...perhaps because everyone is busy being self-sufficient!
We live on twenty-four acres of coastal Northland and run sheep, goats, cows, alpacas, horses, bees and poultry. Busily planting a huge veggie garden & making cheese & butter. We also plan to grow corn and grains for animal feed. We have a 1948 Fergie 28 with a single-furrow plough, also a little 2-stroke rotary-hoe to help with the heavy work.
We are off-grid and use solar panels, wind and a diesel alternator when all else fails. We heat our water with an LPG califont - the house is too well-insulated to contemplate a wetback fire burning all year. We had solar hot-water in a previous home but found the installation costs prohibitive and the govt. subsidy didn't quite pay the consent fees! We also cook on an LPG stove.
We trade raw milk for organic veggies and fruit with a neighbour; our place is still very much at the development stage, so this suits us well. This was a bare block 3 years ago, so still plenty to do.
So...what is everyone else doing to make the dream a reality?
Replies
Janine I couldn't reply directly to your answer, strange. Anyway ... it is interesting what you say about the Guinea Fowl. We have the same experience. They are locked away at the moment but I hate this. I need to find a solution to this problem. On top of attacking our chooks they killed a couple of plants in the garden i.e. orchids and our coffee bush. This made them not very popular with my wife. I feel sorry for them but I guess they will end up in the freezer as well. hey are delicious eating, almost like pheasant.
Cheers
Peter
Noooooo please! They are a delicacy! Seriously! Back in my home country in Germany you wouldn't be able to afford buying a Guinea Fowl. Dog Tucker - - arrrgghhh!
Cheers
Peter
Hi Melanie, sounds great what you are doing. We live close to Kaitaia. We also make cheese and butter, milk 4 cows and 8 goats, raise beef and lambs as well. I also sell cheese making equipment but don't want to make too much advertising here. Have been told off before, ;-)
Anyway, I would be interested in how you managed to barter raw milk. I assume you have a Risk Management Program approved by NZFSA? I find the approval and yearly auditing cost prohibitive to sell our milk. How do you do this?
Cheers
Peter
I have enjoyed reading about this groups members and what you are all doing. WE have half an acre in urban Rangitikei (ex Titirangi) which I loved, but the goal is to live sustainably and you need sun and land for that . Planting lots of fruit and vegetables. Neighbour supplies eggs and we work together to supply each other what we need.
I look forward to being able to use solar energy and master the use of the suns rays for drying fruits over the summer.
Look forward to seeing more wonderful news from people living the good life.
Shhhh....private arrangement with one neighbour, mostly we give him some goat's milk and he gives us some veggies. I buy cultures,etc., from you anyway... :-)
Oh you do? Sorry! Should have checked my customer list. But thank you!
Private arrangements? Ohh I see. Well I won't tell anyone, ha ha ha. I am still looking for someone who managed to get it onto an official level without investing a couple of hundred thousands of $$$$$. But I don't think I will find anyone who did this. This way our govt can say "Oh it is not forbidden" but still manage to make it impossible.
cheers
Peter
Go the Far North. We are at Magic Land Peria and loving hearing a little about the hood. Thanks Peter and Melanie.
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