Thread: Getting back to living off the land.....

Anyone cook up young roosters Cleaned up 2 today and have 2 more to do tomorrow. My plan is just to do them the same as chicken as in roasted.

Bumblefoot looks like your doing quiet well for yourself living off the land. We are going to spend the next year trying to become a little more self sufficient in terms of food. We (2 adults and 1 child) spend at least $12,000 a year on food despite having unlimited milk, chickens for eggs, and more than enough meat available from the farm and hunting. We are going to wait until the spring to get our garden up and going. My biggest worry is making the change from convenience foods, we live such a busy lifestyle and everyone loves their grab and go snacks and if there isn’t 100 options available or if anyone has to “make” something to eat they think they are going to starve. Not sure how I’m going to break that habit with hubby and our son. They love their snacks! That’s probably easily 1/3 of our food bill.
What’s been the most difficult for you trying to live off the land? Any tips for making things easier?

The only way to wean them off snacks, is for them to get involved in making your own snacks, and freezing/storing them for later use. An old possum tapper I knew of would set aside half of every Sunday to make his week's food and freeze it all. That way during the week he could devote every waking moment to hunting possums. (Back in the late 1970's when a good one was worth $25!!!!)

YT is your friend. There's millions of recipes and neat ways of making your own snacks, chewy bars etc etc. A dehydrator could be useful come Autumn, and cheap fruits abound that you can dry and store for later use in making fruit and nut bars.

Originally Posted by XR500

The only way to wean them off snacks, is for them to get involved in making your own snacks, and freezing/storing them for later use. An old possum tapper I knew of would set aside half of every Sunday to make his week's food and freeze it all. That way during the week he could devote every waking moment to hunting possums. (Back in the late 1970's when a good one was worth $25!!!!)

YT is your friend. There's millions of recipes and neat ways of making your own snacks, chewy bars etc etc. A dehydrator could be useful come Autumn, and cheap fruits abound that you can dry and store for later use in making fruit and nut bars.

Thanks. A dehydrator is a good idea, I have been thinking one could be useful. I plan on setting aside some time to do a big bake up before the calves start hitting the ground next week.

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Yep, dehydrate fruit chips - wifey does them for the sprogs and they love them. Cooking up spare fruit in the season like apples and pears etc, and keeping it for deserts and on cereal in the AM. Rest of it is a LOT of shooping around, certain things can be had in bulk for not a lot more per pack than a supermarket, we go to Gilmores and things like 1Kg dates high grade at the supermarket are the same price as a 2.5Kg of 'cooking' grade (designed to be baked so identical in every respect other than appearance) as an example.

Do you still have to have an account or business to shop at Gilmore’s? I think we have one over in Rotorua but last time I tried to shop at Gilmore’s about 6 years ago we had to have a business account.
The fruit idea is good. I have tonnes of fejoas to collect off the lawn tomorrow and we have a few fruit trees but they are still a good year or two away.

Originally Posted by Chelsea

Bumblefoot looks like your doing quiet well for yourself living off the land. We are going to spend the next year trying to become a little more self sufficient in terms of food. We (2 adults and 1 child) spend at least $12,000 a year on food despite having unlimited milk, chickens for eggs, and more than enough meat available from the farm and hunting. We are going to wait until the spring to get our garden up and going. My biggest worry is making the change from convenience foods, we live such a busy lifestyle and everyone loves their grab and go snacks and if there isn’t 100 options available or if anyone has to “make” something to eat they think they are going to starve. Not sure how I’m going to break that habit with hubby and our son. They love their snacks! That’s probably easily 1/3 of our food bill.
What’s been the most difficult for you trying to live off the land? Any tips for making things easier?

We’ve recently moved from Lower Hutt to a pretty rural spot half an hour from shops and our budget has gone up a bit but our actual spending (coffees, snacks, dinners out etc.) has dropped significantly. We were shocked at how much we are saving simply by not being around places to spend money. It helps massively we both work from home so I can spend more time tending the vege garden and making meals but not having places to spend the money is what’s done it for us I think


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Originally Posted by Chelsea

Do you still have to have an account or business to shop at Gilmore’s? I think we have one over in Rotorua but last time I tried to shop at Gilmore’s about 6 years ago we had to have a business account.
The fruit idea is good. I have tonnes of fejoas to collect off the lawn tomorrow and we have a few fruit trees but they are still a good year or two away.

The Rotorua one closed about 4 years ago. Closest to us now is Hamilton. Pays to do your diligence before you go there. Some stuff is a great bargain, but mixed in between it all is stuff in bulk that's more expensive than the 500gm packets in Pacnsave.

Originally Posted by Chelsea

Bumblefoot looks like your doing quiet well for yourself living off the land. We are going to spend the next year trying to become a little more self sufficient in terms of food. We (2 adults and 1 child) spend at least $12,000 a year on food despite having unlimited milk, chickens for eggs, and more than enough meat available from the farm and hunting. We are going to wait until the spring to get our garden up and going. My biggest worry is making the change from convenience foods, we live such a busy lifestyle and everyone loves their grab and go snacks and if there isn’t 100 options available or if anyone has to “make” something to eat they think they are going to starve. Not sure how I’m going to break that habit with hubby and our son. They love their snacks! That’s probably easily 1/3 of our food bill.
What’s been the most difficult for you trying to live off the land? Any tips for making things easier?

If you want to get a vege garden going then now is the time to get it ready. Clean up the area, dig, rotary hoe or maxitill etc and cover with a heavy layer of weed seed free mulch like old baleage. In spring just make a hole through the mulch to plant

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Just out of the oven, slow-roasted young wild goat shoulder.... The roasted quince (no added sugar) is amazing with it

Attachment 168802

Did you eat that false quince or were they there just for flavour ?

Thanks all. I’m actually in the process of making the challenge that I have to make, hunt or raise everything we eat. So I should hopefully only need to buy the basics such as flour, sugar and some dried herbs etc.
we have got the chooks in the garden at the moment letting them destroy the lot because the potato seeds from a few years ago took off and smothered a lot of the stuff we grew. We are in south Waikato and it gets pretty frosty here so we can’t plant much until closer to spring. We will spray it out and run The rotary hoe through it later in winter. I might get some seeds started that I can get using indoors like herbs and maybe a couple of lettuces. We have a few broken troughs out the back I might fill with soil and plant some vine plants in those when the times right.

Good stuff Chelsea, we are in pretty much the same position. Have planted out a bunch of garlic, spring onions, spinach and cabbages. Hoping to get a few animals in the paddock but never done it before so trying to research as much as I can. We’re in a new area so still getting to know the hunting spots too. Good luck! Hope it all goes well for you


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Originally Posted by Chelsea

Thanks all. I’m actually in the process of making the challenge that I have to make, hunt or raise everything we eat. So I should hopefully only need to buy the basics such as flour, sugar and some dried herbs etc.
we have got the chooks in the garden at the moment letting them destroy the lot because the potato seeds from a few years ago took off and smothered a lot of the stuff we grew. We are in south Waikato and it gets pretty frosty here so we can’t plant much until closer to spring. We will spray it out and run The rotary hoe through it later in winter. I might get some seeds started that I can get using indoors like herbs and maybe a couple of lettuces. We have a few broken troughs out the back I might fill with soil and plant some vine plants in those when the times right.

If you are starting with a clean slate vege wise, the ultimate system I have seen is to fence an area twice the size needed and have chooks on one half one year and the other half or side the next. Breaks the cycle of any plant diseases and the chooks eat the scraps and dung the soil. The chook house is in the centre at one end and has a door to each side of the garden

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Did you eat that false quince or were they there just for flavour ?

They are edible and were nice and tart beside the roast meat

@Chelsea I grow as many greens as possible as I reckon they give you the best bang for buck. I eat sorta Keto-ish so don't eat a lot of carbs but will be putting a few spuds in. I just try to grow the easier veges. Here's a quick tour of my place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tkINzQHjFM&t=450s

As for getting gardens started; I try to go non-dig as it saves a shit ton of work. The Geoff Lawton vid below is a great starting point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5wgHQtxgJw

And; Charles Dowding's no-dig YT channel is brilliant (link below). No dig has saved me a huge amount of work. Especially last year when I broke my ankle and couldn't get into the garden properly for a few months
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5wgHQtxgJw

And.... If you have a lazy 15-mins.... Here's an interview Radio NZ did with me about my lifestyle. Hopefully the info will be helpful
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/progr...arden-of-eatin