30 Days to better Preparedness. Day 9. Production/Self reliance.

 Are you still with me?   We have the weekend ahead so this will give us all a little time to catch up.  We can't complete everything each day... almost all our projects are the kind that are ongoing.  What we are doing is getting many balls rolling in the right direction! 

Today I want to talk about increasing our self reliance.  So far we have considered a lot about having meals and pantry items stored up.   Now we are getting those things in place we need to think about some things that we could supplement our diets and lives with in lean times.  

In the city, when I began,  I started pots of herbs.  At least I could always go to the back door and pick a handful of freshness and goodness to improve just about any meal.  If we were living out of our pantry supplies primarily imagine how fresh things from the garden would be so good!   Most of us can grow something even if it is in a pot or windowsill.

I like to have on my radar every fruit tree and source of foods to forage in the area.   Think of what is in your area that could possibly supplement your diet and food pantry?   If you live near the sea could someone in your family go fishing?    We live near some inland water and it is possible to get yabbies.  (Like small lobsters kind of thing...)  

Would hunting be something that is a possibility?  Do you have rabbits?  What is around in the location you live in that could be useful to you?

Now think about what happened in the war years.  Even though there are some variations our countries all had various Dig for Victory campaigns to get everyone fully involved in producing and processing food.   There were minimal supplies for each family and rations were introduced.  How well your family did very much depended on your ability to supplement those rations.   Fishing, hunting,  growing veggies,  picking fruit, canning, dehydrating and every thing you can think of was undertaken with a sense of great importance.  It was important.  It was huge.  It was really your patriotic duty to do all you could.   There is a great series on you tube called War Time Farm (and others) that is really interesting on the subject.

The more we can produce ourselves the less we are negatively affected by supply chain issues or whatever else might come.  Aside of being miles ahead for our own families we can help others.  We have something to gift and trade.  I have many times been asked why do I produce more than we need?   To help others!!   

From when I had my pots of herbs to now living on the farm I have worked on one thing after another to increase our self reliance.   It is one of my goals that has me up late at night figuring out what to do next. 

I am very blessed to be on a farm and know not everyone can be.  My Grandparents went through the Great Depression on a regular residential block and they grew so much, had chickens etc.  We do what we can where we are.  

I got chickens.   Even two or three chickens enormously improve your food security.   But I got chickens then some more and then some more and then some ducks.  Chicken maths 1+ 3 + 2 = 30 or so. 

We had some fruit trees here.  We were told they never produce a thing.  But I watered them and looked after them and had a huge crop of apples and two pear trees covered in pears.   I planted fruit trees right away and more each year.  Now I have more than 20 fruit trees.

I got in a herb and veggie garden with in 3 months of moving here we were harvesting.  Everyday I work on improving the soil.   Then we added raised garden beds and used some big boxes for planters as well.

As we got to know the area I watched every tree that had blossoms and followed it up to see what kind of fruit it had.  The first year I found quite a lot of roadside and old homestead apple trees.   Last summer I found so many more!   Andy made a pole with a tin on the end.  With that and a ladder I can reach really high and pick so much fruit!   I never go anywhere with out a basket, gloves, scissors just in case.

It is honestly amazing what you come across and that other people overlook.  

We let a Beekeeper use some of our land and so we have plenty of honey. 

I am aiming to breed my chickens in Spring.  I have roosters now so I should get some chicks!

Apart from food we can produce goods or even services.  

If you are able to mend of sew then this would give you a valuable resource! 

If you are good at fixing things, preserving, baking, soap making or any needed product then you have a product.

This is really worth thinking over.   Consider your meals in the freezer and your pantry stock... and now what you can supplement that with.    What might you have overlooked?    

Here is a good example.   Jacqui told me she had a great lot of good looking Stinging Nettle.   She was game to give it a go!  

She made a dish that was delicious!  

Thank you so much Jacqui this is a great example of something we could easily overlook!  

What are you currently producing?   What would you like to be producing with a little bit of work to get you started?   What could you add to the table that you have access to from friends and families gardens or from foraging?  

If you had family and friends seeking to trade/barter goods what could you bring to that table? 

What do you have in abundance that you could use to help someone in need?

All good things to think on over the weekend!   Keep aware of what is going on and put your energy into keeping the home fires burning.  xxx