how self sufficient are you

[lindyloo]

just wondering; do you sell your surplus fruit and veg. can or bottle fruit and veg. grow your own meat, poultry etc. gather firewood? does anyone make thier own soaps, detergents/ cleaning agents, and candles etc. does anyone weave or spin?

[Hilary B]

These days, no.
When we had the sheep farm most of our meat was the unsaleable 'lambs' (but we let them grow into mutton). I also have done spinning, but since I hate knitting (and it is horribly slow).....
We kept goats for milk (and meat) and at one time bred and reared a few pigs (that was before the sheep farm) selling half-a-pig to a few custmers. The sales of pork covered the cost of feed for the pigs, goats and chooks.
It's far too much like hard work these days (and in any case we haven't got enough garden).
Oh yes, we had bees then as well.

[rustylady]

Nowhere near as self-sufficient as I would like to be. I grow a lot of my own veg and fruit and make jams, pickles and chutnies and wines from surplus plus foraged fruit and flowers. I knit and sew, but obviously can't produce the raw materials as I have no land to keep animals on.

[valmarg]

Bit like rustylady. At this time of year we are veg sufficient.

Fruit-wise we have Bramley apples, victoria plums. JoanJ raspberries, Stella cherries, red, white and blackcurrants. strawberries.

Veg-wise we have courgettes, french beans, tomatoes, peas, broad beans.

Runner beans are setting.

valmarg

[Snadger]

These days, no.
When we had the sheep farm most of our meat was the unsaleable 'lambs' (but we let them grow into mutton). I also have done spinning, but since I hate knitting (and it is horribly slow).....
We kept goats for milk (and meat) and at one time bred and reared a few pigs (that was before the sheep farm) selling half-a-pig to a few custmers. The sales of pork covered the cost of feed for the pigs, goats and chooks.
It's far too much like hard work these days (and in any case we haven't got enough garden).
Oh yes, we had bees then as well.

What an intersting life you've led Hilary! My Uncle had a smallholding and I spent a lot of time there when I was really young............really enjoyed it and wish now that I hadn't let life pass me by and 'went for it' when I was younger.....Ah well, too auld and set in my ways now, so ill have to make do with my allotments!
Like most others, I'm not as self sufficient as i'd like to be as sometimes work gets in the way!

[petal]

we are working towards having a 'mini smallholding'(1/4 acre), so far we have many established fruit trees(inherited) incl eating and cooking apples, plums, pears, cherries, damsons and we have started a veg plot with everything in it you can think of! We have raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries etc and many chickens/ducks for eggs/meat. We have a ferret for rabbiting(apparently) so we are slowly getting there.

[swansea girl]

just wondering; do you sell your surplus fruit and veg. can or bottle fruit and veg. grow your own meat, poultry etc. gather firewood? does anyone make thier own soaps, detergents/ cleaning agents, and candles etc. does anyone weave or spin?

Grow your own meat this made me laugh...when I was explaining to my son my plans for the garden,where the raised bed would be,where the composters were going and what you could put in them,where the water butt was going and all the seeds I had got ready to grow etc I then asked him if he thought it was a good idea and if he would like to help? ...now I think I must of bored him because when I asked him what he would like to grow,his reply was....bacon!

and the answer to your question...nowhere near where I'd like to be but I'm working on it

[lindyloo]

glad you had a laugh!! coming from a farming family, i should have said "produce" your own meat!!! typing in a hurry no doubt. i didn't appreciate how self sufficient my family were; they produced almost everything they needed. from firewood to milk, and even made own butter on occasion. me- i am a bit of a failure at self-sufficiancy, but good at cheap living and recycling. i often want to be totally self sufficient but time and space arent available.

[Florence Fennel]

I suppose my vegetables and fruit look very out of place to passers by as I am right in the middle of an inner city estate. I think if I ever come into enough money I'd like to retire and have a small holding where I could become self-sufficient. I have enough space to keep chickens and probably a small goat, but I am surrounded by people who I think might vandalise animals. I consider myself lucky that they leave the veg alone!

[bobleponge]

I have enough land to probably be self sufficient for fruit, veg, fowl, eggs and a couple of sheep. Sadly being away for half the year means I cant do anything like as much as I want.
When I finally stop working away I shall do all of the above, and will only buy beef and the essentials that I wouldnt be bothered to make myself, loo roll, cleaning products etc.

[lindyloo]

yes, i think it is very time consuming. i know i have tried most of the skills at some time or another, bar weaving and spinning, but i never manage to do all of it as a lifestyle. the reason i asked, was quite a few people on here seem to sell eggs and it got me thinking as to what else everyone did. not sure how the ancestors managed, especially the ones who worked 6 days a week and also kept the garden and the pig, rabbits, and chicken, all without the appliances and labour saving devices of today.

[jackie j]

Wouldnt know how to keep animals and OH is veggie so wont do that, Fruit and veg is about all I can manage, time space etc. At the omoment we dont have to buy potatoes, courgettes, onions, raspberries, lettuce, radish, rhubarb so cutting down on shopping bill.

[Flummery]

I can spin and weave but I've had to buy fleeces to do it. Very relaxing and it makes your hands soft (the lanolin!)

[vicky]

Self sufficient in veg during the summer and a lot of the winter. Fruit too. We sell excess veg, eggs, plants and fruit. Chickens for eggs already and am going into chickens for food this year too. Have planted hazels for poles and other trees for firewood. Can make a few things like curtains but am not patient enough for anything more!

[rustylady]

not sure how the ancestors managed, especially the ones who worked 6 days a week and also kept the garden and the pig, rabbits, and chicken, all without the appliances and labour saving devices of today.

I'm not quite as old as my grandchildren think I am, but I remember my Mum and my Gran doing their housework and gardening. They were organised. I know it sounds a bit trite, but there were days for doing things. e.g. Monday was washday, and all the washing got done on that day, clothes, bedlinen, everything. I think these days we spend too much time on things that aren't really necessary (TV for example). If you really want to be self-sufficient I think you have to cut out the unnecessary to make way for the necessary or you will never have enough time.