SELF-INSUFFICIENCY.
Hannah and I are not survivalists. Not on purpose, at least. We did not move to the country for fear that the world would collapse and we'd need to be self-sufficient. Sure, we thought it would be good to know how to grow our own food, but not necessarily because we felt we'd ever have to, but because, well, we're curious humans. And we like good food. And we like living simply. And we like the countryside.That being said, living off-grid we find that many of our interests overlap with those of survivalists, preppers and the like, respectfully. But one area where our interests do not overlap is in the area of self-sufficiency. To us, this is not an interest. To us, there is no such thing. We have found that there is community-sufficiency and then there is insufficiency.What I mean by that is, having lived rather primitively for the better part of six years now, we have come to see the value in having a good relationship with our neighbors. I am not ashamed to say, we are dependent upon this relationship. We depend on them for feed corn, for hay, for large tractor use, for general savoir-faire, and for friendship.Would we perish without them? No––I guess we could get along on our own if we had to. But we hope and work to never have to, and we definitely never want to. And we hope they would never want to get along without us, either. We want to build a relationship with our community strong enough to survive any disaster, any end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario, not because we feel it's necessary, but because that is the type of relationship you should always have with your community.All of these off-grid magazines seem more focused on the individual––on guns and survival techniques––than on community. And I get that to some extent. I get the increasing fear (and the increasing population of these magazines). Climate change is having its way with the world. Tensions and temperatures are high. Especially for those who live in a city or near the ocean––people are starting to worry. And without our neighbors, I might be inclined to worry, too.For us, though, we are always practicing survivalism whether we claim it or not. We need our neighbors as much now as we would should the world ever crumble––because sometimes it does crumble a little and they swoop in––that is survivalism to us. Maybe we are survivalists in that sense. Maybe we should all practice a little less self-reliance, and rely a little more on the people around us to survive now, while things are good, so that if things ever turned bad we'd hardly notice. We'd just turn to our neighbors and say, "You need any help with anything, you let us know."And I have no doubt they'd say, "You do the same now, you hear."- Jesse.
HANDS-ON COOKING.
One of our favorite wedding presents we received was our giant granite mortar and pestle. It is ridiculously primitive in a way....but also unbelievably satisfying. There is nothing like a hot cup of coffee made with freshly ground beans that you spent several groggy minutes smashing yourself. Jesse and I hope to one day live for awhile without electricity...and our mortar and pestle will then become essential - much more than a novelty item! It most recently was responsible for some delicious pesto. INGREDIENTS: Fresh basil and garlic, some olive oil and pine nuts, and some serious grinding = perfection. Do any of you have a mortar and pestle? What do you use it for? But more importantly - which is the mortar and which is the pestle?!- Hannah.
BYE BYE BAGGY.
Inspired by a generally simpler life (and by our friend Kalie's quest to be Zero Waste at All Things Homespun), Hannah and I have decided to start cutting back on plastic until we no longer have any in our lives. Recycling just seems insufficient, and encourages the further production of more plastic. We have little use for anything that doesn't biodegrade and that we can't turn into food or soil. Plastic, chemicals and fast food are all on that list. As Kalie writes, and what Hannah and I have quickly discovered about this venture, is that it's not easy. It takes a LOT of planning ahead, some sacrifice, and also a little acceptance that certain plastics will simply take time to rid from our lives.Our peat moss, for example, comes in a large block wrapped in plastic. We need peat moss or a similar substance for our soil mix, but we could do without the plastic. There are alternatives we could make or find ourselves, namely leaf mold, but we cannot have them immediately. This fall we will stockpile a giant pile of leaves to start their fungal decomposition, and it will take at least two years for that to break down properly then will have to be renewed every year. We are going to experiment with a few more alternatives such as decomposed tree bark, but until we find a solid option, we will have to continue purchasing that large, necessary block of material in its large, useless piece of plastic. If only this were the only example...We're coming to terms with the fact that a lot of our foods come in plastic bags, also. Our cheese is cryovac-sealed, our milk has a small plastic piece that comes off the lid then presumably goes straight into the ocean, all of our organic greens come in not-so-green bags. The obvious answer to all of this is to simply make our own, grow our own, or shop at the farmer's market––all of which we do, or we're in the process of doing. In the future, we'll have our milk cow, and we'll make our own cheese from her milk. In the (very near) future we'll have our own vegetables, and what we don't have, we'll buy in bulk or have to do without altogether. The less obvious answer to the problem of plastic is setting an example for not only other consumers but companies to stop packaging everything so heavily, because the surprising thing about not using plastic is that plastic is nearly unavoidable. Even checking out at the grocery store plastic-free is a challenge. The cashier will inevitably slip your sack of potatoes into a bag then look at you like you're suffering a stroke when you insist you don't need one. Bags in bags is tangible madness.Anyone else tried a similar change before? Have you any tips? Success stories? Criticisms or guffaws? Encouragement? Hannah and I, along with so many of our friends, want kids one day. To me, improving the environment, eliminating waste, and at least working towards a sustainable lifestyle will help to leave them a cleaner place to play.- Jesse.