challenge & so on....I definitely do not want my time there to seem like it was perfect but for others to see what it really was like with its boring days, frustrating days & productive days.....not sure when I will get time to even open the trunk to go thur the journals with all that is going on here...but I do want to write it sometime this year since I had such a great time on the farm...plus just to go thur the journals & see all that I did will be fun.......
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2014 : 5:55:59 PM
|
michelle...hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!! i know that your life was challenged by the time on the farm AND enriched by it..even if the owner was ungrateful!
hang in!
Farmgirl # 2139
proud member of the Farmgirls of the Southwest Henhouse
~*~ counting my pennies; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
|
|
|
houligan19
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
sarah
groton
CT
39 Posts |
|
| |
Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: things I learned on the farm |
|
things I learned on the farm
