Well I have to say it has been a hard road the last few weeks. And as much as I hate to say it I have had to cheat on this experiment more than I would have liked. The loss of the meat stores, the bad weather making fishing impossible, the lack of hunting seasons have left me hungry and frustrated. Clearly were this Alaska I would have starved to death or had to leave in a hurry. That being said I am going to press on with this experiment, though reimagined.
My next supply run to Costco is technically not until Septemeber, however given recent events or lack there of I'm going to make that run sooner. Resupplied and with more knowledge this time than when I started should mean better success. Not to mention almost all the large game animal seasons will be coming in and I'll have more oppurtunities to hunt for food.
So what does this mean for the original idea. Honestly nothing, in looking back on the original plan I should have done 2 supply runs in the beginning. One to represent food stores from the previous year and then a 2nd to represent the first run of the year. My calculations were also a bit off and I should have figured in for emergencies like those I have run into. My optimism got the better of me however, and I expected to be more successful both during turkey and late rabbit seasons.
Weather was another big factor I had not taken into account for, and if there is one thing living in Vermont will teach you is, it changes all the time. Now in all truth had I truely been living a subsistance life style I would have been able to hunt and fish all week and capitalized on the good weather during the weekdays. Being reliant on the weekends as my only time to truely go do these things was a serious handicap. But not one that I feel can not be overcome.
Moving forward I think this round will see a better turn out and barring any unforseen things, which I'm sure will happen, should be better. Total savings to date on groceries is $1760 so this extra supply run should still keep me saving money. With estimating about another $500 supply run to see me through to the major hunting seasons.
Thanks as always for reading and please feel free to post comments on any of this anytime.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Week 15 Hunger
Hunger. I remember it when I was a kid a little. My family didn't have a lot of money so food was often tight, and while we always had food, it wasn't a lot. I find myself now in that same situation as we move into week 15 of this experiment. While I'm not starving by any means, hunger pain is becoming a norm. Since the loss of my last meat supplies and dwindling supplies in terms of rice and beans, I have had to cut out lunch from most days. And while this may not seem like a huge step it is one with a certain impact.
Last week was the first full week that I have had to go without it and to be honest it has put into perspective for me how many people in the world feel everyday. Millions of people are truly starving, and lack the ability like I have to get out of it at any moment I want too. I could simply say that this was a failed experiment and go to the grocery store and buy food like I have done for years before. But for those millions out there that can't I'm truly getting an understanding of what it is like to go hungry.
Unbeknownst to many I spent a year homeless in Providence, Rhode Island. Living out of my car I scrounged for food when I could and even took to asking for money on the street. Again this was a small price compared to many who slept completely outdoors and had to deal with freezing temps every night. I at least had a car I could turn on and run the heat every now and then. But it did make me appreciate the things that I have gained in my life since then. Much like now I could have gotten out of that situation at any time and swallowed my pride and come home to relatives and been taken care of. However I would have been deprived of something I think that has helped me in my life now. The lessons learned at the bottom of the barrel have certainly propelled me to where I am now.
Things like hard work, less pride, meaning that I'll work any job to keep myself from falling into that again, and gratitude for everything that I have earned. I don't simply take for granted the things I have bought and go willy nilly buying new things when old ones work perfectly fine. Now do I enjoy my tech toys and other fun items, sure I do. But could I live without them, most certainly and I have.
I would challenge anyone reading to take just a week and not eat lunch. Just that one meal. Seems like a simple thing right, I mean it is just one meal. See how it feels to not have that one meal and perhaps you too will have a small understanding of hunger. I would challenge you to go even further and take a week off from work and live out of your car for that week, but not even I would do that now. If you decide to take my challenge on removing lunch for just one week, please post how it went and how it made you feel, as well as any thoughts that came to mind when that time of day came around and you knew you weren't going to eat. I would look forward to hearing from anyone on this.
As always thank you for reading and stay tuned for more as the weeks keep unfolding. I know I promised pictures of all my other projects but bare with me, and I'll have them up as soon as I can.
Last week was the first full week that I have had to go without it and to be honest it has put into perspective for me how many people in the world feel everyday. Millions of people are truly starving, and lack the ability like I have to get out of it at any moment I want too. I could simply say that this was a failed experiment and go to the grocery store and buy food like I have done for years before. But for those millions out there that can't I'm truly getting an understanding of what it is like to go hungry.
Unbeknownst to many I spent a year homeless in Providence, Rhode Island. Living out of my car I scrounged for food when I could and even took to asking for money on the street. Again this was a small price compared to many who slept completely outdoors and had to deal with freezing temps every night. I at least had a car I could turn on and run the heat every now and then. But it did make me appreciate the things that I have gained in my life since then. Much like now I could have gotten out of that situation at any time and swallowed my pride and come home to relatives and been taken care of. However I would have been deprived of something I think that has helped me in my life now. The lessons learned at the bottom of the barrel have certainly propelled me to where I am now.
Things like hard work, less pride, meaning that I'll work any job to keep myself from falling into that again, and gratitude for everything that I have earned. I don't simply take for granted the things I have bought and go willy nilly buying new things when old ones work perfectly fine. Now do I enjoy my tech toys and other fun items, sure I do. But could I live without them, most certainly and I have.
I would challenge anyone reading to take just a week and not eat lunch. Just that one meal. Seems like a simple thing right, I mean it is just one meal. See how it feels to not have that one meal and perhaps you too will have a small understanding of hunger. I would challenge you to go even further and take a week off from work and live out of your car for that week, but not even I would do that now. If you decide to take my challenge on removing lunch for just one week, please post how it went and how it made you feel, as well as any thoughts that came to mind when that time of day came around and you knew you weren't going to eat. I would look forward to hearing from anyone on this.
As always thank you for reading and stay tuned for more as the weeks keep unfolding. I know I promised pictures of all my other projects but bare with me, and I'll have them up as soon as I can.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Week 14 When it rains...
When it rains it pours, and that is all it has been doing around here for the last 2 weeks. This has of course severely limited my ability to get out and fish and what little fishing have been able to do this past week has yielded nothing. That means another week of rice and beans and other veggie based food items for the week. Putting more strain on the provisions that I bought at the start of this experiment, more so than I had planned on. So the real question at this point will be if those supplies can now last until the next supply run still 3 months away.
All of this though has taught me some serious lessons about how to better prepare for doing this sort of thing in the future. The first of which I have already talked about which is start time. I should have started this experiment when hunting seasons were more open. By starting in march I only had 2 seasons to potentially get meat from, the first was muskrat and the second was turkey. Both of which I was unsuccessful at getting anything. Now with fishing being the only choice for meat until September the weather is playing a major role in being able to get out on a boat and so some serious fishing.
Another lesson I have taken away is more disaster planning, or in this case not so much disaster but weather planning. If I had thought ahead I would have maybe increased the amount of supplies I bought initially to account for this scenario.
On an upbeat my gardens are all in, and will hopefully provide enough food for the winter. This is again contingent on getting a large game animal during one of the hunting seasons. I'll post pictures of everything and how it is set up tomorrow so stay tuned for that.
My honey bees are working hard and making lots of honey. So far to date I have taken in approximately 70 pounds of honey. And I still have at least one if not two more major harvests to bring in before the season is over. The honey and wax I produce I sell so that will be a nice source of additional income when it is all sold.
I've purchased a used boat for 100 dollars and I'm in the process of fixing it up and getting back on the water. Once that is done I'll have more flexibility in getting out on the lakes and doing some serious fishing. This is another project I'll post pictures of hopefully tomorrow.
Weekly shopping came in at 60 dollars this week, which unless I'm crazy is a sizable jump in prices considering I'm buying the same items I have been all along. But it still puts me at half what I use to spend during the week.
Anyway as always please feel free to leave comments on anything here and please feel free to donate towards the farm project if you can. I hope you have been enjoying the blog and stay tuned.
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
All of this though has taught me some serious lessons about how to better prepare for doing this sort of thing in the future. The first of which I have already talked about which is start time. I should have started this experiment when hunting seasons were more open. By starting in march I only had 2 seasons to potentially get meat from, the first was muskrat and the second was turkey. Both of which I was unsuccessful at getting anything. Now with fishing being the only choice for meat until September the weather is playing a major role in being able to get out on a boat and so some serious fishing.
Another lesson I have taken away is more disaster planning, or in this case not so much disaster but weather planning. If I had thought ahead I would have maybe increased the amount of supplies I bought initially to account for this scenario.
On an upbeat my gardens are all in, and will hopefully provide enough food for the winter. This is again contingent on getting a large game animal during one of the hunting seasons. I'll post pictures of everything and how it is set up tomorrow so stay tuned for that.
My honey bees are working hard and making lots of honey. So far to date I have taken in approximately 70 pounds of honey. And I still have at least one if not two more major harvests to bring in before the season is over. The honey and wax I produce I sell so that will be a nice source of additional income when it is all sold.
I've purchased a used boat for 100 dollars and I'm in the process of fixing it up and getting back on the water. Once that is done I'll have more flexibility in getting out on the lakes and doing some serious fishing. This is another project I'll post pictures of hopefully tomorrow.
Weekly shopping came in at 60 dollars this week, which unless I'm crazy is a sizable jump in prices considering I'm buying the same items I have been all along. But it still puts me at half what I use to spend during the week.
Anyway as always please feel free to leave comments on anything here and please feel free to donate towards the farm project if you can. I hope you have been enjoying the blog and stay tuned.
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Month 3 Review
So let me say that this month as been filled with set backs of all kinds. First I went and capsized my canoe while fishing. Then I lost 20 lbs of fish meat in the freezer. The weather on the weekends has been horrible and the few days I have been able to get out and do any fishing has not yielded any fish worth keeping. Red beans and rice has become a great staple in the house as well as just about any other odd combination of food I can think of. But to say this has been a month of hardships would be an understatement.
The next supply run is not for another 3 months and while I have enough rice and beans to see me through I'm hopeful that my luck turns around soon. I've gone and added a set of pontoons to the canoe to ensure that I don't flip it over again so that makes me more confident than I would be otherwise. The hydroponic systems are up and running and will, with any luck, produce a large amount of veggies to eat and store for the winter.
On an up note, as I posted earlier, I did put up a crowdfunding website on Gofundme.com I'm still hoping to bring this dream of mine to life.
For anyone just joining the blog my idea is to build a self sustaining farm that can produce affordable, fresh and healthy food. By using the hydroponic systems that I already employ at my own house and through the use of greenhouses I hope to grow vegetables year round. By composting local restaurant salad bar scrapes and worm composting the farm would produce it's own fertilizer and nutrient tea for the hydroponics. Aquaculture systems could raise fish on a large scale, fed from the worms and salad greens to provide a healthy protein. Solar arrays would provide all the power for the pumps and other equipment so the farm would not use any external power, and even if set up properly, provide surplus power to the community, which in turn would also lower overhead costs allowing me to sell produce and fish at a decidedly lower cost then any grocery chain. Chickens on the farm would provide eggs also fed from crops grown organicly and traditionally on the farm. Peanuts grown on the farm could be processed easily into a diesel fuel for the tractors. My goal would be to use no external power, or fuel to create a zero impact farm.
Please feel free to check out and donate to this endeavor the amount I'm asking for would ensure the farms success for the first three years. Paying a livable wage to those employed and as a side note the farm would donate a quarter of all yearly crops to the local food shelf and soup kitchens. So if you have a few dollars or a lot and feel this is worthwhile venture check out the site at;
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
As always thank you for reading and please feel free to comment.
The next supply run is not for another 3 months and while I have enough rice and beans to see me through I'm hopeful that my luck turns around soon. I've gone and added a set of pontoons to the canoe to ensure that I don't flip it over again so that makes me more confident than I would be otherwise. The hydroponic systems are up and running and will, with any luck, produce a large amount of veggies to eat and store for the winter.
On an up note, as I posted earlier, I did put up a crowdfunding website on Gofundme.com I'm still hoping to bring this dream of mine to life.
For anyone just joining the blog my idea is to build a self sustaining farm that can produce affordable, fresh and healthy food. By using the hydroponic systems that I already employ at my own house and through the use of greenhouses I hope to grow vegetables year round. By composting local restaurant salad bar scrapes and worm composting the farm would produce it's own fertilizer and nutrient tea for the hydroponics. Aquaculture systems could raise fish on a large scale, fed from the worms and salad greens to provide a healthy protein. Solar arrays would provide all the power for the pumps and other equipment so the farm would not use any external power, and even if set up properly, provide surplus power to the community, which in turn would also lower overhead costs allowing me to sell produce and fish at a decidedly lower cost then any grocery chain. Chickens on the farm would provide eggs also fed from crops grown organicly and traditionally on the farm. Peanuts grown on the farm could be processed easily into a diesel fuel for the tractors. My goal would be to use no external power, or fuel to create a zero impact farm.
Please feel free to check out and donate to this endeavor the amount I'm asking for would ensure the farms success for the first three years. Paying a livable wage to those employed and as a side note the farm would donate a quarter of all yearly crops to the local food shelf and soup kitchens. So if you have a few dollars or a lot and feel this is worthwhile venture check out the site at;
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
As always thank you for reading and please feel free to comment.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Funding for the farm
So after almost two years of talking about it I have finally taken the plung and posted a crowdfunding site to try and raise the money for my sustainable farm. As some of you may know already from my previous posts I visited Growing Power in Milwaukee last year and was completely impressed. According to their own estimates they grow enough, food, fish and eggs to feed 10,000 people. All on only 3 acres of land in the middle of a major city. My plan would take this idea to a large scale. By increasing the amount of space and using the same growing plan and organization I feel I could triple or even quadruple the amount of food they produce. And along with a solar panel array to power all the equipment and provide a small income from surplus power I feel I could sell all that I produce at about half the price of the same items in the store. This would open an option for people that could not otherwise afford healthy food.
Of course the amount that I'm requesting is enormous, all of it though would go to keeping this operation open for at least 3 years. In that time I would hope it would catch on and become truely self sufficient.
Because I'll be getting all of my funding from the community and my own meager savings, my goal would be to give back to the community. To that end a qaurter of all the food I produce would be donated to the local food shelves and soup kitchens for the homeless. I feel it is the least I can do for the donations that I hope to receive for this endeavor. Also making a non-profit would see to it that money made on this would go to other charities and outreach programs to help others learn how to produce their own food.
It's a big dream and will take a big miracle to pull off but please take a moment if you can donate and do so at the URL below. Thank you as always for reading.
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
Also feel free to check out Growing Powers website and see the basis for this idea at. www.GrowingPower.org
Of course the amount that I'm requesting is enormous, all of it though would go to keeping this operation open for at least 3 years. In that time I would hope it would catch on and become truely self sufficient.
Because I'll be getting all of my funding from the community and my own meager savings, my goal would be to give back to the community. To that end a qaurter of all the food I produce would be donated to the local food shelves and soup kitchens for the homeless. I feel it is the least I can do for the donations that I hope to receive for this endeavor. Also making a non-profit would see to it that money made on this would go to other charities and outreach programs to help others learn how to produce their own food.
It's a big dream and will take a big miracle to pull off but please take a moment if you can donate and do so at the URL below. Thank you as always for reading.
http://www.gofundme.com/30kpko
Also feel free to check out Growing Powers website and see the basis for this idea at. www.GrowingPower.org
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Week 12 Minor setback
Sorry for the delay in posting, with the holiday on Monday I was busy and didn't have a chance to sit down and post. We have encountered a minor setback recently. The freezer that had most of the fish I had frozen in it was unplugged for three days. As a result I lost about 20 lbs of fish that I had caught and the last remaining beef I had from the supply run. This has left us without any meat until I can get out and do more fishing. Which of course as it would happen has been impossible with the weather that we have been having. Between snow storms, thunderstorms and a constant rain over the last week I have not been able to get out and do anything. Monday offered the first respite from the rain and while I was able to get out fishing, I was unsuccessful at landing anything worth keeping.
Fishing on Monday did bring about it's own revelations. While out fishing from shore, something I decided until I can get pontoons on my canoe to avoid anymore unintentional swimming trips, I took notice of all the wildlife I got to see. Things that a person who never ventures out into the forest would ever see. Longnose Gar feeding on insects on the top of the water, water snakes swimming around in the river, a box turtle sunning itself on a log in the middle of the river, and one very annoying beaver swimming around my fishing lines and generally being a nuicence. These are all things that I would have never seen had I been at home playing video games or watching TV. And while you can see these things on the discovery channel or animal planet there is something magical about being out in it and amoung it. Reconnecting to things in a way that I think a lot of people are losing touch with. Not that long ago this is how people did everything, my grandfather for example talks about when he was a child they had an out house and no indoor plumbing. How as a kid if he wanted to go out and play it meant going OUT and playing in the woods around his house. Hunting wasn't about sport or getting the prize buck it was about putting food on the table. His respect for nature and his understanding of how nature stays in balance would make any modern day hippy feel stupid. Organic in his day meant something they grew out of the family garden and free range or grass fed meat was something they shot. The work involved gave them an appreciation of where food comes from. While grocery stores and canned and processed food were starting to become a staple it was not something that was readily available the way it is now. But I digress, while I understand not everyone wants or has the ability to hunt, and in fact if everyone did it, it may put a larger strain on the enviorment than it could handle, I feel people should just take a walk out in the woods and reconnect to nature. Even if your not hunting imagine you are and let your wild side go as you stalk through the forest with a camara if you prefer looking for that next prey animal. Feel that sense of excitement as you stalk up on a deer or game bird and take that fantastic shot with your camara rather than a gun.
Weekly grocery shopping as always came in at 45 dollars, putting me almost 900 dollars in savings over the same time period in the store. Thanks as always for reading and for putting up with my small preachy moment above. Don't worry it won't become a habit. =)
Fishing on Monday did bring about it's own revelations. While out fishing from shore, something I decided until I can get pontoons on my canoe to avoid anymore unintentional swimming trips, I took notice of all the wildlife I got to see. Things that a person who never ventures out into the forest would ever see. Longnose Gar feeding on insects on the top of the water, water snakes swimming around in the river, a box turtle sunning itself on a log in the middle of the river, and one very annoying beaver swimming around my fishing lines and generally being a nuicence. These are all things that I would have never seen had I been at home playing video games or watching TV. And while you can see these things on the discovery channel or animal planet there is something magical about being out in it and amoung it. Reconnecting to things in a way that I think a lot of people are losing touch with. Not that long ago this is how people did everything, my grandfather for example talks about when he was a child they had an out house and no indoor plumbing. How as a kid if he wanted to go out and play it meant going OUT and playing in the woods around his house. Hunting wasn't about sport or getting the prize buck it was about putting food on the table. His respect for nature and his understanding of how nature stays in balance would make any modern day hippy feel stupid. Organic in his day meant something they grew out of the family garden and free range or grass fed meat was something they shot. The work involved gave them an appreciation of where food comes from. While grocery stores and canned and processed food were starting to become a staple it was not something that was readily available the way it is now. But I digress, while I understand not everyone wants or has the ability to hunt, and in fact if everyone did it, it may put a larger strain on the enviorment than it could handle, I feel people should just take a walk out in the woods and reconnect to nature. Even if your not hunting imagine you are and let your wild side go as you stalk through the forest with a camara if you prefer looking for that next prey animal. Feel that sense of excitement as you stalk up on a deer or game bird and take that fantastic shot with your camara rather than a gun.
Weekly grocery shopping as always came in at 45 dollars, putting me almost 900 dollars in savings over the same time period in the store. Thanks as always for reading and for putting up with my small preachy moment above. Don't worry it won't become a habit. =)
Monday, May 20, 2013
Week 11 Man overboard!!
Well it happened, I capsized my canoe on Friday and I'm here to tell you that the water is cold. Very cold. 30 min or so into fishing one of my fishing rods was heading over the side of the boat so out of reflex I reached to grab it and sent my self and all my stuff straight into the water. After the initial how did I end up here moment I calmed myself down and started to attempt to get back into the canoe, which was now swamped with water. Let me tell you that is no easy task, no matter how easy they make it look in the boat safety courses. After 6 or 7 failed attempts I decided it was time to start yelling for help, I had passed another boat when I went out and knew they would be within earshot possibly. But after 10 min in the water I couldn't feel how cold the water was and knew I needed to make some choices. If I stayed in the water much longer I was going to run the risk of becoming hypothermic and that would be no good. As luck would have it though as I was starting to get myself all the way into my life jacket I heard the boat motor coming and started to flail my arms and yell again. A couple minutes later two men on a small bass boat appeared and pulled me from the water. Now in typical Vermont fashion as they pulled up along side me in the water the older of the two men asked "Cold in there dad?" Which even in the moment made me laugh a little. He explained after they got me into the boat that his son, who was probably in his mid 30s had heard something and thought it was either a seagull or me. When he asked the son if he could see me in my canoe and the son replied that he could not they knew I had gone in the water.
You know I have for years watched shows like Deadliest Catch and heard people talk about how fast cold water can kill you. And while the water in Lake Winona where I was is not as cold as that it took a lot more out of me than I was expecting.
So what have I learned from all this, where your life jacket all the time when in the canoe, and practice getting into a swamped canoe and know how best to do it. While I knew the motions and had seen it done over and over in videos there is nothing like good old fashion practice to really prepare you to actually do it.
I have to admit I did cheat on this experiment last week and bought a lunch at work. Things have been hectic at home and I was unable to make a lunch for myself for 4 days and so on the 5th day I broke down and bought one. I'm convinced that the nature gods did not like that and that's why I ended up in the water.
Weekly grocery shopping came in as usual at around 50 dollars and now since the incident I believe I will use the savings to buy myself a real fishing boat. Early spring swimming adventures are for the birds.
Fishing and hunting have been slow going over the last couple weeks, with weather being a major factor in not producing much meat. I'm hoping things will turn around soon since the meat stores I bought are all but gone and red beans and rice have become more of a staple than I was anticipating. Here's to hoping that the worst of the accidents during this experiment are behind me and some good luck is on the way.
You know I have for years watched shows like Deadliest Catch and heard people talk about how fast cold water can kill you. And while the water in Lake Winona where I was is not as cold as that it took a lot more out of me than I was expecting.
So what have I learned from all this, where your life jacket all the time when in the canoe, and practice getting into a swamped canoe and know how best to do it. While I knew the motions and had seen it done over and over in videos there is nothing like good old fashion practice to really prepare you to actually do it.
I have to admit I did cheat on this experiment last week and bought a lunch at work. Things have been hectic at home and I was unable to make a lunch for myself for 4 days and so on the 5th day I broke down and bought one. I'm convinced that the nature gods did not like that and that's why I ended up in the water.
Weekly grocery shopping came in as usual at around 50 dollars and now since the incident I believe I will use the savings to buy myself a real fishing boat. Early spring swimming adventures are for the birds.
Fishing and hunting have been slow going over the last couple weeks, with weather being a major factor in not producing much meat. I'm hoping things will turn around soon since the meat stores I bought are all but gone and red beans and rice have become more of a staple than I was anticipating. Here's to hoping that the worst of the accidents during this experiment are behind me and some good luck is on the way.
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